At the intersection of South Berkeley, West Berkeley, and the San Pablo Corridor is a fantastic collection of shops. Perhaps the neighbors of Southwest Berkeley do not want you to know this — so they can continue to find street parking — but I suggest you head on over for (with your kids) to discover at Dwight and San Pablo! Maybe you can get all your holiday shopping done and shop local!
Start your exploration out by energizing with coffee, cocoa, tiny steamed milk, or water in little dixie cups that a kiddo can refill himself at Caffe Trieste. Bagels, pastries, salads, quiche, and gelato round out the menu, but don’t fill up just yet.
With kids, walk south and bypass Good Vibrations (without kids, stop in for parent-friendly goodies). If you have rambunctious kids with you, bypass the sparkly store, Kiss My Ring; they specialize in jewelry and have so many baubles and wonders for a little child to stare at (and try to grab and eat!), it will be an amazing delight or terrifying expedition based on your child’s temperament. On the Juniper Tree has more shiny things to ogle as well as soaps and potions to mix and match. The holiday decorations are worth the price of admission and you really can find something in every style (and budget). We picked up our shiny, spiky Christmas tree-topper star there last year for less than $10 because it was a little damaged. Each boy also chose an ornament.
[photo of beads and baubles from Juniper Tree]
Head all the way down to the Ecology Center. Not only do they stock gardening supplies and eco-friendly books, but they also have a healthy selection of fun kids’ toys. These are the toys you wish your family would buy and your kids would crave (rather than some talking Elmo toy!). Stock up on Plan Toys and organic cotton playthings.
[Photo from Ecology Center]
If you can walk another block down to Black Oak Books, you can select from thousands of new and used books. That store is huge!
For food choices, you can’t go wrong. You’ll have to decide based on what you’re craving because there are 4 outstanding restaurants on the same block:
- Anchalee is delicious Thai food.
- Paisan is outstanding Italian-style pizza.
- Sea Salt is date-night-worthy seafood.
- Bacheeso’s (yes, its across the street!) offers a Mediterranean-inspired buffet of local ingredients.
