Ethiopian Breakfast Debuts in Oakland
Nardi Restaurant is bringing Oakland's first Ethiopian and Eritrean breakfast service, introducing dishes like chechebsa (spiced flatbread), ful medames, and injera platters to Bay Area morning diners. Meanwhile, the owners of popular Thai spot Khao Tiew are preparing to launch Tur, a new San Francisco brunch concept blending Thai flavors with Western breakfast items like spicy fried rice with eggs and coconut pancakes.
Nardi Restaurant is helmed by owner-chef Nardos Alemu, who opened the Pill Hill establishment in February with a focus on traditional Horn of Africa breakfast flavors. The menu features authentic dishes such as enkulal firfir, a scrambled egg dish with spiced sauce and injera, and dulet, a spicy mix of minced meat and herbs. A standout offering, chechebsa, is a classic Ethiopian breakfast made from torn flatbread, or *kita*, which is then mixed with *niter kibbeh* (spiced clarified butter) and the warm, complex spice blend known as berbere. This hearty dish is a symbol of hospitality and is often prepared for guests and on special occasions in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Another traditional breakfast item at Nardi is genfo, a thick barley porridge. This comforting dish has ancient origins in Ethiopia's rural, barley-growing regions and is often served in a mound with a well in the center filled with spiced butter. It holds significant cultural importance and is traditionally served to new mothers or to celebrate upcoming weddings. The debut of an Ethiopian breakfast spot aligns with a broader Bay Area trend of embracing more diverse, international morning meals. Nardi's all-day service, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, fills a unique niche in an Oakland neighborhood already known for its beloved, family-run Ethiopian and Eritrean dinner destinations. Meanwhile, Khao Tiew owners Wipada Rattanapun and Arkaranit Dusitnitsakul are building on the success of their West Portal restaurant, which opened in 2024 and quickly drew acclaim and long lines for its inventive dishes like beef tallow fried rice. Their new venture, Tur, joins a growing class of popular Bay Area restaurants putting an Asian spin on brunch. This trend has seen local chefs creating innovative fusion dishes that blend familiar brunch formats with Asian flavors. Examples elsewhere include croissants filled with tom yum scrambled eggs and Dungeness crab, green curry pizza, and pandan waffles served with fried chicken and Vietnamese iced coffee syrup. Tur is slated to open in April just down the street from Khao Tiew, taking over a space formerly occupied by the breakfast spot Squat and Gobble for 32 years. The new restaurant's chef will be Varunthorn Ratanakachain, who previously worked at the Asian brunch spot Darla Café in Saratoga.
