About us…

  • owner-operator

    Born and raised in Berkeley, Jennie fell in love with the hospitality industry while bartending in college. After years of working for environmental non-profits, Jennie decided to follow her passion for hospitality and service. She earned an MBA from the University of Chicago, focusing on restaurant entrepreneurship and is so excited to serve her hometown.

  • chef-owner

    Benji Smith has a decade of restaurant industry experience, ranging from modern Korean, to Chinese fine dining, to casual Scandinavian. He is passionate about the ways restaurants can support health, strengthen communities, and bring to life brighter futures.

What is UQBAR?

UQBAR is a soon-to-open neighborhood cafe in Berkeley, CA that invites patrons in for a welcoming atmosphere and a fresh, Mediterranean menu emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients. Inspired by Turkish, Moroccan, Israeli, and other cuisines, UQBAR presents Mediterranean food through the lens of California’s agricultural abundance and multicultural history. For breakfast and lunch, guests can enjoy a curated menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, and house-baked treats. Our beverage service includes sustainably sourced coffee and tea, fresh juices, frosty beverages on tap, and a curated selection of Mediterranean and Californian wines. Our menu appeals to people with all tastes and can be tailored to accommodate most allergies and dietary restrictions.

Entering UQBAR feels like discovering a secret oasis. Plants climb the gate and archway, offering an escape from the street outside and creating a sense of calm. The dining room is bright and sunny, full of warm earth tones. Guests sit at tables and booths in convivial groups. From our open kitchen wafts the delicious smell of fresh baked goods or warmly spiced roasts. The environment invites guests to relax and enjoy dining together. For occasional evening events, we dim the lights, light candles, and serve shareable mezze platters for an intimate, elevated experience.

But what does UQBAR mean?

Pronounced “ook-bar,” our name references a short story by Jorge Louis Borges, “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.” Typical of Borges, the story is pretty trippy! Borges tells of discovering references to a fictional land somewhere in Asia Minor – Uqbar – and uncovering the benevolent secret society that invented the place and its rich mythology. The story explores the idea of subjective idealism (the philosophical idea that reality is a construct of our consciousness). Subjective idealism struck us as an interesting way to think about how personal food is, sidestep debates around food being “authentic,” and have fun making the food we love. First time customers may wonder, “What is UQBAR?” – it will be our job to reward their curiosity with warm service and great cooking.