Photograph by Braelyn Wekwerth
If you live in Berkeley, it is undoubtedly true you have been to or heard live music while eating out. Several comfy, casual restaurants are located in the heart of Berkeley where an array of people eat every night. Each hosts local musicians from around the Bay Area nightly. Hordes of people come to the restaurants at all times of day just to get a taste of these famous Berkeley delicatessens and hear incredible music.
To begin, one is the Cheese Board. The Cheese Board always pairs its pizza with live music, opening up their hot ovens along with sweet tunes. The scene begins with the workers of the restaurant circulating the space, forming the line in which people curve all the way around the corner. At 4:30 PM pizzas start coming out of the oven, the smell of organic vegetables and floured sourdough wafts out the door, and fellow waiting customers giggle with excitement. The day we went, the pizza contained organic dry farm tomatoes, fresh corn, basil, and four assortments of cheeses. If you came to the Cheese Board for an amazing pizza experience, you came to the right place!
During our visit to the Cheese Board, we were able to enjoy a lovely group of musicians as we ate our pizza. The Helen Gray Quartet performed some of their own jazz tunes, as well as many covers to well known songs. The whole Cheese Board area was filled with a soft serenade. We were able to listen to the music being played, as well as have a nice conversation sitting outside. Although we chose to focus on our conversation by sitting outside, many people chose to focus on the quartet as they played by sitting inside, where the music was easier to hear. We found that Cheese Board’s open and attractive setting was appealing to families of all ages. Old and young ate together in shared company.
Sliver, found a block away from the University of California Berkeley and frequented by college and high school students strolling through downtown Berkeley, has a different feel than Cheese Board. It’s more lively block is home to the usual scene of downtown Berkeley, where people meet for drinks or a pre-game meal. Some homeless people sit outside of the restaurant, swaying their heads to the live music. Fewer children can be seen here, as it could be viewed as a less “kid friendly” environment. A bar is nestled into the corner where twenty-year-olds meet up. A total of five TVs surround the interior of the restaurant, playing various college or professional sports games that light up the room. The actual pizza is much like Cheese Board’s famous recipes, even coming with the same green sauce on the side. If you came to Sliver for a good pizza and a classic scene of downtown Berkeley, you came to the right place!
Then there’s Agrodolce, a Sicilian restaurant that serves a variety of wild dishes, such as Polipo Al’ Insalata, an appetizer with octopus and potatoes. Agrodolce’s warm dim ambiance plus the soft tone of music makes it enjoyable for the whole family, and a perfect place to have a nice meal and relax. Although this restaurant serves amazing food with its live music, it is almost nothing like Cheese Board or Sliver. This is not a hangout place where people get quick food and meet up. People go to Agrodolce to share a quality meal, and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.
The restaurant showcased a duet, who displayed their many instrumental talents, each one playing more than one at a time. The two played in perfect harmony with one another, the woman taking the vocals in addition to some minor roles, as the man handled the background and bass line. They performed a number of jazz songs in addition to pulling out a captivating bit of scat, making the performance even more impressive. Although Agrodolce isn’t quite as cheap as pizza, the price is well worth it. Along with your fine cuisine, you’re given a stellar performance, and a more than welcoming restaurant staff that treats you like family.
Finally, not far from all three of these fine restaurants, Jupiter can be found. Much like Sliver and Cheese Board, this lively restaurant serves exquisite pizza of a variety of flavors. Classic margarita, pepperoni and vegetable are a few of the many pizzas you can find. Each bite feels as though you are getting a taste of Italy. It’s open atmosphere in the back garden of a big building makes it feel as though you are in a whole new universe, with bricks stacked upon one another as the walls and vines lace in between. College students, newly married couples and late adults seem to be most attracted to this restaurant, as it is a bit more secluded from downtown Berkeley.
Then, there’s the music. Perched upon the mini stage, an eloquent saxophone player could be seen controlling the mood of the entire restaurant. When he blew with just a bit more air through his sax, the crowd raised their voices, making the atmosphere more lively like a bee hive. Then, he hushed the crowd with sweet melodies and people became more relaxed.