Standard Fare - Berkeley, California

Kye S.

Standard fare is one of my favorite local breakfast spots. The buttermilk biscuit sandwich is available any day it's open, but the fruit-topped oatmeal exclusive to their Saturday brunch makes that morning the best to dine-in there.

The store does have indoor seating, but the covered street side patio has more spots for small groups to sit at, though it's often not heated, so bring extra jackets.

I recommend taking some of their extra sweets or pastries to go (today we picked up the apple spice cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting), though the best item to get in my opinion is their chai concentrate, which is really flavorful.

Becca G. F.

This ingredient-focused eatery has been going strong since 2014. I was surprised by how busy they were for lunch on a Wednesday. That's always a good sign in these "post"-pandemic days.

On this day, the sandwich was long-cooked Becker Lane pork, pickled daikon, chile crisp aioli, and a cabbage and radish slaw on Acme pizza bianca bread. It offered a great mix of bitter, sweet, salty, and crunchy from all the ingredients. Half a sandwich is filling and a good deal.

The carrot soup came with a dollop of ginger-kashmiri crème fraiche. Robust carrot flavor, and the dollop of ginger gave it just enough punch to keep it exciting. I'd have liked more acid, but I did find it seasoned well and nicely balanced as is.

The TCHO rye brownie was a nice change from the extraordinarily rich, batter-like brownies with thick chocolate chunks that have been the mainstay in recent years. I'd say the brownie was a similar richness, but this one had more of a cake-like density. I couldn't taste rye, per se, but I appreciated the lighter texture.

claude M.

Endroit charmant où la douceur règne : dans l'accueil, dans les douceurs proposées à déguster, dans la déco du lieu. Merci.

Ingrid

Busy on a Saturday noon - plenty of outdoor seating, great vibe. Food was okay - price reflects the organic ingredients (expensive for the portion). The trout toast was drenched in olive oil - to the point it was almost inedible.
The scrambled eggs were good but loaded with butter.
Wish everything was lighter. Never seen this oil to bread ratio before, it was just dripping :/
Would still want to try the other weekday items though

Ry F.

What great service and atmosphere. Creative dishes like the buttermilk sandwich. Possibly the best latte I have had. True care and precision for each drink and dish. If this were I my neighborhood I would eat there every week (or day!)

Esther A.

Was visiting the area and stopped in for a quick bite and space to write. My food was delicious - I recommend the biscuit sandwiches and scones.

Mark E.

If you have limited time in Berkeley and are looking for a great tasting lunch then look no further than Standard Fare. Parking was reasonably easy, the line looked long (about 20 people) but moved quickly and the food was creative, fresh and full of flavor. We started out with a latte which was fantastic and then moved on to the Sweet Potato soup lovely with a hint of ginger (I would have like this just a little bit thicker). I had the half sandwich (Roastbeef with thinly sliced daikon radish on a focaccia bread
and the house salad perfectly dressed. My wife ordered the Potato and Kale Frittata Sandwich which she loved but was quite messy. I was eyeing the Hummus/Vegetable Mezze Plate with preserved lemon at the table next to which looked delicious which I will surely try next time.

Emilie S.

Such a wonderful surprise!
Healthy delicious brunch with homemade pastries and super friendly staff - great vibe and reasonable prices
Can’t wait to be back