I grew up in Queens, New York City: a diner-dense borough in a diner-loving town. While I’m happy to call the East Bay’s El Cerrito-Albany border home, there are no diners here. Not really. What people in these parts call diners are really breakfast and lunch spots.
Let me put it this way: If I can’t get a roast chicken dinner complete with roll, soup and sundae glass full of Jell-O or rice pudding at 2 a.m. for around $15, or a weekday morning two-egg special with juice and coffee for less than $5 — a Queens standard — it’s not a diner.
Options in my current ‘hood are not so workaday, but I’ve located alternatives to those Berkeley-hip places and their precious platefuls.
While not quite East Coast-type diners, they help feed that yen — with the understanding, of course, that every cook at every hole in the wall in the Bay Area is within three degrees of Alice Waters.
Anna’s Place
11740 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito
Daily 7:30 a.m-2:30 p.m.
If you blink you’ll zip past this place and its huge menu of breakfast and lunch eats – plus a few Korean items . Nothing like getting a BLT with fries ($5.85) while my BFF orders bibimbap ($6.75). Watch the short order cook in action as you sit at the counter drinking superior Joe ($1.35). They’re on the ball with refills, and regulars don’t have to order drinks — they just appear. Great gyro-type sandwiches with sliced steak and spicy pork ($6.25), and you’ll ditch Mickie D’s once you’ve had their breakfast sammie. Bacon, sausage or ham with eggs and cheese on a croissant, English muffin or bagel (3.95). A basic 2-egger is only $4.50.
Broom Bush Café
2725 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley
M-F 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat opens at 7; Sun opens at 8
If you can handle a little funk, you’ll get some of the cheapest diner-type grub in Berkeley here. A standard two-egg breakfast is $5.25, but you can have upgraded meals with the likes of pork chops ($8.25) and country-fried steak (7.35). Plenty of omelets, sandwiches, hot plates and salads here — and onion rings count as a regular old side! Super nice staff at this small time warp.
Gilman Grill
1300 4th St, Berkeley
M-F 6 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat-Sun opens at 8
There may be more yuppies here per square foot than the other three places, but no need to worry: $5 for a full egg breakfast.
I like this light and airy room for lunch because they have meat loaf with mashers ($8.50) and a great BLT ($7.50), though you’ll need to tell them to toast the bread. The Bentoville ($6.50) — eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy — is a good choice, too, as is the lamb burger ($6.25). The Hungarian mushroom soup ($2.50/$3.50) is to die for.
Nib’s
10841 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito
Daily 6:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
A long counter, orange ‘70s lampshades, and a warm “hello!” greet you as you enter this little family-run place. I tend to order a “basic,” which is either a lunch with eggs or a breakfast with lots of meat – depending on how you look at things. The chicken teriyaki basic ($8.95) is slamming, but you can get some other protein, like linguisa or beef hot links ($7.75). Their juicy mushroom cheeseburger ($7.25) has so many mushrooms you may have to contact FEMA to reach the burger. Don’t leave without trying the homemade chili ($3.95). Feeling vanilla? A plain old 2-egg breakfast is $5.25. Options galore and a wedge of ripe melon with every meal.
