Have you heard? Berkeley got goop’d … or did it?
Goop kitchen, the food-centric offshoot of actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s luxury wellness brand, has touched down in the East Bay. On June 8, via a Linkedin post, the brand announced that it would be opening a new ghost kitchen outpost in Berkeley, with delivery via UberEats, DoorDash and other services throughout the East Bay, including Richmond. This comes after goop’s initial Bay Area rollout in fall 2025, when Paltrow’s company debuted kitchens in San Jose, Sunnyvale and San Francisco.
Goop kitchen first launched in 2021, positioning itself as a health-conscious delivery and takeout concept, working out of a network of ghost kitchens and selling a variety of bowls, salads, handhelds, pizzas and more that adhere to Paltrow’s famously strict personal wellness standards.
In layman’s terms? There’s no gluten, seed-oils, processed additives, refined sugars or corn on the menu.
This expansion and growing goop kitchen craze comes at a time when researchers report Americans are becoming more health-conscious, linking the rise in popularity of GLP-1 medications, shifts in federal nutrition guidance, and growing reliance on ingredient-scanning apps to what they put in their grocery baskets. Across age groups, consumers are paying closer attention to food labels and processed ingredients, preferring shorter lists, recognizable ingredient components and more plant-based proteins — all of which goop Kitchen provides.
So, naturally, Nosh had to try it. I went online and ordered a variety of goop favorites, but once I arrived to grab the order, I found that my map routed me to the Adeline Food Hall, miles from the South Berkeley border and firmly rooted in Oakland. Which raises the question: why is it called Berkeley goop?
Some speculate that Paltrow’s business distanced itself from Oakland due to the city’s history and identity clashing with the brand’s aesthetic, or that Berkeley might sound more palatable to her consumer base. Others chimed in on the conversation via reddit, with one user calling the branding ‘insulting’, and others hoping for the brand’s demise, pointing out the recent controversy regarding Paltrow starring in a promotional campaign for a luxury real estate development in Israel, earning her the nickname “Gwynocide.”
Goop kitchen cofounder and CEO Daniel Moore says that the location’s branding is tied to its market base.
“As a delivery-first concept, we name our locations based on the primary market we serve, and the majority of deliveries from this hub are going to Berkeley proper,” Moore said. “The Adeline Food Hall gives us the ideal operational footprint to reach that consumer base, while also serving Oakland and Emeryville. The name reflects where the food is going, not just where the kitchen sits. We’re incredibly proud to be operating out of Oakland.”
So, as a luxury brand known for selling morning skin superpowders, pelvic floor trainers and $6,000 skin lasers, how does its food stack up?
The gluten-free Pepperoni Potts Pizza ($23.50), a playful ode to Paltrow’s recurring Marvel character, complete with pepperoni, basil, pomodoro sauce, fresh mozzarella and fontina cheese. The crust, unfortunately, was a little gummy, lacking the crispy undercarriage I expect from a pepperoni slice — though it might fare better if reheated at home. The flavor of pomodoro sauce was muted, leaving the pepperonis to do the heavy-lifting flavor wise.
I also ordered the Brentwood Chinese chicken salad ($16.95) layered with hand-pulled organic chicken, bok choy, snowpeas, green onion, cabbage, avocado, sesame seeds, watermelon radish, cilantro, grain-free wontons and carrot-ginger vinaigrette. The variety of textures offered, from the creamy avocado to the crunch from the cabbage and watermelon radishes, were enjoyable. The chicken lacked seasoning, but the vibrant, tangy vinaigrette with ginger and citrus notes came to the rescue.
From there I added the goop teriyaki bowl ($17.95) which comes with a choice of glazed salmon, BBQ-glazed tofu, organic chicken breast or organic chicken thigh. I opted for the thigh, over an umami rice blend of shiitake mushrooms and brown rice, with house-made furikake, garlic broccoli, pickled ginger, and a side of gluten- and dairy-free teriyaki sauce. While it wasn’t very memorable, of everything I tried this felt the most balanced. The chicken was seasoned nicely, the bits of shiitake in the rice added a nice umami flavor and the teriyaki sauce complemented the bowl without having to carry the bulk of the flavor.
To round things out, I snagged the dark chocolate and sea salt brownie ($5.95). The brownie leaned drier than expected, lacking the dense, fudgy richness expected from a brownie. A heavier sprinkle of sea salt was also needed.
So the verdict is in — goop is OK. The flavors of the items are muted, not bad but nothing to rave about, and the menu delivers on its health-conscious ethos. It’s a viable option for a quick bite, but in a region where numerous fast-casual restaurants have long embraced fresh, ingredient-driven cooking and dietary accommodations, goop does little to establish itself beyond its celebrity pedigree. For the thoughts of the full Nosh team, check out the taste test video.
