A Quick Tour of West Oakland

We recently took Oakland community members Brian and Liv on a quick run in West Oakland in the newest Bandit. West Oakland might be one of the most rapidly changing neighborhoods in Oakland, hosting its own Pioneer League Baseball team, many excellent restaurants, and cultural hubs. Read on for some of our favorite spots in the neighborhood.

History

To get a historical sense of the neighborhood and its importance in the global economic landscape, we highly recommend reading community member Alexis Madrigal's The Pacific Circuit. 

Coffee

Definitely the coffee spot in West Oakland is Proyecto Diaz. Owned by community member Fern Diaz along with his wife Hannah (and the head roaster is Fern's dad, Genaro), this spot serves amazing coffee, and has a mercadito filled with beautiful housewares and jewelry from Fern and Hannah's travels. Our favorites are the Mexican Mocha and Cafe de Olla. They also always have amazing food and baked goods. 

Food 

June's is the spot for some of the best pizza in the bay area. June's started during Covid serving wood-fired pizzas (with crusts covered in shaved parmesan) out of a shipping container and quickly became one of the most coveted takeout meals of that era. They opened in permanent building last year. They offer two pizzas each night, and you can't go wrong with anything there. 

Soba Ichi is a gem in West Oakland that has been open since 2018. They serve fresh handmade soba with the buckwheat milled on site, and sitting on their patio makes you feel like you are in Japan. Plus they often host popups of smaller mochi shops.

Prescott Market is a new food hall in West Oakland serving up fried rice, pizza, burgers, beer, coffee, and handmade pasta (to name just a few options). We love popping over for lunch because of all of the options, and the beautifully designed seating areas. 

Entertainment

Going to an Oakland Ballers game feels like the best Oakland has to offer. There's a real sense of pride in the Oakland community among the fans—being in the stands, you get a taste of what going to A's games used to be like back in the day. The small stadium brings in local food vendors for game nights, and puts on monthly night markets on Thursday nights in the summer.  

Defemery Skate Park, aka Town Park has a deep roots in Bay Area skateboarding culture. The site has been a cultural hub for decades, serving as a neighborhood playground and meeting spot for the Black Panthers, and the skatepark was brought to fruition by Bay Area educator and artist Keith "K-Dub" Williams. It's worth a visit to watch the community skating together.