The Night Light - Oakland

The food here is absolutely delicious! You can order anything and be delighted with every bite. The portions are generous, ensuring you leave feeling satisfied. I highly recommend starting with the falafels. My personal favorite is the chicken tagine—it's juicy, tender, and packed with flavor, paired perfectly with flavorful couscous. The small plates are also a fantastic option for sharing and enhancing your meal.

When you arrive, you line up to place your order, receive a number, and then find a table while you wait for your food to be brought to you. We ordered a few dishes: - The Cauliflower with saffron rice plate for $11 was delicious. The cauliflower had great seasoning and was cooked perfectly, but unfortunately, the rice was a bit too dry. We ended up ordering yogurt on the side to help add some moisture to the dish. - The Lamb Shislik over saffron rice for $15 was also flavorful with excellent seasoning, but, similar to the cauliflower dish, I wished the rice had a bit more moisture. Mixing in the yogurt improved it a lot. Overall, I believe this restaurant has a lot of potential and offers something unique to the area.

When I walked to the end of Piedmont, I discovered a bright and colorful space featuring a diverse Middle Eastern menu. At first, I thought they only served salads, but I found a variety of options including mezze plates, hummus, rice dishes, and even tajines. I opted for their $10 Roasted Beet, Romaine, and Sheep's Milk Feta Cheese Salad, which turned out to be a hearty bowl filled with yams, walnuts, Ras el hanout (an African spice blend similar to garam masala), and cilantro, all tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. It was beautifully arranged with incredibly fresh ingredients, exactly as chef and owner Mica Talmor intended. I'm definitely planning to return and try more of her specialties. FOOD: 4 stars – very fresh takes on Middle Eastern specialties AMBIANCE: 3.5 stars – vibrant colors and patterns fill the space SERVICE: 3 stars – somewhat reserved, with minimal guidance on the menu TOTAL: 4 stars – a welcome vegetarian option on Piedmont Avenue.

SO GOOD. I came here yesterday for lunch with my mom and sister after stumbling across it on Yelp and seeing all the great reviews and delicious looking pictures. Parking: On the street. Service: You order at the counter and then take your number to an open table. I'm surprised this place wasn't busier for lunch time but maybe that's because it was a Sunday afternoon. Food comes out pretty quickly! Food: We ordered the Butternut Squash, Quinoa, Cranberry Arugula Salad with added Falafel (4 pieces) to make it an entree, the Chicken Lavash, and the Baba Ganoush (comes with white or whole wheat pita). Butternut Squash Salad: Amazing! Arugula tossed with quinoa, cranberries, and butternut squash in a vinaigrette. I asked for the manchego cheese on the side. The falafels were nice and crispy and had tahini drizzled on top of them. Highly recommend this salad. Chicken Lavash: I didn't try this but my mom and sister really enjoyed it (the split it) and said half was very filling. Baba Ganoush: Very creamy and yummy. The whole wheat pita was fresh and pillowy. I enjoyed it! I would definitely come back to try some of their other dishes. This place is great to vegetarians and vegans since the dishes that do contain meat or animal products can be taken out! Check this place out if you are looking for some bomb Mediterranean food in North Oakland!

My only complaint about Ba-Bite is that it isn't close to where I live. I've been here twice and both times I absolutely loved their pita bread, hummus and salads. It's the kind of meal that leaves you feeling satisfied but not overly full. This is definitely a great spot to catch a quick lunch by yourself or with a group. There's a good amount of seating but lines do form during lunch hour. Pros: Delicious food Cons: Gets busy at lunch Bottom line: Healthy lunch food on Piedmont Ave