Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop

Yum. Great salads, crispy chicken sandwich with spicy cabbage slaw and amazing soups that change daily. Did I mention the incredible pizza?
Love this place.

What a cute restaurant in a great part of town. I just had lunch today with 3 friends. We all ordered the salad with chicken, beets, cucumbers… what a disappointment… this salad was tasteless. The lettuce was fresh, but that was the only positive thing. In the salad there were only 3 tiny pieces of beet the size of a quarter (at most) and 4 pieces of TINY bite size chicken (yes, I counted… it was easy!). Such a skimpy salad! And… the salad was $ 12.50 and not any larger than a side salad at a typical establishment. It should have cost $ 8…AT THE VERY MOST! And… all 3 salads were the same! Also… baked cookies looked fabulous, but just ok… I’d give them 3 stars! Would not recommend ordering a salad… maybe sandwiches are what they are known for?

Positively tasteless faro and kale soup. I had to add half a salt shaker and some parmesan cheese to make it taste like something. And it was $ 7 for a smallish bowl of soup.
My friends chicken tenders though were delicious. And some of the other food looked good.

This is a great place for a salad, sandwich and
for dinner they have excellent entres. Everything was very fresh tasting and flavorful. The pizza looks really good too!

This is a wonderful little lunch spot. Summer Kitchen has a great staff, which is super friendly and helpful. Despite the small size of the dining area, it feels incredibly comfortable and airy inside. The interior makes you feel like you’re lunching on Martha’s Vineyard, which is clearly the intended effect.
Best of all, terrific food! The sandwiches are stellar — light and very tasty. The pizza is really good too, and baked fresh in a wood fired oven in the back. The wine list is short, but phenomenally selected. Great desserts if you are into sweets.
I would rate the Summer Kitchen as one of the best casual eateries in Berkeley, and a terrific hang out, especially for families.

Friendly staff and fantastic pizza. I love their margherita pizza! It’s the best margherita pizza I’ve EVER had.

Always good. My personal favorites are Kale cesear salad with chicken, sausage pizza and the chicken dinner. Oh yeah, the chocolate cupcake is a must. Saturday mornings/​afternoons are busy, but most days are. Off times, 2−4p during the week are good times to go.

Very yummy pizza, had the margerita. Reasonable prices for this part of town. Hubbie had BLT avocado red bell pepper arugula sandwhich which was pretty good. Small but surprisingly found a table. Nice to hang out on a rainy day. Pleasant staff.

Delicious sandwiches and desserts! The people there are also super friendly, like this one chef we talked to. I think his name was Ben.
Only thing that didn’t go while in my visit was that they lost my order ticket. it took awhile for my food to come. They seemed confused and I had to ask for my food. Otherwise really good food and nice people

I love the combination of truffle and cheese and I believe this is the only place in Berkeley that serves Truffle pizza! The thin crust makes the pizza taste extra healthy and tasty. Kale Caesar Salad was incredibly fresh and the creamy caesar sauce blended well with the texture of kale.
The café is located in Elmwood area so you can just hop on 51B and grab lunch with your friends on a nice sunny day :) And don’t forget to leave dessert room for Ici’s ice cream which is right next to the café !!

Good food. The pizza was really good. Thin crust – a cross between New York and Italian style — my favorite so that resonated well. The kids food was a hit with the kiddos but when they didn’t finish, we ate it. Good sign there. Great salads. Cute place with seating the only drawback. It’s a self seating place so that means you inherit a dirty table after you’ve descended like a vulture just to get it.
I did like it but we entered when there wasn’t a line. When we were eating, a line grew and then we were in the enviable position of being stared at from the line of vultures praying on our table. This is the downside to places like this. If there is a line, you may want to avoid entering as then you get your food with nowhere to site. Clearly, they need a bar for individual seating (they could do this as there’s a long isle) or move to managed seating. I presume they don’t want this as it’ll reduce business but again, I’ll only enter if there is no line and tables are free. I don’t have patience for the fight to sit places.
4 stars for the food and nice people that work there. If the food wasn’t that good, it would be a solid 3 for the seating situation. Depends on you.

I love the barely adulterated /​seasoned freshness of the food here. The crispy chicken sandwich is like a very politically correct Chik fil a with homemade pickles that have a nice tang. The baked goods are sweet but the savory stuff is what distinguishes this spot. Many Alta Bates nurses and Cal staff find this a nice oasis.

Incredibly friendly staff, which sadly I am always surprised at these days. The sandwiches were amazing. A bit pricey, but definitely worth a splurge once in a while.
Nice décor as well!

This place is so yummy! Everything is fresh and organic, and they have some creative options (cauliflower, farro and lentil salads). The staff is also really nice about letting you do combo plates so you can try different things too.
I haven’t tried any of their sandwiches yet, but friends who came with me loved them (they’re very filling).
Make sure you try a slice of their marble pound cake and grab a virgin mojito while you’re at it too. All delicious!

Egg salad sandwich is the reason I come here. Egg salad is creamy with chives, and the Acme bread is soft and chewy, the perfect texture. Addictive, and makes for a satisfying lunch.
Cookies are really tasty, too! I recall the toffee cookie in particular.
Bright, and comfortable atmosphere, and it can hold a small group of people for lunch if you were to choose to sit down

Excellent spot in the Elmwood area for fresh food and drink. The interior of this place is hip and clean, and while a little small, has a great warm feel. My wife and I had a margarita pizza and added applewood smoked bacon. We sat next to the brick oven as the pizza man tossed the dough, placed the toppings, and fired it up.
Everything tastes incredibly fresh with high quality ingredients (at the price, it is to be expected). The crust in all actuality may have been my favorite part of the pizza. Thin crust, with a good amount of char. The complexity of the acid from the sauce, salt, and char made for an amazing taste. Two types of mozzarella cheeses, and basil leaves not overdone, this was a pizza is gladly have again.
Their other food looks good too! I can’t wait to try their fried chicken!
I’m coming back!

Really great & fresh food!
I really enjoy the watermelon arugula salad! They’re portions are a great size and you can even eat family style to try different options.
I will definitely be returning here. I have only been here in the summer so I can’t speak on the menu during the other seasons but it’s a place worth checking out!

The location is a bit difficult for outsiders, it’s in the mix of the super busy flow of College Ave.
The sandwiches are about $ 10, a fair price for where you are and the quality of goods received.
I had the tuna, it was delicious. The flavors all worked great together. Olives, Arugula and Fenal. The flavors were clean and understated when applied to the focaccia bread. Overall it was a great sandwich.
I had a bite of the BLAT. Again with the flavors. The roasted bell pepper was great with the Bacon and Avocado.
This is the perfect place to pick up a picnic on the way to the Greek Theater.

Great sandwiches! They may be known for their pizza, but after my last visit, I’ll definitely be picking up a sandwich again the next time I come by.
I had the Hearst Ranch Burger, and it was probably the most delicious thing I’ve eaten since I came to Berkeley 3 years ago. My friend got the Crispy Chicken sandwich, which I also highly recommend, though my heart still belongs to the burger.
Didn’t try any of the baked goods, but they looked delicious, and I’ll definitely check some of them out next time.

They have decent pizza here, nothing to write home about though.
We got a pepperoni and a pizza with anchovies. The people weren’t very friendly at the counter, but overall it wasn’t a bad experience. The pizza is good, could use more toppings though.