In the 1990s, Oakland was San Francisco’s rowdy younger sibling. But thanks to Silicon Valley’s invasion of San Francisco, a section of the city’s artistic community made a move across the bay, bringing restaurants, shops and galleries to complement Oakland’s Art Deco charm. It remains one of the most diverse cities in the country and has better weather than San Francisco — the famously chilling fog does not reach here.
The West Coast is renowned for its Mexican food, and while the burrito is the unofficial soul food of San Francisco, east across the Bay Bridge in Oakland, fish tacos are the compulsory chow.
Despite Uber's aborted relocation of its headquarters to Oakland, other tech companies such as Facebook, Apple and Google’s campuses remain only an hour away, and the hipsters and millennials have arrived. Gentrification and thriving music, arts and food scenes have transformed rough neighbourhoods, giving Oakland the nickname Brooklyn by the Bay.
Cosecha, in Swan’s Market, a food hall in a landmark brick building in Old Oakland has some of the most inventive fish tacos — seafood served in corn tortillas. Order at the counter, take a seat at the communal tables, and try the wild shrimp version, washed down with an iced horchata latte, a rice-based drink made with cinnamon and a shot of espresso.
Photographs: Eric Nathan/Alamy; Clara Rice Photography
Related article: Why tech workers in San Francisco are buying homes in Oakland
