We don’t blame you if the idea of cooking a Thanksgiving meal from scratch is the very last thing you want to do this year. With COVID-19 cases spiking again and new restrictions limiting indoor gatherings, making a huge turkey and all the fixings for a small quarantine pod might not be in the cards. And, with Bay Area counties closing down indoor dining rooms again, ordering a Thanksgiving takeout meal this year is looking more appealing. It’s a two-fold win: You don’t have to do the cooking, and you’re helping support local restaurants suffering another blow with the new limitations on service.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up expertly prepared feasts, make-at-home meal kits, and heat-and-serve meals from restaurants and caterers in the East Bay so all you’ll have to worry about is which pair of stretchy pants you’re going to wear to dinner. Note that this is not a comprehensive list. If we left off your favorite spot doing Thanksgiving takeout this year, let us know in the comments.
Pomella
Though chef Mica Talmor might be hitting pause on her Middle Eastern-style food, she’s definitely not turning down the flavor with her Turkey Day offerings. Choose from either turkey breast stuffed with ground thigh meat, apples and cranberries; harissa turkey wings with sumac-seasoned ranch; or mushroom Bastilla (a Moroccan phyllo pie) as your entree before diving into a choice of two gravies and four “traditional” sides with a twist, like the wheat berry, levain, fig and kabocha squash stuffing or mashed celeriac and Yukon gold potatoes. Oh, and be sure to save room for one (or all) of the desserts. Sweet potato cheesecake anyone? Order everything together or à la carte before the big day.
Price: Full dinner is based on two to six servings at $110-$310; à la carte items start at $8.
Other info: Items will come cold-packed and completely cooked with heating instructions. Pickup is for Nov. 24 and 25 only. Pomella is closed Thanksgiving day.
Pomella, 3770 Piedmont Ave., (between MacArthur Boulevard and Yosemite Avenue), suite B, Oakland
The Kitchen at Rocky’s Market
Corinne Kinczel, chef-owner of Rocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin, is pulling out all the stops for this year’s day of eating. The Kitchen will be offering a five-course meal including pre-dinner nibbles, a choice of starter, Fuyu persimmon salad with goat cheese, a roasted turkey entree with all the fixings, such as green beans, mashed potatoes and sourdough stuffing, and either pumpkin pie, cheesecake with cranberry sauce or flourless chocolate cake. And for the kiddos, there’s a special T-Day menu, too. Dine outside on the 15,000-square-foot, heated patio or order this meal for takeout. You can also preorder an organic Diestel Family Ranch turkey (uncooked, brined, smoked or roasted), sides and take-and-bake pies to host a meal at home.
Price: Dine-in or takeout, regular menu $75 per person ($100 with wine pairing), kid’s menu (ages 5-12) $25 per person, plus 18% service fee. Pricing varies for preordered meals.
Other info: The Kitchen will be open on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, with two seatings at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 510-496-1191. Masks must be worn unless seated at the table. Preorders must be made no later than Tuesday, Nov. 17, and are ready for pickup Nov. 25 or 26. Call or fill out the order form online.
Rocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin, 288 Ninth Ave. (at the Ninth Avenue terminal), Oakland
The Wolf
If turkey isn’t for you, try The Wolf’s Duck Thanksgiving Feast. The decadent take-home dinner serves four, and includes rotisserie Sonoma duck breast, duck confit and cornbread stuffing, spiced duck gravy, shaved Brussels sprouts, garnet yam mashed potatoes, lacinato kale-persimmon salad and fried apple pies with a pint of vanilla ice cream. After this meal, Thanksgiving duck might be your new tradition.
Price: $200
Other info: Call 510-879-7953 to place an order by Nov. 19 for pickup on Thanksgiving day.
The Wolf, 3853 Piedmont Ave. (at Rio Vista Avenue), Oakland
Standard Fare
Chef-owner Kelsie Kerr and the crew at Standard Fare will be cooking up a bevy of salads, sides and sweets for you to take home and enjoy this Thanksgiving. The special menu includes dishes like fresh cranberry and orange relish, glazed carrots, turkey gravy, mixed chicories salad, persimmon pudding and a holiday cookie bag. Standard Fare is also selling La Tercera heirloom squash and Blume dried flower bouquets to pretty up the table.
Price: Dishes are sold a la carte at different sizes (half a pint to quart) and range in price from $5-$34.
Other info: Order online for pickup between noon and 4 p.m., Nov. 25.
Standard Fare, 2701 Eighth St. (at Carleton Street), unit 118, Berkeley
Mockingbird
Mockingbird’s Everything But the Bird menu is, well, everything. Dishes are sold à la carte, and meant to serve four people. Offerings include cornbread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, twice-baked mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, cranberry relish and roasted Brussels sprouts with crispy speck lardon. Mockingbird has partnered with Angel Cakes to offer pies, cheesecake and pot de crème.
Price: Side dishes range from $8-$17; desserts from Angel Cakes are $6-$30.
Other info: Order online by 8 p.m., Nov. 20. Upon ordering, schedule a pickup time between noon to 8 p.m., Nov. 25.
Mockingbird, 416 13th St. (at Broadway), Oakland
Smoke Berkeley
While the Berkeley barbecue joint will still serve its brisket, Smoke will be prioritizing turkey for its special Thanksgiving menu. Order a whole turkey and quart-size helpings of sides like mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing and cranberry relish, and a pie or two. And if you think you’ll be hungry for more, feel free to tack on some smoked salmon, leg of lamb or hickory-smoked ham.
Price: Turkeys are $75-$95; sides are $15-$25; pies are $30.
Other info: Call (510) 593-8997 or email to place an order by Nov. 23. Pickup only.
Smoke Berkeley, inside Spats, 1974 Shattuck Ave. (between University and Berkeley Way), Berkeley
Top Hatters Kitchen & Bar
Top Hatters will have a limited number of its Thanksgiving Feast-at-Home, so the restaurant recommends customers order ASAP. The menu includes herbed turkey breast roulade with turkey gravy, confit turkey leg with roasted balsamic glazed roasted onions, cranberry sauce stewed with Early Girl tomatoes and cardamom, garlic mashed potatoes, chestnut and dried fruit dressing, roasted carrots with harissa pesto and fall salad with preserved lemon dressing and seasonal fruits.
Price: $125 (serves 1-3); $200 (serves 4-6)
Other info: Order online by Nov. 20 to schedule pickup on Nov. 25. All dishes are prepared and cooked, but will need to be reheated and plated.
Top Hatter’s Kitchen & Bar, 855 MacArthur Blvd. (at Diehl Avenue), San Leandro
Rick & Ann’s
Let this Berkeley comfort food haven take care of all your Thanksgiving food needs this year. Ann’s Catering — the catering arm of Rick & Ann’s Restaurant — offers Thanksgiving options for individuals (the hot entree features turkey breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, green beans and cranberry sauce, all for an affordable $20), as well as a la carte dishes for large groups, like uncured Applewood smoked Niman Ranch Ham, whole roasted Diestel turkey, racks of barbecue ribs, poached salmon, quart-sized salads and sides and whole pies.
Price: Whole roasted turkeys are $100; hams are $80; are salads and sides are $10-$25. The hot entree is $20 per person.
Other info: Call 510-649-0869 before 10 a.m., Nov. 23 for pickup between 3-6 p.m., Nov. 25. All items, except the hot entree, required re-heating.
Rick & Ann’s, 2922 Domingo Ave. (at Russell Street), Berkeley
ACT Catering
The Emeryville-based catering service has teamed up with Berkeley’s Blue Willow Tea cafe for this year’s Thanksgiving offerings. Infusing the cafe’s sustainably and ethically sourced teas into almost every dish, ACT chefs have created delicious prix-fixe or a la carte meals featuring a citrus and Assam tea-brined turkey roll; Dungeness crab and avocado; fennel-roasted heirloom carrots with kale; olive oil and marjoram crushed potatoes; a blueberry and ube pie; and way more delightful sounding dishes. And if you want to cook your own turkey, you can order a whole, organic, Assam tea-brined turkey to pop in your oven.
Price: Prix-fixe menu with turkey is $75, vegan prix fixe is $59, both meals are for two people; à la carte items start at $5.50. Whole turkey is $65, to feed 6-8 people.
Other info: All menu items will be available for contactless delivery or pickup Nov. 24-26. Containers are compostable. ACT also requests that when ordering, note in the comments what day you want your order delivered or ready for pickup rather than filling out Square’s date and time slots.
ACT Catering, 1552 Beach St. (pickup entrance is actually off Halleck Street just south of Park Street), Emeryville
Market Hall Foods and Rockridge Market Hall
The local chain of specialty markets is going all out with its T-Day menu, cooking up dishes like caramelized leek and winter squash quiche, roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans, a white wine, mustard and herb-brined turkey and an apple juice-marinated smoked ham — there’s something on the Market Hall menu for everyone to enjoy. And if you have a sweet tooth, consider the apple crumble pie or pecan tart. But if you, like so many, think that the sides are the stars of the Thanksgiving show, then you can order the “Everything but the Bird” menu for six to eight people.
Price: Entrees start at $15, sides start at $3; Everything but the Bird is $155.
Other info: Pre-order up until noon on Nov. 21. Both shops are closed on Thanksgiving Day but parking lots will be open for pickup. You must reserve a pickup time slot with your order. Rockridge Market Hall, order online or call phone 510-250-6001; for Market Hall on Fourth Street, order online or call 510-250-6001.
Rockridge Market Hall, 5655 College Ave., Ste. 201 (at Keith Avenue), Oakland; Market Hall on Fourth Street, 1786 4th St. (between Hearst Avenue and Virginia Street), Berkeley
Lake Chalet
So you forgot to defrost your turkey. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Instead of trying to fix the unfixable, pivot your mealtime plans by heading to Lake Chalet. The waterfront restaurant is offering a three-course meal available for takeout or outdoor dining on the dock. The first course is a choice of soup or salad. Then, diners can decide: Go traditional with a helping of white and dark meat with all the fixings (sage stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, cider glazed butternut squash and other vegetables) or perhaps traverse the road less taken, with the pan-roasted King salmon with cauliflower puree, Brussels sprouts and a toasted almond and pomegranate “salsa.” Vegetarians should check out the egg pasta tagliatelle with king trumpet mushrooms, leeks, greens and crème fraîche. Whatever your main, desserts include a choice of apple cobbler or pumpkin white chocolate pie.
Price: $69 per person.
Other info: Menu is only available on Thanksgiving from noon to 8 p.m. Reservations required for outdoor dining.
Lake Chalet, 1520 Lakeside Dr. (on Lake Merritt), Oakland
Oak Harvest Kitchen + Zella’s Soulful Kitchen
Oak Harvest and Zella’s are joining forces to provide a la carte dishes for a Thanksgiving feast that’ll satisfy omnivores, vegans and vegetarians. Oak Harvest is preparing veg-friendly eats like stuffed butternut squash, shepherd’s pie and glazed Japanese sweet potatoes; Zella’s is cooking up citrus and herb brined turkey thighs and mac and cheese.
Price: All dishes are a la carte, and range from $16-$36 for sides; $20 for two servings for chicken; and $60 for shepherd’s pie and stuffed squash (both feed 4-6 people).
Other info: Pre-order online for pickup between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 25. There is a $30 minimum for delivery to most local addresses (more for farther locations), plus a $4.99 delivery fee.
Oak Harvest Kitchen, 499 14th St. (between Broadway and Clay Street), Oakland
Salt & Honey Catering & Events
The catering pros at Salt & Honey are offering Thanksgiving main entrees and sides, like garlic rosemary roasted pork shoulder, prime rib with au jus, vegetarian cabbage rolls, white truffle mac and cheese, and sausage and herb stuffing.
Price: Entrees, sides and desserts range from $25-$140; delivery orders are subject to an additional charge.
Other info: Orders must be placed by Nov. 17 and are available for pickup (from 9 a.m. to noon) or delivery Nov. 25. Preorder your meal online, call 415-702-0894 or email.
Salt & Honey Catering & Events, 3303 San Pablo Ave. (near Linden Street), Oakland
Slippery Fish Catering
This Berkeley-based catering company is offering two Thanksgiving options: a kit with prepared, but uncooked ingredients for you to finish at home, and a feast that’s already cooked, ready to heat and serve. Dishes in the two options vary, but both include turkey and mushroom cream gravy; sides like celery root and Yukon potato mashers, sourdough stuffing, and housemade cranberry sauce; and a dessert of apple cinnamon bread pudding. Slippery Fish’s meals even include a fall flower arrangement — how thoughtful!
Price: The Thanksgiving Kit is $250 (serves 12); the Thanksgiving Take-N-Bake is $100 (serves 4). Deliveries are subject to an additional fee.
Other info: Thanksgiving Kit and Take-N-Bake are available for curbside pickup and delivery on Nov. 25. Last day to order is Nov. 20. Order online or call 415-602-1119. Slippery Fish will be closed Nov. 26-29.
Slippery Fish Catering, 1491 San Pablo Ave. (between Jones and Page streets), Berkeley