Swan’s Marketplace

Ever since going to LA and having the experience of their food market, I was glad to hear that we have one in the East Bay. Granted to not huge and there are limited vendors but the concept is definitely there.
I absolutely love the open tables and being able to share food with your friend without having to settle on just one cuisine. They really should make more food markets but the Bay Area is so limited space and rent is outrageous!
Pros: A nice selection of different cuisines. There is seafood, vegetarian, Japanese, pizza, and tacos! The food are better than average and seems to be on point with the quality.
Cons: They are not fast enough to bus the tables. It’s also super annoying that families with kids who won’t clean up after themselves after their kids make a mess!
Its pricy in there. Buts that’s what you get for living in the Bay!
Bottom line: It’s a great place to have a causal meet up with friends or even a date if you don’t mind waiting for tables.

A food court that’s filled with vendors? That’s a rare sight to see! It’s amazing to see the options available to you as you walk through the doors. Every time I stop by I have to do a quick walk about to make my mind up in addition to making mental notes on what other food stands to try.

I think this may be our new after work spot. I love how there are so many different venues to choose from, although we went on a Monday and a few places were closed– but that’s Oakland for ya… everything’s closed on Mondays !! I like that there is variety and that if you come in a large group, everyone can get what they want. There’s a communal seating area where people can gather and the ambiance is great. It’s not too loud but it’s not boring.

What’s not to like? A nice selection of eateries, a courtyard, and Friday afternoons, it’s adjacent to the wonderful Oakland Farmer’s Market. I got the Market salad and avocado toast from oyster farm.
The Market salad was large fresh and delicious dressed in a cool creamy dressing, but not overly rich at all. Avocado toast was stepped up a notch by the burrata and pickled red onion.
I’ll be back to try out some of the other eateries here!

One of the best places around to get some food, great selection among the various restaurants, in a very nice and lively setting.

Wonderful repurposed space – loved the vibe, the music, the people; had a great meal at The Farmer and the Cook – a delightful roasted chicken on persimmons-​yumm

The Japanese restaurant here is absolutely killer. Loved everything I got.
The seating area is casual, and all around a good atmosphere.

Great casual dining choices. I ate at Cosecha, Rosamunde Sausage grill and B-​Dama Japanese Restaurant. All were very good, with the mango and avocado salad at Cosecha being my favorite. I will definitely be back when I’m back in Oakland for business or pleasure!

Been here 3 times in 2 days. Great variety, quality food choices, and an open air venue to relax and enjoy lunch or dinner. Something for everyone!

Great selection of food. B-​Dama is my personal favorite/​choice. It’s like a gourmet/​upscale food court. They get pretty busy during lunch and dinner so be prepared to wait. Additionally, parking can be tough.

I went here on a recent trip to the Bay Area. The place has that trendy feel… open seating that opens up to the street… large tables that could be shared by multiple parties… etc They have a sausage place, a Mexican place, a Japanese place, a wine and beer bar and a seafood place.
We had the Japanese and got oysters at the seafood place. The rolls we got were average… nothing great but not bad. The tonkatsu was perfectly fried and crispy. The best thing was the roasted burssel sprouts (weird to get it at a japanese place but go figure). Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
The oysters were fresh and did not have the «ocean» taste to them. Overall a very good meal. The only knock would be is that it was a little on the pricey side.

This is on the site of one of the older market areas in oakland dating back to 1890 or so and offers a common eating area for about five resturants, two meat counters and one winery.
There is a farmers market on fridays and there are multiple resturants across from the market, including one of the better oakland breweries and two five star rated zagat eating places. Among other things.
All the places here have outstanding quality.
if you consider yourself a foodie you really need to come here and eat. If you are spending a day in oakland this is hands down the best dining expierence you will have.

Great place for gourmet lunch near downtown. Lots to choose from but a little pricey. Nice indoor/​outdoor seating :)

THIS PLACE WAS SOO GOOD.
And from the reviews (and lack of a million of them), I’m hoping it’s still a bit of a secret. Crowds were very manageable and each stand was so personal. I absolutely loved spending some time here last Saturday.
We came here after spending a few hours nomming down on grilled cheese and trippels at The Trappist. We were looking for more food and possibly some wine. We were sold when we saw the Cook and her Farmer serving oyster po’ boys.
Ironically, we didn’t even end up eating there because we were too overwhelmed by all of the other amazing options. Being the wine-​o that I am, I was too distracted by the Roots Run Deep wine bar to even worry about food too much. The owner was so kind and friendly! He gave three free tastings and I bought a glass of champagne — it all was so delicious! But more than just the good wine, I really enjoyed hearing about his winery and all of the different wines. It felt very personal and interesting — like when you hit a good cellar in Napa type experience. I will definitely be back!
For food, as I was standing and buying wine I saw a sign for a meatball sandwich. For those of you that know me, that is one of the 3 foods I can never refuse (mac and cheese, champagne, and meatball sandwiches).
It was called Hen House and had a variety of pizza (a little expensive), but the sandwich was only $ 10. It was on artisan bread, the perfect blend of meat and cheese, with some arugula to top it off. Was AMAZING.
All in all, I had such a great time here. I will DEFINITELY be back.

Place is Awesome. Oysters, tacos, beer, meat market and crazy good sushi. The oyster people are awesome

Read the reviews. Everything they say is true. Was just at Swan’s tonight and there was a lot of Good eats! Go check it out~ u’ll fall in love with it

Swan’s market is getting much better than it was. What’s so good about it? The food!
They’ve had Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Cosecha, and The Cook and Her Farmer. Their latest addition is B-​Dama. B-​Dama was located in Piedmont, but they’ve now moved to Swan’s Market. I also hear there is going to be a wine bar opening soon. It’s now a great spot to hang out for lunch or dinner.

Another Oakland favorite of mine (and from the number of reviews, still a secret) … where I bring friends when I try to convince them to move closer to Oakland. Perfect for a beautiful Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
They are opening 2 more shops in this location (a Japanese restaurant and an Oyster Bar) to add to the existing: Periscope Cellars, Cosecha, Taylor’s Sausages etc.

Old Town Renaissance is here!
A recent article noted that there is a metamorphosis happening in the food scene in this tucked away district of Oakland.
Cradled by the freeways, over shadowed by downtown and jack london, this district is beginning to hold it’s own. Thanks largely in part to Swan’s Marketplace. This hub has stood the test of time and is now prepping for the rebirth.
The silicon valley has thinktanks that nurtures tech startups– Swans is the nest that incubates foodie startups.
Support local and stop by: Cosecha, Pietisserie, Taylor’s Sausages, Periscope Cellar, Sincere Seafood, Rosamunde, Miss Ollie’s, and The Chef and Her Farmer for oysters place.
Word to your mother.

Swan’s Popup experimented in december and announced itself as an ongoing event this march. they will use the space utilized by cosecha which will stay open friday evenings to participate in this event.
vendors/​merchants participating/​participated
–pietiessiere
–tina’s tamales
–taylor’s sausages
–cosecha
–little blue chair
–doughnut dolly
–periscope cellar
–little shop artisan
–boneire artisan meats
–more vendors to come…
notes:
–swan’s located in old oakland, @washington & 9^th st.
–swan’s is owned/​operated by east bay asian local devlopment corp.
–may run concurrently or in conjuction with «fridays at swans» located somewhere in swan’s.
–area is opposite the food carts present in fridays farmers market.