Bette's-To-Go
Categories: American (Traditional), Delis [Edit]
Neighborhood: Fourth Street1807 4th Street
(between Hearst Ave & Virginia St)
Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 548-9494
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: None
319 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown Berkeley
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37 Reviews for Bette's-To-Go
I walked around with my Bette's pizza-in-a-paper bag (borderline impossible to retrieve and consume with any grace, by the way) and everywhere I went people were telling me how great I smelled. I actually smelled like bike grease and sweat, so I'm led to believe it was the universally appealable aroma of the pizza. There is probably a marketable product in this realization somewhere, but I'm going to leave it. Pizza taste good.
Great selection of salads, too, which they update daily. Not your standard diner take-out, and I'd take Bette's over Gregoire's any day. Line at lunch time is not so great, but is it any wonder?
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Probably the only place on Fourth Street where you can get away with a quick and cheap meal. Well then again, if you're on Fourth Street you're probably looking for just the opposite. :)
We dropped by because a coworker had to pick up something nearby. Let's see...menu consists of pizza (that looked pretty tasty), sandwiches, soups, salads, and HOT DOGGG. Ordered a chili cheese dog with no onions. For the price of it $3.75 and how the price compared to their other dishes (the "cuban" hot sandwich was $6.95) I was expecting some puny dish (imagine Fry's 25cent hot dog).
However, I was surprised with a pretty good and large hot dog loaded with chili and cheese on it! While I wouldn't get this all the time, it hit the spot and turned what would have been an overly long and pricey meal because of the area into something else.
Their cakes and pies look damn good too.
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(a more accurate rating is 4.7).
i adore bette's :D
my dad commutes to berkeley from sacramento, monday through friday. he works on front street, which is really close to 4th street. sometimes
i'll ask my dad to bring me home a slice of bette's amazing cheese
pizza, and he always obliges...because i'm his little princess :p but
my favorite thing to do is drive in with my dad, hang out in his office
until all the stores are open, and then venture out and get some
serious shoppin' & eatin' done :D
bette's is definately one of my favorite restaurants in berkeley,
especially if you're looking for a cheap, tasty, quick lunch.
like i said, i really love the cheese pizza at bette's --the warm
bread, melted cheese, and flavorful tomato sauce. oh, and speaking of
the sauce, bette's pizza isn't drenched in it, which you'll really
appreciate, especially if you're trying to keep up the facade of
belonging on hoity-toity 4th street (because lord knows that if you
have pizza sauce all over your shirt you should really just go hang out
on telegraph).
bette's also has other lunch/dinner items, such as cold pastas, but
they haven't really appealed to me, so i haven't tried them.
in addition to the pastas, bette's also has a small case of desserts. i've tried the sugar cookies (cute, but too hard), vanilla cupcakes (kinda dry), and the red velvet cupcakes--omg, please allow me to obsess over the red velvet cupcakes for a second--they're sooo good! the actual cake was perfect (not too sweet), and the cream cheese frosting? let me put it this way: i was licking it off the dome of the cute little holder they put the cupcake in :)
I got a morning bun today. The experience wasn't so bad because it was 9:30 am on a Thursday morning. No lines, quick service. The morning bun had a nice sugar crunch and a not too sweet filling. Not something I'd go out of my way for, but a decent experience.
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A nice little stop on 4th street when there's no way you're getting in to the Diner next door. The best thing is the pizza, with a tender, slightly dry crust that is well complimented by the moist toppings. Definitely a nice and welcome change in taste and texture from Cheeseboard or Zachary's, but not a change in price ($2.50/slice). Buy a few slices with some of their good coffee, a lemon *anything* (such as lemon-pistachio cookie or lemon bar), and stroll the street on a Saturday afternoon.
I'm not familiar with 4th street so while waiting for a train one day, Bette's-To-Go caught my attention as likely the easiest lunch option and perhaps where I wouldn't feel awkward for having on a giant internal frame backpack. I was right about what mattered, learned to deal with feeling awkward. Unfortunately I can't really tell you what kind of menu they have because as soon as I see something with lox, I'm ready to order.
I pointed to a wrap behind the glass which also had a bit of tomato, a bunch of lettuce, and just enough cream cheese and herb spread. There were two pieces on a plate and I couldn't tell if they were two distinct sandwiches or, as I hoped, one sandwich cut in half to show its contents. Basically I wanted both pieces and figured I'd see her grab either one or both, but this is 4th street and lox is never that simple. She took the entire plate with the lox wraps out of the display as well as my view then asked for my name so that it could be called. This confused me since it didn't need to be warmed, just covered in paper and placed in a bag. Coincidentally this gave me time to look over their cupcakes and other pastries.
It took a few moments at the register while I waited for my fully prepared lox wrap to become more ready and I found out that I can resist even the most delicious looking cupcakes. However I apparently cannot resist the novelty and promise of a chocolate espresso twinkie. I asked at the last moment to add one to my bill, after having confidently said the lox wrap would be all I needed. "Have you ever had one of them before?" asked the cute girl behind the register. I told her I hadn't, but I was very excited to try. "Oh I'm excited for you," she said, "they're so bitchin." Sure it's 4th street, but it's still Berkeley.
The lox wrap, found within several layers of paper and some tape, ended up being only one of the pieces I saw on the plate. It was more of a snack than a meal, but that's partly because the lox was tasty and the produce was fresh so I wished I had several more. Considering the price, it's probably intended to be a snack. What's important to note is that while the lox wrap was enjoyable, the chocolate espresso twinkie is pretty much where it's at. Definitely bitchin.
Many of us know firsthand that a Hostess twinkie is exactly the same on day one as it is on day one thousand and one, but Bette's version is noticeably made fresh daily. None of that yellow styrofoam stuff, it's chocolate cupcake shaped like a twinkie and filled with cream the likes of which has never been seen in a Hostess factory. A shell of dark chocolate of course adds deliciousness, but also a richness that encourages you to slow down rather than resort to the traditional two-bite method for twinkies.
So where does the espresso come in? I don't know, but it's there. I appreciatively tasted it with the chocolate, but not in the form of bits of coffee beans like you commonly find in espresso brownies and then subsequently between your teeth. From what I've heard, the chocolate twinkies are dipped in espresso and thereby become the wonderful chocolate espresso twinkies that they are. Overall, the pastry was delicious and exciting. The novelty of finding something done right that has originally and always been done wrong is in my opinion a cause for celebration. A visit to the train station by 4th street is now incomplete for me without stopping by Bette's-To-Go.
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Good selection of pastries and cookies and sandwiches. I ordered the red velvet cupcake but wasn't too impressed. I'll have to come back to check out the pizza and other yelper-recommended items.
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If you're a fan of The Magnolia Bakery cupcakes in NYC, Bette's offers the next best thing. The chocolate cupcake with the pale green vanilla cream frosting. The red velvet cupcake. Oh my. Yes, it's worth dealing with the Birkenstocks.
Even better than the cupcakes is the cheese pizza. It's thin and a perfect combination of cheese, sauce and crust. My favorite pizza ever.
They serve delicious homemade empanadas in the mornings, but are almost always sold out by the time I make it in.
This place is extremely popular and often crowded. Watch as those nice, peace lovin' hippie types become rabid dogs as soon as they step inside Bette's and it's every man for himself towards the counter.
I've only had friendly, but often hurried service as they are so busy. That's OK, I'm often in a friendly hurry to eat my pizza and cupcake.
It was a clear and warmish day................I n downtown Berkeley anti-military groups were trying to outshout the OTHER SIDE. (did you forget there WAS another view?) Down on Fourth Street, all was calm.
I sat outside Bette's sharing a table with two hard hatted gents. Next to me were two moms with adorably dressed 2-3 year olds who whined in perfect sentences ( and probably would have talked about ART with me, if I had broached the subject).
Food always tastes better when you pretend you are in Paris, so that's what I do, as the food at Bette's is not like WOW!
I recco a weekday visit.
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oh, my god, to-go has the most amazing collection of coronary-causing sweet pastries (and that is the highest of compliments). Case in point: chocolate-espresso covered TWINKIES. Other contenders include red velvet cake, DOUGHNUT MUFFINS, lots of pies and one Black-Bottom Caramel Pudding (ok, not a pastry). I only come in the morning for coffee plus, on occasion, a bagel, but the morning folks are really nice, especially the brown-haired woman and the guy with glasses. They have lox. It feels good in my socks. And then they wrap the bagel in two parts, so each half is open-faced with its own amount of lox. Ingenious.
The only thing that keeps this breakfasttime-to-go review from five stars is that the dial is up too high on the toaster. I keep getting slightly burnt edges on my bagel and that smarts a bit.
**ETA: the toaster is fixed. Yay! And in my constant quest to fatten myself up for winter, I've discovered the fruit salad, full of peaches, berries, and summery goodness. Also the fruit turnover, a deliciously buttery treat with fruit of the day inside. Also the little lemon cakes. Also my friend likes that you can purchase one hardboiled egg. I on the other hand like that you can purchase two halves deviled eggs. Again, yay.
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Phew, I am not the first one to write about the service here. Why anyone in customer service would be so rude in the age of yelp is beyond me. We went here for brekkie (no food in our bellies) and we had to endure slow abrupt disorganized service. We were the only ones in the place waiting to be served and there were two women doing everything else besides helping us. One girl took my boyfriends order then took off and left me hanging. Then my boyfriend went to go ring up with another woman when they finally took my order. Then the bagel making girl became abrupt (she said it not me) and asked me "what did you want?". Finally, we got our bagels and sat down to eat. My boyfriend discovered onions on his bagel. He does not like raw onions, it makes him fart, why did Ms. Abrupt give him onions?
This place is all looks (I am not talking about the employees) and bitchy service. These women need to take their customer service skills a bit more seriously. If you can't do a good job, why do it at all. I don't need crap on my day off where I spend my money. I hope your boss reads yelp.
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Decent $10 lunch in Berkeley. If you eat there a lot mix it up, turkey sandwiches every day is fascist.
If not, pizza or a hot dog and an espresso dipped Twinkie.
I work about a block away from this joint, so when I'm too lazy to pack my own lunch (yes, I'm a cheap-ass), I head over to Bette's To Go. The food here is VERY reasonably priced for what you get. I mean, there's seriously gourmet stuff in here.
I ordered the tacos and wasn't sure how great they'd be--but they were delicious (a bit too spicy for me, but I'm a big baby).
Today I had a wrap (which they call an "aram." I am embarrassed to say "aram," so I say "wrap-thing" and then justify why I didn't call it an "aram." During my justification, I usually end up using the word "aram" anyway, which pretty much defeats the purpose of my justifying it to begin with, but oh well.) Anyway, the WRAP THING was very, very delicious. I loved it very much.
I also got the fruit salad, which was not any of that crappy cantaloupe/ honeydew melon mix. No, this fruit salad has strawberries, pineapple, mango, kiwi, grapes, honeydew, cantaloupe and EVEN POMEGRANATE SEEDS. How awesome is that.
Also, the people that work there are really, really nice. I like them a lot.
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Good food on the go! Their pizza is HUGE and yummy (american style...dont look for authenticity)...pop it in your toaster and you've got quite a meal for one.
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They get five stars for the best cupcakes I've found thusfar in the bay area....
It seems that some folks got some bad service coming here, but that hasn't been my experience. Tonight I was a little glum, and I needed cupcakes. I traveled to Fourth Street with information somewhere in the back of my brain that there were good cupcakes here... and that info was correct!
In addition to my two cupcakes (please don't judge!) I also got a latte... I like the fact that the barista seemed to take time making my coffee drink, and it paid off. The froth was perfectly foamy... and the coffee wasn't burnt. Stars for that as well.
Unfortunately, they were out of chocolate... I will be returning!
i got the pumpkin bread pudding and an almond tea cake to share with friends later in the evening. i'm not that into sweets and neither of them were very sugary so that was good but the pumpkin bread pudding was almost too cinnamony. i tried a friend's mint chocolate cookie and that was good.
the place was packed when i stopped in. the guy running the deli counter was zealously helpful but i felt like he was yelling in my ear. other than that, the service was fine.
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grumpy guy behind the counter: next!
me: hello, how are you?
grumpy: *rolls his eyes and slams his pen on the counter. he doesn't have time for small talk with this girl when there is a line of three people.
me: oookaaay.
woman in line behind me: *laughs a little.
me: may i have a slice of this pizza here, please?
grumpy: what?! *rolls his eyes again.
me: may i have a slice of this pizza here, please?
grumpy: name!
me: monica.
grumpy: *rips receipt. throws it at me. grunts.
me: thank you.
grumpy: next! *then walks away before next person has a chance to order.
woman behind me: uh-uh. this is too much.
me: hey, the brownies and pizza are ok. don't let him get to you.
woman behind me: girl, they can't be THAT good. i am out of here. this is too much.
guy behind her: i'm with you. what a jerk.
and they both walk out. and then i felt like a big loser for taking it. and i felt bad for the girl behind the counter, who seemed pleasant enough, because her coworker's behavior reflects poorly on her, as well.
yes, the service here is the absolute WORST service i have ever seen anywhere in the East Bay. and that's saying kind of a lot. i don't need much, really. i wait tables for a living. i know food service jobs are difficult. but i was nice to you, mister. just give me a "hello" and a smile. maybe a "thank you." but this guy was so mean and awful and he had this look on his face that said, "just shoot me in the face already, dear lord. i hate humanity with all of my cold cold heart." jesus christ, this guy needs to get out of the retail / food service world. i can't believe he still has a job. really, i can't. oh, well. from the looks of things, bette just doesn't care about things like this, since there are enough women with toy dogs in their purses shopping on 4th street to keep this place in business, i suppose. unfortunately, i'm not one of them.
i don't like to write bad reviews. and i don't like to put people's jobs and livlihood in jeopardy. but, man oh man, this seriously felt like a bad dream. the pizza and brownies are ok, though. heehee.
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I've visited Bette's-To-Go twice now. The first time I ate tacos and tres leches cake. Yum! Yesterday I ate a Cuban sandwich, potato salad and a cupcake. Again, yum! Prices are good. Sweets are excellent. Next time I may try a salad plate, if they have that. Why only four stars? Bette's sometimes serves red velvet cake...covered in pecans! I am allergic to pecans. Make a "nut free" red velvet cake, Bette's-To-Go, and I may give you five whole stars.
ETA: Bette's To-Go has red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!!
Why such mostly sour-faced people behind the counter? Miserable little twerps.
I work on the street and used to settle for the pizza here due to the close proximity but now I happily spend half of my lunch break on the drive to and from Gioia Pizzeria for a slice instead.
Truly, there is nothing here that isn't done better elsewhere and without the attitude. Think this is the first place I'll put on my "goodbye to 2006 list".
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Went here for lunch. The food/salad was tasteeeee.
I had two types of Salad and my office co-worker Joel had a sandwich and a salad.
The choices are many, including 2 types of Pizza and a fridge full of soda and drinks that are unique. This place also has cookies and chocolate bundt cake, hmmm! I will have to go back again.
I was pleasantly surprised with the food (salads). Actually would add this place to me lunch circuit for a quick pickup and eat in front of my compooter monitor.
I will update when I go back again.
Recommend: Yes, it is an institution, a must go if you are shopping close by.
Will I go back: Yes, at least once a month
Romantic: Yes, your date will love you 2 times (Jim Morrison probably took his date here)
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ok food, decent prices, annoying Berkeley clientele. My god why are they so bitchy? Pizza is delish, I had a roast beef sandwich.
**UPDATE**
Boyfriend and I slice had lunch here to today - I must say - the pizza is excellent! This place gets an extra star from me - the clientele was still the same but hey what can you do?
Great sandwich, pizza, and pasties place. The specialty sandwiches are always creative and very tasty. Very creative in putting different combinations together and consistently uses quality ingredients. If none of the daily specialty sandwiches strike your fancy, you can't go wrong with the delicious pizza slices.
While I'm not a huge fan of Bette's Diner I do think Bette's to go makes a much better latte(and much, much better pastries) than Peet's across the street. They used to make a much better chai --- the real kind not the presweetened sh*t but now they both make the fake kind.(I mean the presweetened sh*t)
Nice but pricey lunch stuff too.
________
I used to like bette's -to-go better until a troll-employee complained to me about my complaint over the fake prepackage chai.
First of all yes it is the presweetened sh*t kind -- if it wasn't I could add my own desired amount of sweetener and not be choked on the by the cloying amount of sugar.
Second of all, your time would be much better spent by actually making "real chai" than complaining to me about my taste (& or lack of taste) for overly sweetened sh*t.
Why do trolls provide sh*tty products and then complain when people don't want to spend money on said sh*tty products?
My advice "make a good product and people will buy it. Of course in Berkeley people will probably buy it anyway"
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Great alternative to Bette's Oceanview restaurant, espcially on Sat or Sun lunch time when the line at the restaurant is long. We had their slice of pizza, ham sandwitch, and turkey sandwitch.
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Had to pick something up during lunch on 4th St., so needed to grab some food too. The line wasn't bad and the pastries looked pretty good. Decided on a cuban. A bit on the smaller side, but hey, I'm a pig so it might be just right for you. Wasn't great, but decent.
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This is a great place for lunch. Order a sandwich (mmm, egg salad) and head across the street to sit on the wall in front of Peet's.
In some ways, Bette's To-Go is a better deli than Saul's.
Bettte's To-Go sells some tasty cookies, too.
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Bette's pancake mixes are Fan-Friggin-Tastic!.. The buttermilk are my great, but the Buckwheat are, in the words of my goddess rachel ray, AWESSSSOOOOMMMMEEEE!
I am sure the diner food is good too, but I have never eaten there. And the cookies are good, one afternoon, in a half drunken-half hung over daze, still in my clothes from the night before, a friend and i bought a bag of assorted fresh bake cookies back home... those motivated me to get into the shower...finally!
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As someone who has a lemon bar (square) fetish - I pretty much try them wherever I go - I think I have found nirvana. The lemon bar has two layers - the top is light and fluffy, the bottom is nutty and crunchy. Together, the combination is divine. And, for $1.85, it's a good deal - enough for sharing but I usually don't. Also, I had a slice of the special pizza (mushroom) and it was great. Somewhere between Zachary's thin pizza and Cheeseboard's pizza. Berkeleyans, you know what I mean. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that service is fast. Don't let a crowd of people deter you!
Best cup of drip coffee in the United States. Liquid Ecstasy. Throw in a braided cherry-cheese croissant and you have a perfect, balanced breakfast.
The best thin crust pizza in town! Great lattes, lemon bars, cup cakes, and scones. This is a nice place to come if you don't feel like waiting the hour it usually takes to get a seat in Bette's. You can sit at one of their outdoor seats and people watch or take stuff literally "to-go" and find your own place, possibly freeing up a parking space for me.
i walked in and my eyes fixed upon today's special: pizza with corn, pesto, and fresh tomatoes. delish!!! my belly is loving me right now. this was my first time to bette's but won't be my last- there was a line out the door but the service remained friendly and fast, and the prices can't be beat. I got my slice to-go and sat on the wall beside one of the neighboring shops.
I haven't been able to find the right time to catch Bette's restaurant.. so I end up here. Still, this is an excellent "To-Go" place and I'm sure I'll eventually end up sampling their famous eats. I like the feel and employees that work for "Bette's" and so I'll come here again whenever I'm hungry on 4th St and I don't feel like ice cream at Sketch, yet.
Best Mocha's in the area, delicious baked goods, and the best service on the block!! I love this place and I'm there at least 5 days a week.
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I walked into Bette's-To-Go for lunch having seen droves of people milling about outside on weekends. It was high time I tried the fare and so I walked in hoping for a large selection of friendly foods. Sadly despite the cheerful decor, constant asking for the next customer, baked goods in the display case, and eggs balanced precariously on an egg-stand, there is just not very much food for a vegetarian. I chose the hummus and roasted pepper sandwhich on whole wheat. It was given to me quickly and I went outside to sample my the goods while basking in the April sunshine and watching the yuppies waste their time at overpriced furniture stores. The sandwich was quite nice and very satisfying; the bread did not get soggy, the red peppers were tangy, the lettuce fresh. I will say that despite tasting good, the hummus was freezing cold-- probably from an industrial sized bucket hidden in the depths of the fridge. I'm not thoroughly convinced of Bette's-To-Go, but since I was a happy camper at the end of my lunch hour, I'll be kind.
even if there is time to wait for bette's diner, bette's to go is still awesome. i love their pizza, soups, and salads all the same. even better, it's cheap and quick!
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Bette's to go has great foodstuffs for when the wait at the diner is too long - and has the BEST CUPCAKES in the greater bay area! They use the Magnolia Bakery recipe, and at 1.75 each they are priced right. I've had many a lame-ass cupcake at fancier cup-cakeries for 2.50 a pop that weren't anywhere near as good! Sometimes I drive down and double park just to run in and get a cupcake - yum!
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I put together lucnhes daily at work and often times have to put together lunch meetings for up to 15 people. If there were any kind of alternative to the good salads they have at Bette's I would stop going here in a heartbeat. Unfortunately the people I work for love their salads. I will say that the food is not bad. However, the service is absolutely awful. I cannot count on two hands the number of times I have gotten back to work only to find that they have yet again forgot part of my order. This means spending another 30-60 minutes going back to the restaurant, finding parking, waiting there while they get my order, and driving back to work. I understand making mistakes once in a while, and for the most part I don't care so long as people are willing to at least try and make it right. This is obviously not the philosophy at Bette's. They could care less. I guess they have enough business that they don't have to count on long time loyal customers. I think if I went in daily with just an order for myself my experience would be better. However for large orders, they have proved that they are not capable of putting them together correctly, and when they do mess up do absolutely nothing to try and make things right. The manager is very nice and has had a couple of talks with me about my situation and has been helpful, but for the most part the rest of the employees really do not care. You would think after having to come back so many times they could comp a sandwich once in a while, or even a cookie. But nope. Nothing. They do not care.
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