Enter your vote for 10 categories covering East Bay restaurants, bars, bakeries, cafes and more.
Author Archives: Tovin Lapan
As Nosh editor, Tovin Lapan oversees food coverage across Oaklandside, Berkeleyside and Richmondside. His journalism career started in Guadalajara, Mexico as a reporter for an English-language weekly newspaper. Previously, he served as the multimedia food reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and covered a variety of beats including immigration and agriculture at the Las Vegas Sun and Santa Cruz Sentinel. His work has also appeared in Fortune, The Guardian, U.S. News & World Report, San Francisco Chronicle, and Lucky Peach among other publications. Tovin likes chocolate and seafood, but not together.
Posted inNew Restaurants
Starter Bakery offers new indulgences with Albany expansion; a smash burger spot soft opens in Richmond
Plus, new noodle soup, late night lounge, and breakfast spots land in the East Bay.
Posted inNosh
2025 Nosh Awards: Nominate your favorite East Bay spots
The Nosh Awards are bigger than ever this year, with four new categories celebrating the best in East Bay food and drinks.
Posted inRestaurant Closures
Seawolf shuttering soon, auctioning off memorabilia and more
The pub in the Jack London Square neighborhood is also home to Willie’s Kitchen from Wilson Mendez.
Posted inNew Restaurants
A market opens a restaurant, and a restaurant opens a market
Pizzeria da Laura and Middle East Market have both expanded into neighboring spaces to offer something different to customers.
Posted inNosh
Baltic Kiss closes after turbulent few months
An eviction notice was posted on the Point Richmond restaurant and music venue that owed thousands in back rent and wages according to legal filings.
Posted inNosh Features
Baltic Kiss may have found a lifeline, but lost the trust of some employees along the way
As a March 9 deadline to pay back rent looms and employees seek thousands in unpaid wages, the owners of the eclectic Point Richmond restaurant are optimistic about staying open.
Posted inNosh Features
Swoon-worthy: Our most beloved dishes and dining spots, from Richmond to Alameda
Whole fried fish, Tacos El Tucan, The Fat Lady and more — Nosh is sending love to the some of the restaurants, markets and meals that make the Bay a culinary powerhouse.
Posted inNosh
The East Bay’s best new restaurant is the rebirth of a pizza darling
It took three years, but June’s Pizza is back and booming after an abrupt ending to its first incarnation.
Posted inNosh
It’s a landslide victory for the best new bar in the East Bay
The 2024 Nosh Award winner for best new bar has quickly become Oakland’s gathering place.
Posted inNosh
Nosh readers’ favorite restaurant of the year is an ‘inspiration’
The 2024 Nosh Award winner for best restaurant overall has set its own course with creative Mexican dishes featuring California produce and products.
Posted inCity
The East Bay’s best bar has stand-out cocktails and vibes to match
The 2024 Nosh Award winner for best bar overall opened in 2019 and weathered the pandemic to come out on top.
Posted inNosh
The best beer garden in the East Bay is a perfect match made in uptown
Voters couldn’t decide what they loved most about the 2024 Nosh Award winner for best beer garden/taproom, the brews, the vibes, or the burgers.
Posted inNosh
A Berkeley classic is still the spot to celebrate for Nosh readers
The 2024 Nosh Award winner for best restaurant for special occasions has hosted countless celebrations since it first opened 53 years ago.
Posted inNosh
The East Bay’s saddest closure of the year has a silver lining
The co-founders and chefs of this award-winning vegan restaurant are still doing pop-ups and events in the Bay Area and beyond.
Posted inNosh
2024 Nosh Awards: Cast your vote for the East Bay’s top restaurants and bars
Voting closes Dec. 9, and the winners will be announced Dec. 23-31.
Posted inNosh
Nosh Awards 2024: Nominate your favorite restaurants and bars
National food publications have noticed the East Bay is cooking up great things, now it’s your turn to show some love to the best spots for eating and drinking.
Posted inNosh Features
I spent years searching for this rare cheese. Now I have the honor of Oakland’s first cut
Ceremonial Crucolo cutter is a lofty title to live up to, but even the folks at Market Hall didn’t know just how much this meant to me.
Posted inNosh Features
‘We had to do something drastic’: For these East Bay restaurants, evolution is the key to survival
Restaurants and markets are cooking up creative new business models to attract customers and boost profits.
Posted inCommunity
‘No better fans’: A’s end historic run in Oakland with sell-out game
The final nine innings at the Coliseum were marked by tears, cheers, signs, and ‘Let’s Go Oakland’ chants.
