Restaurants in Emeryville

The two chefs at Cypress rely on more than following great recipes when crafting their fine French foods. They meticulously prepare every batch of béarnaise sauce and pot of coq au vin using sustainable, organic California ingredients as often as they can. They also take pride in their artful, festive presentation, serving their dishes tableside style on gueridons whenever possible and Cirque du Soleil style when they remember to bring their leotards. Servers, meanwhile, toss salads, sizzle up new york steaks with brandy, and ignite strawberry flambés.

Each month, Food Inc. Trattoria spotlights a slew of new wines, from Spanish red wines to diverse varietals from Paso Robles. The monthly themes reflect the efforts of the trattoria’s on-staff oenophile, who scours the globe for lesser-known wineries, varietals, and grape trees already cut open, exposing their rings and age. A menu of Mediterranean cuisine complements the wine selection: chefs roll out ricotta gnocchi by hand and stuff ravioli with wild mushrooms and gorgonzola. Additionally, servers are happy to suggest cheeses and pastas to pair with wines.

An enchanting array of aromas spirals around customers every time they enter Vital Tea Leaf, emanating from the jars of dried leaves that line the vibrant walls and shelves. Owner Uncle Gee and son Ming collect more than 400 complex teas of all shades during their trips abroad to China, where they meet with growers and sellers to sample their wares personally. Their business takes the traditional tea house into the modern age by modeling each location after a wine bar, encouraging visitors to expand their palates with complimentary tastings of sweet lychee, antioxidant-packed jasmine, creamy milk oolong blends, and other singular blends.

Patrons browse teas in every form, including loose-leaf, aged bricks, and hand-rolled flowering tea balls. They can ensure proper service of their cups with teaware that ranges from clay and glass teapots to hand-painted tea sets and teacup holders shaped like a hand to practice professional handshakes.

The azure-blue sea and palm-tree-lined beach on El Nuevo Frutilandia's rustic painted sign hint at the Caribbean cuisine served inside. A modest menu highlights multiple courses of Cuban and Puerto Rican dishes, including meatless options such as mofongo vegetariano, a classic dish of fried plantains smashed together with olive oil and garlic. Pork is featured throughout the menu, whether roasted and sliced alongside ham and cheese in the Cuban sandwich, or fried as chops with a spritz of lemon and crown of onions.

Like a tree’s favorite sport, the menu at Aperto changes with the seasons, adapting to whatever local, organic ingredients are currently available—including wild-caught fish and poultry from Fulton Valley Farms. Besides the housemade pastas and entrees such as red-wine-braised beef short ribs, a selection of white and red wines pairs well with the rust- and cream-colored decor. As Meredith Brody of SF Weekly observed in 2008, the “simple but effective” furnishings include wainscot rails, framed photographs, and a large armoire where grandpas can nap after a hearty meal.

Om Shan Tea's kitchen flourishes with vegan and mostly organic ingredients that are locally sourced when possible, but it also can be characterized by what it doesn't have. That includes a microwave, a fryer, gluten, refined sugars, and peanuts, with few exceptions noted clearly on the menu. The eatery crafts soup, salad, bowls, and open-faced sandwiches—which are obviously more honest—with fragrant seasonings and earthy, healthful ingredients such as adzuki beans, quinoa, coconut oil, hempseed, and kale.

Echoing the establishment's emphasis on community, organic tea is served by the pot in Chinese-tea-ceremony style. A long menu of varieties includes yunnan black, raw yerba mate, and tulsi teas. The establishment also hosts a full calendar of events, including concerts, dance performances, and poetry readings.