a good sandwich - pastrami, egg and cheese at krispy joe's
it's a quirky little north oakland coffee shop with a string curtain at the entrance and a fun, pirate vibe, but sandwiches at krispy joe's are not taken lightly.
hard-working chef-owner cash caris has been the east bay's 'pastrami guy' since his first venture pyro's pastrami launched in oakland's jack london square in 2020.
in 2022, caris cured, smoked and baked his way into berkeley hearts with his pastrami-focused delirama, opened with co-owner anahita cann on solano avenue, where even the breads, bagels, and pickles were all crafted in-house; the deli closed in 2024, and some of us still miss the house-made potato chips.
in short, caris is good at making things from scratch. his newer north oakland operation krispy joe's, located in a funky, vintage space next door to the wolfhound, started its life in august as a coffee shop until he quickly hustled it into something meatier. (a working oven arrived in november.)
six months in and already the eatery outfitted in nautical thrift-shop treasure seems seamlessly incorporated into its oakland/emeryville community surrounds.
krispy joe's coffee and sandwich shop is outfitted in pirate decor and a colorful mural backdrop from berk visual, and has a small amount of seating inside and out. photo credit berkeley eats.
caris' hustle is on full display in the open kitchen as he layers house-cured pastrami into big, buttery griddled sandwiches on rye bread or boichik bagels. locals tuck in at the handful of tables outside and in, or wait at the counter for their names to be called. coffee drinks include toddies and pour overs and budget-friendly drip coffee at $2.75 a cup, and there are also hand pies and a vegan choice or two. some nights the spot even slings slices from pop-up psychedelic pizza, check instagram for details.
but for most, the pastrami is the draw, including, and maybe especially, for breakfast.
the pec – pastrami, egg and cheese – features tender layers of pastrami, a half-inch of fluffy scrambled egg, and melted swiss cheese, griddled with a hint of mayo for addictive flavor and fat. ours, on an everything boichik bagel, was gone in moments. we tried the same on rye a week later: also good (for us the bagel was the winner). it needs only napkins. and maybe a cup of strong coffee.
next time – the reuben.
krispy joe's is open tuesday-sunday from 7am-3pm at 5512 san pablo avenue in emeryville.
note: the eatery is cash-free (except for tips).
january 26, 2026