Eclipse Cafe

[2.25, Overpriced and UnderSpiced]
You’re a wannabe restaurateur in Berkeley who has managed to land a primo spot on a corner that in the next few years will be at the hub of a boatload of housing, so what kind of place do you open?
Pizza.
Really? Around the corner from Jupiter? Berkeley has how many pizza joints?
And now the review:
FAIR WARNING: I’m going to spoil this one and give you the most interesting bit up front.
The night I went to Eclipse, driven by a sense of «adventure» (read: boredom), the best part of the experience was the oddly mismatched couple sitting just a few tables away. An older «gentleman» with a black as Saudi crude hairpiece stapled onto his otherwise silver pated head and a woman in her late 30s whose manner of dress suggested she was voted «most likely to become a meth addicted hooker» in her High School yearbook.
They didn’t speak to each other the entire time I was there. At one point she got up and left, prompting the over eager (read: bored) male server to rush in and ask if the young lady was finished.
Way to lock in that 15%, buddy.
She came back five minutes later with what looked like smokes. They left together a quarter hour after that.
The next week I would see the same woman, still in the height of ThiftTown couture, across the table from the dorkiest guy I’ve seen in months* at Pasand Madras Indian Cuisine. Maybe she’s not a hooker. Maybe she’s just burning off the planet’s pity date karma like some kind of Vedic saint. Eclipse, after all, used to be an Indian place too.
Okay, The Review For Reals:
I chose to go to Eclipse because of its «in the thick of things» location and how brightly lit the main room is. I value a place that looks like it would be comfortable to read and write in, and Eclipse’s post Tech Boom Seattle interior has that feel. I was greeted by a friendly and cute (and HOW!) server at the door who rushed over to open up said door for me before I had a chance to back away after reading the oh so slim menu options posted out front. Have I mentioned they were overstaffed and bored yet?
The prices were a little much for an unproven place that filled up its menu with burgers and sandwiches, but hell, the girl was cute and I was running the Hemingway Protocol that night anyhow.
So I was extra disappointed when my server wound up being the dude and the food started showing up.
The Bread: Safeway** baguette with ice cold butter from Alta Dena. The bread was served at room temperature, despite the baseline prices at Eclipse being 2 bucks more than Berkeley’s own Giovanni’s, where they make their own focaccia and serve it warm.
The Entrée: I ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs, since I was in comfort food mode and they didn’t have Sausage and Peppers on the menu.
Jesu Maria, it blew.
I swear to all that is Holy, I think the meatballs where yanked out of a Costco bag. I detected dehydrated onion flakes in the perfectly uniform meatballs. The kind you get on a Mickey D’s burger. The kind I never thought I’d ever eat again since I swore of McDonald’s in the Year 2000.
The waiter was nice enough to offer me parmesan for the pasta, which I gladly accepted. He came back with a butter bowl full of Kraft powdered parmesan and a spoon. Way more than I could ever use. So much so that I felt bad for taking it since most of it would have to be thrown out.
Oh God I hope they threw it out. Unsanitary!
I gotta shake my head all mournful now at this cheese. After all: you’re a new restaurant in Berkeley with a great big open kitchen and what could be one of the best locations in town. You’re completely unproven, and you’ve entered a fierce market where your number one competitor is right around the block. How hard can it be to send someone down to Cheeseboard, pick up a block of a zesty hard Italian or its locally made equivalent and have the wait staff shave some off like they do at the frickin’ Olive Garden.
The sauce was okay, but I started to suspect it was Prego after the meatballs and cheese disappointed.
The Verdict:
Don’t go back until someone here reports that they have their shit together. The staff may be nice and attentive, but what we don’t need in Berkeley is a place with that good a location and that poor of an execution on food.
Besides, if we shut it down, maybe we can finally get a Pluto’s (though the venue is too big for that).
*I look in the mirror five or six times a day, so this is saying A LOT.
** Okay, okay… it COULD have been Costco, but I doubt it. Costco bread has character, even the stuff that isn’t from La Brea bakery.

Eclipse café is a great, centrally located spot in downtown Berkeley. Located on Allston at Oxford.
Wait staff is attentive, polite, and quick.
Pizzas are very delicious made in a wood-​oven pizza right near you. !
This place is large, unlike many places in Berkeley. Wi FI and a quiet, sunny place to study near campus makes this place great to hang out in.
The greek salad is absolutely delicious. The dressing that they use is very sweet and fresh.

I’ve been here twice. The first time was one of those transcendent experiences. I had the salmon special, which arrived in like ten minutes, all tender and crusty on a bed of perfectly cooked spinach with little crispy sun-​dried tomato pieces lying around it. Heaven.
The second time I visited, I was in a burger mood. It was thick and perfectly passable, but nothing to write home about for $ 9.
The service has been unfailingly sweet at this place, and I love all the windows and shiny wood. A pleasant oasis in downtown Berkeley.

Well… my friend and I went today for lunch. She got the Linguini Carbonara and I tried the Chicken Linguini.
The décor is pleasing. It’s comfortable, lots of windows, lots of light, not many students frequent the place, it’s a bit pricey if you’re used to the 5 dollars you spend on Southside in Asian Ghetto. When I was there, the place was full of 30– and 40-​somethings on their lunch breaks from work.
My dish was bland and definitely not worth $ 9. My friend’s meal was a bit better… but all in all, their menu was nothing out of the ordinary and the dishes were nothing special.
Our waiter brought us waters, took our order (which took longer than I expected since we were the only ones there), and was never seen again. Well, never seen anywhere near our table… he didn’t come back to check on us, which prompted us to not order a dessert. The busboy took our plates away and then we proceeded to wait another 20 minutes just to get the check.
Needless to say, I won’t be frequenting the place again anytime soon.

Not a very broad menu (yet…) but what I ordered was great. I got a turkey sandwich with pesto and tomatoes and a green salad on the side. The sandwich was modest and delicious. I am one of those people who eats many small meals throughout the day, usually I take home half of what I order. Not here, a perfect amount at a decent price. The salad was modest as well but it all had excellent presentation. The waitress kept our water full without a bunch of invasive small talk. I love that our meal was prefaced with some bread and oil/​vinegar.

I would have given four stars if:
1) my sandwich had come with the sun dried tomatoes listed on the menu
2) if only the menu had mentioned they usually put fucking gross ass mayo on it. If I had not asked beforehand, my experience would have been ruined due to my extreme condiment neurosis
3) more menu options. Keeping it simple is good, but after a while they ought to expand based on any feedback.
I will visit again. The pizza selection seemed fun. The back room is a wine and beer bar that seems poised to include cocktails. If so, I will be back for sure.

More details later.

I’m still a little stunned that there isn’t a really good thicker crust pizza place in downtown Berkeley. With Blondie’s up on telegraph its a bit of a hike for a weekday lunch with coworkers (they really need to get a bike) so i usually have to settle for arinells or if i was really desperate dominos or round table.
My friend and I stumbled across Eclipse yesterday and saw pizzas were on the menu and gave it a try. The interior is a refreshing change from most of the grab and go joints or the packed in seating of cancun or Jupiter’s patio. Its definitely not my particular décor but its comfortable and I’m not living there, I’m eating there.
We were seated immediately and we ordered a large (thinking Jupiter large) spicy lamb and feta pizza and split a Trumer Pils. After 10 minutes the waitress apologized for the wait and offered us some hot fresh bread w/​olive oil. We were a bit stunned because wood fired pizza usually takes at least 20 minutes.
Our bubbling and gooey huge 18″ pie showed up, piled with peppers and lamb. The crust wasn’t Chicago style but had substance, cripy bottom and soft center. I do agree there is no spice to the lamb but the sauce was zesty and balanced making the whole pie delicious.
The bill came and we found out that all alcoholic drinks were 50% for lunch and dinner during July so we got out of there for less than 20.00 with tip.
After that experience Eclipse will definitely become part of my dining rotation. Its good to know there are places that cater to people who live AND work in downtown.

Brand new spot, and welcome in Berkeley. Its a warm and sunny café (the décor is not my style, but its comfortable and homey) and the service was fabulous when I went. Everyone was sweet, and when I left my credit card my mistake the waitress chased me like a block to give it back.
I had the Lamburger with a salad, and it had a really nice subtle taste. I really enjoyed it, and I would for sure come back.
Its true that they don’t serve anything you can’t get somewhere else in downtown, but it adds something sorely lacking in ambiance. Its perfect for lively café lunch somewhere that’s not packed with Berkeley high students or undergrads. They also have a full beer and wine selection, and I have to say that its a great option for a beet and pizza when the servers at Jupiter tell you to find your own table (by a process we call «vulturing» where you stand over the table of a party who looks close to finished and stare at them longingly and hungrily until they leave).
I recommend folks stop by this new place, try the food, and leave comments. They seem really solicitous and responsive.
I wish them the best of luck, and I’ll stop by for lunch the next time I want to feel like an adult.

The asparagas soup was luke warm, watery, and had no flavor. In addition, service was slow. It took about 15 minutes to get my soup, and that was all I ordered. I probably won’t be back, not only due to the unappitizing soup, but also because the selection was so limited for vegetarians.

I gave the place a shot because I live right next door and was hungry. The menu is uninspiring and needs more focus (is it diner food? is it italian? maybe a little french? is it really mediterranean?) I got the penne which was waaay overdone, and waaaay underseasoned. not worth the 9 bucks. To save costs they could get rid of the mediocre table bread. I hope the best for them but I don’t think I’ll eat there again just because I can easily find a restaurant for all of Eclipse’s menu offerings. Want wood oven fired pizza? walk down the street to Jupiter. Want really amazing pasta? head to Riva Cucina. A burger? Mel’s, Barney’s…anywhere. Chicken sandwhich? Grab n’ Go has a pretty good one for a good price. Onion tarte (random)? I’m sure La Note has something close…
I really wish it was a real café because I need a good spot to chill and read a good book downtown. Oh well… like i said before, best of luck to them.

Not to be confuse with Eclipse Café at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, this place occupy the site of the former dismal eatery called Kamal Palace Indian Cuisine.
This new place dish out Mediterranean cuisines with a twist in seafood. Half of their menu has some sort of seafood ingredients. A group of us tried this brand new place which was in its 2^nd day of operation.
We ordered the grill shrimp & feta cheese and spicy lamb pizza. Overall the meal was delicious but there was no heat on the spicy lamb. However, it was cool to see our pizza being hand toss and cooked in the pizza oven pit!
Although the place has «Café» in the name and they serve drinks normally found at a café, there doesn’t seem to be a place where one can sit and lounge to study or chill for several hours. There is a sport bar that is connected to the main restaurant, but still no lounge chairs/​sofa area.
I’ll probably come here for a meal, but not to study.