By Ola’i
In the bay, there are many wonderful places to fill your tummy with comfort food. Burger, burrito, salad, and coffee joints are around every corner. The problem is, it’s really hard to find a place that serves this kind of food at high quality for a reasonable price. Thankfully, there exists a restaurant where all of this is possible. Chow is a homey multidimensional restaurant great for any occasion. It has locations on Church and Park St in SF, and another in Danville and Lafayette. Next year, their fifth location will be opening right down the street from Whole Foods in downtown Oakland. They focus on creating food that anyone will like, using the best ingredients possible, and experimenting with everyday meals to create an original yet familiar taste.
The environment of Chow is one that any person can feel at home in. With burgundy curtains, brick-colored walls, and dark sultry wood, it always feels like a warm place to retreat into. The tables are comfortable, their staff is friendly and diverse, and everyone who works there feels as if they are a part of a family. Their menu includes juicy burgers, healthy salads, delicious pizzas and pastas, sustainable local fish and meat, fabulous smoothies, and all kinds of elegant things to drink. Their brunch menu is to die for. Egg benedict, huevos rancheros, and lemon raspberry pancakes are a few of my favorites, and for dinner, the fish tacos, veggie burger, or pesto spring lasagna. What’s more, everything is cooked with organic produce, and their menu changes seasonally, so you’re always eating what is naturally being produced.
An aspect to Chow that not many restaurants can claim is their fresh market. In the Lafayette Chow, and soon to be in the Oakland Chow, is a market where they sell their specialty meals, sauces, dips, pies, meat, fish, and everything else you’d find at a normal grocery shop. All of their options are specially picked for being the best food locally available. They aim to make no waste as a restaurant, so they keep their inventory small, so as to sell everything within the day and be sure that their produce stays fresh. They also do catering for holidays and events. They will make Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner for you!
Tony Gulisano, the creator and owner of Chow and my uncle, has spent years in the culinary field, studying the success and fails of restaurants around him. He has gathered information over the years to create a restaurant that he thinks is the closest thing to what everyone seeks in a place to eat. He aims to promote a healthier way of cooking and living, while making sure people’s needs for comfort are met.
On Yelp, the only complaint Chow has ever received is that it is too crowded or too noisy, which is only because it is so well-liked! It is wonderful for children and families, or for business meetings, or a romantic dinner. It’s eclecticness makes it accessible for all kinds of people and events. And, its reasonable prices are shocking for the quality and quantity of the food that is being given. So hop on over to Chow any time of the day for everything delicious. And watch out for their newest location, 3770 Piedmont Ave, coming in 2017.