Cultured Pickle Shop - Berkeley, California

Punita shah nagda

Absolute delightful place and experience- my son chose this experience for us when I was visiting and the place turned out a lovely surprise for the 6 of us! A must visit when at Berkeley, they do set menus on the weekends only. Very quaint and warehouse style interiors, their production, prep area, dining, any cooking, cleaning- all happen in the same one large room. The atmosphere is unassuming and very welcoming (do not be fooled by the rustic appearance and do let your guard down).

Alex was our host for the day - it’s a family run business I guess- and she explained the plated up meal before us. Some fermentation processes were a year old and I appreciate their dedication to this obviously passionate hobby cum business cum lifestyle they’re committed to.

The food was just like the place - unassuming and did not fail to deliver. Everyone of us cleared off every morsel from our plates and the dessert aced all. Our micrbiome, gut and senses were all sated holistically and beautifully ?

I’m definitely going back when at Berkeley- you too shouldn’t miss this wholesome experience…

Cody R

This place is wonderful. They do a tasting menu on the weekend. I would recommend reservations. They probably would too. There’s not a lot of tables.
This is a great place to learn about fermentations. There’s many experiments. It’s well worth the experience.

Luke Schmidt

Hosting stresses me out. Are they comfortable? Is there enough food? Do they like the food? This is what I was asking myself when I was hosting a culture of bacteria in my stomach. I had oatmeal that morning because I heard that bacteria likes to munch on fiber from whole grains. It was the good stuff too, Bob's Red Mill. The kombucha and kimchi from here sat very well in my stomach, I'm assuming they enjoyed their stay! They were great guests! Would definitely have them in my belly again.

d p

Ate every bite! Must try if you enjoy fermented food. Great option for vegetarians and vegans! Your body will appreciate this meal as it is made mindfully.

Joshane Sablay

Very unique place with a lot of interesting books on fermentation, a lot of pottery, and some class or something going on when we walked in.

There were lot of different kombuchas, kraut, and other veggies. I was disappointed I didn't see any cucumber pickles but I know the place is more diverse in terms of "pickling".

Low rating comes from how cold and lacking service was when we walked in / just communicating with the people here in general.

Cool place but the people working seemed to just be focused on their work or the people sitting at the table. Was just a weird experience for new people checking out this place for the first time.

Tharun Adithya

Happy surprise to find this institution of fermented food! Do go in with an open mind and your taste buds will have an experience they'll never forget. The tasting menu, including the dessert were all delicious. The hosts have clearly devoted their lives to exploring and perfecting their craft.

Mitchell Tong

What a joke. $30/ person for a plate of pickles and a mandatory 20% tip for straight up rude service.

And the tip goes to the owner, not even the employees. This is the pretentious type of place where they think they’re saving the world with pickles.

Stay far away unless you want a stomach ache after eating an entire plate of pickles with nothing else to complement it.

JL D

Alex and Kevin are fermentation artistes! Have been appreciating their unique fermented delicacies for years. They will ruin all other kombucha experiences as their’s is the champagne of kombuchas. Also their lovingly prepared weekend fermented bowls are a special treat when I’m in town. ❤️