"Natalie Young’s all-day cafe Eat helped Fremont East turn the tide when it opened. Go for comfort food staples like biscuits and gravy, golden-brown pancakes, chicken Caesar salad, an excellent grilled cheese, or a shrimp po-boy." - Janna Karel
"Chef Dan Coughlin’s 8 East at Circa brings a panorama of Asian fare with a menu filled with small plates meant to share, a variety of skewers, and dishes served family style, along with classic and creative desserts. Crispy pork belly bacon that’s slow cooked for 10 hours before it’s lightly fried and served with a side of tamarind sauce, a Tokyo crepe comes with sauteed wild enoki, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms, as well as fried tofu, cilantro chimichurri, Kewpie mayo, and soy glaze are among the choices. A wall of 40 Maneki-neko waving cats, a Japanese symbol of good luck, stands outside the restaurant." - Janna Karel
"This breakfast and lunch spot downtown serves a tight menu of super comforting morning and afternoon meals. For an extra cozy meal, go for the aptly named killer grilled cheese served on thick Texas toast and paired with tangy tomato soup." - Janna Karel
"Scott Roeben highlights 8 East as a go-to restaurant in 2021." - Susan Stapleton
"Le Thai chef and owner Dan Coughlin introduces 8 East, his pan-Asian restaurant with Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai dishes, at Circa. A wall of 40 Maneki-neko waving cats, a Japanese symbol of good luck, stands outside the restaurant. The menu features small plates meant to share, a variety of skewers, and dishes served family style." - Susan Stapleton