The Cook and Her Farmer

Located in a busy market in Oakland with lots of other counter-service restaurants, The Cook and Her Farmer is a popular spot especially on warm, sunny weekend mornings. Most of the seating for this place is outdoors, and you have to find your own (so on a busy weekend morning, it can be difficult to find seating). That being said, there is often live music in this market which makes for a lovely surrounding for brunch.I ordered the avocado toast and fries and both were very tasty. The avocado toast comes with pickled onions and a heaping pile of greens. The fries were well-seasoned as well

I thought it would be a fancier restaurant so I was surprised you order at counter, take a number and sit on metal stools at wood benches and bus your own plates and get your own water But, the food is really good. The fish stew and the Big Sur (shrimp grilled cheese) were excellent. The oysters were fresh and great $75 You need a code to use restroom12th street bart is 4 minute walk

They're normally closed on Sundays, but we visited this past weekend for the Summer Jazz Brunch Series featuring Jazz Mafia musicians and a menu of delectable bites including shrimp and grits, grilled oysters, and buckwheat waffles. We had the big sur melt, raw oysters, and the daily sandwich special, as well as a delightful watermelon margarita and a michelada. Everything was tasty. I especially enjoyed the savory, crisp grilled cheese filled with yummy shrimp and melty cheese. It was quite a lovely setting. The outdoor seating near the live music was taken/reserved but the indoor seating had an open air feel, all of the tables available since the other businesses at Swan's Market are closed on Sundays. We waited about 45 minutes in line to order and 20 minutes for our order to be ready, but the farmer gave out some wine to waiting customers. And we got to listen to the awesome sounds of jazz musicians performing for guests, showcasing plenty of talent on that patio stage.  Besides the long wait time in the early afternoon, service was great, workers cleaning up the tables and keeping the place beautiful, and the staff was friendly and helpful, making everyone feel welcome. We had a pleasant time.

Drinks were good- straightforward mojitos and a pomegranate margarita. Oysters were good too. Unfortunately the "cook" part was cutting corners you shouldn't. French fries were dry and starchy alá In-N-Out. They have to be fried twice to get them steamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It's actually a lot of work- first hand cutting, blanching in oil, then laying them out to drain and rest. Then you fry again to order. It's why many restaurants buy frozen. Not sure what the thought process was here.

Late review from Fall 2021: The Bay Area will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first place I moved to after finishing my undergraduate degree. After relocating to Southern Nevada earlier in the year (2021) from the East Coast, my first travel priority was returning to the East Bay to visit family and explore the area. I covered a lot of territory during the trip and went as far south as Monterey and as far north as Napa Valley. In terms of food, I personally found Oakland the most dynamic and fascinating due to restaurants like The Cook and Her Farmer. The Cook and Her Farmer is a cafe and oyster/wine bar located inside Old Oakland's Swan's Market, and it was my favorite meal of the trip. The restaurant is Black-owned and appears to be a mash up of coastal influences from the Gulf South and California. Service during my visit was phenomenal. I dined en plein air and throughly enjoyed the vibe during the lunch hour when other diners and foot traffic through the area appeared to be a diverse mix of locals, both blue and white collar professionals, and other tourists. The oyster po boy I had was also one of the best ones I've ever had! The oysters were plumb and well-seasoned, and I thoroughly enjoyed the generous serving of garnishes on top of the sandwich that provided both acid and freshness to balance out the heavier ingredients.

Sadly only had a few times via doordash, so can't say much about the environment, but the food was pretty good. If you're into pâte, they put a fuckton of it on their chicken liver toast.The kale salad is good and very filling and got me plenty full.Oyster poboy is pretty good, but i wish there were a few more oysters. Would definitely dine-in next time.

What an adorable find. The homemade chips are 10/10 and a really good size portion. The pickle plate was different and had some unfamiliar flavors that I really enjoyed. The outside seating area here was so quaint and cute with a decent amount of seating. Kudos to the man taking orders, running everything and also preparing drinks and food, he never seemed overwhelmed but kept churning dishes out. The chicken liver toast was a special that I had to try and my only note (more so personal preference) was there was entirely too much pate on the toast - I couldn't do it all but I did what I could because the pate was absolutely delectable. The avocado toast was my second choice and it looked so good, also piled high though. The prices felt very reasonable for the quality and portions provided. I'm actually shocked this place wasn't more packed - definitely an underrated Oakland find.

Highly underrated restaurant Tasty menu, generous portions as part of Swan's Market. Prices aren't low but they are reasonable in my opinion.

Decent. The place (Swan's Market) is odd. On a Saturday evening: nobody's here. Burger was good. Chips were excellent. Mussels: quite spicy.

Food is absolutely delicious!!! This place should be showing 5 stars!! Fresh and perfectly cooked.Flavors go so well together. Great music and patio.