RFK Guides · Berkeley
Best Restaurants Open on Sunday in Berkeley 2026
Open Sunday · Berkeley · 6 confirmed tables · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 19, 2026 · Hours verified June 2026
Berkeley invented California cuisine, and yet the restaurant that started it closes on Sunday. Chez Panisse, the room Alice Waters opened on Shattuck in 1971, goes dark Sunday and Monday, taking the café with it, which catches a lot of first-time visitors out. The good news is that Berkeley is a brunch town, and the international rooms that fill the gap are excellent: an organic California kitchen downtown, a Michelin-listed Japanese room on Fourth Street, the city's landmark Chinese institution, and a Spanish tapas bar that runs all day. Each of the six below has been checked against its current Sunday hours. Lead with Gather, or head to Fourth Street for Iyasare.
1.Gather
Berkeley's organic California-cuisine flagship downtown, open Sunday brunch and dinner; the local-produce Sunday. Book on OpenTable.
Gather at 2200 Oxford Street downtown, beside the David Brower Center, is the room that carries Berkeley's farm-driven, California-cuisine reputation, and it opens Sunday for both brunch and dinner. The kitchen is seriously seasonal and famously vegetable-forward, though it cooks meat and fish well too, with a wood-fired pizza and changing market plates. A full dinner lands around US$45 to US$75 a head. The bright, reclaimed-material room is one of the most comfortable in the city. For a Sunday that wants the genuine Berkeley ethos, local produce and a real kitchen, this is the table to lead with, so reserve ahead for brunch.
Sunday brunch 10:00am–2:00pm and dinner 4:00pm–8:30pm. Reserve on OpenTable; brunch is the busy service.
2.Iyasare
A Michelin-listed Japanese room on Fourth Street with a heated patio, open Sunday lunch and dinner; the refined Sunday. Sit outside.
Iyasare at 1830 Fourth Street brings coastal Japanese cooking with California ingredients to Berkeley's Fourth Street shopping district, and it sits in the MICHELIN Guide selection. It opens Sunday for both lunch and dinner. The sashimi, the binchotan-grilled skewers and the seasonal small plates are the order, the sake list is deep, and a full dinner runs around US$55 to US$90 a head. The heated front patio is the seat to ask for, and the Fourth Street setting pairs a Sunday meal with a browse of the shops. For the most refined Sunday lunch in the city, this is the room.
Sunday lunch 11:30am–2:00pm and dinner 5:30pm–9:00pm. Reserve on the restaurant site; request the patio.
3.Great China
The landmark Berkeley Chinese institution with a serious wine list, open Sunday; the great-value Sunday feast. Book ahead.
Great China at 2190 Bancroft Way is the Berkeley institution that has drawn crowds for decades and sits in the MICHELIN Guide selection, unusual for a Chinese restaurant of its price. It opens Sunday for lunch and dinner. The double-skin Peking duck is the must-order, the tea-smoked duck and the dry-fried green beans follow, and the wine list, heavy on Riesling and Burgundy, is a genuine surprise. A full meal lands around US$30 to US$55 a head. For a Sunday feast with a group, a famous duck and a real wine list at a fair price, it is the smartest value table in the city, so book ahead.
Sunday 11:30am–2:30pm and 5:00pm–9:00pm. Reserve on OpenTable; the duck sells out, so order it when you book.
4.La Marcha
A Michelin-listed tapas bar with all-day Sunday service and paella; the easy, social Sunday. Book for the paella.
La Marcha at 2026 San Pablo Avenue in West Berkeley is the Spanish tapas bar that earned a place in the MICHELIN Guide selection, and it runs all day Sunday, brunch into dinner. The order is a spread of tapas, the gambas al ajillo, the patatas bravas and the jamón, built around one of the better paellas in the East Bay, which needs a little notice. A full meal sits around US$40 to US$65 a head. The bar pours proper Spanish wine and sherry. For a relaxed, social Sunday with a group that wants to graze and share rather than sit down to a set meal, it is the pick, so book ahead for the paella.
Sunday brunch 10:00am–3:00pm and dinner 4:00pm–10:00pm. Reserve on OpenTable; pre-order the paella.
5.Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen
New Orleans cooking with all-day Sunday service and a weekend brunch; the comfort-food Sunday. Just turn up.
Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen at 2261 Shattuck Avenue brings New Orleans cooking to downtown Berkeley, and it runs continuous Sunday service from 10am to 9pm, with a weekend brunch built in. The jambalaya, the shrimp and grits, the fried chicken and the beignets are the order, the room has a French Quarter feel, and a full meal lands around US$30 to US$50 a head. The all-day Sunday hours are the practical advantage, since you can land any time and still eat. For a relaxed comfort-food Sunday with a group or a family, it is the dependable downtown choice, and it usually seats a walk-in.
Sunday 10:00am–9:00pm continuous, brunch 10:00am–2:00pm. Reserve on OpenTable or walk in.
6.La Note
The Provençal courtyard brunch Berkeley lines up for every Sunday; the destination weekend brunch. Arrive early.
La Note at 2377 Shattuck Avenue is the rustic French Provençal room behind the city's most beloved weekend brunch, and Sunday is its biggest day, served 8am to 3pm. The oeufs en cocotte, the lemon-gingerbread pancakes and the bowls of café au lait are the order, the back courtyard is the seat to want, and a brunch lands around US$25 to US$40 a head. There is no Sunday dinner, this is a brunch-and-lunch destination only. There is also no reservation for the famous courtyard, so the line forms early. For a classic Berkeley Sunday brunch, arrive before 10am or expect to wait.
Sunday 8:00am–3:00pm, brunch and lunch only. No reservations; arrive before 10am to beat the queue.
Closed on Sunday in Berkeley
The room that started it all, dark at the weekend
Chez Panisse. The restaurant Alice Waters opened in 1971, the birthplace of California cuisine, is closed Sunday and Monday, serving Tuesday to Saturday with two fixed seatings. A pilgrimage to the downstairs prix fixe has to be a weeknight or Saturday, not a Sunday.
Chez Panisse Café. The à la carte café upstairs keeps the same calendar and is also closed Sunday. Do not plan a Berkeley Sunday around the Shattuck flagship. Book one of the six rooms above instead, several of them a short walk from the same block.
How to book a Sunday in Berkeley
Berkeley is a brunch-first town on a Sunday, so the slot that gets tight is late morning, not the dinner hour. Gather, Iyasare and La Marcha all take Sunday reservations on OpenTable, and the brunch tables go before the dinner ones, so book a few days ahead. The two that take no reservations, La Note for its courtyard brunch and Angeline's for its all-day Creole service, reward turning up early, La Note especially, where the queue forms before 10am.
Dinner in Berkeley runs early by big-city standards, with kitchens busiest from 6 to 8pm and several closing by 9pm, so do not leave a Sunday dinner too late. If you want the famous Great China duck or La Marcha's paella, flag it when you book, since both need a little notice. And remember the headline rule: Chez Panisse is closed, so do not build a Sunday around it. See the full Berkeley dining guide for the rest of the week.
Frequently asked
Is Chez Panisse open on Sunday in Berkeley?
No. Chez Panisse, the Alice Waters restaurant that launched California cuisine in 1971, is closed Sunday and Monday, and the upstairs café keeps the same calendar, so it is shut on Sunday too. The restaurant serves Tuesday to Saturday with two fixed seatings. For a Sunday, book one of the open rooms instead, such as Gather downtown or Iyasare on Fourth Street, both of which carry the same Berkeley ethos.
What is the best Sunday brunch in Berkeley?
La Note is the destination Sunday brunch, a rustic French Provençal room on Shattuck Avenue serving 8am to 3pm, famous for its courtyard and its lemon-gingerbread pancakes. It takes no reservations, so the line forms before 10am. Gather and La Marcha also run strong Sunday brunches and both take bookings on OpenTable, which makes them the easier choice if you would rather not queue.
Where can I get a good Sunday dinner in Berkeley?
For a Sunday dinner, Iyasare on Fourth Street is the most refined option, with Michelin-listed Japanese cooking, and Gather downtown is the best for California cuisine. Great China is the value pick for a group, with its famous Peking duck and a serious wine list. All three open Sunday evening, though Berkeley kitchens run early, so book before 8pm and reserve ahead since Sunday capacity is limited.
Are any Michelin restaurants open on Sunday in Berkeley?
Yes, three rooms in the MICHELIN Guide selection open on Sunday: Iyasare for Japanese on Fourth Street, Great China for Chinese on Bancroft Way, and La Marcha for Spanish tapas in West Berkeley. The marquee starred and listed name, Chez Panisse, is closed Sunday, so these three are the way to keep a Sunday meal in the guide's orbit. All take reservations on OpenTable.
What restaurants are open all day on Sunday in Berkeley?
Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen on Shattuck Avenue runs continuous Sunday service from 10am to 9pm, so you can land any time and still eat. La Marcha in West Berkeley is open from 10am brunch through to 10pm dinner with only a short afternoon gap. Both usually seat a walk-in, which makes them the flexible choice for a Sunday when you are not sure what time you will be hungry.
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