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Dining Room - Burdell, Oakland, CA
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Burdell

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Visa Dining Collection

$50 and over
Soul food
4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

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2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
7:00 p.m.
Booked 37 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood 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

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • 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
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Neighbourhood
    Oakland
  • Cross Street
    46th Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Macarthur BART station
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • In Pursuit of Flavor-An Edna Lewis Tribute

    US$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

    US$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.
  • Family Brunch Menu

    US$85.00 per person

    Multiple dates available
    For groups of 9-15, we offer a market-driven, multicourse Family Brunch Menu for $85 per person (excluding taxes and 20% service charge). The three-course, family-style, Chef's pick meal includes a starter, main, and dessert, with menu offerings tailored to dietary restrictions (substitutions not allowed, not all dietary restrictions may be accommodated). Please inform us of any dietary needs when booking your reservation. We charge a cancellation fee of $85 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 and healthcare.

What 228 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

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Burdell offers an inviting atmosphere with a nostalgic, soulful touch. Diners appreciate the "amazing cornbread" and "creative and elevated" soul food dishes. While service can be inconsistent, standouts include "the best asparagus I have ever had" and "fantastic banana pudding." It's a "unique modern soul food" experience worth trying, though experiences vary.
228 Reviews
  1. nigel

    London6 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food, great decor and a nice ambience. However the service was odd. We arrived 7 mins early but told to wait until our reservation time even though a number of tables were open and ready to be seated, so that was annoying. They then made me wait for 5 more mins after my reservation time which would normally be fine but as I was told to wait initially and the standing area was crowded it was a bit frustrating. When we did sit we fancied the beignets while we were deciding what we wanted as a main course but were told we had to order everything at once so therefore couldn’t order beignets without ordering our mains. So - a weird and unfriendly start to the experience with the rules around seating and ordering. They also lost the sale on those beignets. All in all though the food was outstanding and vibes nice so so we will go back. I’ll just expect the quirky service and not let it bother me like it did today.

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  2. Alli

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food, good soul music (at least in the bar area), friendly service. Overall, we very much enjoyed it all! Based on our experience, expect to spend at least a couple hours for a party of two. We didn’t mind the long wait between courses, but some might.

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  3. Karl VIP

    San Francisco262 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Spare, kitschy dining area but we liked the fun interiors. The asparagus appetizer was superb! Not overcooked and the accompanying sauce was excellent. The shrimp appetizer was OK - not a fan of head-on shrimp and I wasn't crazy about the sauce. I originally ordered the gumbo with crab but switched with my companion and I had her cod. (The menu didn't inform me that I had to cut up the crab. No thanks.) The cod was outstanding, along with the potatoes and whatever else was in that dish - it was great; really quite wonderful. My companion thought the gumbo was excellent; especially the juice/sauce. She had the pudding for dessert and judged it as "very good." I had the cookies, and they were OK, nothing special (and they forgot to bring the milk). I was taken aback by the service: my original entree was served at another table before being brought to my table. While my primary waitperson was friendly, he wasn't particularly attentive. I had to repeatedly flag him down. Not sure that dinner should have taken 2 hrs. Music was way too loud to have a decent conversation. Good to great food; OK service.

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  4. Stephanie

    Los Angeles2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Unfortunately, Burdell did not live up to expectations. It was very noisy, and the food was just okay, especially for the price. And, it could be me with regard to the noise, or the food is just not to my liking. However, the fact that one of the folks working there said "Wow, paying for your own birthday dinner?!" in a very loud and condescending way to my partner in front of his parents, who are the sweetest people and immediately felt so bad that they weren't paying, ruined our time there. They were also very condescending about the food orders that my in-laws made, and none of this is their business. Overall, the service was bad, and that comment really topped it off. There are so many great restaurants in Oakland, skip this one.

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  5. javier

    San Francisco3 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Way over rated. Food was ok. Nothing too special.

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  6. kathy

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    love it here!!! tastes so good. you can tell everything is done from the heart

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  7. LaMonica

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 6, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Getting our food took longer than I expected otherwise I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere!

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  8. Rachel

    San Francisco2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on April 6, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    I was so excited to visit Burdell after reading all the reviews and press. Unfortunately, it absolutely did not live up to the hype. My chicken was severely undercooked and my partner’s cod was “just ok.” I would have sent the chicken back had someone checked in on us before the meal was done but that opportunity never came. To their credit, the manager did ask if everything had been ok after our plates were cleared and most of my (still pink) food was still on mine. However, rather than being comped we got an “I wish you would have told us” and offer for dessert. Not really in the mood for dessert after cutting into raw chicken though. Overall, $120 for cornbread, cod and chicken that I couldn’t eat most of. I want so much to support this business but I won’t be going back.

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  9. Michael

    San Francisco4 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on April 6, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    We saw all the recent raving reviews about Burdell being the best soulful in America. So we were excited to try it out for our anniversary. Our server, Rosie did an amazing job I really appreciated her expertise on each dish and recommendations. Unfortunately, the owner Geoff did not speak to us or anyone else he just delivered the food, not making eye contact, or speaking or greeting guest at his restaurant. That was the most offputting thing about the experience was the owner himself didn’t really seem happy to be at his own restaurant. He was not friendly at all. Despite winning multiple awards in the last year. The food was subpar, my favorite dish was the cornbread and the greens. But the atmosphere was fire! Great aesthetic.

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  10. Jodi VIP

    London1 review

    2.0

    Dined on April 5, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    I am a fan of Burdell and have dined there many times. Unfortunately, the restaurant seems to be declining in proportion to the accolades it receives. They would do well to invest as much in staff, training, and quality product as they apparently do in PR. Our last meal there was plagued by inept service, interminable wait times, mediocre food, and miserly portions. I asked our server a simple question about a wine on the list, which unleashed an Odyssey stretching out for almost an hour. Another colleague was asked to assist us but it took a Herculean effort to get her attention. After deciding on a wine with her advice, we waited again for someone to bring it to us, asking three different people in the process. Finally, an entirely different person brought us the wrong wine. Which we drank because we were thirsty and defeated by that time. We were especially disappointed in the cod dish on the menu that evening. The dish was uninspired and it was tiny, containing two small bites of cod and a bunch of potatoes. This was insulting for a dish that cost over $40. Even more insulting (and mystifying) was that our server had suggested we share the cod! After waiting nearly two hours to receive our entrees, it would have been like Lord of the Flies if the three of us who ordered it had taken his advice to split it. I honestly do not see going back to Burdell after this experience. I wish them well and hope they get many new diners from all the national attention. But restaurants are built on return customers and they just lost four of us.

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FAQs

Burdell is rated 4.4 stars by 228 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation


Booked 37 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Burdell

4640 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    46th Street
  • Neighbourhood
    Oakland
  • 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
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    Soul food, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    Macarthur BART station
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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