RFK City Guide · Berkeley
Best Restaurants Open Monday in Berkeley 2026
Open Monday · Berkeley · 6 rooms confirmed · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
Berkeley keeps a stronger Monday than most college towns. Gather goes dark after the weekend, but Alice Waters opens Chez Panisse anyway, the Japanese rooms on Fourth Street and downtown trade through, and La Marcha's tapas bar runs late. The list below is the Monday map for the city that invented California cuisine.
Chez Panisse
Alice Waters' birthplace of California cuisine, open Monday upstairs and down. Book the cafe for an easier Monday seat.
Chez Panisse on Shattuck Avenue is the restaurant Alice Waters opened in 1971, the room that invented California cuisine and seeded the farm-to-table movement worldwide. The downstairs restaurant runs a single fixed menu each night, while the upstairs cafe offers an a la carte menu of the same kitchen's cooking.
Both the cafe and the downstairs restaurant serve Monday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, so the most historic table in the East Bay is a genuine Monday booking. The fixed downstairs menu changes daily around the morning's produce.
The downstairs prix fixe is the harder weekend table, so a Monday is the calmer way in; the upstairs cafe takes the overflow.
Read our Chez Panisse review.
Iyasare
Fourth Street's Cal-Japanese room, open Monday for lunch and dinner. Sit on the patio for the seasonal kaiseki touch.
Iyasare on Fourth Street is the Cal-Japanese room from chef Shotaro Kamio, blending Hokkaido technique with Northern California produce. The seasonal sashimi, the binchotan-grilled skewers and the daily small plates make it the most refined Japanese kitchen in Berkeley.
It serves Monday lunch from 11:30am and dinner from 5:00pm to 8:30pm, a full day, which makes it a reliable Monday option in the Fourth Street shopping district.
The heated patio is the seat to request, and a Monday lunch is one of the easier bookings of the week.
See our Iyasare review.
Ippuku
The downtown izakaya and yakitori counter, open Monday from 5pm. Order the charcoal skewers and a deep shochu list.
Ippuku on Center Street is the downtown izakaya that brought serious Tokyo-style yakitori to Berkeley, a low-lit room of sunken tables and a binchotan grill. The chicken skewers nose-to-tail, the house tofu and one of the region's deepest shochu lists carry the menu, and the room holds a MICHELIN Guide listing.
It serves Monday dinner from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, covering the full evening near the UC campus and the downtown theaters.
It is an easy, lively Monday booking, and the counter seats take a fair share of walk-ins early in the week.
Read the Ippuku review.
Great China
The Bay Area's Northern Chinese institution, open Monday for dinner. Order the double-skin and the tea-smoked duck.
Great China on Bancroft Way is the Northern Chinese institution that has drawn diners across the bay for decades, a room famous enough to keep one of the best wine lists of any Chinese restaurant in the country. The double-skin appetizer, the tea-smoked duck and the hand-cut noodles are the orders regulars insist on, and it carries a MICHELIN Guide listing.
It serves Monday dinner from 5:00pm to 8:30pm, so the city's most decorated Chinese kitchen is open at the start of the week.
Tables turn fast and the room fills, so book ahead even on a Monday.
See our Great China review.
La Marcha
West Berkeley's Spanish tapas bar, open Monday from lunch to midnight. The latest Monday kitchen in the city.
La Marcha on San Pablo Avenue is the Spanish tapas bar that brought proper jamon, paella and a long sherry list to West Berkeley. The patatas bravas, the gambas al ajillo and the paella for the table are the orders, and the room holds a MICHELIN Guide listing.
It runs Monday from 11:00am to 3:00pm and 4:00pm to midnight, the latest Monday kitchen on this list, which makes it the reliable choice for a late Monday dinner or drinks.
Walk-ins and the bar are a fair bet on a Monday, and the paella is best ordered for two or more.
Read our La Marcha review.
Comal
Downtown's Oaxacan-leaning Mexican room, open Monday from 5pm. Go for the wood-grilled plates and a mezcal flight.
Comal on Shattuck Avenue is the downtown Mexican room built around a wood grill and an Oaxacan-leaning menu, with a back patio and one of the better mezcal programs in the East Bay. The wood-grilled fish, the carnitas and the handmade tortillas anchor the menu.
It serves Monday dinner from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, covering the full evening across the downtown theater district.
It is a lively, easy Monday booking, and the bar and patio take walk-ins early in the week.
See our Comal review.
Closed Monday: book another night
Berkeley rooms that close on Monday
Gather. The organic, market-driven room on Oxford Street near the downtown arts district is closed Monday and Tuesday, serving Wednesday to Sunday. Plan it for later in the week, or take Chez Panisse or Iyasare for a Monday at a comparable level.
Several of Berkeley's smaller chef-driven rooms also rest at the start of the week, so confirm hours before you set out. For a Monday booking you can count on, the six rooms above are the verified options.
How to dine out on a Monday in Berkeley
The Berkeley Monday picture is friendlier than most cities: the institutions, Chez Panisse above all, mostly trade through, while it is a handful of the smaller market-driven rooms like Gather that take the night off. The workaround is to lean into the names that stay open. Chez Panisse covers the grand-occasion dinner, Iyasare and Ippuku handle the Japanese end at opposite price points, Great China keeps the city's best Chinese kitchen on the table, and La Marcha and Comal carry the late and lively options.
Reservations are easiest at La Marcha and Comal, while Chez Panisse downstairs and Great China want a few days of notice even on a Monday. For a fuller view of where to eat across the week, start with our Berkeley dining guide and the solo-dining and first-date occasion lists below.
Frequently asked
What are the best restaurants open on Monday in Berkeley?
The strongest Monday rooms are Alice Waters' Chez Panisse on Shattuck, the Cal-Japanese Iyasare on Fourth Street, the downtown izakaya Ippuku, the Northern Chinese institution Great China, the Spanish tapas bar La Marcha, and the Oaxacan-leaning Comal. All six serve Monday dinner, while the market-driven Gather is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Is Chez Panisse open on Monday?
Yes. Both the downstairs restaurant and the upstairs cafe at Chez Panisse on Shattuck Avenue serve Monday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm. The downstairs room runs a single fixed menu each night, while the cafe offers an a la carte version of the same kitchen's cooking. A Monday is one of the calmer ways into the most historic table in the East Bay.
Where can I get a nice Monday dinner in Berkeley?
Chez Panisse is the marquee Monday choice, open from 5:00pm in both its restaurant and cafe. Iyasare covers refined Cal-Japanese on Fourth Street, Great China keeps the best Chinese kitchen in the East Bay open, and La Marcha runs Spanish tapas until midnight. Reserve Chez Panisse and Great China ahead, even on a Monday.
Is Gather open on Monday in Berkeley?
No. Gather, the organic market-driven room on Oxford Street, is closed Monday and Tuesday and serves Wednesday through Sunday. For a Monday meal at a comparable level, book Chez Panisse or Iyasare, both a short distance away, or read our Berkeley dining guide for the full week of options.
Do Berkeley restaurants take reservations on Monday?
Yes. Chez Panisse, Iyasare, Ippuku, Great China, La Marcha and Comal all take Monday reservations through OpenTable, Resy or the restaurant directly, and Ippuku, La Marcha and Comal hold bar or counter seats for walk-ins. Chez Panisse downstairs and Great China are the hardest weekend tables, so book those well ahead. See our Berkeley dining guide for booking links.
Keep exploring
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Browse the full Berkeley dining guide, compare the world's best Japanese restaurants worldwide and best Mexican restaurants worldwide, find a seat for solo dining in Berkeley and beyond, plan a night out with our first-date restaurants, or open the complete RFK rankings index.
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