Open Test Kitchen (OTK)

Welcoming and delicious. Second visit, came on a different day to sample another chef's artistry. Asúkar's crispy samosas with juicy beef or savory lentils came with a fantastically spicy dill and I'm not sure what sauce 😅, a salad, some picked veg and bright vinaigrette dressing. The Maramieh latte was a fun surprise. Would never have thought to put sage with coffee but it works so well. ❤️🇵🇸

Walking in to this recently renovated space with beautiful colors and smiles is how i wish every eatery/cafe i go into feels. This space is even more. From a kids corner to smiley faces who take your order and give you lovely eye contact. Each chef that cooks here is definitely cooking from that heart and you can taste and feel that with every smell and bite! I love how you can post up with your computer and work and have delciousness being served or you can bring a group of friends and be as unapollogetically who you are and recieve full emobodied nouishment!

I really want to highlight the coffee so read to the end! If you like a cool chill place to try both classic and incentive takes on comfort food this is the place to go. With different chefs providing service on different days you'll have plenty of tasty options. But... What I really want to highlight is the coffee made by Cafe Con Cariño which is housed in OTC. This is simply one of my favorite coffee shops in Oakland. The coffee is great so if you want a classic cup they have you covered with excellent quality coffee expertly prepared. Now if you want some bold flavors I absolutely recommend the Dragon Heart Mocha! It's the best take on the mocha that I've had. They also make their own syrups in house which are sure to delight you.

From the food to the atmosphere, I ensure you that won’t regret stopping here!

Mello community space with lots of art

Very cutesy, very demure

I came by after seeing them advertise first Fridays specials on Instagram. There doesn't seem to be any way to order ahead currently on their website. The menu at the front was for Cafe Dandelion which indicated it was soy free. We waited for around 5 mins so that someone could take our order for takeout, and then it took around another 15 minutes for food to be ready. Tacos de Leon plate with salsa verde (the less spicy option, they also have salsa macha crema): The mushrooms are really nice and savory and I liked them a lot. One barbacoa taco a la carte: It had pulled pork, it's juicy but not soggy, a little spicy. I personally liked the tacos de leon better. Pineapple housemade soda: I liked the soda a lot, it was quite fruity and tasted of real pineapples and I would actually say this might be favorite of what I tried. The food is pretty but expensive, but I appreciate the opportunity to support WOC owned businesses. I just wish you could order ahead and that all of the different chefs/popups were available during all of their open hours and not just certain days.

Open Test Kitchen is delicious. I went there for dinner. Fresh Nigerian Cuban fusion and Palestinian Cuisine. Many entrees are vegan and gluten free though they serve some meat. I had the most delicious fried yam stuffed with mozzerella served with arugala, watermelon radish and a wonderful dipping sauce, and I had a grilled palm heart/eggplant salad that was wonderful. They serve wine and beer. I noticed this place when I walked by one morning, the place is decorated invitingly and whatever the sidewalk customers were eating along with their capucinos looked mouth watering. Such a wonderful place.

Enjoyed vegan northern Nigerian food! The music and ambiance was great, with card games and a bit of a museum. The price of the food did not correlate to the kind of food. I would either serve more food for the price or lean into more of a high dining vibe. It did take a while to get served, but it was tasty