Congratulations to the many Rockridge favorites who won, or placed in the top 5, in Oakland Magazine’s annual Best of Oakland Readers’ Choice Awards. All of the winners, announced in July and August 2026, are listed below:
Best Bagel Shop
Boichik Bagels (3170 College Ave)
Although technically located in Berkeley, Rockridge adopted Boichik when Emily Winston opened the flagship store on College Avenue in November, 2019, only a few months before the pandemic hit. The company has greatly expanded since then, opening five more shops, and a factory—satisfying bagel lovers around the bay.
Best Cheese Shop
Market Hall Foods (5655 College Ave)
The cheese operation goes back to 1987, when Sara, Tony, and Peter Wilson opened Rockridge Market Hall. The original shop was called The Pasta Shop, and from the beginning it sold fresh pasta, specialty groceries and cheese cut to order. Cheese has become, and continues to be, one of Market Hall’s signature specialties.
Best Clothing Shop
Crossroads Trading (5601 College)
Founded in 1991 by Jerry Block and Chip Gerken, Crossroads Trading was early in recognizing the environmental impact of fast fashion and the inaccessibility of its luxury market, and offers buying and selling secondhand clothing as an alternative. A College Avenue fixture for more than 15 years, Crossroads was first located at 5901 College Avenue and in June of last year, they moved into a larger storefront formerly occupied by Rockridge Furniture.
Best Coffeehouse
Highwire Coffee Roasters (5615 College Ave)
Highwire Coffee opened its Rockridge location in May 2011, becoming a popular stop for neighborhood regulars, shoppers and commuters. In 2024, Highwire moved one door over where it continued to offer a full selection of seasonally fresh coffee beans, beverages, and locally sourced baked goods.
Best Fitness Classes
BFT Rockridge (5151 Broadway)
BFT Rockridge stands for: Body Fit Training—a group fitness studio that opened in August 2023. The 2,700-square-foot studio offers small-group strength and conditioning classes with coaching.
Best Greeting Card Store
Nathan & Co (5636 College)
Nathan & Co is a local boutique-style gift shop filled with stylish home accessories, clever gifts, books, and affordable jewelry from talented local designers. With two Oakland locations, Nathan & Co has become a Rockridge favorite where locals stop to chat, dogs get treats, with friendly service and complimentary gift wrapping.
Best Italian Restaurant
Belotti Ristorante E Bottega (5403 College Ave)
Belotti Ristorante e Bottega is a Northern Italian restaurant focused on handmade pasta, founded by chef Michele Belotti and his wife, Joyce. The couple opened the intimate neighborhood-centered restaurant in 2011.
Best Optometry Practice
Rockridge Optometry (5321 College Ave)
Rockridge Optometry opened in 1947 and has remained a family-oriented neighborhood eye-care practice for generations. Today, it offers comprehensive eye exams, specialty contact lenses, low-vision rehabilitation and an optical shop featuring curated designer eyewear.
Best Plant Nursery
Planterday Plant Shop (6004 College)
Planterday is a mission-driven plant shop dedicated to de-stigmatizing mental health and supporting Crisis Support Services of Alameda County. The shop donates a portion of proceeds to suicide prevention and crisis support, and hosts grief support groups and creative workshops. After taking its renovated plant trailer to pop-ups around town during the pandemic, Planterday opened its brick-and-mortar shop in Rockridge in the summer of 2021, where it offers houseplants, home goods, gifts and Studio Ghibli treasures.
Best Public Elementary School
Chabot Elementary School (& Thornhill Elementary School)
Anthony Chabot Elementary School opened at its current location on January 7, 1927, as the Claremont Annex School. It was renamed Chabot School later that year, honoring Anthony Chabot, who built Oakland’s first municipal water supply by damming Temescal Creek. The school has served generations of local families for nearly a century.
Best Public High School
Oakland Technical High School (4350 Broadway)
Founded in 1914, Oakland Technical High School is a vibrant, multicultural and multilingual community of more than 1,800 students and nearly 200 educators and staff. Today, Oakland Tech emphasizes equity and access through small learning communities and academic pathways designed to prepare students for college, careers and community life.
Best Women’s Clothing and Shoe Store:
In Full Swing (5937 College)
Founded in 1994 by Sharon Silverstein, In Full Swing began as a San Francisco boutique specializing in contemporary plus-size clothing before moving across the Bay to Rockridge. Today, the longtime College Avenue shop offers distinctive, fashion-forward clothing in sizes 14 to 24, along with accessories, swimwear and jewelry.
Rockridge Dominates ”Top-Five” Finalist Category in Oakland Magazine’s 2026 Best of the Bay
More than 30 Rockridge businesses made it to the top five in their select categories…congratulations to all of them!
Rockridge’s Top-Five Finalists Include:
- Best Bakery: La Farine; and Starter Bakery
- Best Bar: Ben ‘N Nick’s Bar & Grill
- Best Bookstore: Pegasus Books
- Best Burger: Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers; and Ben ‘N Nick’s Bar & Grill
- Best Butcher Shop: Marin Sun Farms; and Ver Brugge
- Best Cafe: Ain’t Normal Café
- Best Chocolate Shop: See’s Candies; and Chocolate Dragon Bittersweet Cafe
- Best Children’s Store: Bella Vita
- Best Coffeehouse: Ain’t Normal Café; and Cole Coffee Café
- Best Local Clothing Shop: Bella Vita
- Best Ethiopian Restaurant: Enssaro; and Red Sea Ethiopian & Eritrean Cuisine
- Best Flower Shop: Wisteria Rockridge
- Best Facial/Massage/Spa/Wellness Center/Waxing Salon: Rockridge Day Spa (Congrats to Cocoon Day Spa too, in top 5 for waxing)
- Best Gift Shop: Nathan & Co
- Best Grocery Store: Rockridge Market Hall
- Best Greeting Card Store: East Bay Booksellers
- Best Hair & Beauty Salon: 77 Salon, Inc.
- Best Hardware Store: Cole Hardware
- Best Ice Cream: Bad Walter’s Bootleg Ice Cream
- Best Jewelry Shop: Atomic Garden; and Pave Fine Jewelry Design
- Best Music Store: Open Mind Music
- Best Personal Trainer: TNT Strength
- Best Pilates Studio: BodyROK East Bay
- Best Pizza: Zachary’s Chicago Pizza
- Best Private High School: College Prep
- Best Restaurant: Wood Tavern
- Best Senior Living: Merrill Gardens at Rockridge
- Best Women’s Clothing and Shoe Store: Bella Vita; Lesley Evers; and Stitch + Sparrow
To see the complete list of winners, visit Oakland Magazine… see the many winners in Temescal too!
