Heston and I had our first apartment in downtown Berkeley and really enjoyed the wonderful nightlife that Berkeley had to offer. It’s casual and we both liked that. Come in your Cal sweatshirt if you like! Here are just a few of our favs:

Jupiter: See my earlier post on my favorite place in downtown Berkeley.

Beckett’s: I’ve been here more times than I can count, but we recently did St. Patricks here. It was crazy nuts crowded but pretty festive. The food here sucks…it’s bland and boring, but the drinks are great. I love a good Stella on tap. The Irish Car Bombs will leave you hurting the next day, but are oh so yummy in the moment. Live music almost every night too, which is awesome.

Raleigh’s: The food here is better than Becketts, but not as good as Jupiter. If it’s your birthday they put you on top of the bar with a glass of Guiness and make you be the pace car in a boat race with the entire staff. I would know. They’re generally pretty nice except for one random night when they were trying to close and they made us leave before we were done.

Triple Rock: Food is just okay here. On Thursday nights they have $9 one liters of Monkey Head Ale. It’s festive to come with a group…but beware that it gets really packed really quickly and the Monkey Head can sell out pretty fast.

Check ‘em all out. Beers are generally about $4 a piece at all these places. Berkeley does beer well.

Cancun is a great lunch spot in downtown Berkeley that it totally worth the drive into congested downtown if you’re not already in the area. When Heston and I used to live in the area this was always a cheap standby for a quick lunch or last minute dinner.

They’ll make anything you really want. I’ve made some pretty odd requests over the years and they’ve never let me down. I recommend the chicken quesadilla. The way they grill it makes the whole thing really crunchy and yummy.

The chicken tacos are also worth a try, but they can be pretty greasy. If you’re not worried about exactly what you’re eating Cancun is great. If you are…then…it might not be for you because most things here can be pretty unhealthy….but IT’S SO GOOD!

I think what makes people come back so often is the giant salsa bar. They have over 30 different types of salsas that they rotate through their salsa bar. Everything from avocado salsa to mango and chipotle. Very good and worth a trip just for the salsa.

Cancun does not have a reliable website as it is often down, but you can find their menu here.

Why is Cancun so festive?

(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 6

Drinks: 6 (Great Horchata!)

Atmosphere: 4

Price: $7/person

Heston and I used to live across the street from Tuk Tuk Thai in downtown Berkeley. We loved being able to get Thai food really quickly since we’re both such fans. It’s quick and easy.

To start the meal off try the Tom Yum Gai soup, which is really spicy. It’s got shrimp and mushrooms in it. You can also start with a chicken satay because the peanut sauce is quite yummy.

For dinner, I recommend the green or red curry with just veggies. Their chicken tends to be a bit dry sometimes. If you must, get the pad thai. I think everyone always gets that and it’s really over done if you ask me. Try something new!

You can find the full menu here.

Why is Tuk Tuk Thai so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 5

Drinks: 6 (Singha!)

Atmosphere: 2

Price: $15