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Dining Room - Burdell, Oakland, CA
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Burdell

$50 and over
Soul food

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 21 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Innovative
Burdell is a Soul Food restaurant in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland from James Beard Finalist, Chef Geoff Davis.

Named for and inspired by his maternal grandmother, Burdell, the restaurant reflects her love for well-set tables, entertaining guests, shared meals, and laughter. Burdell is centered on nostalgia, family recipes, thoughtful and sustainable sourcing, and the forgotten impact of Black farming, ranching, fishing, foraging, and culture on American cuisine and hospitality.

The menu highlights farmers and artisans harvesting and creating excellent products around us. Paired with the food is a robust list of wine and beverages from producers around the World-focusing on wines that are farmed and crafted with care and sustainable practices.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Geoff Davis

From the OpenTable editors: Fine dining vet and James Beard finalist Geoff Davis returns to his roots with this totally fresh take on California soul food. Expect iconic dishes like barbecue shrimp and boiled peanuts alongside heirloom tomato salads and slow-simmered collards. The retro design and vintage plates make every meal here feel like Sunday supper with family—no wonder Food & Wine named Burdell its 2024 restaurant of the year.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Soul food, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    (510) 239-9287
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Area
    Oakland
  • Cross Street
    46th Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Macarthur BART station
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Burdell is for Lovers, Year 2

    USD 138.91 per person

    Prepaid

    14 Feb 2025 only
    Break out the Aqua Net and dust off your ruffled, off-shoulder dress or Powder Blue tux—Burdell is celebrating Valentine's Day 1980s style! On the menu: Snacks French Onion Croquette Bread Basket with Our House Cultured Butter Salad Cabbage ‘Wedge’ with Smoked Beet 'Lardons', Buttermilk Dressing, Herbs Choice of Main Short Rib with Red Wine Peppercorn Sauce, Horseradish Mash & Onion Rings -OR- Steelhead Salmon with Caper Lemon Relish over Wild Rice Pilaf Side of Steamed Spinach with Garlic & Lemon Dessert for 2 Vanilla Crème Brûlée with Chocolate Cookie One dinner ticket includes taxes & service. Supplemental items will be offered to add to your experience. A strict 90-minute dining time applies to accommodate everyone. See you soon!
  • Family Dinner Menu

    USD 82.69 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For parties of 7-9, your group will partake in our market-driven, multicourse Family Dinner Menu, instead of our regular a la carte menu. The price per person varies depending on what's on the menu for the week. Menu substitutions to this menu are politely declined. Kindly include any dietary restrictions on your reservation when booking so we can prepare appropriately for your visit (not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). We do charge a cancellation fee person of $75 per person for no-shows and late cancellations as we hold the physical space in our small restaurant in anticipation of your larger party. As with everything, we charge a 20% service charge that supports livable wages for all staff as well as healthcare.
  • Family Brunch Menu

    USD 93.71 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For groups of 9-19, we offer a market-driven, multicourse Family Brunch Menu for $85 per person (excluding taxes and 20% service charge). The three-course, family-style, Chef's pick meal includes a starter, main, and dessert, with menu offerings tailored to dietary restrictions (substitutions not allowed, not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). Please inform us of any dietary needs when booking your reservation. We charge a cancellation fee of $85 per person for no-shows and late cancellations as we hold the physical space in our small restaurant in anticipation of your larger party. As with everything, we charge a 20% service charge that supports livable wages for all staff and healthcare.

What 181 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Burdell delivers a delightful culinary journey, offering "excellent food" with "deep flavors" and "unique modern soul food." The atmosphere is reminiscent of a "grandmother's home," enhanced by "great music" and "friendly, professional service." Highlights include chicken liver waffles, cornbread, and varied wine offerings. A must-try in Oakland!
181 Reviews
  1. Randy

    VIP

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Burdell is a dining gem. It is always a pleasure to eat the innovative food and be cared for by the awesome staff.

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  2. Renee

    San Francisco

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Have been twice and both times have been stunned by the great vibe and even greater food. The chef himself shyly coming out and serving his own dishes occasionally without announcing himself is a particularly special and wonderful touch, as is the glorious soul music playing. Unconditionally recommended!

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  3. Diana

    VIP

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food and service. Will definitely go back soon.

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  4. Sabina

    VIP

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything about our meal at Burdell was exquisite. The ambience is smooth and easy, clean, simple and yet curated just right. The staff were so welcoming and helpful without being fussy. And the food… well this is why we dine out. To have such beautifully crafted dishes that are layered with complexity but taste like what we want home to taste like. This is a place we would like to return to again and again

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  5. Ada

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    4.0

    18 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    We came to celebrate our anniversary hearing good things about this restaurant. The food was definitely innovative. The service was excellent though a bit slow. But the noise level was not exactly fitting a romantic dinner🥹

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  6. Thania

    New York City

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on 20 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food is excellent and good value for what you get. The ambience is nice, it's not too loud and it's a relaxed homey vibe. Try the boiled peanuts, they are something unique you've never had. The duck was terrific. The greens were also very yummy. Everything we ordered was good. Overall very good experience, would definitely recommend.

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  7. Bernadette

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 20 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and ambience! I will definitely be back.

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  8. Colleen

    VIP

    San Francisco

    35 reviews

    3.0

    35 reviews

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    As Burdell has Michelin recognition we expected something special...and were disappointed. Our experience was a Sunday brunch. Donut holes = similar to a hush puppy. Texture was pleasant: crisp exterior, cake-like interior, however there was no seasoning or flavor. Small amount of dipping sauce provided that also needed more oomph. Chicken and waffles: the waffle exterior was overcooked (blackened); interior texture was fluffy, however again, little flavor. Even the maple syrup had minimal flavor. Chicken: crispy, crunchy exterior, no seasoning in the crust. Chicken was perfectly cooked yet again, no seasoning. Bacon: pork belly - candied, perfectly cooked = delicious. Pimiento omelet - very cheesy. Side salad: fresh with a tasty lemon dressing. Coffee: excellent. Service: professional and personable. Ambiance: storefront restaurant with minimal decor. Unfortunately, there was a group of seven women who were so loud, even though we were a good twelve feet from them, I could not hear my brunch companion.

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  9. Nikkole

    VIP

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a 4 person, Saturday evening reservation. Our table was more or less ready on time. Having looked at the menu prior to dining I knew it wasn't typical soul food. Some might say it's not even really "elevated" soul food. We did however find everything that we had to be very tasty: boiled peanuts (messy, but worth a try), cornbread (on point and the honey butter is a nice touch), young beet & winter citrus salad (refreshing), chicken liver & waffle (yum, favorite app), bbq whole shrimp (so many rich flavors), salmon (I didn't personally try this one, but the 2 folks that did liked it), sonoma duck (the dirty rice was delish and the duck was cooked perfectly) and beef cheek pot roast (lovely and fairly generous portion). The desserts looked like an afterthought so we didn't bother to try any of those. The cocktail menu is minimal. The wine menu layout is confusing. Service was fine - they did refresh the waters very often, but we could have used new plates between certain apps so the flavors didn't blend. Having read other reviews I think that in some ways this spot is falling victim to the very high expectations that come with lots of critical acclaim and possible overexposure.

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  10. Jazmyn

    Sacramento

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 19 January 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Can’t get over the flavors I’ve experienced here. The bbq shrimp plate I can’t get enough. Great place for a romantic dinner or with friends and family.

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FAQs

Burdell is rated 4.5 stars by 181 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 21 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Burdell

4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    46th Street
  • Area
    Oakland
  • Hours of Operation
    Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Soul food, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Macarthur BART station
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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