:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23982727/1321638162.jpg "Brown Sugar Kitchen by Liz Hafalia/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71329153/Eater_TanyaHolland_8.0.jpg "Brown Sugar Kitchen by Jeff Enlow/Eater")
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23982673/Tanya_Holland_s_California_Soul_COV.jpg "Brown Sugar Kitchen by eater.com")
Chef Tanya Holland's Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland serves up delicious soul food favorites like buttermilk fried chicken and waffles in a vibrant, welcoming setting.
"For 14 years, she was the owner, chef, and face of Brown Sugar Kitchen, an Oakland restaurant that was as beloved as it was influential. Its hearty dishes — including legendary chicken and waffles — nourished tourists and locals alike." - J. Fergus
"When Picán shuttered, in 2017, Tanya Holland moved her beloved West Oakland restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen, into part of the 6,500-square-foot space." - Kathryn Campo Bowen
"WHAT: Chef Tanya Holland’s soul food oasis in West Oakland. WHY: When Holland, who has starred on Top Chef, brought her classically trained take on Southern cooking to a then-industrial neighborhood 10 years ago, she became one of the pioneers of modern Oakland. Her brunch classics like biscuits, cheese grits, and fried chicken with cornmeal waffles have made the unassuming restaurant a beloved destination for locals as well as visitors from across the Bay Bridge. (Unlike most waffles playing second fiddle to the fried chicken, these stand alone and are often ordered that way, accompanied by melted butter, syrup, and fresh fruit.) Lunchtime brings more of the Southern-style dishes so often missed on the West Coast, including smoked chicken and shrimp gumbo, oyster po’ boys, and Creole barbecue shrimp. Since opening a decade ago, gentrification has made that area of West Oakland unrecognizable, but the vital spirit of this place remains unchanged. — E.F." - Bill Addison
"Tanya Holland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen has reopened with a new quick service model. It now offers counter service for lunch on specific dates and will have dinner pop-ups on Wednesday and Thursday evenings until the end of August." - Ellen Fort
"Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland’s extremely popular lunch/brunch destination from chef Tanya Holland, is growing rapidly: an outpost in the Ferry Building is on the way, in addition to an expansion into Uptown Oakland. To prepare for those big moves, Holland and her team are planning to change things up a bit at the original restaurant on Mandela Parkway. After a quick closure for vacation from May 18- June 6, the restaurant will reopen as a 'test kitchen' of sorts." - Ellen Fort
