Wednesday, the ninth of September
A birthday dinner for you, somewhere we have never been. Greens will always be ours, but this year I went looking for four new tables worth the trip, every one of them vegetarian or vegan through and through. Read the menus, pick the one that sounds like your kind of evening, and I’ll see to the rest.
Rockridge, Oakland
Fully vegan, and the closest thing to Greens outside the city: a three- or five-course tasting menu on a heated, covered patio, with a bar and an à la carte menu if we’d rather keep things loose. Their original San Francisco room was Greens’ longtime rival, which makes this the natural next chapter.
The menuWalnut Creek
Vegetarian Mediterranean with a full vegan menu, warm and unfussy. They greet birthday reservations with a welcome sign and a flower on the table, pour a serious list of mocktails, and make a pistachio cheesecake people cannot stop mentioning.
The menuDowntown Danville
Entirely plant-based, modern California cooking with a real bar and desserts worth saving room for. More than a few people have chosen it for their own birthday. They close at half past seven, so this one is an early, golden-hour dinner.
The menuSan Francisco, near the Mission
Vegan sushi and izakaya plates in a bright modern room with a good sake list, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand to its name. Not a substitute for Greens so much as a different kind of night entirely.
The menu