Where to buy kitchen utensils in Berkeley, California?

November 22, 2013 8:19 AM

To be precise, I need to purchase a gift voucher (online) for a store selling kitchen utensils in Berkeley. Details inside.

Friends of mine will soon move to Berkeley (CA) from Europe, leaving behind most of their beloved kitchen utensils. They're avid cooks and as a farewell gift I'd like to give them a gift voucher for a store in Berkeley with a decent selection of good-quality kitchen utensils. I've never been to the US, so I have no clue where to start looking. (I could get them an Amazon voucher, but I'd rather give them the opportunity to browse in a store.)

Caveats:
- I'm on a grad-school budget and can only afford to give them a voucher in the 50-100$ range, so the store shouldn't be too fancy.
- They will not have a car, at least in the beginning, and they must be able to reasonably reach the place by other means.
- I have to be able to purchase the gift voucher online via my credit card or Paypal account.

I'm grateful for any suggestions!

posted by wavelette to Shopping (20 answers total)

Sur La Table has a store in Berkeley.
posted by cecic at 8:26 AM on November 22, 2013 [4 favorites]

Seconding Sur La Table.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 8:27 AM on November 22, 2013

Rocket Restaurant Resource is a great store but you probably need to call to buy a gift card. The dollar will stretch farther here than Sur La Table.
posted by just.good.enough at 8:53 AM on November 22, 2013 [2 favorites]

The Sur La Table store in Berkeley is in the Fourth Street neighborhood, so a gift certificate there would also introduce them to a nice shopping area with cool shops. So, yeah, thirding Sur La Table.

Although just.good.enough's suggestion of finding a less pricey place also has significant merit.
posted by Betelgeuse at 8:55 AM on November 22, 2013

I would do the Restaurant Supply mentioned above (Rocket) or IKEA (which is close by in Emeryville). At Sur la Table $50 doesn't get you very far. FWIW we moved to Berkeley from Europe 3 years ago and had the same problem since we came with suitcases only.
posted by The Toad at 9:07 AM on November 22, 2013

$50-100 will do just fine at Sur La Table, and it's a simple no-fuss option for everybody. Macy's would be a decent #2, and the closest ones to Berkeley are Walnut Creek (1/2mi from WC BART) and San Leandro (Bayfair has its own BART station).
posted by rhizome at 9:07 AM on November 22, 2013

I'd argue that the closest Macy's to Berkeley, if you don't have a car, is the Union Square one in San Francisco. (Certainly it's a more interesting place to go to.)
posted by madcaptenor at 9:17 AM on November 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Macy's kitchen stuff is kind of crap, even at the downtown flagship store. Sur la Table is really the best option, and they have lots of good stuff, even at lower price points. They will still probably buy MOST of their stuff at IKEA, but 50-100 at Sur la Table would get them a few good higher-end tools that IKEA can't provide.
posted by rockindata at 9:25 AM on November 22, 2013

I'd recommend Target. There's one in Albany, which is right next to Berkeley. In fact when we lived in University Villiage, the apartments for Married Students with Kids for UC Berkeley, it was in Albany. It's on the bus line!

I love Target as do most people who go there! They have tons of great household things and small kitchen appliances!

Seriously, Target.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:35 AM on November 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

If it were me, I'd choose Sur La Table but there is also Bed, Bath, and Beyond with locations in El Cerrito and Oakland. BART stops quite near the El Cerrito location.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 10:53 AM on November 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Definitely Sur La Table.
posted by JenMarie at 12:14 PM on November 22, 2013

Sur La Table for a *nice* gift and Rocket Restaurant Resource for a *practical* gift. Sur La Table is for people with money. Your dollar goes, way, way further (double or more) at a restaurant supply store. If I were your friends, I'd want the practical gift. Buy accordingly.
posted by cnc at 12:27 PM on November 22, 2013

Sur La Table is far too expensive. A gift certificate there won't go far.

I suggest you go a bit farther afield than Berkeley and get them a Gift Certificate to the East Bay Restaurant Supply if, well, the place does gift cards. They'll get much more for your bucks there than you will at any of the consumer retail places and the quality of the materials is generally high.

Also, in case you're worried, the Restaurant Supply place is in a very non-sketchy part of Oakland.
posted by bswinburn at 12:31 PM on November 22, 2013

I'll second Target - there are at least a couple in the area that are both on bus lines, and/or your friends can order online and have it delivered to their place if they do not have time to do the bus. For a $50-$100 gift, it will go way further at Target than fancier places (plus, they can choose to use it on something like bed sheets, a toaster, dishes, etc. if that turns out to be what they really need in the moment instead.)
posted by rainbowbrite at 2:43 PM on November 22, 2013

Kitty corner from Sur La Table is a Crate and Barrel Outlet, which is just a hair less expensive.
posted by one_bean at 4:42 PM on November 22, 2013

Rocket and East Bay Restaurant Supplys are not really near BART and I'm not sure I'd give a gift that required a multiple-transfer East Bay bus adventure.
posted by rhizome at 5:39 PM on November 22, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for all the great suggestions!
posted by wavelette at 1:08 AM on November 23, 2013

The famous Berkeley Bowl grocery stores have a pretty reasonable selection of well made kitchen basics. I can't recall if they sell pots and pans, but definitely things like tools, utensils, baking supplies, nice cutting boards and storage containers. There are two locations in Berkeley and are a must-visit for new residents. Plus they could use your gift for food or wine if they were so inclined.
posted by dahliachewswell at 12:05 PM on November 23, 2013

Also, I guess I can only guarantee that there are kitchen tools at the Berkeley Bowl location on Heinz ave. (the "new one") because that was where I always shopped. I bet the other location has them too, though.
posted by dahliachewswell at 12:10 PM on November 23, 2013

If they have an interest in Asian cooking, emphasis on Japanese, there are lots of great cooking tools at the Tokyo Fish Market gift shop. (The store fills two buildings on the same lot on San Pablo Ave. Grocery is the back, gift shops/kitchen tools in the building that fronts the street). Also, this is a nice, clean specialty grocery not a stinky fish market, if the name gives you any unpleasant associations.

If you'd like to get them a nice knife, Hida Tool is also nearby on San Pablo and is a really special place to visit in Berkeley. It's a small shop that sells Japanese blades of all kinds: knifes, saws, woodcarving tools, gardening shears, etc. Looking at their website, they have some $30-50 knife options (and then much more expensive ones as well). A lovely small tidy shop.

They might not find everything they need at these places, but it would be a pleasant shopping trip for newcomers. Also, you would possibly need to call these stores on the phone to set up a gift card if they don't have an online option, but I'm sure they could help you out. Both are small local businesses.
posted by dahliachewswell at 12:23 PM on November 23, 2013