The Oakland Catering Scene: Hyper-Healthy and Pushing Boundaries

The Oakland restaurant scene is legit. From Eater separating out the hottest restaurants in the East Bay to Thrillist hailing Oakland’s “anything SF can do, I can do cheaper and potentially better” ambiance, Oakland eaters have plenty of tasty choices at their ordering fingertips. To make sure you’ve got the best Oakland catering offerings out there, here are some favorites on the scene and trends worth trying.

New and of Note

If you’re looking to shake up a regular order, recent additions to the Oakland restaurant and catering scene deliver everything but boring. These new eats are drool-worthy delivery Oakland catering customers have been waiting for.

• Portal Catering kicks up pizza and pub fare. Swap out your go-to burger bar for their mini beef, chicken, veggie, and jackfruit burgers topped with everything from jalapeno slaw, white cheddar, caramelized onions, and cilantro aioli. Pies come loaded with garlic and roasted veggies, or sliced apples and pork belly. Veggie apps get topped with queso fresco or honey, lime, and chili, and then a good char from the pizza oven.
• For shrimp and biscuits, catfish and biscuits, or Cajun tenders and biscuits, you can’t go wrong with Krispy Krunchy Chicken. Their fried chicken comes marinated in their signature Cajun recipes and tastes particularly crispy paired alongside and mashed potatoes with gravy. And don’t forget the carrot cake. Honey Butter Biscuits are even better chased with carrot cake.
• If you’re hankering to try flavorful Puerto Rican cuisine, iTranscend Foods has you covered. Try mashed plantains whipped up with spicy jerk sauce in mofongo. They’re also great fried up into savory tostones, sweet platanos maduros, and crunchy trips. And for a dessert that turns any day around, feast on spongy tres leches cake.

Hyper-Healthy

Core Kitchen CEO Corey Rennell notes that in the Oakland restaurant scene, “healthy is no longer niche, but mainstream. Healthy eaters expect catering that is as full flavored and innovative as typical fare.” Here are a few standouts amongst the hyper-healthy crowd.

• A produce-only restaurant, Rennell’s Core Kitchen uses no canned goods, oil, sugar, or chemicals. Instead, they crack coconuts every morning to make coconut milk. They serve Thai zucchini noodles instead of Pad Thai. And they whip avocados with cacao for pudding dessert that’s both healthy and delicious. “We provide a crowd-pleasing, creative, and filling menu to millennials, healthy eaters, and people wanting the benefit of feeling great without any compromise of quality or taste,” Rennell says.
• Biey Leaf is on a mission to make healthy eating easy and accessible. Veggie egg rolls, sweet potato bites, Cajun baked salmon, Rice Krispie treats, and tamarind tonic guarantee what’s good for the body tastes good for the senses, too. A massive menu of mix-and-match catering packages and a la carte ordering options makes for easeful meal-planning to keep your crew fueled and satisfied.
• BOXiChef satisfies the Oakland restaurant scene’s need for budget-friendly catering that feeds vegan-friendly, low-carb, hearty-eating crowds. Build-Your-Own packages are particularly popular. “Our customers are a smart group and they know a lot about eating healthy,” says Chef Ali Ince. “We craft our menus to fit the best of both worlds — nutrient dense and tasty.” With lengthy taco, burger, pasta, and sandwich, and comfort food customizable menus, this Oakland catering restaurant is a one-stop shop.

Fully Fused

Why have one tasty cuisine when you can cross cultures in the same order? Oakland catering restaurants push the boundaries of what we know of flavor combinations, making every meal taste new and exciting.

• Don’t be fooled by the smaller menu Drip Line Oakland delivers. There’s complexity in each of these dishes. Chef Nora Dunning’s “simple, inventive food and flavors” mean cross Californian-Asian cuisine come together in burgers and a fried chicken sandwich. But forget simple mayo and ketchup. Toppings include tangy herb aioli, sliced Asian pear, funky fennel salad, and spicy sambal sauce.
• Hitting the sweet spots of being new on the scene, hyper-healthy, and fusing cuisines from around the world, The Vegetarian Gourmet satisfies all appetites. A vegan tofu frittata teems with julienned vegetables. Egg salad finger sandwiches come fragrant with curry and green onions. Salads feature Israeli couscous, Asian noodles, or Italian cheeses. It’s truly fused fusion dishing up the best Oakland catering trends on one menu.
• Asian and Latin cuisines collide at J&T Fusion. Mouth-watering carne asada street tacos meet barbecue pork ribs and jerk chicken marinated in allspice, cinnamon, chilies, garlic, thyme, onions, and a sweet sugar, soy, and lime sauces. Snack on Salvadorian pupusas (corn cakes) filled with chicken, beef, or cheese and served with house-made curtido (lightly fermented cabbage relish). And fill up on an Asian Chicken salad with fried wontons and cabbage. It’s a cross-cultural menu full of flavor that doesn’t stop.