For a complete list of Tri-Valley restaurants, click here Wayfinding / EAT
dublin.com. Breakfast,
lunch and dinner
daily. $
Mayflower
Restaurant
Mayflower presents
authentic Cantonese
cuisine with style.
The pork buns,
seafood dumplings
and juicy pot stickers
are best bets. Try at
least one traditional
Cantonese dish and,
for familiar fare, go
for the silky chow
fun with slivers of
barbecue pork and
the ultrafresh lettuce
cups. 4086 Grafton
St., 925.551.8088,
mayflowerdublin.
com. Lunch and dinner
daily. P $$$
McNamara’s Steak
and Chop House
The mahogany bar,
low lighting and
luxurious decor at
McNamara’s say
classic steakhouse.
We loved the plump
chilled prawns,
charred filet mignon
and rosemary-seasoned
rack of lamb.
7400 San Ramon
Rd., 925.833.0995,
mcnamarasteak.com.
Lunch Mon.–Fri.,
dinner daily.
P $$$$
Pamir Restaurant
Where to start?
We say bulanees,
squares of fried
flatbread filled with
potatoes or leeks.
Right behind is
buranee badenjan
(sauteed eggplant)
topped with tomato
and yogurt. Then on
to the classics: mantu
(beef dumplings
smothered in meat
sauce) and aush
(noodle soup with
tasty beans). 4288
Dublin Blvd., Ste.
111, 925.999.8820,
pamirndublin.com.
Lunch Thurs.–Tues.,
dinner Thurs.–Mon.
$$
gumkuorestaurant.
com. Lunch and
dinner daily. $$
Hot Crab It’s no ordinary
shrimp boil at
this Louisiana Cajun
seafood restaurant;
your catch comes
bathed in a garlicky,
chili-infused oil
with varying heats.
Easy-to-slurp clams
and meaty shrimp
are rewarding, but
serious crackers can
opt for a heap of
crawfish or king crab.
4288 Dublin Blvd.,
925.999.9580,
hotcrabus.com.
Lunch and dinner
daily. $$$
Koi Palace With its
lush green carpeting,
fresh orchids and lily
pad motif, this dim
sum house is one of
the most elegant in
the Tri-Valley. We
loved the spinach
dumplings bursting
with steamed greens.
Also wonderful:
tender pork buns,
chewy pot stickers,
crackly phyllo with
wild mushrooms and
Chinese broccoli
with oyster sauce.
And that’s just
for starters. 4288
Dublin Blvd., Ste. 213,
925.833.9090,
koipalace.com. Lunch
and dinner daily,
brunch Sat. and Sun.
P $$
Lee’s Sandwiches
This San Jose food
truck turned chain
focuses mainly on
Asian and European
sandwiches. The
Vietnamese banh mi
is the star, with zippy
pickled vegetables
and house-made
baguettes, available
in a dozen
N
N varieties, from grilled
LY chicken to sardine
E K O to lemongrass tofu.
R B 4101-B Dublin Blvd.,
. G 925.828.8888,
N I E leesandwiches
B @ V I S I T T R I VA L L E Y.COM 6 3 Coco Cabana
Cabana’s Latin-fusion
menu includes tasty
small plates: The
excellent mussels are
spiked with cumin.
The shrimp al ajillo
and ample, herbed
sirloin albondigas
(meatballs) were
both winners, as
was a wonderfully
tart shrimp ceviche.
Entrees are more hit
or miss, but cocktails
are well executed.
4500-C Tassajara Rd.,
925.556.9055, coco
cabanadublin.com.
Brunch Sun., lunch
and dinner daily.
P $$$
Denica’s Real Food
Kitchen Denica’s
is the place to go if
you have multiple
personalities. Part
pastry cafe, part taco
lounge, Denica’s
serves up just about
anything—and does
it well. The breakfast
menu runs from
huevos rancheros to
killer cinnamon rolls.
At lunch, we liked the
chicken pesto sandwich,
fresh spring
greens with walnuts
and the chicken tacos.
6058 Dougherty
Rd., 925.829.6200,
denicascafe.com.
Breakfast and lunch
daily. $$
Gum Kuo This
Oakland follow-up
has a welcoming
burnt-umber decor
and dishes ranging
from comforting to
daring. Comforting is
the delicate tofu and
snappy pumpkin hot
pot. A whole crispyskinned
pompano
requires dexterity but
is remarkably moist.
Gum’s chow fun—
slick with egg and
slippery shrimp—is a
sweet companion to
bony yet beautifully
bronzed duck.
3720 Fallon Rd.,
925.999.8627,
Zalla Kabob House
In true Afghan style,
Zalla’s cuisine is
brightly spiced and
satisfying. The kebabs
will fill you up,
but it’s worth starting
with appetizers of
lush eggplant (banjan)
and butternut
squash (kadu). We
also loved the rich,
complex lamb shanks
at this darling orderat
the-counter cafe.
202 Sycamore Valley
Rd. W., 925.208.1403,
zallakabobhouse.
com. Lunch and dinner
Tues.–Sun. $$
DUBLIN
Amakara Amakara
doesn’t look particularly
Japanese, with
its polished stone
floor and big leather
dining chairs, but the
food is the genuine
article. Starting with
sweet-and-sticky rice
and finishing with
cleansing ginger,
the sushi here is
superior. We loved
the red tuna and its
upscale cousin, toro.
7568 Dublin Blvd.,
925.803.8485,
eatamakara.com.
Lunch and dinner
daily. P $$
The Banana
Garden This stylish
Malaysian restaurant
is a cross-cultural
experience. Start
with the roti prata,
a crispy bread with
toasted-curry
coconut sauce. The
charred chicken satay
is plump and moist.
Clusters of slick
noodles are just one
of the intriguing textures
in the fragrant
seafood char koay
kak. 4100 Grafton St.,
925.248.2854, the
bananagarden.com.
Lunch and dinner
daily. P $$
Revel Kitchen &
Bar Revel is the
hipster complement
to Esin and Curtis
deCarion’s statelier
Danville restaurant,
Esin. Entrees such
as rabbit tagliatelle
rocked on our visit,
but the menu’s thrust
is bar snacks and
small plates. We
loved the garlicky
hummus and shrimp
and grits. Desserts,
famously homey at
Esin, get an upscale
twist. 331 Hartz Ave.,
925.208.1758,
revelkitchenandbar.
com. Lunch and
dinner daily, brunch
Sun. $$$
Sideboard
Neighborhood
Kitchen and
Coffee Bar Order
at the counter and
wait for consistently
delicious dishes to be
delivered in a rustic
and quirky dining
area. Our favorites
include an airy goat
cheese pudding and
a moist chicken salad
with Point Reyes blue
cheese, smoky bacon
and creamy avocado.
90 Railroad Ave.,
925.984.2713,
itsonthesideboard.
com. Breakfast, lunch
and dinner daily.
$$
Valley Medlyn’s
A hole-in-the-wall
brunch spot popular
with locals for its
hearty dishes and
delightfully decadent
desserts. 330 Hartz
Ave., 925.552.6449.
Breakfast and lunch
daily. $
Lunch and dinner
daily, brunch Sat. and
Sun. P $$$
Pete’s Brass Rail
and Car Wash
It’s all mythology
and microbrews at
Pete’s, where there’s
nobody named Pete
and certainly no
place to get your
wheels washed.
No, the headliners
here are the burgers
and the locals who
fill the place with
stunning regularity.
In summer, there’s
no better place than
Pete’s patio—with a
cold beer from the
impressive rotating
selection. 201 Hartz
Ave., 925.820.8281,
petesbrassrail.com.
Lunch and dinner
daily. $$
Piatti One of the
best Californian-Italian
restaurants in the
Tri-Valley, with dishes
such as Bellwether
Farms ricotta gnocchi,
Monterey Bay calamari
and fried Prince
Edward Island mussels.
The filet mignon
is thick and juicy,
and the waitstaff will
help you choose a
wine to match. 100
Sycamore Valley Rd.,
925.838.2082, piatti.
com. Lunch and dinner
daily, brunch Sun.
P $$$
Player’s Pub &
Pianos The American
pub fare strikes
just the right note:
spicy shrimp with
smooth jalapeno
sauce; crispy fried
chicken sandwich;
and great burgers
galore. The dueling
pianos—Friday and
Saturday nights
only—are a riot. 148
E. Prospect Ave.,
925.743.8466, mcgahs.
com. Breakfast
Sat.–Sun., lunch and
dinner Tues.–Sun.
$$
