• Location: Jack London Square, Oakland

• Website: http://eatrealfest.com

• Pricing: $$-$$$

• Hours: Third weekend in September Fri: 1p.m.- 9p.m., Sat: 1030 a.m.-9p.m., Sun: 1030a.m.-5p.m.

 

Description: If every Off The Grid and street Fair in the East Bay came together and had a baby- this would be it! This is the most tasty line up of vendors come together to serve you that you will find all year! If there was ever a reason to eat your heart out- it's at the Eat Real Festival. Set up in Oakland's Jack London Square you can find stand after stand of yumminess. You can literally go and eat different foods the whole day! There is great variety from BBQ, tacos, Filipino food, Indian food, Southern comfort food, mac and cheese, ice cream tacos, smoothies, Bahn Mi's , frozen custard, cheesecake, stuffed peppers, and so many more-the list goes on and on! I was super excited to find so many vegan options in one place and such a variety too! Since it is in Jack London Square it is right on the water and a nice backdrop while you are chowing down.  But shade is limited and you have to be a good scavenger to find a place to sit. For children it is fun because they like to eat too! My daughter is currently in the stage where she is open to trying new things (thank goodness, we moved out of the won't try anything that's not familiar stage). So she was willing to at least bite most of my items. She was excited to get a big hot dog and an ice cream taco of her own. I was just excited to eat so many delicious vegan offerings. My husband had ox tail tacos, and we were all very satisfied customers!

 

Highlights: The festival goes on for three days! So even if you don't get to try everything you want the first day or two, there is plenty of time to go back for more...and more! Bring a few friends and share the love (and food), you'll get to sample twice as much. This event is also a really good way to find out about new places to eat, some of the vendors come from restaurants or have local food trucks. You might just find your new favorite place to eat at!

 

Tips: There is a lot of parking in the area but the later in the event you go, the harder  it is to find a close parking spot!