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Dining Room - Burdell, Oakland, CA
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Burdell

$50 and over
Soul food

Make a booking

2 people
21:30
Booked 25 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
Burdell is a Soul Food restaurant in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland from James Beard Finalist, Chef Geoff Davis.

Named for and inspired by his maternal grandmother, Burdell, the restaurant reflects her love for well-set tables, entertaining guests, shared meals, and laughter. Burdell is centered on nostalgia, family recipes, thoughtful and sustainable sourcing, and the forgotten impact of Black farming, ranching, fishing, foraging, and culture on American cuisine and hospitality.

The menu highlights farmers and artisans harvesting and creating excellent products around us. Paired with the food is a robust list of wine and beverages from producers around the World-focusing on wines that are farmed and crafted with care and sustainable practices.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Geoff Davis

From the OpenTable editors: Fine dining vet and James Beard finalist Geoff Davis returns to his roots with this totally fresh take on California soul food. Expect iconic dishes like barbecue shrimp and boiled peanuts alongside heirloom tomato salads and slow-simmered collards. The retro design and vintage plates make every meal here feel like Sunday supper with family—no wonder Food & Wine named Burdell its 2024 restaurant of the year.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Soul food, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (510) 239-9287
  • Website
    https://www.burdelloakland.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress

Experiences

  • Family Dinner Menu

    US$82.69 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For parties of 7-9, your group will partake in our market-driven, multicourse Family Dinner Menu, instead of our regular a la carte menu. The price per person varies depending on what's on the menu for the week. Menu substitutions to this menu are politely declined. Kindly include any dietary restrictions on your reservation when booking so we can prepare appropriately for your visit (not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). We do charge a cancellation fee person of $75 per person for no-shows and late cancellations as we hold the physical space in our small restaurant in anticipation of your larger party. As with everything, we charge a 20% service charge that supports livable wages for all staff as well as healthcare.

  • Family Brunch Menu

    US$93.71 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For groups of 9-19, we offer a market-driven, multicourse Family Brunch Menu for $85 per person (excluding taxes and 20% service charge). The three-course, family-style, Chef's pick meal includes a starter, main, and dessert, with menu offerings tailored to dietary restrictions (substitutions not allowed, not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). Please inform us of any dietary needs when booking your reservation. We charge a cancellation fee of $85 per person for no-shows and late cancellations as we hold the physical space in our small restaurant in anticipation of your larger party. As with everything, we charge a 20% service charge that supports livable wages for all staff and healthcare.

  • Private Events

    Multiple dates available
    Parties of 10-20 for dinner, please visit our website and post an inquiry using the link at the bottom of the page for private event details, availability, and pricing. We look forward to hosting your special event!
    Private Events photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 133 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Burdell offers a nostalgic dining experience reminiscent of the 1970s with a modern twist. Guests rave about the "fantastic food" and "outstanding flavors," particularly the cornbread and fried chicken. The ambiance is "welcoming," with retro decor and soulful music. While service can vary, the culinary creativity consistently shines through.

133 Reviews

  1. Mike

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love the throwback decor…Food was excellent especially the croquettes. Main dishes were very good but overly salty.

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  2. Jeff

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food that was deeply flavored and surprisingly bright (sometimes soul food can seem super heavy and overwhelming). A perfect brunch spot. I’m eager to bring others and to try their dinner menu. Chef and staff were very pleasant and professional.

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  3. Jerrett

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was outstanding. Staff was present and present. Main entrees took a long time to come out. When we did get our meal, food was excellent!

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  4. Ashley

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    Enjoyable meal but not worth with the hype. Very nice staff, fun music and good crowd. But anyone who has eaten in Louisiana or the Southeast will find this average at best and 10x the cost.

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  5. Melissa

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food, strong flavors, unique modern soul food. great service.

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  6. Piero

    San Francisco

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    A great experience-- delicious food-- highest quality; creative and successful combination of flavors; attentive and kind staff; noise level is "robust."

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  7. Jamie

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious delivery of southern and soul food flavor. Very intimate and comfortable/casual ambiance with great music background to feel like you are being treated to some fine home cooking. Highly recommend for those looking for something fresh and comfy in the Temescal District in Oakland. Easy to get there via BART and/or a number 6 AC Transit bus on Telegraph.

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  8. Barbara

    San Francisco

    14 reviews

    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Burdell has lived up to its name in the article in food and wine magazine, listing it as one of the top restaurants. I would love to experience it again with some more additions to the menu. The appetizers that I experienced were fantastically tasty, and the blending of smoky and sweet were perfect.

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  9. Sarah

    San Francisco

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    This was our second time at Burdell and while we loved the food, we found many of the flaws from our first visit here were the same. It must be acknowledged they can cook a heck of a meal here. There are so many delicious flavor and textures. The cornbread is quite possibly the best I’ve ever had. However, the service is a bit lacking. They are pleasant enough though on both occasions I felt like I was imposing on them by coming to dine here. Several employees walked by us and completely ignored us when we arrived right on time for our reservation. And our waiter didn’t take our food order for quite a while. This second visit we were sat in a dim back undecorated dining area under a flickering light at uneven tables. All of this would not be a big issue for me if we were dining someplace casual, cheap and cheerful, but when we come out for a special occasion and spend a few hundred dollars it is really disappointing. Finally, on both visits the dessert was really mediocre (and very expensive). The rest of the food is so unbelievably good that it’s a shocking contrast. Seems like they don’t have a pastry chef. The apple pie we ordered this second visit was only ok, the sorghum whipped is leagues less delicious than a simple vanilla ice cream and the crust was very very tough. Sadly, as much as I love the food at Burdell, I cannot see myself coming back a third time.

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  10. jane

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on 17 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Unbelievably delicious brunch. Simple ingredients elevated to divine status. The best waffle, hash browns and bacon any of us ever tasted. The smoked cod fritters, doughnut holes and chicory salad were revelatory ……. Simple thoughtful design choices such as the glassware and maple syrup containers added a playful touch. The servers were kind and efficient . We went to celebrate a birthday and all of us can’t wait to go back for dinner!

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FAQs

Burdell is rated 4.5 stars by 133 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
21:30
Booked 25 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Burdell

4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    46th Street
  • Area
    Oakland
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Soul food, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Macarthur BART station
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Vegan
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