Local Chefs Aren’t Surprised to See Oakland Named America’s Top Food City

When Chef Nelson German opened his first Oakland restaurant, alaMar, a seafood-forward concept, he said it encapsulated a part of himself — the one forged in the hustle of working at New York City restaurants and abroad.

“I was focusing on what worked in the past, to do certain types of cuisines in order to be known and be recognized,” he said.

But as German spent more time in Oakland, he decided that what he really wanted to do was dig into his Dominican roots. So, he rebranded the business as alaMar Dominican Kitchen — currently the only Dominican restaurant in the Bay Area.

German belongs to a generation of Oakland chefs who are rooting for the city. They acknowledge the many problems it faces — crime, homelessness and political unrest — but are steadfast in the promise of the Town’s vibrant food scene. And apparently food lovers around the country agree: Oakland was recently recognized as the number one food city in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler’s annual reader’s choice award. It was the only city on the entire West Coast to make the list.

The accolade took particular note of Oakland’s “diverse food scene.” Just across nearly 80 square miles, you can find a vast variety of cuisines represented. Most other major cities have that. But German and other chefs who spoke with KQED say the city’s culinary offerings are in their own realm.

“Everything that you’re seeing with all these different cultures are from people from that culture,” he said. “It’s not ‘un blanquito’ opening a Dominican restaurant or something like that. It’s people who have lived it. We’re all embracing whether we’re Asian, Hispanic, Black, embracing our direct lineage — not just a whole continent. The country, the tribes, the city, everything. And it’s really showcased here, with the food.”

Weyanti Ahmed, born in Sudan and raised in Oakland, said that there’s more to this metropolitan’s special sauce. When she first started selling food out of her home kitchen in Union City, she said most of her customers were from Oakland who were attracted to her soul food comforts, including fried catfish accompanied by garlic noodles.

Then, around three years ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ahmed opened her own place, Y’s Choice, in Jack London Square. It was a homecoming for Ahmed, and she said she’s grateful that Oakland’s supportive food scene has allowed her to keep going.

“For me, to be back in Oakland, and to be given this opportunity, to be in a restaurant in Oakland is amazing,” she said. “[Oakland] has given opportunities for people such as myself.”

Condé Nast Traveler gave a specific shoutout to the Fruitvale neighborhood, saying the taco trucks there are serving up some of the best birria in the country.

“It’s a big deal for those of us running small businesses,” Álvaro Ramos said in Spanish. Ramos is the owner of the Fruitvale-based food truck, La Grana Fish, which gets rave reviews on Yelp and other websites for its fish and birria tacos. “This is an opportunity to continue this beautiful work in trying to serve authentic Mexican cuisine.”

Ramos, who immigrated to the Bay Area from Jalisco, Mexico, has been running his food truck for five years now. He said the secret to his popular tacos is all in the seasoning, the quality of the meat and plenty of TLC.

The same can be said for Oakland’s culinary brand, whose secret sauce seems to be some combination of culturally specific flavors and community spirit. It’s worked up to now, anyway: At least on this one survey, Oakland beat out better-known food cities like New Orleans and Chicago.