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The Laurel eats out too
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In the Oakland Hills, you can take on different attitudes when dining out. You experience the haute life in Rockridge, get hip on Piedmont, chill at Glenview bistros, settle for Montclair and venture to the Laurel District for…Cambodian cuisine.
Phnom Penh offers authentic fare in the Laurel
Cambodian and more:
It’s true. Whenever you mention The Laurel, foodies and insiders tell you about Phnom Penh House.
Authentic fare is possible in Oakland because more than 4,000 Cambodians live here.
While there are two Phnom Penh restaurants in the city, the nicer one is located on MacArthur (map) in the Laurel District.
Phnom Penh attracts plenty of business from locals, based on a dining survey conducted by the Oakland Hills Examiner. Fully half of Laurel residents eat there at least monthly, and another quarter patronize the place more often.
One troubling comment came from a local who said he likes the food there, but his wife won’t venture with him to MacArthur because she feels it’s too dangerous.
The Laurel’s an interesting and transitional place. It has one of the best markets in the city, Farmer Joe’s, which everyone drools over because it has fresh foods without outrageous prices. Most errands can be run in the Laurel but it’s hardly gentrified – and residents are already fearful about losing the funkier vibe.
When you drive around, it’s tough to tell what places are worth patronizing on MacArthur Boulevard. Like any neighborhood, we decided to ask residents “what’s there to eat?” Through a neighborhood Yahoo group, we surveyed locals during the summer months.
Since then, I have eaten my way through the best-rated eateries and officially verified the results. Yet the jury consists of neighbors who know The Laurel best – and also want their ‘hood to become a better dining destination and overall hangout.
Full House, favorite Laurel spot (The Campanil)
The winners:
Without question, there were three top draws in the Laurel: Full House; Phnom Penh House; and World Ground Cafe.
The grand prize was Full House, with the largest number of votes. Phnom Penh came in second, while World Ground was in third place.
Think hardy breakfast and cafes! By a landslide, the Full House is where local dine out and more than 90% hit the place. Almost half visit at least more than once a month.
Full House (map) is one of those authentic breakfast and hash houses. Look at this flannel hash, a nifty purple mix of sausages, potatoes and beets to infuse the color. People rave about the corned beef hash and other breakfast staples as well.
There aren’t enough hard-core breakfast spots around anymore, and this one attracts loyalists in spades. Speaking of which, there’s a cards-oriented theme there.
World Ground Cafe does pretty well too, with 85% of residents saying they stop by monthly – and a quarter frequent the Cafe more than five times per month. It's a gathering spot where regulars hold court, and there are even poetry readings. Everyone chats about things, and yet strangers (like me) are also welcomed.
At World Ground (map), there’s the regular morning fare and wireless access. In addition, you can order breakfast and lunch options beyond typical coffee-shop crumpets. It's nice to have a unique spot rather than Peet's.
The second tier:
When locals were asked to name their top five spots, three other dining options emerged in the second tier.
Among Chinese food sources, Happy Garden (map) was named the top restaurant in the Laurel. It’s gotten some notice as one of the summer-wave of robbery targets, but that crime has been solved now. The place is happy again and serves authentic Chinese meals to Laurel residents – and half stick to the Laurel exclusively for this cuisine.
The local taqueria, Gerardo’s Restaurant, was a not-so-secret destination as well. All the basic tacos, super-sized burritos and quesadillas can be ordered here, and the prices are very reasonable. Many folks frequent Gerardo's (map) several times monthly.
Finally, Café of the Bay was mentioned by many respondents. While it’s not the same central hangout like World Ground, you can grab a quick breakfast or diner-type lunch here (map) as well. The place looks like it attracts regulars, too.
Entrance to MacArthur Boulevard, The Laurel
Need more places:
Laurel residents appreciate the current places, and their convenience and reasonable prices. But it's not enough.
There were clear calls for more variety, including Italian, Japanese, Ethiopian, and fine dining spots too.
While folks go out for a bite or take-out meal fairly often, almost no one exclusively eats in the neighborhood. They would like more and better places to spend their shekels.
Here's what residents suggested:
• “We desperately need better quality and more choices and a magnet restaurant(s). But you already know that. Also, most the store fronts in all the stores need to get cleaned up, all look dingy, cluttered and uninviting.”
• “I would probably eat at Laurel restaurants more often if I could see some reviews for them.”
• “Our restaurants here are sadly lacking. I have tried most of the places in the Laurel.”
• “There seems like an obvious niche along Macarthur because no other quality restaurant areas are close and there seems to be the customer base for restaurants, as well as some vacant spaces. It's really the only deficiency in business type from a neighborhood perspective in the Laurel.”
At the same time, there were concerns about attracting restaurants that might be overpriced for residents. It’s a little conflicted between Mills College students and more permanent residents in the community.
Based on this Examiner survey, there's no question that Laurel residents need and would patronize more restaurants. While they were able to vote for current favorites, they welcome new arrivals which stay open later. Even in a recession, this stretch of MacArthur Blvd welcomes more occupants.
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