Chop Bar, located near Oakland's iconic Jack London Square, serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu boasts all kinds of different dishes inspired by all kinds of global cuisines. Everything from oxtail Poutine to meatloaf to banh mi, tortas and tacos. In addition to the tasty and innovative food menu, Chop Bar features a unique wine on tap system, which features a good number of Northern California wines, as well as regular bottled wine, beer and cocktails. Chop Bar also hosts a full pig roast the third Sunday of every month.

Beauty's Bagels serves up a delicious alternative to the classic New York-style bagel with their Montreal-style wood-fired bagels. Available in the classics like poppy, sesame and everything, at Beauty's you can top your bagel with a whole array of things you might have never even thought of. Create your own sandwich with toppings like Sierra Nevada cream cheese, chopped liver, pickled onions, scrapple and many more (among the usual suspects, of course). If you'd rather have the work already done, they have a selection of pre-designed bagel sandwiches that are ordered with the greatest ease.

Huge omelettes are the draw at this upscale diner-style eatery. Locals pack the counter and the booths for them served with delectable home fries and a variety of fillings that takes a page and a half of the menu to list. You will also find Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, eggs poached, scrambled, over easy and sunny side up. If you are not in the mood for eggs, the waffles are equally enormous and the French toast is decadently sweet. For lunch there is the classic assortment of burgers and sandwiches, of which the crab cake is especially noteworthy. The service is fast and friendly in the classic diner tradition.

What started life as a burger joint has refashioned itself as a cozy little café that pours its efforts into cuisine, not décor. Not that it's unattractive, but the generic tables, chairs and counter seating doesn't leave much of an impression. The food, on the other hand, is imaginative in conception and preparation. It's also delicious and served up to locals and shoppers at nearby Rockridge Mall with genuine warmth and welcome speed. The Apache Lamb Stew is hearty and flavorful, as is Acadian Cassoulet, swimming in smoked bacon and gourmet sausage. Breakfasts here are the specialty with dishes like Pumpkin Waffles and Ricotta Pancakes. Save room for the pie, baked in-house and featuring seasonal fruits as well as year-round favorites such as Coconut Custard and Lemon Meringue.

This small cafe in East Oakland is a hidden gem and is known for one extra special item: their breakfast sandwiches. From their most popular bacon and egg breakfast sandwich to the egg spinach croissant sandwich and everything in between, if you ask anyone inside what you should get, they will all say the egg sandwich. This comfortable homey cafe also does everything else that comes out of the kitchen well, from scrambles to gelato. Â

The Montclair Egg Shop, as the name implies, is located in Oakland's quaint Montclair Village. This friendly neighborhood eatery specializes in breakfasts and brunches. Of course, the Egg Shop has almost a full menu page dedicated to eggs and omlettes, but the Egg Shop also offers other breakfast favorites like crepes, waffles and pancakes. In addition to the breakfast offerings, there is also a selection of sandwiches for those getting off to a later start.