A local’s guide to vibrant, soulful, often-misunderstood Oakland
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Oakland is a town often misunderstood. As someone who’s lived in the city and still spends a ton of time there, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly.
And yet, there’s no place like it.
People who know the real Oakland — the ones who’ve explored neighborhoods from Chinatown to Fruitvale to Temescal, who’ve caught sunsets over the entire Bay from the Oakland hills, who’ve admired art in downtown and watched films at the historic Grand Lake Theater — will tell you there’s so much more to “The Town” than it gets credit for. During her post-Olympics homecoming at Frank Ogawa Plaza, figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu summed up Oakland with one word: “Soul.” Locals beamed. With her unapologetically funky style, zen-like confidence and YOLO mentality, this athlete had clearly been shaped by the city.
Located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, Oakland is a midsized city with an outsized reputation, having long served as a pressure cooker for grassroots activism. The Black Panther Party, the hyphy subgenre of hip-hop, official U.S. wildlife refuges — they all started in Oakland. Visit the city and you’ll find that it’s slower-paced than San Francisco but has all the cultural diversity. Its food scene is endlessly innovative — try the handcrafted zaru soba at Soba Ichi or some of the best Indigenous food on the West Coast at Wahpepah’s Kitchen. And for those wanting to explore the outdoors, there’s Lake Merritt in the center of town and redwood forests in the hills.
Oakland is far from perfect; while crime is reportedly down, it’s important to be street smart (or as locals say, to “keep your head on a swivel”). But I’ve seen many changes to the town over the years and have a renewed appreciation for its vibrancy. Here’s just a sampling of ways you can enjoy the cultural bounty from this city by the Bay.
Explore the state through a hyperlocal lens at Oakland Museum of California
Oakland Museum
(David M. Barreda / Los Angeles Times)
A treasure trove of works and exhibitions focusing on the Golden State, the Oakland Museum of California near Lake Merritt is a beloved local space. Its interactive exhibits are both thought-provoking and hyperlocal. “You Are Here: California Stories on the Map” extrapolates the stories that can be found with maps, including one made by community members of Little Tokyo Los Angeles at a time when many residents were being displaced. “Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory” celebrates the work of Bay Area artist Mildred Howard with a landmark retrospective. And don’t miss the exhibit on the Ohlone people in OMCA’s Gallery of California History.
The museum is popular among families — there’s a “nature playspace” where the littlest guests can walk through a metal culvert and play with pretend food, along with outdoor spaces like a California native garden that represents the biodiversity of the state. Save time to indulge in the 24-hour-brined Southern fried chicken at the museum’s award-winning restaurant, Town Fare, helmed by chef Michele McQueen, and for some pre-weekend fun, Friday Nights at OMCA is a chill event featuring local musicians, food trucks and live performances.
The museum is popular among families — there’s a “nature playspace” where the littlest guests can walk through a metal culvert and play with pretend food, along with outdoor spaces like a California native garden that represents the biodiversity of the state. Save time to indulge in the 24-hour-brined Southern fried chicken at the museum’s award-winning restaurant, Town Fare, helmed by chef Michele McQueen, and for some pre-weekend fun, Friday Nights at OMCA is a chill event featuring local musicians, food trucks and live performances.
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Admire the Alysa Liu and Kristi Yamaguchi mural at Oakland Ice
Mural
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu is Oakland’s hometown hero — and the city now has three murals to prove it. The newest is outside the Oakland Ice Center, her home practice facility, and across the street from Oakland School for the Arts, where she briefly attended school. The sprawling work of art, completed in April by by Half Moon Bay artist Julie Engelmann (who honed her craft in an Oakland studio herself), celebrates both Liu and fellow Bay Area figure skating star Kristi Yamaguchi. It depicts the two skaters in motion during their Olympic gold medal performances — Yamaguchi’s in 1992 in Albertville, France; Liu’s at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games — both embraced by gold glimmers of light that make the mural seem like it’s illuminated.
Engelmann, known for her realistic, historical murals across Bay Area cities, writes that the wall represents “more than gold.”
“It’s about where greatness begins, on neighborhood rinks, in community, in the belief that something bigger is possible,” she says. “This piece is for the next generation, with the hope that this wall stands as a reminder that excellence can rise from anywhere.”
If you’re now inspired to take an Alysa Liu Oakland mural tour, there’s one by the Illuminaries street art crew in the Temescal neighborhood and another by Tre Sorensen along Providence Athletic Club.
Engelmann, known for her realistic, historical murals across Bay Area cities, writes that the wall represents “more than gold.”
“It’s about where greatness begins, on neighborhood rinks, in community, in the belief that something bigger is possible,” she says. “This piece is for the next generation, with the hope that this wall stands as a reminder that excellence can rise from anywhere.”
If you’re now inspired to take an Alysa Liu Oakland mural tour, there’s one by the Illuminaries street art crew in the Temescal neighborhood and another by Tre Sorensen along Providence Athletic Club.
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Bask in the peaceful groves of Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
Park
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
While most out-of-towners visit Muir Woods in Marin County, Oakland has its own majestic redwood forests in the hills. Make time for some forest bathing in one of the Bay Area’s most stunning parks, home to native coast redwoods. A favorite path is Stream Trail, a flat 4-mile walk that passes by the fascinating ladybug migration from late October through February. That’s when thousands, if not millions, of ladybugs congregate on leaves and fence posts (be sure not to touch or collect any).
When visiting the park after it rains, look for the running Redwood Creek and small, seasonal waterfalls throughout the trails. Use the community science app iNaturalist developed by UC Berkeley alum, to help ID plants as you explore. While the area has paved paths, beware of poison oak and ticks.
When visiting the park after it rains, look for the running Redwood Creek and small, seasonal waterfalls throughout the trails. Use the community science app iNaturalist developed by UC Berkeley alum, to help ID plants as you explore. While the area has paved paths, beware of poison oak and ticks.
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Bite into Elvira Varela's tostada raspada at Cenaduria Elvira
Mexican Cuisine
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
Many chefs with a flair for creative, out-of-the-box cuisine got their start in Oakland. Take Elvira Varela, for example. Her tostada raspada rose to national acclaim when she was serving them out of her parents’ Jingletown backyard. The signature dish features thin “scraped” tostada shells made by Varela’s family members in Zapotlanejo, a town in Jalisco, Mexico, piled with shredded meat, beans, fresh vegetables, cotija and fresco cheese and an addictive red sauce. You can now get a taste of them — along with other splendid dishes like crispy fried tacos, enchiladas and from-scratch pozole — at Varela’s brick-and-mortar restaurant, Cenaduria Elvira, near Jack London Square. With terra-cotta accents and woven wicker lamps hanging from above, the space is warm and welcoming, and still feels like home.
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Step into the history of a movement at the Black Panther Party Museum
Museum
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
Learn the history of a political organization born in Oakland and that inspired lasting structural changes. The free and compact Black Panther Party Museum, located in downtown Oakland, goes beyond the headlines, highlighting lesser-known information about the Black Panthers, like how their efforts helped start the national school breakfast program and prompted research on sickle cell anemia. For the community, it’s become a gathering space — events this year have included a communal reflection on “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” by Audre Lorde and a gathering for what would have been the 40th birthday of Oscar Grant, who was shot and killed by a BART police officer in 2009.
What makes the museum stand out is that it is made by members of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party Museum was founded by the Huey P. Newton Foundation with a goal of ensuring that the legacy of its founders and history lives on “despite COINTELPRO, the FBI’s program to discredit, disrupt, and destroy, Black leaders.” The museum is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
What makes the museum stand out is that it is made by members of the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party Museum was founded by the Huey P. Newton Foundation with a goal of ensuring that the legacy of its founders and history lives on “despite COINTELPRO, the FBI’s program to discredit, disrupt, and destroy, Black leaders.” The museum is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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Taste the flavors of Indigenous foods at Wahpepah's Kitchen
Oakland Native American Cuisine
(Clay Williams / Wahpepah’s Kitchen)
Chef Crystal Wahpepah has brought one of the best Native American-owned restaurants to the West Coast. Nestled in Oakland’s Fruitvale, a historically Latinx neighborhood, Wahpepah’s Kitchen beckons with bright yellow and teal walls, a mural that depicts “Indigenous Food Warriors” and the Kickapoo phrase “A ho pi ti ke no” — welcome — written on a board above the counter. Wahpepah serves up traditional fare like deer sticks, purple blue corn bread, seasonal Native salads dressed with fiddleheads and edible flowers, while sharing the history of Oakland’s Native American communities. Earlier this year, the chef released a cookbook, “A Feather and a Fork,” a project that “belongs to the beautiful community that raised me and the ones who believe in indigenous food, storytelling and food sovereignty,” she writes.
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Get in line at Napoleon Super Bakery for beloved Chinese baked goods
Bakery
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
There’s a reason you’ll often find a long line outside this tiny takeout bakery with an orange awning in Oakland’s Chinatown. It’s the promise of walking away with that prized pink cardboard box filled with fresh Chinese baked goods: dan tat (egg tarts), buo luo baos (pineapple buns), mini hot dog pastries, sponge cakes and more, all mostly priced from $1 to $3 each. During the early fall, the bakery also sells an assortment of mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Arrive early in the day for the best selection of items and note that this is a cash-only establishment.
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Order some sushi and listen to live jazz at Oakland institution Yoshi's
Music Venue
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
Though Oakland has several significant live entertainment venues — the revived Oakland Arena, the Art Deco stunner Paramount Theatre and the 1920s movie house-turned-creative hub Fox Theater — Yoshi’s takes the cake as far as comfort and acoustics in an intimate setting. One of the premier jazz clubs in the Bay Area, Yoshi’s opened in 1972 as a Berkeley sushi bar and eventually moved to this location in Oakland’s Jack London Square in 1997. Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones, Tony! Toni! Toné! and Goapele are just a few to have graced its stage.
One thing that sets Yoshi’s apart is its merging of music and Japanese cuisine. Its attached restaurant features traditional Japanese seating with tatami floors (where shoes must be removed), as well as regular tables and bar seating. Opt for hearty dishes like the edamame risotto with seared scallops or spicy miso chicken or sushi rolls ranging from classic to inventive (like the “49ers” with snow crab, avocado and salmon). After dinner, make your way to your seats in the club as you listen to the grooves of Rose Royce, Kamasi Washington or any other artists on Yoshi’s stacked lineup.
One thing that sets Yoshi’s apart is its merging of music and Japanese cuisine. Its attached restaurant features traditional Japanese seating with tatami floors (where shoes must be removed), as well as regular tables and bar seating. Opt for hearty dishes like the edamame risotto with seared scallops or spicy miso chicken or sushi rolls ranging from classic to inventive (like the “49ers” with snow crab, avocado and salmon). After dinner, make your way to your seats in the club as you listen to the grooves of Rose Royce, Kamasi Washington or any other artists on Yoshi’s stacked lineup.
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Rent a pedal boat at Lake Merritt
Oakland Lake
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
The nation’s largest saltwater tidal lake and the crown jewel of Oakland has cleaned up in recent years, thanks in part to a city bond measure. Lake Merritt is now an active science lab with volunteers and staff constantly measuring its oxygen and pollution levels, salinity and other markers of health.
That’s great news for all who gather here — and that’s a big chunk of Oakland. Around the lake, you’ll see people from all walks of life: folks in a drum circle, Gen Zers having a dance party, local artists and
street vendors hawking snacks, jewelry, crystals and fresh-squeezed juices.
Lake Merritt is perfect for a stroll, jog or bird-watching adventure around its 3.4-mile circumference (the lake is home to the country’s first designated wildlife refuge, with over 100 species of birds). Stop by the thriving community garden and bonsai exhibit (one bonsai is estimated to be over 1,600 years old). For spectacular views of the Oakland skyline, including the iconic Tribune Tower, visit the Lake Chalet restaurant’s deck. And for those who prefer to be on the water, the Lake Merritt Boating Center offers kayak and pedal boat rentals.
That’s great news for all who gather here — and that’s a big chunk of Oakland. Around the lake, you’ll see people from all walks of life: folks in a drum circle, Gen Zers having a dance party, local artists and
street vendors hawking snacks, jewelry, crystals and fresh-squeezed juices.
Lake Merritt is perfect for a stroll, jog or bird-watching adventure around its 3.4-mile circumference (the lake is home to the country’s first designated wildlife refuge, with over 100 species of birds). Stop by the thriving community garden and bonsai exhibit (one bonsai is estimated to be over 1,600 years old). For spectacular views of the Oakland skyline, including the iconic Tribune Tower, visit the Lake Chalet restaurant’s deck. And for those who prefer to be on the water, the Lake Merritt Boating Center offers kayak and pedal boat rentals.
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Come for the coffee, stay for the community connection at Kinfolx
Coffee
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
The Uptown coffee shop Kinfolx is more than a cafe — it’s an art gallery, a creative hub and a community gathering place. Or as the founders describe it, a modern-day public square. Inside the airy, industrial space filled with plants and plush velvet seating, you’ll find a mix of artists, nonprofit workers, city staff, students studying for exams and anyone looking for connection (and perhaps a latte made with beans from Mother Tongue, roasted locally in Oakland). Many come to the space for the array of events that fill the calendar on any day or evening: sewing socials, Black screenwriters meet-ups, a cappella open mic nights, pop-up lectures and so much more.
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Bite into a decadent work of art at Tarts de Feybesse
Oakland Dessert
(Momo Chang / For The Times)
The two-time James Beard Award nominee is the dream of pastry chefs Paul and Monique Feybesse, who met while working at Geranium restaurant in Copenhagen. The small, gleaming patisserie has become a tourist destination after having gone viral on TikTok for its trompe l’oeil pastries that look just like fruit. Each is a work of art — for instance, the mango trompe l’oeil takes three days to make and is a financier filled with mango and passionfruit puree as well as diced fresh Champagne mango, one of the sweetest mangoes on Earth. A layer of white chocolate mousse encapsulates the fruity filling and is held together by a white chocolate shell before it’s painted by hand with green, orange and yellow to reflect a real mango. Beyond the desserts, its savory croissants, bread and other pastries are all worth a visit to the shop.
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Imagine you're in small-town Japan while dining at Soba Ichi
Japanese
(Soba Ichi)
Serving bowls of made-from-scratch soba, the zen restaurant in West Oakland is perfect for a refreshing meal. The indoor-outdoor oasis is founded by the small team behind the popular Berkeley izakaya Ippuku. There is nary a miss on the seasonal menu — staples include cold soba in soup, seafood and vegan options and sakura mochis. The standout, however, is the hot soba, made with buckwheat flour milled with grain milling machines imported from Japan and served in broth brightened by yuzu. Soba Ichi is the first housemade soba restaurant in the Bay Area, a dream of the founders who wanted to replicate the feeling of dining in Yamagata, a place that’s been dubbed the “Soba Kingdom” of Japan.
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Frolic in a world of whimsy at Children's Fairyland
Oakland Theme Park
(Michaela Vatcheva / For The Times)
This 10-acre garden wonderland, nestled around Oakland’s urban sanctuary of Lake Merritt, has maintained one core rule since it opened its gates on Sept. 2, 1950: “No child without an adult, and no adult without a child.” For Children’s Fairyland aims to show the world through the eyes of a young’un — a place filled with curiosity but also perhaps a bit off-kilter, where one can walk into a whale and find a fishbowl, slide down a dragon and get lost in an “Alice in Wonderland” maze of cards.
And yet, for more than 75 years now, Fairyland has had a grown-up-sized influence. Fairyland is considered the first “storybook”-style park in the country, launching a national fad. Legend has it that Walt Disney visited Fairyland while Disneyland was in the planning stages and was so taken with it that he poached some staff.
Decades later, you can still enjoy the hand-painted delights. Stroll a path and look down and spy some smiling sunflowers hidden in the bushes. There are fun house mirrors, a whimsical train and a mechanical Geppetto waving in a workshop. To enter Fairyland, and it’s estimated that about 150,000 people do each year, is to not just set foot into an artful fantasyland but to also step back in time.
And yet, for more than 75 years now, Fairyland has had a grown-up-sized influence. Fairyland is considered the first “storybook”-style park in the country, launching a national fad. Legend has it that Walt Disney visited Fairyland while Disneyland was in the planning stages and was so taken with it that he poached some staff.
Decades later, you can still enjoy the hand-painted delights. Stroll a path and look down and spy some smiling sunflowers hidden in the bushes. There are fun house mirrors, a whimsical train and a mechanical Geppetto waving in a workshop. To enter Fairyland, and it’s estimated that about 150,000 people do each year, is to not just set foot into an artful fantasyland but to also step back in time.
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