An open air marketplace, Berkeley Farmers' Market offers fresh farm-processed fruits, nuts and vegetables to the people of the city. The main aim of the market is to support small scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture. Operating since 1987, the market also offers fresh baked goods, juices, cheeses, nursery plants and flower. Many special cultural and educational events are held here regularly like the Summer Solstice Salmon Celebration. Center street, Derby Street and Shattuck Avenue are the three venues where the market takes place all year round.
Located in North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto, Masse's has provided Berkeley residents and visitors with the most tasty and beautiful tartes, cakes, macarons, and more. Their delicate morsels are crafted lovingly and stylishly, and often look far too pretty to eat. Luckily, their traditional and seasonal offerings taste just as good as they look. Pair your dessert with a fresh cup of coffee, and take a seat inside the tiny bakery, or at one of the sidewalk tables.
Here book-lovers will find the romantic notion of shelves stacked up to the ceiling with books, so heavy they threaten to give way. The fading smell of bookbinding glue conjures images of ancient libraries. You could spend hours wandering the aisles like that kid in The Neverending Story. If you do not find what you are looking for, which is nearly impossible since Moe's has just about everything ever printed, you are sure to find something to appease you. For those looking for antique or rare books, check out the huge collection on the fourth floor.
Lovers of romantic details and Victorian styles will fall in love with this lace and textile museum. Explore the latest exhibit or check out the permanent collection, including pre-Colombian Peruvian lace, and the finest lace from 17th-century European courts. This free museum is funded by the attached Lacis retail store, and also hosts various classes, clinics and workshops.
In an area known for wineries and wine bars, Solano Cellars is a mecca for Bay Area oenophiles who sit at the imposing wood bar and sample a dazzling array of wines from around the world. A staff of refreshingly unpretentious wine experts can guide you through the selection and help you find just the vintage you were looking for. The shop attached is tiny, but what they do not have on display can be fetched from the seemingly bottomless wine cellar. To enhance the wine, an ever-changing appetizer and dessert menu, designed with wine in mind, is offered. There is a strict prohibition on cell phones.
The name's a bit misleading. Not only is there no ocean view, but this is not your ordinary diner. Though it has streamlined aluminum and black-and-white tile, and the fare is inspired by diner cuisine, the ingredients are the freshest available and the dishes are prepared with care and imagination. At breakfast, the cooks do wonderful things with the humble buttermilk pancake, and the scrambled eggs and tortilla chips are memorable, as well. At lunch, it is sandwiches and plate specials, which often feature a fresh fish filet. The to-go counter next door offers sandwiches and pizza slices.
If you like wine tasting but want to try something new, head over to Takara Sake USA near the Fourth Street Shopping District. Don't be fooled by Takara's looks, although the outside appears quite industrial, the tasting room is pleasant, airy, and elegant. Try a flight of sake and learn about the brewing and production of this flavorful, Japanese brew by peering through a factory window, viewing an informative movie, or exploring Takara's very own sake museum exhibiting antique sake-making tools. Don't like sake? Lucky for you, Takara also sells plum wines, shochu, cooking sake, malt beverages, Japanese vodka, and of course, souvenirs.
Nowadays, you can take a photo, edit it, and print it out without ever leaving your home. But what happens when something breaks, you want to see the latest gizmo in person, or you just need some advice? Visiting a brick and mortar photography store may be inevitable in some cases, but at least the people at Looking Glass are super friendly and knowledgeable. Whether you shoot digital or film, vintage toy camera or SLR, you can find plenty of gear and advice to get yourself on your way to creating your next photo masterpiece. Also offered are rentals, classes, and photo printing.