I love the new spot! Right off the Fruitvale BART station. Enjoyed my favourites: the mushrooms, malunggay pasta, and ube cheesecake! Can't wait to go back! read more

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I cannot stop thinking about the tofu sisig here--it's absolutely BOMB. Soooo good. They offer a ton of vegetarian and vegan Filipino options which is really welcome with the news of Chef Reina's place closing down :(. I want to try all of them. The space itself is gorgeous--beautifully designed and sensory-friendly. And the service is super welcoming. A perfect place to bring the family or go on a date. Also: they're committed to uplifting people of color, affirming justice for the disabled, and making good food accessible through a pay-what-you-can meal offering. I love to support places that supports the community they're a part of. I'ma be back all the time now that I know this is here!!! read more

Understory - Bomb Tofu Sisig - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

My friends and I really liked the vibe here but we were underwhelmed by the food (the pancit malabon specifically). The party of 4 came here for a girls brunch on Saturday around noon and there was no wait. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, but we decided to sit indoors as the remaining outdoor tables were all in the sun. The inside of the restaurant is large and airy and looked beautiful with the colorful wallpaper and plants. They offer a variety of coffee and lattes as well as alcoholic beverages. The lattes and horchata come with beautiful latte art, which we appreciated. It's been a while since I've seen one so beautifully done! The menu is eclectic and offers dishes from different parts of the world. Rather than calling it a brunch menu, it's more like a multicultural lunch menu with a handful of brunch options. Three of us opted for the pancit malabon ($17), which is a Filipino rice noodle dish served with seafood annatto sauce, chicken chicharron, and a boiled egg. It was quite underwhelming, as the rice noodles are served with the sauce on top rather than everything being stir fried together like it should be. The noodles they used are also super thick and not the thin rice noodles usually used for pancit. It was okay and I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Portions for the pancit are also on the smaller side. Luckily I wasn't that hungry because I had some pastries earlier; otherwise it definitely wouldn't have been enough food. Luckily it wasn't too busy, and we were able to sit and chat until we were ready to leave around 2:30 pm. I appreciated that they let us stay there long after we finished eating! read more

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Such a beautiful restaurant with a wonderful team to boot!! We had the oxtail kare kare (not pictured), oyster mushroom appetizer, the calamansi salad, and the Cala-Cello Coffee Tonic! Everything was delicious and so fresh. read more

Understory - Cala-Cello Coffee Tonic, Fried Oyster Mushrooms (V/GF), and the Calamansi salad. - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

I did a little happy dance when Understory opened its new location and was able to introduce my family to their delicious food and community. The worker servers have always been welcoming and helpful. When our drinks and food arrived, a content hush came over our table. I ordered the pandesal milk bread with homemade ube butter, cala-cello coffee tonic, perfectly juicy and crispy porchetta sandwhich and rhubarb/strawberry/mint sorbet. Do take in the artwork, inside and the exterior murals while you're at this vibrant community space. A great thing about the Fruitvale location is that you can take BART and walk over. read more

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If you want Michelin quality food from a worker owned and centered spot, you need to come here! Not only do they have vegan and gluten free options but everythings tastes amazing and the staff is super sweet. We tried the short ribs, pasta, oyster mushrooms and french fries. Everything was tasty and flavorful. The french fries are the best in the bay, the short ribs melt in your mouth, the oyster mushrooms are the best around, and the pasta felt like home. The decor and space is beautiful, especially considering it is a soft opening. I cannot wait to come back here. Wow! read more

TLDR: friendly service staff, pretty surroundings, and yummy food! We did the community plate, gluten free. It was so nice to be able to enjoy everything on the plate. The standouts were the smoky harissa and the slightly spicy biscuit. The watermelon arugula salad was refreshing and light. The strawberry tepache was like a kombucha, a little tart and a little sweet. It is bustling so probably not a good spot for a first date. So pumped for the delightful gluten free surprise! read more

Understory - Gluten free community plate, watermelon arugula salad, pineapple free juice - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

We loved Understory in the old location, and this one is even better. It's a beautiful open space, the food is amazing, and the server/owners are very sweet. The co-op business model leads to an innovative menu drawing from various cultures and every dish has thoughtful touches. Try the tasting menu if you can't decide what to order - it can be ordered omnivorous, vegetarian, or vegan. read more

Understory - Bar area and front door - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

loveeeee this place. great politics, great food, lots of vegan options that don't feel token. super cute space, also a great place to get work done on weekdays. coffee drinks are so good too!!! read more

Came to this place on a whimp to get dinner. We ordered 3 things: donut, oxtail and their burger. The donut was super unique and it came with 2 dipping options to give 3 distinctive flavors. The oxtail dish was my favorite, it came with very fusion peanut flavor and it went very well with the ingredients. The burger was kind of sad for me, I was not a fan of the burger/sauce mixture l, hence the 4 star I gave this place. In general, I would recommend trying this restaurant, the wait staff was attentive for the most part and food came pretty fast. read more

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This review consists of multiple visits, where I got to try a bunch of their dishes. You can't order online, but you can call ahead to order for takeout. Fried oyster mushrooms: Definitely one of my favorite items here, they are crispy and crunchy and I really enjoy the texture of the breaded exterior. The tamarind BBQ sauce tastes pretty similar to ketchup. Kefta burger with fava bean patty and fries: It contained lebneh, arugula, pickles. I thought the patty was really good, it tasted more similar to meat than I expected. Harissa biscuit sandwich: It's a freshly baked buttermilk biscuit with garlic-herb lebne, arugula, cabbage slaw, and I opted for the vegetarian chicken. The biscuit is nicely toasted and I thought the vinaigrette/dressing on the salad was nice. Ube waffle with optional vegan chicken add-on (costs $8) and calamansi syrup: This was okay, the chicken definitely tastes like soy protein and the waffles were alright but it didn't really taste like ube. Unfortunately ube is a mild flavor so they probably would've needed to put a lot more for the flavor to come out. Tofu inasal (the standard is chicken but you can choose tofu): This is lechon style BBQ tofu, java rice, atchara, spiced vinegar (sinamak). Overall, it's quite acidic in taste especially from the vinegar. I liked the rice since it was more savory, and the grilled triangle-cut tofu. A good choice if you like food more on the sour side. Vegan ube horchata: It was surprisingly not sweet. It actually reminds me a bit of che thai (the Vietnamese dessert). Chocnut tart: This is a dark chocolate ganacheco trart with coconut-graham crust. You can taste the coconut a bit, but it's mostly the rich thick dark chocolate taste, a nice balance between bitter, savory, and filling. I really liked this personally. Grilled elote salad: This was nice because of the cheese and I liked the corn and more sour elements. A lot of avocado on top as well. Banh xeo, vegan pork and oyster mushrooms option: This was pretty good, I personally would've liked it to be saltier but the food was savory overall. As a vegetarian, I really appreciate that they offered a meatless version. I'm so sad that they are closing at end of June 2024, they are a worker-owned restaurant and have relationships with a lot of community organizations. read more

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I've been wanting to try Understory for months with my friend because we know we both would find something we'd each like to eat. I love trying elevated Filipino food and she's vegan. Well, today is the day! This week's menu didn't have much Filipino food options. They had Palabok Negra which I really wanted to try but I couldn't because I'm allergic to shellfish. It certainly sounded delicious. That said, I very much appreciate that they list all allergens on the menu for each dish. The menu this week had more Laotian dishes, so I ordered the Mok Pa instead. Wow! That is one helluva a dish. The salmon was cooked perfectly with an herbaceous delicate aroma and flavor. The plating was so beautiful. It came with a tangy chili relish that balanced the whole meal. It was the perfect complement to the fish. My friend ordered the Vegan Papaya Burger. The patty is housemade fava bean. And let me tell you... I am not vegan but that patty was frickin good!!! It was flavorful and crispy. It was not trying to be meat. It was a hearty patty with delicious bean texture and fava bean flavor. I would order this myself because it's that good. And the best part of that burger was the caramelized papaya on top! The decor inside is inviting with its tropical decor. There is also outdoor seating. The service was good. The person at the counter was fun and friendly. They gave us their recommendations and was tickled with delight when we ordered items that were their favorite. Our food arrived fairly timely. Unfortunately my friend's burger was not vegan. She sliced her burger and noticed that the patty was meat! Luckily, she sliced it before taking a bite. We let the person at the counter know and they made her a corrected fava bean burger right away! They were apologetic and let me take home the meat burger for my son. I definitely want to come back to try more dishes, especially when they have more Filipino dishes on the menu. * Note: Free Aguas Fresca of the day with check-in read more

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The day you visit matters because the brunch menu for weekday and weekend are different and with different prices. I got the Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich with vegan chicken during weekday brunch and I would get it again. This chicken sandwich consists of a (soy?) vegan chicken patty topped with vegetables and sauce in between burger buns so I'm calling it a veggie burger. The vegan chicken was battered and crunchy like chicken tenders at an amusement park, just a bit less crispy than southern style fried chicken. The taste and texture were among one of the better for vegan chicken because it wasn't dry and didn't leave a weird aftertaste in my mouth. There were lots of vegetable toppings in the veggie burger that looked like microgreens. They tasted very fresh and worked well with the sauce. The only thing that could've been improved was if the patty was just a bit bigger because I finished the whole thing and still wanted more, especially since the vegan chicken was just done so extremely well. It did come with fries (not sure if those were an additional cost) and I would've preferred an option to have more vegan chicken instead of fries. Maybe a menu item for two vegan chicken patties, or a double crispy chicken sandwich? read more

ah this place. makes me so happy to just be and excited to eat. took nephew for belated brunch and the food was so good. had the Lugaw with vegan lechon - it's like a long warm hug while talking story - savory, soft, spicy, umami. didn't know what to expect with the lechon but it gave rich chewy unctious contrast that was perfect. ate the whole thing up and felt so good. A had the papaya burger and loved it. D had the GF ube waffles and an ube horchata. we shared a banana blossom salad (so good, def get again) and the ice cream and sorbet to share for dessert. will never guess the ice cream flavor but had to try once we heard. caramel fish sauce! i mean the tropical fruit sorbet was delicious but kinda expected, no? normally salted caramel ice cream is too sweet and one note for me, but this was so different! forgot to take photo of the mocktail but tangy spicy wake taste buds up yum. read more

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Some of the slowest service I've ever experienced. I'm currently at the restaurant had to flat my waitress down after 20 min of sitting with no water to finally place my order. It's now been another 25 min and still haven't gotten my food or a refill on water. Table behind us has been dirty for about 30 min. Nearly an hour and we're starving about to just walk out. Never again other tables who gotten here after us have been served. Update finally got my food. 20 min since last post. Still not drinks only one item has come out the harrisa biscuit sandwich, and it's terrible flavorless and soggy. Also doesn't make sense that they put on their menu that they won't turn away people due to their financial situation. That's a nice gesture I guess but they don't accept cash anyone is a situation who can't afford the full cost of their meal most likely isn't going to have a credit card. read more

Understory - Dirty tables for about an hour. No one in this place seems to be doing anything - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

Wow - delicious , wonderful salad, drinks, burger ad the corn soup stole the show. The place is beautiful, comfortable ,and the people are really a delight! Y ou got to go! read more

Everything was amazing!! Their matcha is perfect and I love that they have a sliding scale for the soup. It's also a great place to do some computer work. Lots of seating and space! read more

Understory - Tres leches Iced Matcha - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

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I went for brunch here for the first time with my partner last Saturday and we had the absolute best time. Of note, there is no parking lot for the restaurant so be prepared to look for street parking. The ambiance was clean, welcoming, and cozy. I especially love the decor. The Free Palestine signs and Fuck ICE signs really cemented we were in a place that shares our values of respect, integrity, and dignity for all. Knowing they are worker owned is the cherry on top. We were greeted quickly and the staff were friendly and genuine. There is a kindness that emanates from the workers and we def felt that. I ordered the beef silog and my partner ordered the pork silog. We were pleasantly surprised with how big the portions were and ate our hearts out. Meat was tender and juicy, salad dressed perfectly, there was garlic rice, watermelon, and pickled veg...honestly all the flavors and textures just worked so well together. We also ordered the ube pandesal with ube butter and it was SO GOOD. Cafe de olla and Pinapple Tepache were on point. They also have mocktails and agua fresca available. While the food did take a little bit of time to come out, I wouldn't say the wait was egregious. They have a little marketplace off to the side where you can peruse while waiting for your food. They sell stickers, art prints, zines, a recipe book, and more so be prepared to peruse! We left feeling so full and happy, so seen and loved. The space is crafted intentionally to be welcoming to all and we really appreciate it. Thank you Understory! We will definitely be back! read more

A must try in Fruitvale. Incorporates both vegan and non-vegan Filipino dishes that are absolutely delicious. The staff are dedicated to creating a community space that offers quality food while caring for customers in a warm environment. Check out featured work from local artists or book the space for your next event! The mocktail menu is a perfect treat for your visit. Oakland read more

Understory - Collective meal! Includes bistek, tocino, embudito, boboto (tamale) fried eggs, and the vegan Ube waffles along with a side salad. - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

We came for brunch. Food was delicious and service was super friendly. Their Chilaquiles sauce was excellent and I wish their Harissa biscuit fried chicken sandwich was on their dinner menu. I'd order it for brunch and dinner! read more

Understory - Chilaquiles - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

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Came on a quiet weekend and stumbled upon this place after coming from a garden in Oakland. Understory looked good so we wanted to give this place a shot. When you walk in, masks are provided so you can wear one inside and you are greeted with some nice servers. Overall, food was alright, but it was good enough to make us feel satiated. We got the Longsilog (Vegan), Tocilog, and the Ube Waffles. To be fair, the ube waffles were kinda small for $14 imo. I did like the calamansi syrup they added so it gave it a nicer touch of sweetness. The tocilog was pretty good. The meat had a good texture and it just tasted like a classic tocilog dish, which is like a cured pork dish. I got the Longsilog (vegan), and surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. I added an egg, but they forgot it but it's fine. The longsilog looks like a falafel and the meat inside actually tasted pretty decent. I think the overall price of the dishes were a little too small for the price value, but in terms of the food, it was okay. read more

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Wow. The flavors are out of this world. And the space is soo beautiful. Big bonus that it's worker-owned and community minded - no where else have I seen a menu with a sliding scale priced "community offering" menu item. We went for brunch & got to try so many gems via the collective meal for 2 spread. The tocino (filipino style cured meat) was easily the best we've ever had - marinated to hit that sweet and savory balance just right. Shout out to Chef Jenabi! That and everything else on the plate - the crisp lumpia, the lemongrass beef skewer - was super umami. With perfect complements of luscious biscuits, fried egg & rice, and fresh atchara. I could have eaten the full plate on my own. The understory crew has built something so special. Just wish I still lived in the bay and could eat here more often. read more

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If you are in downtown Oakland, you need to stop here. Understory Oakland is a worker-led restaurant, bar, and commissary kitchen developed by 8th Street Collective and Oakland Bloom. It's a great place with a neat vibe. The menu is a fusion of multi-cultural flavors with flavors from Moroccan, Filipino, and Mexican cuisines. read more

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understory has amazing food and their new space is beautiful! everyone who works here is so nice. this is a regular spot for us so I'm excited that they're open again! highly recommend the heart healing tea, it's delicious hot or iced read more

Understory - tofu sisig & tocilog - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

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Food, service, and ambiance were all fabulous. Love the community centered ethos and local art featured.

Implicit Bias and micro aggressions. If you're self-identifying queer or ally and want to be treated like all other guests here, zhuzh it up if it is not how you normally present, else you may be treated differently. Also if you are a white-presenting Latino, and walking into this establishment in the heart of Fruitvale that blasts Selena every 3rd song, you might wanna play up on your Latinidad. Else, owner/management/staff's implicit bias may impact your dining experience. I love this place, have loved it since previous location, and I have put up with microaggressions. But, after looking forward to the re-opening, and being treated like as non-queer-presenting-non-Latino-presenting-should-be-treated-differently person, I had to let it be known how I felt. I spoke to someone that seemed to be management, and then waited an eternity for the bill and my to-go salad, and had to mention it to my server. My server was sweet, but an aware of their micro aggressions toward me. They apologized profusely. I believed them. Nevertheless, as a masc-presenting queer, there were folks who treated me differently than they treated other people who presented more with the affinity of the establishment, and that felt invalidating to my queerness. I am brown but not brown enough, I am queer but no queer enough. If you ever felt this, zhuzhe it up before coming here, unless you are very good at ignoring those things. This is not the first time I have felt any of this invalidation or micro aggressions at this place. There's always been a tone of "how peculiar it is that you come here!" With my service. But the food be is just amazing, chef's kiss to the menu developers and the kitchen! I of course couldn't help notice that in the heart of fruitvale I was the only Latino in the beautiful establishment besides the kitchen, and Selena on the playlist. The ambiance is perfect, kitchen/food is amazing, but really the culture is not friendly to everyone, which is absolutely mind-boggling for what it is. Implicit bias training is needed. Food: 100% read more

I've only been here once, but I loved the space right away! At first glance, the colorful interior and decor was so warm and inviting. This also mirrored warm service from the cashier and waiter who were so inviting and welcoming as well. :) My partner and I got the Sai Oua Rice Bowl and the Tocino rice plate (from the brunch menu). Both were SOO delicious! My favorite of the two was the Sai Oua rice bowl. The sausages had such a delicious flavor, and paired with the jalapeño relish + fried egg + cucumber salad + garlic rice .... I was in heaven. (I forreal fell in love with that relish, so yummy!) My partner liked the Tocino rice place more! He loved the sweet flavor of the meat, and the meal itself was nostalgic for us since it's essentially a popular Filipino breakfast with the garlic rice, fried egg, and atchara. So good! We also got two glasses of their ube horchata. It was our first time hearing of ube being mixed in horchata, and it was a pleasant drink! :) Overall, I would love to come back here and support this restaurant. The food was delicious, and the whole experience itself was so fun and nice! I would definitely recommend trying this place out if you're in the area. :) read more

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We initially arrived thinking we'd order for take-out, but by the time we ordered, we decided to eat outside on the patio since it wasn't too busy. The person who helped us was so sweet, helpful, and patient. We took a while to decide what we wanted and they offered some suggestions. We ordered empanadas, collaboration dips, Kseksu, the muscles and bread, ginger soda, and the Ohlone Blackberry soda. We waited inside for our drinks and then walked over to grab a table on the patio. The staff said we could take a couple tables given the amount of food we ordered. This was necessary--haha. The empanadas and the peanut sauce were my favorite. Flavorful and delicious. Everything else was good, but I don't know if I'd order them again. I wish the muscles had a little more acid and bread--there was a lot of muscles, tho! Of the dips, the guacamole was my favorite, my friend loved the ensaladang talong. Neither of us finished the taktouka. The Kseksu was was probably my least favorite dish because I thought it was under-seasoned. However, most likely because I'm used to eating too much salt :P I would definitely be back, but I'd probably want to try some of the other menu items. There is so much on the menu! read more

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Ambiance & service GREAT - felt so welcoming I've been wanting to come here for a while & so happy we did! I'm an omnivore & my friend has food restrictions, but that was NOT an issue. I especially love the mission that is the foundation of Understory! Can't wait to return! Appetizers - Molete & Brussels sprouts were delicious & we killed them! Drinks - Jeepney & Smoke signals hit the spot Entrees- Kalderetang Kambing & Caribbean beef stew all tasted like HOME. Felt like I ate a home cooked meal! Thank you! We killed those too! Our waitress was so cute & accommodating since we weren't ready to order each time she checked on us...she said that's ok I know this table now :) read more

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This employees owned cafe is huge and clean and has a calm, pleasant vibe. The frittata and salad was good and so was the heart health tea (comes sweetened, but not too much.) they sometimes host live music, and I'd love to come back sometime for live music! read more

Love the ambiance! Jungle-y wallpaper with lots of plants and everyone who worked there was very nice and attentive. I really wanted to give it 5 stars but I unfortunately thought the pancit with stir fried rice noodles and veggies was not very flavorful. The pork belly was a bit drier than I had expected, and the noodles did not have enough flavor. BUT the harissa chicken biscuit was really good! Really CRUNCHY, flavorful fried chicken, and I liked the side salad's vinaigrette. Do a yelp check-in for a free Agua Fresca! The agua fresca also took me by surprise in that it didn't seem sweetened at all, but when I shifted my mindset to it being a healthy, sugarless drink, I could appreciate its refreshing taste more. read more

Understory - Weekend brunch menu - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

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Love their new space and am so glad they're back in business. The chickpea vegan burger with mushroom bacon was super delicious. I also recommend the ube horchata drink, which is also vegan. read more

I learned about Understory through the AAPI Artist Market at E14 Gallery. Understory is a worker-led collective (empowering immigrant and refugee chefs and POC worker owners) with a rotating menu every three weeks, so I'm thrilled I had the chance to check it out. The service was warm and friendly. They currently have a couple tables outside for outdoor dining. The menu this week featured vegan and gluten free Mexian-inspired dishes emphasizing pre-colonial ingredients. I ordered the Taquitos, Dreamy Greens, and Pozole Para Todxs after asking what would travel well since I was taking it back to Livermore. The entrees were $12 except the Pozole Para Todxs which was on a sliding scale of $0-100. All of the dishes complemented each other really well and had such complex flavors. I really appreciate the heart, humanity, and values of Understory and will have to return to try out their next menu. read more

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I was very eager to try Understory after learning about its story, a worker-led restaurant run by a POC collective, which allows them to offer a diverse menu of Filipino, Moroccan, vegan Mexican, Lao, and Burmese flavors. Unfortunately, I may have just been unlucky but I had a slightly disappointing experience during my visit. After you order at the front counter, you find an open table yourself and grab your own water, utensils, etc, so there are no designated waiter per table. After waiting for over 40 minutes, we figured our order was probably forgotten so we finally asked a worker about it. Our food was brought out after another 10 minutes, and to our disappointment, it was only slightly warm, which probably took away from the taste of it too. We ordered the grits with lamb and breakfast tacos. Both had rich flavors and tasted good enough for us to not feel upset over waiting over 40 minutes for it, but unfortunately didn't amaze us to the point of wanting to come back soon. Overall, I'd still recommend this place to friends who haven't tried but I don't see myself coming back regularly. read more

Understory - Grits - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California

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Understory is a worker-led collective in an incubator kitchen operated by Bloom. "Understory is all about building community & supporting BIPOC artists.." this weekend will be their grand opening. offerings: Moroccan, Vegan Mexican & Filipino eats. the will be a rotating menu. lst menu offered will be Filipino eats with a few specials by other Chefs. in house menu is more expansive than online pre-order menu. eats: Kare Kare Empanada (4) -"stuffed with peanut braised beef stew served with bagoong (shrimp paste) aioli} -small flaky empanada packed with lots of flavor. -Lahpet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad) 10 "cabbage slices, femented tea leaf, tomato bits, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts" -a minature version of the Burmese classic that's packed with intense flavor. takeouts: -portions may seem small. it's temporarily fulfilling. flavored packed. -standing board is located at corner. Understory is in the middle of the block near a parking lot (that's full). -no inside dining yet. 2 outside tables for dining. read more

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Opening week and I think today was the first day of service. Love the ethos of this restaurant, bar and commissary kitchen. Developing bipoc leaders in the industry and providing opportunities for the marginalized in the community. They are highlighting Filipino, Moroccan and Mexican cuisines. Currently the menu is Filipino focused. Enjoyed: -flaky Kare Kare empanada with a what tasted like a creamy porcini sauce -pancit, vegan but I added the super crisp lechon - so porky and crispy, I am used to glass noodles, these were like chow mein. Loved the tofu and wood ear additions - can tell the quality of ingredient -bbq need skewers - flavorful and tender, rice a bit gummy/dry, nice slaw -Inasal cauli - excellent vegan choice, rice needs same improvement -vegan cheesecake - fantastic, not dense if that's what you're looking for, cashews and coco and a healthy sprinkling of dehydrated raspberries, perfect tartness - super satisfying Order through their site for easy-distanced pick up. Generous portions, unique twists on different cuisines, fresh ingredients, lovingly cooked and a positive impact on the community is a thumbs up in my book. read more

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Food was delicious and healthy. Service went above and beyond. Helpful when adjustments were requested due to dietary restrictions. Ambiance was great. read more

Understory offers the a diverse, multicultural menu with items from Filipino, Mexican, Moroccan, and American cuisines (and more) all under one roof! This unique worker-owned restaurant constantly updates its offerings and is a super popular place for brunch. The item to order to get a good sampling of their flavors is the Understory Collective Meal, a cook's choice sampler plate for two. The items we got on our board included two small fish sandwiches with lebne and pickled onions; two fried eggs; boneless crispy fried chicken pieces (similar to karaage) tossed in a spicy sauce; fried chicken wings tossed in a green seasoning; a salad of tomatoes and greens; a sweet, crispy ube waffle topped with poached pears; and a spiced pear corn cake for dessert. Everything was tasty and great for sharing--the service seemed slow, inattentive, and still getting up to speed, but this was a unique small business worth supporting! read more

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Quaint little place in downtown Oakland. Not to far away from the freeway exit and easy to find. Lots of metered street parking as well as parking lots in the vicinity. Understory has an outdoor seating area as well as some indoor. I came with 2 girlfriends on a Saturday for brunch. One of my friends is vegan so when we schedule to meet up I jump on here to see who has vegan options for her. She actually found this place and suggested it. I was pleased to see the filipino fusion on the menu and was quite intrigued. We met around lunchtime. We all knew what we wanted since we all looked at the menu beforehand. Only we were met with a special brunch menu that didn't have any of the items we were looking forward to try. Bummer! Neither of us saw a "brunch" menu anywhere. You walk into a light, open and airy estrablishment. Lots of potted plants and beautiful color pallete chosen. I especially love the crished velvet dining chairs. We ordered some alcoholic beverages. 1. Jeepney: I had to. It was SKRONG. Upon my first sip I knew I needed to pace myself. It had a hint of calamansi so that was nice. 2. Paloma: gave exactly what was expected. 3. Negroni: suprisngly delicious it was ordered twice. Now for the food: 1 Fries as an appetizer. 2. Fried Chicken Harissa Biscuit: Biscuit wasn't heavy. That chicken cutlet was seasoned well and the slaw was a great binder. 3. Torta Milanesa de nopal: a torta made with cactus. The cactus was seasoned and breaded and deep fried as if it were a chicken cutlet. The bread was fresh and the veggies crisp and fresh. What a great sandwich. 4. My vegan friend ordered the Arroz Caldo and although it was delicious it just wasnt hittin any sweet spots so she asked if she could have the Torta Milanesa de Nopal instead and they obliged. 5. Then we shared the ube leche flan that was delicious and a great ending to our visit. Next visit will be at dinner time because I need to try those oyster mushrooms appetizer and oxtail kare kare. Menu seems to change often so if you see something you like you better plan a visit sooner rather than later! read more

Elevating Oakland looks, feels, and tastes like this, full stop. One look at their insta and you'll know what I mean. The food is the star: a medley of global flavors - subtle, balanced, and not heavy (like most brunches)! Drinks evocative of early summer on a tropical island. Hands down the best brunch we've had in Oakland. We walked in honoring masking policies before speaking with the delightful cashier! Settling in, we sat outside on a wonderful day with our pup. Can't go wrong with the Chef's choice brunch sampler for two! The spread had the umami garlic rice and a perfectly jammy fried egg centered between beef bites reminiscent of Cơm tấm, a salad reminiscent of burmese tea leaf salad, and tender eggplant/bokchoy in a finger-licking sesame sauce. Munching away, we took our side of fries and put it on the sampler because the sesame sauce was so damn good! The fries were bomb with the sweet wings in the sampler. Cheerful exchanges from non-hurried, charming staff, put this over the top. Community is alive and thriving here. There's no better place to soak in vibes on a Sunday morning, supporting up and coming chefs. We'll be back for the ube waffles Understory and its staff made for a beautiful day. read more

Understory - Filipino Near Me - Oakland, California