Benchmark Pizzeria pies at the restaurant in Kensington. Benchmark recently expanded with a new takeout spot selling pizza, salads and market goods.

Pizza lovers in the East Bay had a chance to rejoice this September with the arrival of a new shop from a PizzaHacker alum and a new Benchmark Pizzeria outlet. 

September’s opening lineup goes beyond pies, however, with highlights including a new space for beloved Ethiopian landmark Cafe Colucci in Oakland, Asian American deli pop up Ok’s Deli opening a Temescal storefront and a few surprising additions to Berkeley’s ramen and Asian fusion lineup.

Here are a few notable restaurants that opened in the East Bay in September. Find last month’s edition here.

Italian fare and goods to-go

Chronicle Top Pizza list honoree Benchmark Pizzeria is now offering specialty Italian goods and prepared meals to-go out of its compact new shop in Kensington. Benchmark Portavia’s shelves are stocked with imported pasta, cheeses, extra-virgin olive oil, sweets and tinned fish. Hot half and quarter pizzas and ready-to-eat salads are also available. Online pickup ordering is live with delivery set to launch soon.

380 Colusa Ave., Kensington. benchmarkportavia.com

East Coast pizza comes early 

An anticipated East Coast-style pizza shop is now open for business in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood. As reported by Berkeleyside, State Flour Pizza, helmed by Derek Lau of Biergarten and PizzaHacker, was slated for an October opening but welcomed diners starting late September. The shop offers whole pies of the crispy, thin-crust type, plus Detroit-style square pizza and salads, with plans to add more items as the business takes off. 

2895 College Ave., Berkeley. instagram.com/stateflourpizza

Sega alicha, slow-cooked beef stew, at Cafe Colucci in Oakland.

Classic Ethiopian spot finds new home

Ethiopian institution Cafe Colucci moved from its longtime Telegraph Avenue space to a new, larger location, where it will continue to serve fresh injera with lentil stews, sambusas and beefy, slow-cooked sega alicha. There are new items on the menu along with more seating and a cocktail bar. The new outpost also brings sister business Brundo Spice Co. under the same roof, providing diners and home cooks an opportunity to take home the same single-origin Ethiopian spices, herbs and kitchen goods used in the restaurant.

5849 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. cafecolucci.com

Fieldwork Brewing opened its new, expansive San Leandro taproom in September.

San Leandro gets expansive taproom

Berkeley’s adventurous Fieldwork Brewing Co. continues to plant its flag around the Bay Area. The company’s newest taproom in downtown San Leandro brings its fragrant, creative craft brews into a refurbished 7,800-square-foot auto-repair facility. The bar is equipped with 32 handles loaded with the brewery’s ever-evolving IPAs, lagers, sours, Belgian-style beers and more. Patrons looking for a bite can turn to pizza developed by Fieldwork chef Jeffrey Amber, which include traditional and vegetarian offerings. Despite the building’s industrial background, Fieldwork’s newest locale features ample open-air seating around a mature olive tree.

100 West Juana Ave., San Leandro, fieldworkbrewing.com/san-leandro

American Chinese fusion grill now open

The owners behind Oakland’s Huangcheng Noodle House have opened a new barbecue spot with Chinese influences in Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood. Kaokao Grill offers char siu pork, which is marinated with Sichuan spices and smoked over applewood before going in a bowl with rice and pickled cucumber. Other items include inventive takes on curries and a miniature char siu and egg breakfast sandwich. 

2993 College Ave., Berkeley. instagram.com/kaokaoberkeley

Humphry Slocombe continues East Bay expansion

The ever-creative creamery Humphry Slocombe landed in Emeryville mid-September, bringing its unusual flavor combinations to a third East Bay shop. Expect popular flavors like the bourbon-and-corn flakes Secret Breakfast and peanut butter curry along with new creations coming soon. Humphry Slocombe’s newest storefront might have just opened its doors, but it already plans to work with its neighbors Tipsy Putt and Sandbox VR on future flavor collaborations.

5614 Bay St., Emeryville. humphryslocombe.com

Sichuan fried chicken sandwich from Ok's Deli in Oakland.

Eclectic and classic sandwiches hit in Temescal

Ok’s Deli, a “hella Oakland” lunch spot, has commanded long lines ever since it opened, and with good reason. The Sichuan hot chicken sandwich places spiced Taiwanese-style fried chicken with crushed cucumber, cilantro and scallion on a sesame bun. Other rotating specialties include a corned beef brisket sandwich and a veggie-loaded option. Classic sandwiches with Italian meats and roast turkey are also available for those looking for something more conventional. Takeout only. 

3932 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. oksdeli.com

Broke da Mouth, pork ramen infused with black garlic oil and topped with Parmesan cheese, from Masa Ramen Bistro in Berkeley.

Cheesy ramen and Hawaiian plates in Berkeley

Berkeley newcomer Masa Ramen Bistro breaks from traditional ramen shops with its cheese-heavy Broke Da Mouth special, which comes with a generous shaving of Parmesan cheese atop a bowl packed with noodles, char siu pork, wood ear mushrooms and a black garlic oil-infused broth. The Kilauea spicy ramen adds a spicy base to the black garlic oil broth for those looking for a fiery kick. Loco moco, Spam musubi, grilled ribs and oxtail soup are a few of the many Hawaiian dishes also on the menu. 

1923 University Ave., Berkeley.  instagram.com/masaramenbistro

Online bakery opens doors in real life

Hanabi is opening its doors to walk-in customers at its Newark baking hub after years of  only taking online orders and hearing requests from customers for in-person service. The bakery is led by chef Sunny Yan, whose resume includes time as a pastry cook at San Francisco bakery Craftsman and Wolves and at Michelin-starred Madera in Menlo Park. Croissants filled with ube and almonds and matcha jasmine cakes are among the many eye-catching treats available. 

5988 Newpark Mall Road, Newark. enjoyhanabi.com

Mario Cortez (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mario.cortez@sfchronicle.com

Mario Cortez joined The Chronicle Food & Wine team in 2022. He is originally from San Diego, where he contributed to local and online publications. He last worked at the Eureka Times-Standard, where he was sports editor and a staff reporter. Cortez was also a regular writer for Eater San Diego.

He likes analog photography, playing soccer and, naturally, great food.