Cafe Noir

I have seen the place transform into different places over the last 40 years. When I went to Bret Harte in the late 80s we had a 7-11 like place we opened on campus as lunch. We would got up the this spo, which was a Chinese restaurant back in day, get tray fulls and then scoop them into two size cups and re-sell. I notice this place transform into cafe noir in the last year or so and was on my to try out list. Howevere, I was fortunate to get to this via a Yelp Event. Trey helped me out and love how he was about to do something then saw me and stopped to take me order. Very courteous and checked me in and gave me my options. I went with the chicken jambalaya. And I purchased a sorrel drink. Sometimes called hibiscus. This was fresh made and so refreshing on warm day.I dug into my jambalaya and it was a really good texture and has some heat which creeps up on you while you eat it. I will definitely be coming back for that and I saw that a fellow Yelper while I was there, ordered the ricotta donuts. I will try those too.Will be back on another day I dont have to work. As person born and raised in Oakland, and filipinia I try to support local and minority owned business. Check them out.

Small parking lot, very business intersection.Very cute space! Order at the counter and a few picnic tables out front. Outdoor seating only. Limited hours.Chicken jambalaya was DELICIOUS!!!! I wish I had more time- but I'll def be back to order more food. I'm usually never in this area but if I ever am I am def coming back and trying the rest of the menu. It came with a huge chocolate chip cookie which was a bit hard.Regardless I'll be back!

Pros: - easy parking nearby- superb mushroom alfredo pasta- friendly service- food came out quickly- the sorrel is good, but too sweetCons:- bench seating outside is noisy and the umbrellas only provide shade when the sun is directly overhead- the chocolate chip cookie was overcooked--dry and crunchy- several items were forgotten and brought out later

This is a counter service restaurant, cute place in a very busy intersection. 3 picnic tables in the small parking lot. The food smelled delicious. I ordered the chicken jambalaya, it was good, but the flavor smelled a lot more bold than the actual flavor, leaving my brain craving for stronger seasoning! Also got a big chocolate chip cookie with the entrees. I didn't like it, it was very hard, not a fan of it. The blueberry lemonade was absolutely delicious and refreshing.

I was introduced to this location from a yelp event and decided to order more. The service here is great. I love the art on the building. This is a to go location with limited outdoor seating. perfect for a nice day. I tried the sorrel and it was so amazing. To eat I ordered the jerk salmon and it was cooked to perfection. The coconut rice was so so moist. It does come with a lot of plantains but they were good too. I'll definitely be back. Parking may be a little hassle but worth it.

Cafe Noir opened in this vacant space recently. Only outside dining at a few tables. Decor noticed on it's walls. Order via kiosk or with associate at counter. Did so with latee. ready within minutes. Offerings: salads, sandwiches, entrees, sides, wings, appetizers, drinks, kid's menu. Bites: Cran Apple Salad (13) beets were out. Assured tastes similar. -not a frequent salad eater. Nonetheless the mix of argula, granny smith apple shreds, cranberry relish, candied walnuts, goat cheese had a satisfying, fulfilling, & crunchy finish.-ingredients all seen/felt. all tastable in blended layered subtleties. -felt like eating salad. Not disappointed. 4.5 stars

This place is literally a hidden gem! Who knew this small space had so much flavor going on?! The owner was very friendly and asked if we had any questions about the menu and I asked her what's the sticky icky sauce and she said it's a sweet and sour sauce made with fish sauce! Yum!!!It took us an hour to get home because we got to Oakland at around 4:40pm and it was peak hours for traffic, so we didn't get home to San Pablo until 6:15pm.We heated our food up and I air fried the wings. There was still sauce in the container so I tossed the wings in it again. The sauce was soooo good! I've had fish sauce wings before and these are perfect! The fish sauce wasn't overpowering and my bf agreed! Reminded me of Korean fried chicken and the sticky sauce they're made with. It came with homemade dill ranch, which I didn't really need to use because the sauce on the wings were already amazing! I did try the ranch though, and it was that good ranch lol. I love ranch haha.The grains of purgatory came in a small box, but was packed full of flavor! The chili sauce gave it a nice kick and it was a positive first time experience having farro.My bf got the jerk salmon and the presentation was absolutely beautiful! Even though we had to reheat it, it was still delicious! He gave it an 8/10!!! I tried it and it was tasty and thought it was a reasonable price for the quality given.We also ordered the lemon meringue pie! I have a habit of checking the bag before leaving, but good thing we did, because they forgot to pack pie. Other than that, the pie filling had a good amount of lemon flavor; tasted very fresh and citrusy. Overall, our experience with Cafe Noir was a good one! We will return again!

I came here for a yelp event and as soon as I had my sample item, I immediately ordered more!!The first item I had was the grains of purgatory. It was spicy, flavorful, and just incredibly seasoned. Made with farro, mixed veggies, and topped with a fried egg, next time I might ask to add a protein to it! There is limited seating and parking, but the perfect spot for grab and go. I ordered the BBQ chicken taco salad and a blueberry lemonade for myself and the veggie sandwich for my date, to go. Both were incredible, you can immediately tell that everything is made fresh with fresh ingredients. This is the perfect place to grab food for a brunch date in the park! The person working the front was very knowledgeable about the entire menu and I ordered based on her recommendations! I can't wait to come back (especially for the weekly pie menu!)

Love that everything is house-made! You can really taste the quality and care put into each dish. If you haven't been here already, Cafe Noir should be on your must-try list of Oakland eateries.Only outdoor seating at the time we arrived (Saturday brunch). We ordered through the front window and found a seat in the picnic benches out front. For 3+ dishes, we only waited around 15 mins.SORREL: First time trying this! I've had hibiscus drinks before, but never with ginger and other spices. So refreshing with an earthy kick!DOUBLE AGENT (no bacon): Seasonal item... But they should make it a regular option, because this is fiiiiire. Perfectly soft-scrambled eggs and airy cream cheese and jalapeño aioli? AND the waffles are perfectly crispy-fluffy? Loved this. Since my partner and I don't eat pork, we were grateful they were willing to accommodate us by omitting the bacon-- but I'm sure it would've elevated the flavor profile to another level.BANANA BREAD LOUISE: Must-try if you're a sweet tooth and love sticky desserts. This is like banana bread on steroids. Super moist french toast topped with cream, fried banana, and candied walnut-- so decadent.They even threw in a few lemon pepper wings to compensate for the wait, which we were pleasantly surprised about. We've definitely waited much longer for food so it was no issue for us, but appreciate the extra consideration for customer experience. Would love to come back and try the rest of their menu~

The owner was super friendly and gave us some great recommendations. We had the lemon pepper wings, slutty waffle and double agents. Lemon pepper wings was really crispy juicy meat and very flavorful highly recommend! Slutty waffle is a cornbread waffle with bbq pulled pork topped with a fried egg! Sooo delicious! Double agent a pancake batter waffles with eggs, cheese and candid pepper bacon! This one hit the spot with savory and sweet! The only thing is, it's a really small restraunt and may be difficult to find parking. Other than that, ordering Togo I really loved it!