El Cerrito

For other places with the same name, see El Cerrito (disambiguation).

El Cerrito is just north of Albany in the inner East Bay in California.

Get in

Oakland International Airport (OAK ^IATA) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO ^IATA) have Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations. Take the Richmond Line to the 1 El Cerrito Plaza Station or 2 El Cerrito Del Norte station . If traveling by car, take the Central Avenue exit from Interstate 80 or Interstate 580.

Del Norte BART station is something of a hub for regional buses. Golden Gate Transit bus 580 runs once an hour from San Rafael in Marin County across the bay, WestCAT buses run about twice an hour from Pinole, AC Transit comes from nearby parts of the inner East Bay, and other buses come from Solano County (SolTrans) and Napa County (Vine).

Because the cities and towns on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay all butt up against each other and function as one large metro area, it's likely that you will also visit El Cerrito's neighboring East Bay towns, such as Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, and Richmond, so much of the information about getting to those places also applies to getting to El Cerrito.

See

• 1 Metallica House, 3132 Carlson Blvd (4 blocks west of the Plaza BART station.). This non-descript house housed the members of heavy metal band Metallica from 1983-1986. In the house and garage they wrote and rehearsed the songs for 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets.' 

Do

• 1 The Cerrito Theater (Rialto Cinemas Cerrito), 10070 San Pablo Ave (Four blocks west from El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and one block north from El Cerrito Plaza), ☏ + 1 510-273-9102. Catch a movie and dine in style at this lovingly restored Art Deco theater, which is operated by the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito. The Cerrito Theater features pub grub and beer, which you can polish off while you watch your movie, and has couches, tables, and traditional theater seating. In addition to the latest blockbusters, The Cerrito features classic films, and hosts special events. There are also special baby and toddler friendly screening times. (updated Sep 2022)

Buy

• 1 El Cerrito Plaza. Standard American outdoor shopping mall, including Marshalls, Ross, Barnes and Noble, Trader Joe's, Lucky, CVS, the Japanese dollar store Daiso, and a handful of restaurants. (updated May 2024)

Eat

• 1 Fat Apple's Restaurant & Bakery, 7525 Fairmount Ave, ☏ +1 510 528-3433. Fat Apples is a local tradition, serving typical breakfast staple items, such as waffles, buttermilk pancakes, and home fries, as well as few unusual ones (the pumpkin pancakes are delicious). The lunch and dinner menus are full of homey family fare, such as cheese burgers, onion rings, spaghetti, tuna melts, and salads. But the main attraction is the baked goods and desserts. The on-site bakery, which supplies the Berkeley Fat Apples restaurant, serves up delicious pies, cakes, cookies, cheese puffs, and all sorts of other baked items fresh from the oven. The El Cerrito Fat Apples is in a converted grocery store space, which won a prize for its deconstructed interior, and the focal point of the restaurant is the huge, red bakery oven sitting in the center of an open kitchen. (updated Sep 2022)
• 2 Nation's Giant Hamburgers, 6060 Central Ave, ☏ +1 510 528-8888. 24 hours daily. El Cerrito is the headquarters of the famous Northern California hamburger chain. Nation's is often voted "best burger" in local newspaper polls. The flagship store on the corner of Central and San Pablo serves up monster burgers, fries, and shakes, as well as breakfast all day (and night), and fresh pies. Vegetarians can gobble "Harvester" meatless burgers and scarf down excellent hashbrowns. (updated Sep 2022)
• 3 Yoshio Sushi, 10889 San Pablo Ave, ☏ +1 510 237-0562. Every day 11AM-2:30PM and 5PM-12:30AM. One of the most well-respected local Japanese restaurants in the East Bay north of Oakland. Well-decorated without being flashy or overwhelming inside. The tonkatsu, gyoza, and various nigiri sushi are deserved favorites here. (updated Sep 2022)
• 4 New Dumpling (新水餃), 10064 San Pablo Ave, ☏ +1 510-529-4161. Small family-run restaurant serving excellent, authentic Chinese dumplings and an array of sides. (updated May 2024)

Drink

• 1 Elevation 66 Brewing Company, 10082 San Pablo Ave, ☏ +1-510-525-4800, info@elevation66.com. The brewery features six beers that are crafted on site and a rotating selection of guest taps from other California microbreweries. With twelve beers available at all times at the brewery, the portfolio of beers should be broad enough to satisfy almost all preferences of style. (updated Sep 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Mira Vista, 6009 Potrero Avenue, ☏ +1 510 232-0900. 

Go next

Routes through El Cerrito

San Francisco ← Albany ←	S  N	→ Richmond → Sacramento
San Rafael ← Richmond ←	N  S	→ Albany → Oakland
END ← Richmond ←	N  S	→ Berkeley → Oakland