Location: Hayward
Top Restaurants in Hayward
Top 10 restaurants in Hayward, United States
Hayward (/ˈheɪwərd/; formerly, Haywards, Haywards Station, and Haywood) is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a 2014 population of 149,392, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census. It is located primarily between Castro Valley and Union City, and lies at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. The city was devastated early in its history by the 1868 Hayward earthquake. From the early 20th century until the beginning of the 1980s, Hayward's economy was dominated by its now defunct food canning and salt production industries.
Things to do in Hayward
1. Lucca's Italian Deli
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
Reviewed By Dianah R - Oakland, California, United States
Luccas is an awesome, classic Itian deli with simple, quality foods. They have fresh slices meats, cheeses and other deli items. They also have small grocery items that include pastas, oils, candies, crackers, etc. They've become my favorite sandwhich spot in Hayward/Castro Valley
2. Acqua E Farina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 138 reviews
Reviewed By BarryandJackie - Berkeley, California
Generally just good old Italian food, without any attempt to be particularly splashy or uber-gourmet. The salads were generous, and we enjoyed both a pesto and marinara sauce pastas which were tasty with lots of chicken and shrimp respectively. The service was very attentive and friendly. The prices quite reasonable. The place is bigger than it looks from the street, with a wing at the back with Italian-scene frescoes. Street parking in the evening is fairly plentiful.
3. Val's Burgers
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 251 reviews
Reviewed By ArkansasRev - Arkansas
Grew up with Val's. Now live out of state, always go to Val's when I return for a visit. It is always great. The two of us can make a great meal of 2 Baby Burgers and split a shake and order of fries or onion rings. The shakes are served in the old fashioned metal containers and will fill up 2+ milk shake glasses.
4. Genghix Asian Fusion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By thehermit - Bay Area, California
Whenever I go home to the Bay Area, I must eat there or order food for take out. It is always delicious. Especially the Peking ribs and Thai rice. I also love the sushi. What truly amazes me is that they have such a wide selection that are all good! Truly, you can't go wrong.
5. Buffalo Bills
Overall Ratings
4 based on 182 reviews
Reviewed By tedkirby - Lexington, Massachusetts
Went here for lunch on Sunday, wasn't crowded when we got there, but got pretty packed. They have some special beers which sound very tasty. The food itself was tasty, not cheap, but not too expensive. There is outdoor seating too, which was nice on this day. Service was OK, nothing spectacular.
6. Doug's Place
Overall Ratings
4 based on 100 reviews
Reviewed By j3mmr71 - Hayward, California
I came across this place and made a point to try it based on name. Well it didn't live up to it's namesake. We arrived early on a Sunday morning and it was not yet busy. Tables were plentiful on arrival at around 8 am ish', and became moderately busy by 8:30. The décor can be described as eclectic nostalgia. The wife ordered an omelet where I opted for a waffle, with strawberries and cream, and bacon. Drinks were ordered at the same time as the food so we could speed up our visit. The orange juice was from concentrate; strike one. The wife didn't have any complaints about her food which was served pretty quick. The service was good too. John was friendly and had helpful. My waffle was just ok and nothing to write home about. The strawberries were from the freezer variety as they tasted as such and were even still cold like them; strike 2. The cream was very flat and tasteless as well. Now I love my bacon and really enjoy and look forward to that part of the breakfast. On this occasion however, describing it as bacon would be a stretch. That's because it was void of any taste and looked like it had 3rd degree freezer burn. Needless to say after 2 bites of the 4 strips, I put my napkin over the top of them and laid them to rest; strike 3. I was completely unimpressed. The food was not fresh, juice from concentrate and the prices were higher than all franchise and privately owned restaurants we have ever been to. This gives us no reasonable purpose to return.
7. Buon Appetito
Overall Ratings
4 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By 2232KenJi - San Jose, California
Hayward is no known a a gourmet or even pretty good dinning. Buon Appetito is the one gem in town. A wonderful selection of entrees. I had ravioli in cream sauce with mushrooms and prosciutto. My cousin had pasta Friulana with a rich tomato sauce.. While both dishes were tasty, we both agreed that there was much too much sauce.Such is not done in Italy. Somehow American's think there has to be a lot of sauce. In fact the Italian word we associate with sauce is Sugo, which translates to gravy. A lite amount. Suggest you tell the server to go lite and put the sauce in a bowl.
We wished we had room for dessert as the desert menu is to die for. We agreed next time we go we will have a salad and lots of desert..
8. Top Thai Cuisine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 42 reviews
Reviewed By Joan W - Indianapolis, Indiana
The good reviews caught my eye & I love Thai food, so on the very last day of our vacation, we decided to give it a try. So glad we did! I ordered the cashew dish with vegetables and chicken and asked for it to be spicy hot & it sure was! The sauce was I incredibly good! Orders extra brown rice so I could soak up all the sauce! My husband orders the Penang Beef Special and said it was very good also. We had chicken wings, with a tasty sauce and basil leaves as an appetizer. Excellent service with a smile and great curtesy! If I lived here, I'd be a regular!
9. Casper’s Hot Dogs Hayward
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 54 reviews
Reviewed By ForensicChick - Redwood Shores, CA
Casper's (different than Kasper's with a K) is a Hayward staple. If you live here, you have to eat here at least once. The prices are a bit high and the cleanliness can be a bit lacking at times, but overall a solid hot dog.
10. Chef's Experience China Bistro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
China
Reviewed By Qualitypro3336 - Fremont, California
This is a nice Chinese restaurant in Hayward and was informed that it has been around for many years. Great service, Hot and delicious food, reasonably priced, ample parking makes for a good overall experience.
This was my first visit here. My friend and me came here for lunch on his recommendation. It's a large restaurant with a tasteful interior decor and nicely laid out tables. It was about 50% full during lunch on a weekday. Parking is available at the rear and there is a side entrance from the parking lot. We ordered from their lunch menu and the food was surprisingly delicious, fresh and hot. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I would highly recommend this place.
