By Kathy Chouteau
Like a breath of fresh air, The Good Table Café swung open its doors in El Sobrante late last year, and since the beginning, has established roots as a beloved community gathering spot.
For our “Rich Dish” segment, we stopped by the pay-what-you-can nonprofit café to get the scoop on where and what residents like to eat locally and beyond. The café serves up a variety of coffee-based drinks/lattes, teas and other drinks alongside a variety of Acme Bread’s pastries, Chef Deirdre Davis’ Pinoli Farmhouse Kitchen specials, NY-style Boichik Bagels; salads, sandwiches, avocado toast and other specialties.
The communal space exists on the grounds of the former Adachi Nursery and was designed by Colleen Rodger. The Good Table Café shares the welcoming location with The Good Table United Church of Christ, the Planting Justice Nursery and Farm Store and the Triangle Works’ Shed.
“We call it food for the body, mind and soul,” Rev. Dr. Melinda McLain said about the café.
Rev. McLain, who heads both the church and the café, had numerous recommendations, but her top choice was clear.
“If I had just one thing to order, I would probably get one of Deirdre’s scones,” she said referencing Chef Deirdre Davis’ Pinoli Farmhouse Kitchen specials. She said the chef’s variety of scones aren’t dry, nor are they super wet. “They’re just right: crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside.” The chef makes savory scones, such as Red Chili & Bacon, along with sweet varieties like Cranberry and Orange. She grows the fruit for her recipes in her own garden. “They’re just perfect,” said Rev. Dr. McLain, while also giving a shout-out to the chef’s Jumbleberry Pie with eight berries in it.
Her other top recommendations at the café? Acme Bread’s pastries, including croissants and Pain au Chocolat.
“Who wants to stand in line in Berkeley for Acme pastries? You can come right here, and we’ve got Acme…,” said McLain. Fellow faves are the “world famous” Boichik Bagels of Berkeley. “The New York Times once wrote an article that said the best New York bagels are actually in Berkeley,” she said, underscoring, “We’ve got them right here.”
The café’s Chocolate Walnut Pie is a highlight, with Rev. Dr. McLain joking that some customers have “developed an addiction” to it. Other popular items include salads and sandwiches from The El Cerrito Natural Grocery Co., avocado toast, yogurt bowls, and El Corazón blend coffee.
The café’s workers followed up on Rev. Dr. McLain’s recommendations with some of their own. Dulce Deferman, a barista, prep and cashier at the café, recommended the Maya Thai Laos restaurant in El Sobrante, while not mentioning a specific dish but sharing that “the food is wonderful.” The barista also added some recommendations from the café, giving a shout-out to its Cappuccinos and the Maxi Moca on the secret menu, and which is her boss, Rev. Dr. McLain’s, favorite.
Similar to his colleague, café worker Douglas Hall also likes Thai food, recommending Soi Four, formerly on Fourth Street in Berkeley, but now in Oakland. He also gave props to the Powder Keg pub and seafood cafe in Hercules.
Nearby in the café, Jamine Thomas likes the “Veggie Samosas” at The Copper Mug, a restaurant nearby The Good Table in El Sobrante that was just recommended for the KQED TV show Check Please! Bay Area. Thomas also recommends the eatery’s Chicken Wings with a creamy garlic parmesan sauce on the side. She additionally enjoys Seoul Fried Chicken, a Korean fried chicken place in Pinole, where you know just what to order.
Another café customer Mariann Good loves Sue’s Kitchen in El Sobrante, where she orders the Nam Kao. The dish includes a deep fried rice ball mixed with sour pork, cilantro, green onion, ground peanuts and lime juice, served with lettuce and mint leaves. At another table in the café, diner Eric Olsen echoed the recommendation of Sue’s Kitchen, where he orders the soup.
Café diner Allison Martin, a vegetarian accompanying Olsen, loves the grilled Portobella Sandwich with grilled portabella mushrooms, roasted peppers, red onions, pesto, sundried tomatoes, spinach & jack on focaccia at Café Soleil in El Sobrante. Also dining at The Good Table Café that day, Janely Lopez likes the avocado toast with tomatoes and oregano. Later, onsite class attendee, Sue Boudreau, seconded Martin’s Café Soleil recommendation, highlighting the friendly staff and tasty breakfasts there. She orders from the Senior Menu and get the eggs, bacon and hash browns with a side of fruit, “Which makes the whole thing healthy,” she joked.
Housed under the same roof as and adjacent to the café is “The Gathering Space,” a room that’s used for The Good Table United Church of Christ’s services, as well as various community workshops, classes and more. It was easily reached by passing through a lovely mini bookstore, Rosa Blanca Books, and a Food & Craft Marketplace.
Following an onsite class, Estie Briggs weighed in on food.
“Neighbors Donuts on San Pablo Dam Road is a tradition,” she said about her recommendation, adding, “The lady that works there is so nice and she’s been there for decades.”
Briggs followed up with another eatery she loves: Taqueria La Bamba Salvadoran restaurant in Richmond. There, she always orders the Chile Relleno Plate featuring chile reyeon (choice of cheese or pork), rice, pinto beans, salad and two tortillas. Offering one last recommendation, Briggs said she loves Juntos Pedemos, a coffee place that doesn’t have a brick & mortar but that sets up at Planting Justice’s onsite Farmers Market, when she orders the Rosemary Latte.
Also following the class, Terry Edlinger likes Lidia’s Restaurant—formerly the famed La Perla’s—in Richmond. “It’s a nice, homey, homemade type place,” she said. There, she typically orders a Mexican Breakfast Burrito, and recently, also enjoyed the Chile Relleno Dinner Plate.
Find The Good Table Café and its nonprofit partners at 5166 Sobrante Ave. in El Sobrante.
