FoodFood

KQED Food is your home for stories about all of the Bay Area’s vibrant food cultures: the taco truck, omakase counter, grocery co-op and driveway pupusa stand. Our news stories, essays, shows and features document the food scene’s latest trends and changemakers—and help guide you to your next delicious meal.

Latest StoriesLatest Stories

Exterior of a Vietnamese restaurant. The sign on the yellow awning reads, "Pho Vy."

One of Oakland’s Most Popular Phở Restaurants Is Closing

Save Article
Illustration: two men sit in front of a table loaded with cakes, pastries and coffee.

A Yemeni Coffee Shop Keeps the Masses Well Caffeinated Until Midnight

Save Article
Exterior of bakery. The sign reads "Crixa Cakes."

Crixa Cakes Was My Favorite Bay Area Bakery. Now It's Closing

Save Article
Close up of a bowl of Taiwanese braised pork rice.

The West Coast’s Biggest Taiwanese Culture Festival Returns to Union Square

Save Article

From the Juke Joint to the Museum: A Celebration of Black Cocktail Innovators

Save Article

For One Vietnamese Family, This Soup Offers Comfort on the Fall of Saigon Anniversary

Save Article
Portrait of Asian man holding an old photograph in front of a sleek apartment building.

Viet Thanh Nguyen on Growing Up at His Parents’ Grocery Store in San José

Save Article
Illustration: two men slurp bowls of ramen inside a crowded restaurant.

This Union Square Ramen Shop Slings Pure Ocean Umami Until 3:30 a.m.

Save Article
Bright green za'atar spice blend being spread on a round of dough.

These Bay Area Chefs Are Preserving Palestinian Culture One Dish at a Time

Save Article

Beyond The MenuBeyond The Menu

Host of Beyond the Menu, Cecilia Philips is holding a giant paper mache pretzel pretending to eat it. The text on the image reads 'Who Invented Pretzels?'

How Pretzels Went From Human Sacrifice To Beer Gardens

Save Article
A young light-skinned black woman stands in the foreground holding a bottle of chamoy. In the background, a large bottle of chamoy sauce is squeezed onto half an orange.

It’s Mexican, Asian, a Candy, a Sauce…It’s Chamoy

Save Article
A young light-skinned black woman with long hair holds chile peppers in two outstretched hands. There is a bowl of spicy chile paste behind her.

This Fiery Hot Sauce Uses a Pepper Lost To History

Save Article
A plate with a piece of fried chicken sitting on top of a waffle next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips

Chicken and Waffles: from Amish Country to Harlem

Save Article
A close-up of a metal serving dish with rocky road ice cream scoops topped with marshmallow fluff next to a woman holding a jar of mini marshmallows and almonds in each hand.

The Chilling History of Ice Cream

Save Article
A close-up of a bag with store-bought corn tortillas next to a woman tearing up a tortilla with her hands.

Your Corn Tortilla Sucks…Science Can Fix It

Save Article
A smiling woman holding a samosa is positioned against a backdrop that is a closeup of a bowl filled with crispy triangular samosas

Samosas aren’t from India…Wait, what?

Save Article
A close-up of a birria taco with cheese next to the show's host, Cecilia Phillips.

Your Birria Taco Is Ancient History—Here’s Why

Save Article
A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay AreaCheck, Please! Bay Area

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Kahnfections, Twelvemonth, Pucquio

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Got Plate Lunch, Via del Corso, Curry Leaves Bistro

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Skillet'z Cafe, Peony Seafood, Le Papillon

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Ethel's Fancy, Cato's Ale House, Kiku Sushi

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area Returns for Its 20th Season!

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Gumbo Social, The Bungalow Kitchen, Pomet

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Bhan Mae Vane, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, District

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Grossman's Noshery & Bar, Jackie's Place, Crescent Bistro

Save Article

Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Fikscue, The Pawnshop, Apple Fritter

Save Article

RecipesRecipes

An array of Rancho Gordo's bagged dry white beans line the background. A silver bowl with cooked shrimp and beans with parsley are in the foreground next to Josh Decolongon, a young bald Filipino man with facial hair and glasses

We Take on Rancho Gordo's Fussiest Heirloom Bean (with Apologies to Kelly Clarkson)

Save Article
A variety of lemon meringue pies are collaged alongside images of Josh Decolongon, a young bald Filipino man with glasses. Maya Angelou's cookbook is in the lower right corner of the image.

We Recreate Maya Angelou's Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

Save Article
Young bearded Filipino man wears a green Super Mario Brothers hat. On the left is a plastic skull covered in deli meat slices. Molinari Delicatessen sign in the background.

Creep Out Your Halloween Party Guests With These "Horrors d'oeuvres"

Save Article
A smiling woman is standing in the kitchen in front of four different sweet buns that each have a flag from their country of origin next to them.

Hong Kong’s Most Popular Treat Has A Surprising Backstory

Save Article
A big bowl of green pea soup with chives in the background. Jacques pepin stands in the foreground in a blue plaid shirt

Get Cozy with Jacques Pépin's Pea Pod Soup Recipe

Save Article
A triptych image with a close up of rocky road ice cream on the left, a tray of oatmeal cookies on the right, and a young bald Filipino man with glasses standing over a chocolate ice cream sandwich in the middle

We Recreated an It's-It Ice Cream Sandwich at Home — With an Oakland Twist.

Save Article
One poached egg, one hard boiled egg, one oueff mollet with brilliant yellow yolks on a plate. Jacques Pepin in foreground looking at the camera.

Jacques Pépin's Tips for Perfectly Cooked Eggs

Save Article
A baked apple cake with spatula removing a slice

Spiced Apple Upside Down Cake is a Gorgeous and Delicious Holiday Recipe

Save Article
Slice of savory tart with sweet potato, chard, and a jar of hot honey

This Sweet Potato Galette with Hot Honey is a Cozy Fall Treat

Save Article

Golden State PlateGolden State Plate

Bay Area Foodie Culture Goes Way Further Back Than California Cuisine

Save Article

How Rice-A-Roni Became The San Francisco Treat

Save Article

Golden State Plate: Sriracha’s Journey From Southeast Asia to Southern California

Save Article

Golden State Plate: Rocky Road Ice Cream's Bumpy History

Save Article

Golden State Plate – The Backstory Behind California-Born Food and Drinks

Save Article

Yes, Your 'Tropical' Mai Tai Was Invented Here in Oakland

Save Article

An Island Drink With California Roots: The Mai Tai Turns 75

Save Article

Unwrapping the California Origins of the Fortune Cookie

Save Article

Golden State Plate: Santa Maria Barbecue, It's Not Just Tri-Tip

Save Article
Sponsored