Nosh’s 2021 in review
· The East Bay’s most reliable bar and restaurant destinations
· The East Bay’s best restaurant experiences
· The best outdoor dining in the East Bay
· The East Bay’s saddest restaurant closures of 2021

At the end of every year, East Bay Nosh surveys staffers across Cityside’s newsrooms as well as its regular writers and columnists. The goal: to bring you an overview of the region’s food and restaurant scene from our diverse group of contributors. Please keep checking back every day until the end of the year for answers to 2021’s set of dining questions — and if you’d like, add your own answers in the comments at the bottom of this article.

Today, our respondents were asked: What new East Bay bar or restaurant debut are you most excited for in 2022?

Joodooboo’s banchan will be made with local and seasonal ingredients. Credit: Allan Wan

Joodooboo! I’m excited to try the fresh-made organic tofu and banchan. — Shirley Huey, Nosh contributor

Cafe Ohlone’s steamed mussels and clams, Ohlone salad, acorn sourdough bread and rosehip tea. Credit: Cafe Ohlone

I’m definitely looking forward to Cafe Ohlone opening on the Cal Berkeley campus (go Bears!). Delicious and thoughtfully created food with meaning, purpose, culture, and history behind it – can one ask for more? — Momo Chang, Nosh contributor and Oakland-based freelance writer

Farmhouse Thai’s appetizer platter. Credit: Alix Wall

OMG! Farmhouse Thai! I’ve been waiting for this since it was announced in Berkeleyside in 2019. I had lost hope since there was no movement on renovating. Even with the most recent story, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But when I finally saw construction happening, I thought “It’s happening!” Please give more updates so I can’t count down the days to opening. — Doug Ng, News Platforms Director, Cityside

Very excited for Banter, which is about to become my neighborhood wine bar! — Flora Tsapovsky, Nosh contributor and culture writer

Roux40’s jambalaya with head-on shrimp and lobster. Credit: Roux40

I’m so excited for so many restaurants this coming year — though I’m writing this as things feel the bleakest, I think we have a lot to look forward in 2022. I’m hopeful that this is the year that Nigel Jones’s long-awaited Calabash opens at Valdez and 23rd streets — Jones, paired with chef Azalina Eusope (Azalina’s) is an unbeatable combination. I’m so so pumped for Roux 40, as I think founder Lala Harrison (JusLa Eats) is poised to be one of the Bay Area’s biggest culinary stars. And, look, I know Matt Horn has a lot going on, so no pressure, but as a massive breakfast taco fan I do not think his Dalia, Horn’s taco trailer spinoff, can open soon enough.  — Eve Batey, East Bay Nosh Editor

Fish tacos at Bombera. Credit: Bombera

I still haven’t made it out to Bombera. I enjoyed the owner’s previous spot, Cosecha, so I’m looking forward to getting over to the new restaurant at some point in early 2022. — Jacob Simas, Managing Editor, The Oaklandside

The 1580 Hopkins St. space that was once home to Lilly has been under construction by Kyoto Sushi folks for a good long while. Credit: Zac Farber

Like most folks who frequent the Hopkins Street strip near the Monterey Market, I keep checking for updates to the new sushi place going in where Lilly’s used to be. — Joanna Della Penna, Nosh openings/closings columnist

Little Charlie’s Ube Overload: an ube cookie, ube halaya, ube whipped and ube glaze. Credit: Little Charlie’s/Facebook

Little Charlie’s Gourmet Cookies now has a brick and mortar that I have been waiting to try. Every time they announced a release it was harder to get than a PS5. Feelmore Social Club: Whatever Neena does, it’s going to be fire, for sure. — Brandy Collins, Berkeleyside, Nosh and The Oaklandside contributor