Standard Fare — Restaurant in Berkeley

A cute spot with promising good eats and coffee. Their cappuccino was respectable, but it all goes down hill from there. Let me explain….

The gal at the register who took our order was less than friendly, maybe a bad day? It’s fine, really. But when the tally adds up you notice it all whether you’d like to or not. Their breakfast sandwich with soft boiled egg was not able to be heat up. Imagine that, two dense biscuits with a soft boiled semi liquid yellow… COLD. Okay, I can still manage. But, the fingers in the frittata is where it all ends. Yes, fingers and even palms in the frittata as it cooked. The pros to an open kitchen - see the magic and, regretfully, the curses that take place behind the scenes. In this case, it was a pure curse. Multiple times the lady went to and from the kitchen and patio, tending to the frittata with her bare hands and just moments later adjusting the heaters, umbrellas, and moving outside furniture around. Not once, not twice, but three times did we watch her walk past two sinks she could have washed her hands at only to poke those contaminated fingers into our soon to be breakfast. We couldn’t stomach it. The pro to this place as it stands now is: 1) there millet muffin and 2) there refund for the frittata. Although, when they were told why, they appeared less than concerned. Who knows what else is touched in between food and tending to a restaurant. My hope is that the restaurant owner sees this and finds a way to mitigate this. It seems quite obvious but either wash your hands each time you return to the kitchen or glove up when you are going to be touching the food. We mitigated or lack of breakfast by hopping over to a nearby cafe but really would have loved to love this place. Hopefully this lack of hygiene will be addressed. I don’t like reviewing badly, but this one couldn’t go unmentioned as I myself would want to be aware if I were eye balling this place. Happy and...

A Disconnected, Overpriced, and Disrespectful Dining Experience

My wife and I (we’re both seniors) had a very disappointing experience at Standard Fare in Emeryville, and we feel obligated to share it honestly.

When we arrived, the restaurant was half-empty with multiple open tables. But since we didn’t have a reservation, we were ushered into a narrow alcove between the kitchen and the exterior wall. Our backs faced both the kitchen and the dining area. We felt completely cut off, like we weren’t really part of the restaurant.

We were handed menus but told to order immediately at the register. They asked if we wanted to keep an open tab and tried to upsell us on drinks, which we declined. After that, we had no further service interaction. While there were servers, none were assigned to our table. The person who had denied us a table brought out our pork dish; someone else dropped off the others.

The food was small in portion, overpriced, and unsatisfying: • The $17 “Snack Plate” had 5 olives, 3 see-through rye crisps, 3 tiny squares of cheddar, and a spoonful of peperonata. Barely enough for one person, let alone two. • The two salads were mostly loose lettuce leaves. Gone in a few bites. • The “braised pork shoulder” was one slice, about 3 inches wide and ¼ inch thick, mostly fat with barely any meat. It was completely bland; I had to add salt and pepper just to get any flavor.

We paid $75 for this meal. No drinks. No dessert. No comfort. No hospitality.

We left feeling unwelcome, hungry, and taken advantage of. Honestly, we would never serve guests, even acquaintances, a meal this meager. This restaurant may care about sourcing and presentation, but it completely lacks warmth, generosity, and value.

We won’t return, and we wouldn’t...

I’ve been going to this place for almost 10 years, and I have very mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, I truly appreciate their commitment to farm-to-table dining and their effort to support sustainable agriculture. That mission is important, and I respect any restaurant trying to build a food culture rooted in responsible sourcing. Unfortunately, when it comes to whether that mission consistently translates into delicious food, the results are often hit or miss.

Many of the stew-based dishes are genuinely fantastic—hearty, well-balanced, and flavorful. But outside of those, much of the menu tends to fall short. A lot of the dishes are either overly oily or noticeably under-seasoned. The breakfast frittata, for example, is regularly charred to the point of tasting like charcoal, and the weekend waffle is consistently limp and underwhelming.

Another major concern is the issue of value. I understand that sourcing high-quality, local ingredients is costly, but the pricing and portion sizes often feel disconnected from reality. On one visit, I ordered a sandwich that was the same price as always, only to discover that the portion had been cut in half—without any notice or explanation. It was a real shock and left a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended.

Lastly, the atmosphere and customer service leave much to be desired. There’s a pervasive sense of snarkiness from both staff and ownership that can come off as unwelcoming, even condescending. It’s got a bit of that “Karen-Berkeley” energy that makes it hard to feel like a valued guest.

Overall, I keep hoping this place will live up to its potential—because I know it can—but after nearly a decade, the inconsistency in food quality, pricing, and hospitality continues to be a...