Cafe Dejena - an Anchor for an Up-and-Coming Neighborhood in Oakland, California

Open for about a year and a half, Cafe Dejena is a welcome addition to a traditionally downtrodden neighborhood, at the corner of 40th Street and Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in North Oakland. This neighborhood has seen few of the benefits that nearby Temescal has seen, with additions of dining such as Bakesale Betty and Pizzaiolo as well as shopping. With the success of Cafe Dejena, serving up quality coffee and inventive American and Eritirean breakfasts and lunch, this area is prime for a similar revival.

Steps away from Macarthur BART, Cafe Dejena is easy to reach by car, bike, bus, or train. Parking is plentiful and transit is convenient. Stepping into the brightly colored cafe provides a respite from the noisy streets. The walls are brightly painted and have photographs and original paintings to provide decor. A full menu is posted above the cashier, as well as available to hold.

The menu is varied and can be seen at their website. They have a full range of coffee and espresso drinks using Mr. Espresso coffee beans. The coffee is very good and the espresso drinks are well prepared. In addition, the offerings include tea, chai, smoothies, and a full line of iced drinks. The food includes breakfast and lunch with American and Eritrean specialties. Breakfast is anchored by reasonably priced egg combinations, omelettes, bagels, and a wide variety of pastries. A recommended dish, however, is the Eritrean specialty Shahan Ful. This vegetarian is a bowl of fava beans served with onions, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, cumin and olive oil with two pieces of light, fluffy French bread on the side. Additional Eritrean offerings include fitfit, Eritrean bread (a unique spongy bread similar to Ethiopian) with spiced butter and berbere chili powder optionally served with beef and ge'at, a warm barley porridge.

Lunch dishes are also varied. Café Dejena offers three different "hamburgers" including the standard beef burger, a tuna salad "burger" served on a bun, and a BLT sandwich also on a hamburger bun. The wide-ranging salads are worth some attention, from a staid house salad, a tasty Caeser to the spicy curry chicken salad. Eritrean cuisine makes an appearance in the lunch menu as well in both meat and vegetarian guises. Choose from Kilwa, sirloin, chicken, or mushroom stir fried with onions and jalapenos or Tsebhe Tsome, a combination of vegetarian dishes. All Eritrean lunches are served with Eritrean bread. In addition, Italian food is represented with a variety of pastas and panninis.

The service is very friendly and efficient, enough to attract people for return visits. Orders are placed at the counter and brought out to the table. The café is kept very clean and the large windows are wonderful to let in light and to keep an eye on the surrounding world. Café Dejena is a welcome addition to the Oakland café and dining scenes.