It’s hard to keep Cash Caris down. After any number of closings and pivots, the chef is back with a coffee shop offering his famed pastrami in breakfast sandwiches and oddly strong coffee.
Krispy Joe’s opened this August at 5512 San Pablo Ave., in Oakland’s Golden Gate neighborhood, next to the late-night bar Wolfhound. It’s a breakfast/lunch place at the moment, offering locals and commuters on the busy artery a place to grab a quick bite and top off on caffeine.
Caris was a cofounder of Delirama in Berkeley, which had Bay Area folks lining up for smokey, tender, oh-so-juicy pastrami before closing in 2023. He then opened Elsie’s in Berkeley to showcase his grandmother’s recipes, and when that abruptly closed ran a pop-up in one of the city’s breweries. Krispy Joe’s was supposed to be a new eatery called Delirama Jr. before opening in its slightly restrained, coffee-heavy present form.
The coffee shop and eatery Krispy Joe’s opened in Aug. 2025 in Oakland, Calif. Chef Cash Caris has become well-known for his pastrami and former restaurants like Delirama and Elsie’s. (John Metcalfe/Bay Area News Group)
Morning rations include a Griddled PEC (Pyro’s Pastrami, egg, cheese) on Odessa rye or Boichik bagel ($12) and a cold pastrami-and-Swiss sandwich ($14). There are lighter offerings, too, like an almond-chicken-salad sandwich, toasts with avocado and summer tomato or cinnamon butter and sugar and vegan sandos with hummus and vegetables or plant-based sausage and egg ($12).
The coffee is “stronger than espresso” and “smoother than a sea shanty,” notes the menu, which has a nautical theme. Served hot or cold, the 24-hour steeped brew is poured straight-up or mixed into 16-ounce concoctions like a Drunken Sailor with butter-rum syrup and a Dead Reckoning with dark chocolate and vanilla whipped cream ($7.50).
For caffeine-averse folks, there are also drinks like a High Noon Zing that’s half-and-half lemonade and yerba mate and a Strawberry Tsunami with strawberries, sugar and “blitzed lemons” ($6).
Wondering what a coffee “toddy” is? Krispy Joe’s wrote on Instagram that it uses a “toddy-brewing system” that originated from the 1960s: “It introduced a way to brew coffee cold — slow, smooth, low-acid and strong (cold brew but not watered-down). We make a concentrated organic strong brew and steam it or chill it with milk. Think latte or cafe au lait but our version is not as milky.”
Details: Open 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at 5512 San Pablo Ave., Oakland; krispyjoes.square.site, instagram.com/krispy_joes
