Came here for happy hour on a Friday. The venue looks even better in person than in pictures, and the outside seating area was perfect for a warm Indian Summer evening. But ambience aside, I wasn't impressed. I had two glasses of champagne and there wasn't a single thing on the menu I found appealing at all. If anything, I found it to be a bit pretentious. So we paid the tab and left to go eat dinner elsewhere.
Review Source:Looking for a good glass of wine and small bites for a pit stop before dinner? Look no further. Came here with a friend and decided to just do wine and white bean spread. Yumm yumm. The wine was great. The spread was delicious. The ambiance is awesome. The bar is decorated perfectly. The service is pretty good. Not my absolute favorite, but I'm definitely a fan.
One critique, there is a white wine flight, but no red wine flight? Ummm, unacceptable. I need my red wine flight.
I am looking forward to trying their Happy Hour. Until next time TOAST!
I agree w Ryan C. On 9/15/13, his review is spot on.. Â I'll just add that I really enjoyed the friendly unpretentious staff who took my silly over taxed brain in stride and gave us perfect recommendations that we really enjoyed. I apologize for being so un original however, their website also sums it up quite nicely and they deliver what is stated...
"Featuring organically, locally + sustainably produced ingredients, small production wines + liquors, artisan cocktails, dishes for kids + adults alike, and gregariously gracious staff, TOAST kitchen + bar welcomes all. Eat. Drink. Be merry. Repeat."
We have been here at least 7 times in the past two years--this is our favorite restaurant in Oakland! Â The food is consistently well prepared, tasty and interesting and the wait staff are friendly and welcoming. Â Todd is always there to welcome us and check to make sure all is well and Jana is a wonderful server--gracious, funny and prompt. Â We especially like that all the staff work together as a team ensuring prompt personal service. Â A wonderful place to get away, relax, and feel pampered for the evening. Â And -- the wine choices and house special cocktails are fabulous! Â We love this restaurant and are never disappointed, Â incredible!
Review Source:Very pleasant waitstaff. Very looooooong wait for the food and drink. We just ordered the apple cake desert and a mixed drink  but the wait time for each item was over 15 minutes each.  The apple cake was a bit dry. Sat at the patio while a musician was playing guitar. Nice ambiance.
Review Source:What happened? A year ago i gave it full stars because of friendly staff and great food.
But now I'm re-reviewing it because service isn't what it used to be, the salad I had was fine but qua taste combination not great. And I feel that there's always "a rule" that works against me. Like, 'on Sundays we don't do such and so' or 'lunch stops after 3' Â when you arrive 3.10, or you arrive to a half empty terrace and they say that there's a waiting list, but no one's waiting and after 2 minutes you're seated anyway.
Maybe bad luck the last 2, 3x? I hope so, cause toast used to be my favorite!
Top three things I enjoy about Toast:
Their blend of classy and casual. The feel of an upscale restaurant, with little of the pretense. Large, animal-friendly patio with blankets and heaters for cool nights. Simple and rustic design palette. Toast projects an easy, stylish vibe.
Staff smoothly rotates in based on task and flow. Each time I go, I have moments with the host, waiter, sommelier, chef and busser, as well as other staff who fill in to maintain the pace. The fluid, subtle ballet is enjoyable to watch and receive.
A menu built around limited, intelligent choices, for both food and drinks. I appreciate restaurants that focus on doing a smaller number of things well. This allows for a clear, confident menu, simpler ordering, stronger pairings, waiters with deeper and more meaningful understanding of what's on offer, and it all results in a better experience.
Par for the Rockridge course are prices which feel like they could be lower. I may visit less often as a result, but I still stop in, now and then.
To be honest, I'm still here. I am sitting in their bar courtesy of a Gilt City voucher, making plans to send gifts to Gilt for introducing me to this place.
The moment I walked up, I knew it was my kind of joint. The word BAR (all caps) emblazoned across the back wall let you know you had come to the right place for the right kind of drink, and boy were they right.
Add to that exceptional -- and I mean that without hyperbole -- waitstaff and creatively delicious finger foods, and you have the makings of a regular patron who braves the BART and eschews SFside establishments in favour of Toast. In.
Technically, if I could give this place 2.5 stars I would. But I'm picking the lower of that because I just feel it was a real let down because they have so much potential.
Let me start off with the ambiance is great - which is probably why everyone is attracted to it in the first place. The outdoor seating area is very nice. Nowhere to go but up, right? Unfortunately wrong.
First off, the place is definitely overpriced for what it is. They have marked up prices so much it's pretty ridiculous. I ordered a Cowgirl Creamery cheese plate - the only thing they added really was honey (and maybe some nuts) and it was way too overpriced, considering they didn't actually COOK anything. Â And even when they do, I think basically everything is overpriced on the menu. This is still Rockrige - not the Marina..yet (I hope). Â
Also, the service is less than average. Â Several times I found myself wanting to get the waiter for him to be nowhere to be found. Â I can understand the wait on the actually cooked food to be long, but the wait on our drinks was also longer than I would like. I don't know if they need more staff or what? Â
Anyway, I wanted this to be my go-to place since it's very convenient for me, but alas, even with the outdoor seating, the prices and service have precluded that.
I really want to like this place but after 3 lunch attempts over the last year the wait to be fed is still so slow. This time it made me laugh when the hostess said "I know you guys are next in line for a table and I know there are tables but we have to keep a pacing to not overwork the kitchen..."
Huh??
In response my husband said -"can we at least sit at our table, instead of waiting on the sidewalk?"
She did seat us....we did get menus and our lovely waitress did bring our food...
BTW - our food was already pre-made so I am not sure why it took 20 minutes to bring the dish.
p.s. I am happy the other reviews are positive as I think this place should stay...it just needs to improve its "flow"
I like this place.  The food and cocktails have been solid each time I've been here.  Indoors smells a bit like cleaning products recently applied, at least the few times I've been  here.  Sit outside if you can...  I think my experience and possibly star rating, would be a bit different is I had to sit inside.
Service has been excellent; and food is very consistent, and good.
This is not a spot for those looking to break a 2 week master cleanse because the portion size is modest but acceptable. Â You can easily bump up your food volume with some appetizers, dessert, or side dishes without breaking the bank. Â This is perfect for a light meal that is way more fun and interesting than "salad with grilled chicken dressing on the side." Â I have to say that everything here made healthy food really fun and really tasty!
We had the fried chickpeas (perfect amount of hot salt and crunch); Romaine salad with sunflower seeds (super tender greens with a perfect amount of dressing); and shared a pork shoulder piece that had a marinade I would die for the recipe. Â The pork came with a side of 2 tender roasted corn on the cob and a zucchini strip and 3 bean salad that had my man actually thinking that zucchini was pasta. Â Kudos. Â If you have to watch your waist line, this is a great place to do it! Â The chef is on my list of people to recruit to be my personal chef when I hit the lotto.
I will toast to TOAST kitchen + bar for the following:
-Fun rustic decor
-Very interesting menu of very healthy options
-Top notch service and a chill approachable vibe
-Reasonable prices for high quality ingredients and innovative food concepts.
We came in for a light meal before a movie and were absolutely wowed by the experience. Â
The wine list was well-edited and thoughtful and we were blown away by the food. Â Arugula salad with gravenstein apples and cucumbers was the perfect blend of pepper flavors and sweet notes. Â The melon, fig and burrata starter was refreshing and creamy without being cloying. Â The slow cooked pork entree was just as fantastic as the salmon, which was by far the best, most buttery salmon we've had in ages. Â And don't get me started on the dessert - a flourless chocolate torte on a bed of caramel sauce, served with homemade whipped cream. Â To. Die. For. Â
Service was smart and attentive. Â It was such a wonderful experience. Â Kudos to the new chef - we'll be back for sure!!
I really like the atmosphere here - the options of the patio, the big room with the high ceiling and booths in the middle, plus the other room all seem to be good choices. I do think the menu options are too limited for those who don't eat red meat or poultry (another seafood item or two? or veggie item or two?). A bit pricey, too. But if someone wanted to go back, I'd meet them here again.
Review Source:Went Sunday night with 4 adults and one 3.5 year old. Â Everything was wonderful and we all left extremely happy.
The menu isn't large, but has a little of everything - veggies, meats, seafoods, desserts, etc - and all of the 10+ dishes we tried were great. Â The menu is creative and we got so absorbed in sharing, tapas-style, that we also ordered a few of the main dishes and split them across the group. Â
People have said this is not child friendly and yes, I suppose that is true if your kid is one of those that will only eat fried chicken fingers. Â Our kid, however, very much enjoyed nibbling on the various things that came out, especially the bread, meatballs, chicken, carrots, green beans, and the flourless chocolate cake. Â The atmosphere at the restaurant is also lively and upbeat, so a kid will not disturb anybody (unless they are really obnoxious and unruly, but our kid stays in the booth and isn't loud).
The cocktails were fabulous - simply delicious - and the beer and wine selection is solid and very reasonably priced.
We thought this was a fabulous spot and will be returning.
My friend and I had a quick lunch here before our hike. It was okay, but nothing particularly mindblowing. I had the baked rigate, which had far too many onions, and she got the pulled chicken sandwich, which was better. Service was spotty--sometimes friendly, sometimes not. The patio is a lovely spot though, and great for people-watching.
Review Source:The food is amazing organic local cuisine. Fantastic food. Even if you don't care about the organic local... if you like elegant food... you will love this. We had the arugula watermelon salad, spicy meatballs, pork and chocolate dessert. My strawberry vodka drink was refreshing and unique. We ate a lot so our bill was about $100 as expected. Still just completely worth it. Light plates, yet we were stuffed afterward.
I almost didn't go because the picture of those seats looked so uncomfortable for a $$$ restaurant. They actually had cute comfortable booths now so someone probably should update that. I am not big fan of the trend where  I have to be uncomfortable just because a place is hip. I am not in my 20's anymore. There was a huge mirror which was  distracting as you kind of see people everywhere...  But there were black walls and industrial lights... Amazing service... blankets and heaters outside... It was a great date night with hubby. We will be back for sure... Worth the drive to Oakland.
Went here on a Tuesday evening, primarily for drinks. Â We had a group of around 20. Â Service was slow, to the point of being ridiculous. Â The staff couldn't remember who was at the bar first. Â When I tried to pay and get my credit card back, I was ignored for about 10 minutes while the bar staff chatted to one another.. Â Oh, and to top it off, the $10 wine I has was awful. Â Needless to say, I drank water after the first drink (for which my liver thanks me) and won't be returning to experience the food. Â One star for whomever decorated, it's a lovely spot!
Review Source:It was time to unwind after work, so I headed over to the sunny side of the bay to meet up with a gf at Toast. Â Convenient location close to Rockridge Bart - check. Â Great weather for sitting on the patio - check. Â Wonderful service - check. Â Small plates menu of goodies - check. (Noshed on Cheese Plate - $12) Â $5 glasses of wine - check. Â Good company - check. Â Easy and free street parking if needed - check. Â There's really not much more one could ask for to complete hump day. Â
Hip, chill neighborhood spot. Â The quintessential Rockridge-type business. Â Outside seating area is plentiful and they allow dogs. Â They had a few communal tables out there too. Â The inside of the restaurant has a nice bar and decked out modern dining room. Â Could be a romantic place to take a date or fun for a small group of friends.
Appreciate their philosophy of serving seasonal and sustainable food. Â Wines that they serve are bought from small production wineries. I'll definitely be back again when I'm in the area. Â I feel like I've only scratched the surface.
This restaurant is new on the block but sadly they have already learnt some of the bad habits of restaurants that have been open a long time... to name one; the beverage  glasses are packed with ice so that there precious little beverage in the glass.
Overall, I would say that the main course was slightly better than mediocre. Â The chicken liver pate was delicious but served on two tiny pieces of sliced of toast... hardly enough to get a good taste of it and the lime dessert which was wonderful. Â Certainly not worth returning to.
Lively-upbeat, neighborhood new cuisine spot, with versatile seating in the bar or dining areas. Had a small plate of squid with cranberry beans and a light balsamic vinaigrette, delicious and full flavored with a tapenade compliment. Had the skirt steak with corn relish and more cranberry beans - dishes composed of a blend of strong complimentary flavors to entice the palate. Exciting cuisine! Finished with a light refreshing lime posset, blackberrys and almond brittle... Yummy!
Would return, with excellent wines by the glass to chose from...
Needed a place that was dog friendly, has a good wine and beer list, and tasty food. Thankfully we stumbled upon Toast! With the sun shining, a few glasses of wine and some shared small plates and entrees, a seat on Toast's patio was the perfect end to a long work week.
With our dog in tow, we enjoyed the people watching, the attentive service, and the delicious food. The wine list is full of really tasty whites, reds, and sparkling wines all at a very reasonable price per bottle.
I can honestly say the boca negra (flourless chocolate cake) changed my life!
To see pictures of the food we ate (including that cake) you can see the write up at my food website below:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Featsporkjew.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F06%2F24%2Fwhy-blind-dates-should-be-blind%2F&s=363d6e0989ac990798d1c7bb62254c356d8025cfb9bba1a6da6cff95b4691402" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eatsporkjew.wordp…</a>
I love coming here.
The staff are always very friendly, the inside seating is always nice, but outside seating a nice Oakland evening can't be beat (plus they have heaters!)
Mostly, I come here for the wine. And the champagne. And the delicious small plates.
Toast is flat out a lovely experience.
Went here for the first time this week. Food is amazingly good, well prepared, fresh, hot. Wine selection is unusual and fun. This would have been five stars except for a few things, starting with all the kids. The table on one side of me had an infant, needless to say a crying infant or we wouldn't have even noticed, and the table on the other side of us had three little kids who started the evening by jumping off the bench as soon as dad's back was turned. Â Even the wait staff had that 'oh no' look on their faces. Â They weren't completely out of control so I guess it could have been worse but I don't go to nice bar/restaurants thinking I will share my dinner ambience with little kids.
I think the kitchen actually made pb&j for the kids. Maybe that is why people bring their kids here. Â
Service was spotty - started out good, very attentive, then she abandoned us. Took our wine glasses without even asking if we wanted more wine. We did. Never asked if anyone wanted coffee.
My friends and I are all about the 20% tip for great service but couldn't go over 15 for her. Â
Only other criticism is the bench itself. If I ever come back, not likely but possible, I would choose the table with chairs.
My date suggested Rockridge area of Oakland. College Avenue has a number of restaurants and bars. We were walking around and slipped into this place for a drink.
We were seated outside by some heating lamps, and there was a red blanket on the chairs. I thought that was neat touch and hoped to be sharing it with my date as the evening progressed. (Unfortunately it never got that cold)
We ordered the cheese plate and a buttermilk biscuit and prosciutto appetizers. I had a Vesper Martini,it was very well made, although I would have liked it to be colder. My date had a glass of Sauvignon blanc.
The service was very friendly and helpful with her suggestions. I would definitely come back here, although I am curious about the other places in this area.
Toast is a friendly place to hang out with friends, or have a going away party for a beloved coworker -- which is why I was there. Â
Our group was seated near the windows, that's a toasty spot to people-watch, enjoy a few plates, and talk about past good times. I enjoyed some crostini and a plate of average-sized meatballs, packed with flavor. The sparkling wine (can't remember which) was very tasty.
All in all, a sad occasion made better by great service, great drinks, and wonderful surroundings.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Friday night experience.
Highlights:
+ They accommodated a last minute party size change.
+ They accommodated our baby - the only family in the room apparently.
+ Fresh, industrial decor complete with chalkboard walls to leave discriminating messages of your fellow table mates for them to discover on the way to the bathroom.
+ Friendly, casual service.
+ DELICIOUS FOOD!!!
          We ordered the kale, sole, braised meat, and quail, and some salads. All were so good. The quail was some of the juiciest, most tender and flavorable meat I've ever had. And the sole was was cooked perfectly. SO good. Except...
Lowlights:
- Small portion size for the $$$. As in, we went to eat Ramen Shop afterwards.
I will have to think hard about the next time I visit and ask my stomach how full it wants to be.
The hubs made reservations at this spot for our Valentine's Day dinner...what a lovely spot for a special date night.
Since this was Valentine's Day they only had the pre-fixed menu available which consisted of a cauliflower/split pea soup (creamny and delicious), choice of a beet salad with blood oranges or garden salad with mushrooms (we each chose a different one and both were freshly prepared with nice flavors), choice of lamb chops, a vegetarian pasta like dish, and steelhead fish (we chose the lamb and the fish...both cooked perfectly, full of great flavors and nicely presented), and finally dessert which was a chocolate type of cake with a bourbon sauce (amazing, the bourbon flavors went so well with the rich chocolate taste).
Everything from start to finish was amazing. They also had a choice to pair the entrees with wine, but we opted to order cocktails from their craft cocktail menu...both of us ordered bourbon drinks and both tasted fantastic. They use square ice cubes and for those that know my previous reviews...that detail is what impresses the hubs and I when ordering a good drink.
The ambiance of this little joint is romantic and comfortable but still modern. They do have a patio area with heat lamps and we saw that they provided blankets for those chilly nights. What a great little detail to offer outside diners. The service was friendly, prompt and fast...they refilled our water glasses without us having to ask and weren't overly attentive like some places are.
This place is a great place to take a special date or to have a really nice evening out with friends. I wouldn't mind coming back in the future to try out their regular menu items.
I had a really bad experience here last week. Food was pretty good, but I can't even remember that.
Dan or Don, the manager, was very unpleasant. A drink of mine, for several reasons, took a long time to arrive. 20 minutes passed between ordering it and it arriving. In fact, some of our food beat it to the table. When I shared that, he asked, "Have you ever been in service?" suggesting, that if I hadn't been in service, I did not have the authority to be displeased with our experience. He was very defensive, cut me off a few times and would not let up, trying to--I guess--make a point that my feelings were in the wrong. Â
I understand that every place has an off night, or even an off table. But all most of us reasonable folks want is for the restaurant staff to be gracious, offer an apology, and to please let us get back to enjoying a night out. Believe me Dan or Don, I've been there in service work, and I know. But there was no graciousness the night we were there.
I'm glad our experience was out of the norm for what most others have had to say bout it here, but there are too many other outstanding restaurants in that neighborhood to ever bother going back.
Went on a Sunday food was really solid, had the all day braised pork shoulder, and a kale Caesar salad.
The standout for me was the cocktail I ordered. Although I don't remember the name of it (which may speak to how strong it was) it reminded me of an old fashioned. Tried a taste of my girlfriend's Manhattan and it was perfectly made.
Atmosphere: Â fair
Price: My only critique was it was a bit high.
Overall: Would definitely try it again and will certainly be back for a Manhattan.
I really enjoyed our evening here. Â My friends and I visited Toast for Oakland Restaurant Week. Â They offered a pre-fix menu of 3 Â dishes that each came with a wine pairing for $40. It was obviously the best deal as everyone in the restaurant was ordering it.
We started our meal with the chicken liver pate, cheese board, and the salumi selection plate. All small bites were good. Of the cheese, I enjoyed the buttermilk blue affinee the best. From the salumi plate the prosciutto was very tasty.
As for dinner, it was the mixed green salad, all day braise pork shoulder and the chocolate cake. I can't remember the wines served with each, but they were all excellent. Â For dessert, there was a choice of a dessert wine or whiskey. Â I chose the whiskey and it really helped complete the meal. Â
The dinner menu prices are quite affordable, compared to the other restaurants in the area. Â A very good thing, as now I will make it one of my regular hangouts.
Oakland Restaurant Week! Such a great find. I have been wanting to try this place ever since I moved to Rockridge, but I just did not have the push to go until Restaurant week came and I Â needed to make my picks. We ordered one restaurant week menu (three courses and pairings) and a few smaller sides from the menu.
I am not cushioning this review. I was SO impressed by all aspects of the restaurant. Staff, Food, Presentation, Wine selection, time table on assistance. Literally one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had.
I will definitely be going back and I can't wait to try out their breakfast/lunch assortment.
YOU MUST GO.
Dish Picks: Celery Root Soup was so amazing. Mixed green salad with redwood hill farm fresh goat cheese and pumpkin seeds---the goat cheese was so fresh I tasted that on its own several times without the rest mmm.! Lastly, definitely try the chicken liver pate with a wine pairing. Small but delicious.
ahhh...still dreaming about it.
Ahh love...Lets face it--when you are dining out with someone that makes you tingle all over, you can think a can of tuna limp noodle casserole dish with ketchup sauce and a glass of white zin from a box tastes like Russian caviar and Cristal Champagne. Â While staring deep into your lover's beautiful mesmerizing blue eyes all you can think is "pinch me I must be dreaming...."
Alas...you begin to settle into reality (honeymoon is over) and your taste buds come back down to earth. Â That's when you realize that you eating a hostess cupcake, not lavender infused creme brulee.
But all love is not lost...not if you come to Toast, which boasts not only a richness in fine wines and spirits, and sustenance, but an ambiance suitable to make any first date fall in love.
My handsome man and I were celebrating a special occasion so we came here to have a little quality time.
We instantly felt at ease with the soft ceiling lighting, complimented with a bold neon red display behind the bar.  The hostess Meghan was very sweet and accommodating (when we had to push our reservation back  "no problem"), and the waitress was extremely friendly and excited when we told her it was a special occasion. I could also tell by the way the employees interacted, that there was good energy bustling within.  That's always a good sign to me.
Everything is farm to table here, and it shows. Â Nothing is overdone, seasonings are used to enhance the flavors of the food, not overshadow them.
Plates are small, but you feel satisfied with the amount of food when you have wine/cocktails to pair it with.
I wouldn't say the prices are low, but they are about right for what you receive. Â My man was feeling generous and splurged on a pricier wine (it was superb) so that might have skewed our tab in the higher direction, but overall I'd say it was worth it.
You can also order "tastes" of wine if you don't want to decide on one bottle and those range from 3- 6 depending on the size.
I'm glad I listened to my boyfriend and let him make the decision on where to go to celebrate our evening. Â I couldn't have asked for a better service or surrounding.
Just when I thought the honeymoon was over...he lifted me back into space again...Thank you to all at Toast for a memorable meal/night!
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