01-07-2025
I miss my favorite Oakland restaurant. But the sequel is wonderful in different ways
MacKenzie Chung Fegan is on vacation, so Cesar Hernandez is filling in this week.
Daytrip was my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. I fell to my knees and cursed the heavens when it closed last December. The Oakland spot was cheeky, dizzyingly flavorful and psychedelically sexy with a fermentation kink. This burning star shined bright then evaporated — an allegory for the waning invincibility of your 20s.
Last month, it was reborn as Daytrip Counter, a counter-service rotisserie chicken spot better suited to the new interests of owners Stella Dennig and Finn Stern — parents in their 30s.
Daytrip 2.0 bears resemblance to beloved quick-service spots like Souvla and RT Rotisserie, known for delivering affordable quality and consistency.
Mainly consisting of rotisserie chicken and salads, the menu is like if Sweet Green and El Pollo Loco had a kid that went to culinary school. The flavors are bright and zippy; the textures disparate and bountiful. It's a supreme lunch spot that I wish I could visit every day.
Full disclosure: My first experience with the chicken was less than optimal. In a blind taste test of rotisserie chickens in the Bay Area, Daytrip didn't live up to my expectations. That was likely due to the testing parameters; we tried all chickens at room temperature and without any sauces.
I felt compelled to give the chicken another shake in its intended state and, boy, am I glad I did.
This chicken was juicy, tenderly shreddable and doused in a schmaltzy sauce, an emulsion of chicken fat and stock, landing somewhere in between chicken gravy and milky oxtail broth. To ensure succulence, the vinegar-brined birds are injected with several CCs of that fatty, emulsified liquid.
I recommend scaling down its richness with a squeeze of lime or try introducing additional flavor with a rolodex of sauces. I loved the herby, tangy-sweet tomatillo vinaigrette — similar to green sauce from Cheese Board Pizza in Berkeley — and spicy, fish sauce-spiked aioli, like a creamy version of Vietnamese nước chấm.
Fish sauce also lends a depth of umami to the Caesar aioli, a bright, peppery condiment accompanying the crunchy Caesar fries, spuds coated in garlicky, citrusy seasoning and finished with Parmesan cheese shavings.
The original Daytrip had a reputation for a revelatory salad, and its latest foray expands upon that idea. The oregano-scented Club Med ($13.50) is a whirlwind of creaminess and acidity while the Crispy Spicy ($13) is podium for crunch and funk. Although the salads are plenty filling, I recommend adding shredded chicken ($3.50) or a jammy egg ($3.50).
With the change in concept, the space got a facelift. The pink walls and murals of the past have been replaced by a fresh coat of lemon yellow paint. It could double as a monochromatic set piece from a Wes Anderson movie. The lounge area was traded for more seating and a floating island, the bussing, self-serve water and utensil station. Above it hangs a crystal disco ball, a remnant of a former life.
If the former restaurant was a disco-themed dinner party, Daytrip Counter is a picnic on a sunny day. Welcome back.
