What to Do in Berkeley!

Get your Grub On at GCUC in Berkeley and other helpful tips and tricks – in order by awesomeness, and compiled by Erin Griffin of NextSpace!

Welcome to the food mecca of the universe!!!! You are going to eat very well and your belly is going to love you for it! The NextSpace community is here to help you find the perfect place to chow down. We’re mainly suggesting restaurants in the downtown so you don’t have to travel far during the conference, but some of our dinner suggestions are located in the historically famous Gourmet Ghetto which is all of a 15min walk from downtown. Yelp will be your best friend during this trip as Bay Area people use it like a foodie bible, so if you want to explore more options that’s the app to reference.

Top 5 Places to get a cheap quick lunch – they all have seating if you wanna hang out there

1. Suya African-Caribbean Grill
2. El Burro Picante (The Spicy Donkey!)
3. Toss Noodle Bar
4. Sliver Pizzeria
5. PIQ Bakery (not just a bakery!)

Top 5 Places to get a sit down lunch – and some of these are great for dinner too!

1. Pedro’s Brazil Cafe
2. Great China
3. Jupiter
4. Gecko Gecko
5. Au Coquelet **

Top 10 Places to have dinner – yes 10, there are way too many to limit this list to five.

1. La Note
2. Comal
3. Kirala Japanese Restaurant
4. Kiraku Japanese Tapas
5. Eureka
6. Revival Bar and Kitchen
7. Gather
8. Ippuku
9. Corso Trattoria
10. Perdition Smoke House

BONUS:  Chez Panisse – This place is why the Gourmet Ghetto is famous. This is the very first farm-to-table restaurant ever created by Alice Waters. Make a reservation way ahead of time for this one!

You’ll find the best brunch spots at La Note and Five Restaurant.

Where should I get my morning cup of joe?

Yes we have Starbucks, but come on you can get that stuff anywhere! Berkeley is home to the very first Peets Coffee & Tea shop. You’ll find them all over the Bay Area and you will love all the tasty options and seasonal roasts they offer. If the line gets too long because ya’ll are flocking there in the morning, Philz Coffee is just down the street with a quaint little shop full of teas, yummy pastry goods and a variety of Turkish coffees. Berkeley will keep you deliciously caffeinated, so don’t worry your pretty little heads.

Wanna grab a drink?

1. La Botella Republic
2. Eureka
3. East Bay Spice Company
4. Jupiter
5. Comal – outdoor patio bar is pretty dope!
6. Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse – local micro-brewery spot
7. Build Pizzeria – has a brand new bar underground.
8. Revival
9. Bobby G’s Pizzeria – great for watching a sports game.
10. Townie
11. Five Restaurant
12. Thalassa – massive pool hall with a tiki bar theme! It’s rebuilding in a new location and will be reopen well before GCUC under the name Berkeley Public. We’ve had too many awesome nights to count at their old spot.

Bring your walking shoes!

Want some nature while you’re here? Talk a walk/run, have a nap, or maybe just sit on a rock and enjoy the Bay views. These are the places you’ll enjoy most.

1. UC Berkeley Campus – two minute walk from GCUC. A huge campus which tons of beautiful trails, redwoods and parks to sit in and relax. And why not enjoy your lunch there!
2. Berkeley Rose Garden
3. Indian Rock Park – sit, have a picnic or rock climb on this massive rock. You can see the entire Bay from here. It’s truly an aww-inspiring experience.
4. Tilden Regional Park
5. Willard Park
6. Codornices Park

Let’s have some fun!

Looking for some entertainment? A movie? A theater show? A street festival? First off, check out the Visit Berkeley or Downtown Berkeley Association calendars. You’ll find all the local happenings there.

Berkeley Repertory Theater – GCUC discount ticket info to come!
Greek Theater – wanna see a rock band? You’ll really love the view at this outdoor amphitheater in the Berkeley Hills.
Iron Works – indoor rock climbing in West Berkeley.
California Theatre & Shattuck Cinemas – movie time!
Berkeley Acupuncture Project – get your first visit for free! Ask Erin @ Ns for a free pass.
Downtown Berkeley YMCA – if you wanna get your sweat on, the YMCA will be offering discounted day passes to all GCUC attendees.

The other hoods of Berkeley!

Wanna go window shopping, take a long stroll, or find other delicious places to eat? These other Berkeley neighborhoods are a lot of fun! We don’t have any shopping malls in this town so these will be the places you will want to hit up if you want to bring any souvenirs home.

Telegraph Avenue – Mrs. Robinson will not be there… 🙁
Elmwood District/College Avenue
4th Street
Gourmet Ghetto

So there it is! Now get to planning your epic trip to GCUC 2015. If you don’t want to take our word for it, than let The New York Times tell you how to maximize your stay with this video of “36 Hours in Berkeley, Cali.”: http://goo.gl/XC1lEF

**has wifi

See you soon!