Walnut Creek Restaurant Named Among Best In East Bay: SF Chronicle

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The San Francisco Chronicle named Manakish Oven & Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant at 2905 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek, as one of 4o "Top East Bay Restaurants."

The restaurant opened in 2019 and serves Lebanese and Palestinian food. The newspaper praised its "charming details like patterned tiles and dangling Turkish mosaic chandeliers."

Most important, though, was its delectable menu of main dishes such as manakish — described as "pillowy Mediterranea flatbreads" — offered in an array of topping choices ($14-$21); bowls of rice or fresh greens, or a mixture of both, topped with a meat or veggie choice of chicken, tri-tip, eggplant or falafel ($14-$16); wraps ($13-$18) with chicken or beef shawarma, falafel or cauliflower eggplant; and lamb, chicken or kefta kebab plates ($18-$21) served with hummus, pita slices, rice and cucumber salad.

Among the hardest decisions, according to the author, was which manakish to pick. Choices range from "simple, spiced only with za’atar, to involved, topped with meats, veggies and cheese." It was one of the less complicated options, lahm-bajin, that caught the reviewer's attention as "only beef that’s intensely perfumed with cardamom and parsley."

Lest we forget starters, of which "even the more American-geared items like the tri-tip shawarma loaded fries ($16) with tahini and cheese are credible choices."

"Make sure to try everything with a side of spicy harissa and garlic sauce," the author wrote, then conclude the meal with — or take home to enjoy later — the kanafeh ($12), described as "a sweet, intricate formation of crisp phyllo and stringy cheese topped with crushed pistachios."

It's also one of the few places around to get your fill of baklava.

On weekends, brunch is offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with choices such as Nutella manakish (yum!), or cheese, veggie or sujuk omelets, and a few other menu items.

Manakish Oven & Grill is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was the lone Walnut Creek restaurant to earn a mention in the article. In nearby Clayton, Freewheel Pizza also got a nod.

Congratulations!