Fenton's

4226 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA - (510) 658-7000

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Posted By Michael Stern on January 21, 2008 10:16 PM

Fenton's is a creamery devoted to ice cream, but in many ways it is a classic California coffee shop. Its broad menu of sandwiches, salads, chili, and hamburgers is dished out in a big, quick-service dining room where people come for hot meals as well as for coffee an' snacks. Over the course of several days in Oakland, I relished a crab salad sandwich on grilled sourdough bread, a guacamole burger, and a copious Cobb salad, as well as an order of chili cheese fries.

The best things I ate at Fenton's were sundaes. Two friends and I did a three way share of a top-of-the-line banana special, which is -- are you ready? -- three pounds of ice cream topped with pineapple, strawberry, and fudge, plus a banana, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. The menu divides the sundae selection into "Sundaes for the Adventurous" (the really big ones), "Sundaes for the Sophisticate" (classic black-and-whites, black-and-tans), "Sundaes for the Sedate" (only a scoop or two), and "Create Your Own."

From a repertoire of a couple dozen house-made ice cream flavors the stand-out for me was Swiss milk chocolate, a creamy concoction dotted with millions of little bits of candy; and of the toppings, the killer was "Jersey," a frothy swirl of malted milk chocolate.

In addition to table seats, Fenton's offers a handful of counter stools in back where you have a great view of the open kitchen where short-order chefs whip up meals at lightning speed.

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Posted By John on June 15, 2011 3:42 AM

I'm glad Fenton's is still there. It's located between UC-Berkeley and the College Of Arts & Crafts (CCAC). This is where you want to go for terrific handcrafted ice cream. I started enjoying the premium offerings at Fenton's during the 1960s. It's a well-kept secret that Bay Area natives are proud to show off to the visitors they like, when they tire of cable car rides across the bay.

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