Restaurants in Emeryville

The Terrace Room’s art-deco furnishings, elaborate ironwork, and white-draped tables evoke an elegant supper-club vibe that complements the restaurant’s classy confines in the Lake Merritt Hotel, built in 1927. The eatery’s upscale American dishes borrow influences of Cajun, French, and Italian cuisines, which chefs skillfully weave together and artfully plate to cultivate a sophisticated and luxurious dining experience. Amid picturesque murals and panoramic views of Lake Merritt, dishes parade out of the kitchen bearing local and seasonal ingredients, as well as organic touches, such at the Bison chocolate stout that flavors battered fish 'n' chips. Chicken and dumplings sate stomachs with tender meat from Petaluma free-range chickens—a tasty and humane alternative to chicken cooped up in a cubicle all day—and the menu brims with sustainable seafood, platefuls of pasta, and flavorful cuts of beef. Servers splash wine into glasses, or bring up bottles of requested vinos for those hoping to discover the flavorful bounty or Cracker Jack prize inside.

Sharing a cooking space with upscale pub The Brick Yard, the Back Yard Kitchen invokes a sense of bygone Americana with rustic wooden accents and the brown paper bags that wrap each of its house-made sandwiches. The unassuming eatery strikes an ideal balance between casual and gourmet, sourcing the ingredients for its traditional sandwiches and salads from local vendors and farmers. Hot and cold selections tempt diners with top-quality meats, preservative-free breads, and charming notes from Mom on the side. The cozy restaurant’s rough-hewn counters and antique accents aren’t its only relics from the past—an aroma of freshly baked chocolate cookies wafts through the air, leading diners to reminisce about that favorite childhood dessert.

Inspired by King Tut's exquisite tomb, Al-Masri melds hand-painted Egyptian artwork and gilded decor with a menu of Egyptian cuisine that reaches back into the 7,000-year history of chefs Sausan and Hatem's homeland. Free-range poultry lays the foundation for dishes such as firakh fe alforn, served inside the main dining room alongside lamb and vegetarian fare, as well as in the Isis room, a 12-person private dining area. Thursday through Sunday, female dancers don traditional costumes to perform raqs baladi—belly dancing—atop a painted stage, channeling the traditional music in a display more emotive than a bag of mood rings left on the radiator.

Softly flickering candles light the red booths and white-cloth tables at Bistro Unique SF, while the attentive wait staff rolls out traditional French appetizers of butter-and-garlic-bathed escargot or flavorful French cheeses. For entrees, rich bouillabaisse soups reel fresh catches of monkfish, calamari, and scallops into a saffron broth, and the cassoulet's white-bean stew fills palates with flavors of duck confit and garlic toulouse sausage. For brunch, diners can opt for eggs benedict with rich hollandaise sauce or the savory crepe paysanne with chicken, mushrooms, and gravy to pair with bottomless mimosa flutes or clarinets filled with coffee.

On a charming corner in Noe Valley, the black awning of neighborhood favorite Basso's Restaurant draws guests inside, where they watch chefs pull the crackling crusts of Napolitana-style pizzas from ovens in an open-concept kitchen. Whole-milk mozzarella bubbles on each pie before diners decorate it with toscana salami, organic green-apple slices, or festive tinsel. House-made meatballs, which use beef from the humane farm Niman Ranch, sit inside toasted sandwiches, stand next to forkfuls of spaghetti, or arrive à la carte as sides.

Johnny Cherry, the proven barbecue king, seasons the fare at Frank's BBQ and Seafood with his own special blend of herbs and spices, earning himself and the eatery a first-place finish in the Black Cuisine of San Francisco competition for 10 years running. He cooks up pork and beef ribs, sliced beef brisket, and chicken wings, all available in a variety of combos with sides such as potato salad and hush puppies. Not to be outdone, seafood dishes such as red snapper, catfish, and fish burgers sidle up beside the barbecue fare.

Margie—Frank's BBQ and Seafood's resident soul-fare specialist and fellow Black Cuisine of San Francisco first-prize winner—drops by every Thursday and Friday to whip up her down-home cuisine. Made from her grandmother's Alabama recipes, her entrees include smothered turkey wings, meatloaf, and oxtail, prepared with comfort-fare sides such as string beans and candied yams in the shape of a La-Z-Boy. On request, she can also craft homemade desserts such as cakes, peach cobbler, banana pudding, and pies. Frank's BBQ and Seafood and Margie's soul fare are also available for catering for any event.