Hotel Shattuck Plaza Berkeley Review

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Hotel Shattuck Plaza offers a wonderful snapshot of Berkeley, California. The unique decor, retro vibe, and delicious locavore food capture the essence of the city.

Hotel Shattuck Plaza is one of the top hotels in Berkeley, California. My family recently stayed at the hotel, and it’s clear why it gets high ratings from people traveling to the area on both business and pleasure. It’s an ideal spot to soak up the Berkeley vibe and enjoy the comforts of a boutique hotel.

After hours of travel from Boston to San Francisco, my family was grateful to go door-to-door from San Francisco Airport to Hotel Shattuck Plaza using public transportation. The BART station is right outside the hotel, so we didn’t have to juggle our bags through the city streets or pay for an expensive taxi ride. We wanted to unwind from the trip and acclimate ourselves to the Bay Area before jumping into the tourist scene, and we couldn’t have picked a better hotel.

Hotel Shattuck Plaza is an eco-friendly hotel located in a historic building just two blocks from the UC Berkeley campus. The cozy guest rooms feature very comfortable beds, linens, and towels. With the room’s efficient layout, my family of four didn’t feel crowded even with an air mattress on the floor for one of the kids.

The hotel’s vibrant decor provides a fun, retro vibe that connects it to the spirit of Berkeley. This city was the birthplace of the free speech movement in the sixties, and Hotel Shattuck Plaza celebrates that era with its look and its friendly service.

FIVE Restaurant at Hotel Shattuck Plaza

No matter where you’re staying in the Bay Area, you don’t want to miss FIVE, the restaurant at Hotel Shattuck Plaza. My family enjoyed a menu sampling for dinner here one night, and it’s a meal we’re still talking about weeks later.

The menu features a wide variety of seasonal dishes that support local, sustainable, and organic providers. We sampled several salads, and they were all delicious. I especially liked the baby yellow beet and watermelon salad.

For our main course, we tried dishes featuring salmon, pork chops, gnocchi, and breaded stuffed squash blossoms. We enjoyed them all, and the star was the squash blossom dish served with arugula, black rice, and carrot parsnip puree. I love seeing dishes like this on a menu. It’s completely inspired by the seasonal ingredients available at the farmers market right here in Berkeley.

Even the Shirley Temple was special. They make their own grenadine at FIVE, so the drink isn’t saturated with food coloring. As a parent who never likes seeing my kids drink neon beverages, this is definitely a plus for me! It’s a small thing, but it shows how attentive this restaurant is to the details.

The pastry chef has put together a fantastic selections of desserts on the menu, so be sure to leave room for dessert. My kids loved the macarons and butterscotch pudding, and I was partial to the tarts and the chocolate covered strawberries. You can’t go wrong with any of the options here.