Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen

Specialties

Angeline’s brings the flavor and atmosphere of a New Orleans neighborhood restaurant to downtown Berkeley, with great music, libations and the classic dishes invented in the Crescent City’s greatest kitchens. We offer down-​home classics like Gumbo, Jambalaya, Fried Catfish, or our Buttermilk Fried Chicken. For dessert, try our Bananas Foster Bread Pudding or our signature warm Beignets with chicory coffee. Whatever you try, you’ll leave happy.

History

Established in 2006.

Angeline’s began as the dream of founder Robert Volberg as a way to bring southern hospitality and the delicious flavors of New Orleans to the bay area. Inspired by the neighborhood jambalaya joints he had visited on a trip to the Big Easy six months before Katrina, Robert was looking for a location for his new restaurant when he struck up a conversation with a man in chef’s pants in Oakland’s Rockridge district. The man was Chef Brandon Dubea from Baton Rouge, LA.

After working to develop an outstanding menu and create a delightful atmosphere, Angeline’s opened quietly and gained popularity slowly after opening. After reviews in the East Bay Express, SF Chronicle, Diablo Magazine and many others which hailed Chef Dubea’s cuisine as ‘authentic’ and dishes as having ‘real character’, Angeline’s was featured on an episode of ‘Check Please, Bay Area’. As word spread about the restaurant, Tempe Minaga completed the team as co-​owner in mid 2008 to improve service and operations.

Meet the Manager

Chef Brandon D.

Manager

When Chef Brandon was young he spent a lot of time in his Grandpa’s Cajun grocery store fronting shelves and helping with crawfish boils for comic book money and chocolate milk. He also spent a couple of summers cooking Cajun food with his brother in Jackson, MS as well as working in a local Cajun pizzeria.

After deciding to escape cooking Brandon moved to California with his future wife to create and produce music. He was hired as a video game tester and soon realized how much he missed cooking. He worked at various cafes in the East Bay and never found a style of food with which he felt comfortable. Realizing the bay area lacked great Cajun food, Chef B began his journey to create an authentic Cajun restaurant.

In 2003, he worked under Chef Christopher Cheung at Marica where he learned how to layer flavors and pay attention to all the details on a plate. He also worked as pastry chef under Tim Nugent at Café Rouge where he honed his skills before opening Angeline’s in 2006.