Fast & close to the talks

If you are looking for lunch, and don't want to wander too far from Evans Hall, there are a couple dozen options within a few minutes' walk:

There are three cafes on campus within a quick walk of Evans Hall: Yali's in Stanley Hall (directly across the circle on the east side of Evans), which serves sandwiches and salads etc., a Peet's in the Sutardja Dai Hall which also serves some food, and the Terrace Cafe, just up the steps directly north of Evans Hall.

But there are also many options not much farther from Evans:

As you leave the North side of campus at Euclid and Hearst, on the west side of Euclid are the following restaurants:

  • Bancroft Cafe - Sandwiches, Salads, Breakfasts, Coffee etc.
  • Urbann Turbann - Rice bowls and naan wraps with curries and chutneys.
  • Vinnie's Cheesesteaks - cheesesteaks and other sandwiches, fries, wings etc.
  • Cafe Nefeli - Mediterranean food, coffee. Slightly more pricey, but decent food & Niman Ranch meats.
  • La Val's Pizza - Pizza, pasta, salads. They also serve beer and wine.
  • La Burrita - Mexican. They also serve beer and wine.
  • Hummingbird Cafe - Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food - falafel etc. as well as sandwiches.
On the east side of Euclid are:

  • Celia's Mexican - More interesting than La Burrita, but more expensive. Plenty of seating. Serves beer, margaritas, sangria etc.
  • Bongo Burger - Niman Ranch burgers, as well as some Mediterranean food.
  • Stuffed Inn - Subway-style hand-made sandwiches, salads, reasonably priced.
  • Brewed Awakening - Coffee, cookies etc. Lots of seats, though usually busy.
  • Jasmine Thai - straightforward thai food, lunch specials.
If instead of going up Euclid, you turn right and go very slightly up Hearst, there is a group of reasonably priced, decent fast food restaurants just off the street in the "Hearst Food Court":

  • Top Dog - hot dogs and sausages
  • TC Garden Chinese
  • Aki's Japanese
  • Chiang Lai Thai
  • Gomnaru Korean
  • Camille Vietnamese
  • Peppermint Grill - burgers and fries etc.
There is also a plethora of options to the south and west (downtown) from campus. See this map.

Less fast

If you are looking for food a little farther afield, but still nearby, below are some suggestions, broken down by neighborhood:

Gourmet Ghetto

The strip of restaurants and shops on Shattuck Ave, north of Hearst is known as the Gourmet Ghetto. Chez Pannise (their cafe upstairs might be open last minute) and the Cheeseboard Collective (check their website for hours and to see what pizza they are making that day), as well as the first Peet's Coffee (the original Bay Area coffee chain, and inspiration for Starbucks) are all located there, as well as many other fine restaurants and shops. Check out Gregoire's for high-end French food, to go, or Cha Ya for vegetarian/vegan Japanese food, or Corso for a nice Italian meal, for example.

Elmwood

About a dozen blocks south of campus on College is a two-block strip of restaurants, a theatre, an ice cream store, Ici, and a handful of cafes. Farther down College is the Rockridge area: try Nan Yang (Burmese), Soi 4 (Thai) or go to Wood Tavern for a special meal.

4th Street

A bus, or car ride away, 4th Street has many upscale restaurants and boutique shops. Nearby is Vik's Chaat Corner.

Downtown

There are some low cost options downtown, like Chick-o-pea, which has a falafel sandwich bar, pizza joints like Arinell's Pizza, as well as a few fine dining options, like the vegetarian-friendly, locally-sourced Gather. You could also check out a farmer's market on Saturday morning (or Thursday evening in the Gourmet Ghetto).

Another way to find a good place to eat is look at the highest rated restaurants on yelp (Emelia's Pizzeria, for example, is excellent if you get your order in before he's too busy.)

Kosher

There are also some Kosher restaurants in Berkeley:

Halal

There are also some Halal restaurants in Berkeley: