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Burdell

$50 and over

Soul food

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 35 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Neighborhood gem
Innovative

Burdell is a Soul Food restaurant in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland from James Beard Finalist, Chef Geoff Davis.

Named for and inspired by his maternal grandmother, Burdell, the restaurant reflects her love for well-set tables, entertaining guests, shared meals, and laughter. Burdell is centered on nostalgia, family recipes, thoughtful and sustainable sourcing, and the forgotten impact of Black farming, ranching, fishing, foraging, and culture on American cuisine and hospitality.

The menu highlights farmers and artisans harvesting and creating excellent products around us. Paired with the food is a robust list of wine and beverages from producers around the World-focusing on wines that are farmed and crafted with care and sustainable practices.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Geoff Davis

From the OpenTable editors: Fine dining vet and James Beard finalist Geoff Davis returns to his roots with this totally fresh take on California soul food. Expect iconic dishes like barbecue shrimp and boiled peanuts alongside heirloom tomato salads and slow-simmered collards. The retro design and vintage plates make every meal here feel like Sunday supper with family—no wonder Food & Wine named Burdell its 2024 restaurant of the year.

Dining areas

Additional information

Location
4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
Phone number
(510) 239-9287
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Soul food, Californian
Hours of operation
Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Experiences

Grandma Dinner Series: Intu-on Kornnawong
$102.00 per person
Prepaid
Mar 16, 2025 only
Our friend, Intu-on Kornnawong, is coming to do our first grandma series of 2025 on Sunday, March 16th! Chef Intu-on Kornnawong’s Isaan Thai-California cuisine is both a journey and a destination. Born in Udon Thani, she grew up savoring her parents’ incredible dishes—her dad’s Larb Ped, her mom’s Nam Prik—before bringing those flavors to life in San Francisco. She honed her skills in top Thai kitchens, trained under Michelin-starred chefs, and found inspiration in California’s bounty while working with Jeremy Fox at Rustic Canyon. After helping launch Night + Market #3 and Jo’s Modern Thai, she’s now crafting her own concept, blending Thai drinking food with bold flavors and nostalgic bites from home. On the Menu: Kanom Krok (Coconut Cake) Namtok Plamuak (Squid Salad) Khor Moo Yang (Grilled Pork Jowl) or Mok Pla (Steamed Cod) Pandan Coconut Pudding There is a strict 90-minute turn time for all party sizes to be able to accommodate everyone. Please note per person price is inclusive of taxes and 20% service charge. See you!
In Pursuit of Flavor-An Edna Lewis Tribute
$150.00 per person
Prepaid
Apr 13, 2025 only
Join us to celebrate Edna Lewis through a special dinner on the day of her birthday! We are honoring her legacy with a thoughtfully crafted dinner in collaboration with Smithey Ironware. Enjoy soulful dishes inspired by her timeless recipes, prepared with care in beautifully seasoned cast iron. Each dinner ticket includes tax and service charge.
Family Dinner Menu
$90.00 per person
Multiple dates available
For parties of 7-9, your group will partake in our market-driven, multicourse Family Dinner Menu, instead of our regular a la carte menu. The price per person varies depending on what's on the menu for the week. Menu substitutions to this menu are politely declined. Kindly include any dietary restrictions on your reservation when booking so we can prepare appropriately for your visit (not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). We do charge a cancellation fee person of $90 per person for no-shows and late cancellations as we hold the physical space in our small restaurant in anticipation of your larger party. As with everything, we charge a 20% service charge that supports livable wages for all staff as well as healthcare.

What 201 people are saying

Burdell reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.5Service
4.4Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Burdell offers a unique dining experience with "innovative and tasty" soul food. Guests rave about dishes like the chicken liver and waffles and cornbread. The "friendly and professional" service complements the "warm and inviting" ambiance. However, some find the restaurant "a bit pricey" and portions small. Overall, a standout culinary spot.

201 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco3 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
The food was spectacular! I truly enjoyed everything we ordered.
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OT
OpenTable Diner VIP
San Francisco7 reviews
4.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Went for brunch. Service and hosts were awesome, personable and even fun. Food was good, waffle was a bit oily, bacon was too smoked for my taste but overall very tasty and well seasoned. Will try for dinner.
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N
Nicholas
Cincinnati4 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 23, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was generally quite good, but I think the cost is more expensive than I would have expected given overall experience.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on February 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great experience. Definitely a bit pricier than expected but really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service
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V
Virginia VIP
San Francisco23 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Food was terrific! Cornbread especially! It was hard to hear our server as she was wearing a mask, and the restaurant is LOUD! We might have missed some suggestions and advice from the server because of this.
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A
Adrian
San Francisco4 reviews
3.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Dinner for 2 on a Thursday evening. Upon arrival we are offered a glass of champagne by someone walking around with an open bottle. Nice welcoming start only to find out that they charge $25 per glass. Would've be nice to say so upfront. We went both for the family style set menu. Boiled peanuts, chicory salad, dungenese crab and Louisiana style sausage and meat dish. Ice cream with fruit to close. Food was OK, simple and well prepared. The crab was small with almost no meat in the legs. Overall a dinner one could make at home or could get at a road side shack down south for 15 bucks. Paired with a nice French St Emilio at $95. Food itself was $90 a head. Mandatory 20% tip. All in all over $450. Not worth the money food wise, not worth the money for atmosphere or service either.
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t
tricia
San Francisco9 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and cocktails at Burdell are exciting and surprising. The flavors are bold and perfectly balanced, with ingredients and styles you don’t usually find in fine dining. The service is more casual than other restaurants of its caliber, friendly and comfortable. For instance our server noticed my enthusiasm for the miso peanut sauce at the bottom of our empty bowl of boiled peanuts, and he kindly brought a little spoon so I could keep adding the delicious gravy to my plate. My husband and I adored Burdell and return soon!
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L
Laura
Las Vegas17 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Flat out one of the best dinners we have ever.had.
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C
Christina
Los Angeles3 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had the best time. Service and food was amazing
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G
Gentle
San Francisco2 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 9, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I went for brunch. While the portions are small and the food is pricey, each bit was exquisite and I didn’t leave feeling too full. The staff was very friendly and it was not too noisy.
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FAQs

Burdell is rated 4.5 stars by 201 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 35 times today

Experiences are available.

4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Dining areas

Additional information

Phone number
(510) 239-9287
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Soul food, Californian
Hours of operation
Brunch Sun 11:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Wed–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Burdell

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Why they're an Icon

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

Grandma Dinner Series: Intu-on Kornnawong

In Pursuit of Flavor-An Edna Lewis Tribute

Family Dinner Menu

Menu

What 201 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is Burdell restaurant rated?

Is Burdell currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information