friday five

five area stories of note:

psa: berkeley has two new south indian spots, both recently opened – id cafe in the former organic greens space at 2177 kittredge street, and idly express at 1974 university avenue, replacing closed burgerim.

new yemeni cafe qahwa time has softly opened at 2440 shattuck avenue in berkeley, serving coffee drinks spiced with cardamom, ginger and saffron. (qahwa means spiced coffee in arabic.) (tip from a reader - thank you!)

oken in oakland made the top of jeffrey edalatpour's list of his 10 most memorable meals of 2025. ("i just liked everything about the place.") (east bay express)

loved learning how oakland newcomer lucy blue got her name. (east bay express)

fist of flour to close the pizzeria next week, stay open for catering. (instagram)

bonus: local cookbook author kristina cho makes cantonese beef stew. (instagram)

january 9, 2025 (warm up after a rough start to the year; tips welcome.)