Daytrip was a restaurant as unusually good as its uncommon, ’70s party-style decor. Finn Stern and Stella Dennig introduced an unnatural stage of creativity to their Temescal bistro — taking part in with issues like miso fermented pasta and lemon-verbena chlorophyll — all complemented with eclectic pure wines and an total groovy vibe.
Properly, Day Journey shut down in December as a consequence of what Dennig known as an “increasing shrinkage of the top-line revenue.” It reopened on Could 9, and also you’ll by no means guess what it’s serving: That exact same “roast chicken,” which right here is completely not an absolute bore.
The rebranded Daytrip Counter is as casual as its identify suggests — saunter as much as a countertop and order your hen by the half or complete, and decorate it with seasonal salads and sides. It appears easy however the cooks’ creativity makes it sing. They’re going after Daytrip’s “same flavor-maximalist take on California Cuisine with a healthy twist,” they are saying on their web site, and ship with daring elements and cooking in a (bukawk!) bird-friendly kind.
Daytrip Counter, a reinvention of the restaurant Daytrip, opened in Could 2025 in Oakland serving “flavor-maximalist” Californian delicacies like rotisserie hen, Thai salads and Caesar fries. (John Metcalfe/Bay Space Information Group)
The vibe: Daytrip’s fondness for Disco Age nostalgia nonetheless reigns in a coloration scheme that’s Heinz mustard-yellow and an precise disco ball hanging from the ceiling. There are a couple of tables and a small bar for seating, however the restaurant appears geared closely towards take-out enterprise. (Supply choices from DoorDash will start on Could 14.) Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be an uncomfortable place to take a primary date or perhaps a household who needs to dig right into a hen feast.
The meals: With the rock-bottom baseline for rotisserie hen being Costco’s $5-plus-change chook, Daytrip is somewhat extravagant at $27 for complete and $17 for half. Nonetheless, with many Bay Space eating places charging that a lot for a hen breast on a plate, it ain’t horrible. (There are additionally family-friendly combo choices with sides and salads for a bit extra.) And you then’re getting what you paid for: a supremely juicy, slow-roasted chook with golden pores and skin and an ideal quantity of seasoning, plus lime wedges for squeezing.
The hen comes drizzled in “schmaltz sauce,” a wealthy gravy that conjures Thanksgiving dinner. Diners will shortly understand that sauces are a key element right here. There are greater than half-a-dozen on the menu, and the excellent hen turns wonderful when dunked in a tomatillo French dressing, say, or a three-herb pesto or potent fish-sauce aioli. The Caesar French fries include their very own sauce, a Caesar aioli, and with some melted Parmesan are akin to elevated Jersey-style Disco Fries ($7).
Daytrip Counter, a reinvention of the restaurant Daytrip, opened in Could 2025 in Oakland serving “flavor-maximalist” Californian delicacies like rotisserie hen, salads and Caesar fries. Pictured: Rooster, Caesar fries, gigante beans, fish-sauce aioli and tomatillo French dressing. (John Metcalfe/Bay Space Information Group)
There are 4 sorts of salads made with lacinato kale and Romaine lettuce hearts. You’ll be able to add quinoa to make them into bowls or high them with shredded hen or an umami egg ($12.50-$17). The Thai-style Crispy Spicy salad is a brilliant, zesty melange of herbs, pickled onions, inexperienced beans and “shallot granola” — it’s a delight for texture and warmth lovers. A facet of sesame cauliflower is deep and comforting like gooey mac-‘n’-cheese ($7.50), and the thumb-sized gigante beans in broth is successful from left discipline. You’ll end up sipping the flavorful broth, feeling bizarre about your self, then going again for extra ($7).
Daytrip Counter, a reinvention of the restaurant Daytrip, opened in Could 2025 in Oakland serving “flavor-maximalist” Californian delicacies like rotisserie hen, salads and Caesar fries. Pictured: “The Crispy Spicy” salad. (John Metcalfe/Bay Space Information Group)
Drinks and dessert: The beverage menu is pretty pared down, at the least in comparison with Daytrip. The market-priced wine comes as White, Orange, Rose, Chilled Purple and Purple, accessible by the glass or bottle. There’s canned and bottled beer within the fridge for perusing, and zero-proof choices that embrace home made salted-honey limeade and native Grand Espresso chilly brew ($4.50). For one thing candy, diners may finish on a black-sesame coconut cookie ($3) — however many little doubt will go for the Straus Household Creamery comfortable serve, with toppings like ardour fruit or rosemary and olive oil ($5-$6.50)
Particulars: Open 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. every day at 4316 Telegraph Ave., Oakland; daytripcounter.com, instagram.com/daytripcounter
Initially Printed: Could 13, 2025 at 12:51 PM PDT
