Category Archives: Guide to East Bay

Guide to East Bay: Pepple’s Donut Farm

i love a good donut. i love apple fritters, sprinkles, old fashioned and glaze oh my. i love soft dough and extra sweet frosting. i will never turn down a chance to try a donut so when b and i decided to head up to oakland on saturday i knew i had to try the famous pepple’s donut farm.
pepple’s is located in emeryville which is just above oakland and fairly close to the bay bridge. a big draw to pepple’s is their donuts are vegan along with their entire brunch + lunch menu.
b was of course skeptical by this but is always a good sport and agreed to try since i had been wanting to check out pepple’s donut farm for some time now.

we walked into a run down / hipster looking cafe. it wasn’t too busy so we grabbed a table and decided to savor the moment. b and i decided to try blueberry, apple fritter and salted carmel. can i just say all three were above average donuts? like a good couple notches above average? of the three, the apple fritter was actually my favorite. i had never had dough that tasted that moist and delicious. do note their donuts on the cart (which included glaze, apple fritters, bear claws, etc.) are only sold on the weekend so i suggest stopping by pepple’s then so you can try it all.

we went with some friends and one of our friends got a cinnamon sugar donut. he said it tasted just like cinnamon toast crunch. yummmm. our other friend is gluten free so opted for the granola with hemp milk. guys it was my first time trying hemp milk and i completely loved it. i think i am going to sub it in for almond milk if i can find it as easily. it had a great taste. i also hear it is very good for your skin + hair.

overall it was a great donut filled saturday morning with good friends. oh and one more tip, the donut prices will go up in march because minnimum wage is being raised so check out pepple’s donut farm before then! it is already a little pricier than your average donut shop (we are talking about $2/donut) so act fast and try it out.

how was your weekend?

planning a getaway to the east bay? check out my other top eateries and things to do in the area here!

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Berkley Restaurant Review: Casa Latina

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remember when i mentioned we found the best little mexican restaurant the other weekend in berkley? well i can’t help but share with you this gem because i wish i could eat there everyday. it was that good and affordable!

casa latina is a healthy (relatively) latin american cafe located on a busy street in downtown berkley (less than 15 min drive from the horse races). i knew upon arrival that this place would be a tasty and authentic lunch. i think i have a sixth sense when it comes to these things;)

from their baked goods to their home brewed coffee (i am not a coffee drinker myself but everyone in front of us was ordering the horchata latte and could not stop raving about it) to their scrumptious tamales and everything in between. this place has it all. not to mention their urban chic decor, friendly staff and on point pricing. casa latina alone made me rethink the east bay. we have only been up to the east bay a handful of times and tend to favor traveling to san francisco because everyone always told us east bay was a little more run down. granted there are some shady areas of oakland but, there are some amazing not to be missed gems as well.

b and i decided to try a carne asada taco, chicken taco, chicken tamale and rice pudding. every item was incredibly flavorful and filling. i had not had a tamale in years but knew i had to try it again and was so glad i did! both the chicken and steak were lean just the way i like it. every bite was better than the last. do note, the hot sauce is pretty darn hot!

i used to make rice pudding all the time a couple years ago because i loved it so. i have burnt a couple pots making it so was forced to save my pans and put an end to my rice pudding days. when i saw this large cup of rice pudding in the window, i knew i had to have it. no matter how full i was. it was delicious and the perfect ratio of milk to rice. i also loved the added cinnamon on top. makes me want to bring this sweet treat back to my kitchen (don’t know if my love handles can afford it too often though ha).

can’t wait to head back to casa latina during fall to indulge in their mexican hot chocolate along with more of the bakery goodies. i also hear their nachos are mind blowing. until next time, casa latina!

linked to: treat yo’ self

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Guide to East Bay: Golden Gate Fields

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on saturday, b and i decided to venture up north to spend the day exploring berkley and attend the golden gate fields horse races. b and i had never been to any sort of horse race before so we were quite excited and intrigued to see how we would fare.

golden gate fields is located fairly close to the downtown area of berkley. it is right on the water with some gorgeous views of the bay. the first race began at 1:45pm and we arrived just in time to catch a glimpse of the horses and make our bets. my strategy was based purely on the name and attractiveness of the horse. with names like majestic moment and over achiever why wouldn’t you pick them?
let me tell you a secret… never base it on those two attributes alone.. you will not win. sadly.

b decided to focus on probabilities and how rambunctious the horse was. if the horse was going against their trainers’ orders he knew it would be a good pick. this strategy helped him win three races in a row. i couldn’t believe it.
one time his horse was clearly in third place but at the last second snuck ahead of the other two competitors and took the title by a nose. a nose! my horse’s nose!

can you believe that? we did come out on top with no help of me of course.

it was a lovely afternoon and a great learning experience. i would love to go again with a big group and dress in our southern best. b on the other hand has vowed we can never go again because he needs to keep his perfect score. we will see…

golden gate fields is expansive and not that many people were there for it being the second racing weekend of the season. but not to worry that only meant better seats for us.
sadly, i did not see extravagant hats. guess that means we need to head to kentucky for the real horse racing experience! b is sure to keep his winning streak there.

admission is $5/person with $5 for parking.
or you can go on a sunday and pay $1/person with $1/parking. sounds like a pretty great deal to me!

linked to: local adventurer

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