Recommended Hangouts in Berkeley

These are some of the places in the East Bay that I'm fond of. I've been slow to add things, though, so don't think of this as an exhaustive list. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail Michael A. Alderete!

Restaurants

• Plearn -- 2050 University Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 841-2148
• Cha-Am -- 1543 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 848-9664
• Taiwan -- 2071 University Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 845-1456
• Great China -- 2115 Kitterage Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 843-7996
• La Fiesta -- 2444 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 848-2588
• Cancun Taqueria -- 2134 Allston Way, Berkeley -- (510) 549-0964
• Cafe Venezia -- 1799 University Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 849-4681
• Pasand Lounge -- 2284 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 848-0260
• Nino's Brazilian Pizzeria -- 1916 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Berkeley -- (510) 845-9303
• Zachary's Chicago Pizza -- 1853 Solano Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 525-5950

Bars

• Jupiter -- 2181 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 843-8277
  Microbrewed beer (over 100 different beers served to date) and great pizza. Live music, too!
• Barclays -- 5940 College Avenue, Oakland -- (510) 654-1650
  Microbrewed beer (over 400 different beers served to date), and good food. Live music on Sunday afternoons. Popular, moderately to very crowded most evenings.
• Skates on the Bay -- 100 Seawall Drive, Berkeley -- (510) 549-1900
  The best-stocked bar in Berkeley, great seafood, and a gorgeous view of the Bay. Very crowded (bar and dining room) on weekend nights; reservations for dinner recommended.

Coffee Shops

• Au Coquelet -- 2000 University Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 845-0433
  The best place to get a cup of coffee and study, they have several dozen small and medium-sized tables perfect for one or two people.
• Cafe Firenze -- 2116 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley -- (510) 644-0155
  Also recommended by BMUG as a Choice Product!
• Cafe Milano -- 2522 Bancroft Way, Berkeley -- (510) 644-3100
  The best coffee on the South side of campus, perhaps in all of Berkeley.

Places to Buy Magic Cards

• Games of Berkeley -- Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
  A good, knowledgeable staff means you can ask beginner's questions about the game, and a good relationship with their distributor means they generally have product available. Sells only cards in print, in the standard packs.
• Cosmic Comics -- Solano Avenue, Albany
  I don't know how he does it, but Chester Ng always seems to have singles and packs from the out-of-print expansions. Expensive, but no more than other places -- when you can find them at all elsewhere. Also sells singles of Revised Rares and Uncommons, at good prices.

IMPORTANT NOTE
This is a dead web site. I have moved my web presence to several different sites:

• Personal Information: http://www.michaelandrochellessite.com/
• Professional Information: http://www.alderete.com/
• Consulting Information: http://www.aldosoft.com/

Please visit me there instead. Thanks!
-- Michael, October 2000