What are the East Bay’s best restaurants and bars?

It’s a longstanding tradition here at East Bay Nosh: The last week of every year, our staff, as well as the staff of Cityside, Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside all come together to make our editorial picks of the East Bay’s best in food and drinks. It’s always a lot of fun to look back on the past year of great meals, provocative cocktails, and warm and glowing days and nights out.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since I started here at Nosh, it’s that our readers are just as — if not more — passionate about food and drinks as we are. From our many eyes on the street feeding us tips, to folks who write in to debate the merits of a spot included or excluded from a guide, every Nosh reader is blessed with strong opinions they have no fear of sharing.

So this year, we’re asking you to name your top picks in a variety of categories (but please do feel free to skip any you don’t have an opinion on), using the form below. (Please don’t forget to hit “submit” when you’re through.) We’ll take the top nominees in each category, and will place them into a poll that will be open to all. The final results — Nosh’s readers’ choice awards, if you will — will be announced every day between Dec. 26-30.

Featured image credit: Marco Verch, via Creative Commons 2.0