Top Dog is serving in downtown Berkeley again. Berkeleyside's Nosh reported Sept. 22 that the 60-year-old institution's new location is open inside The BreakRoom, a billiards hall and cocktail bar at 2021 Shattuck Ave., at University Avenue.
What's on the menu
"Top Dog Downtown" opened with a limited menu of five signature sausages, plus potato salad and chips, sold alongside BreakRoom's beer, according to The Daily Californian. BreakRoom owner August Wagele, a fourth-generation Berkeleyan, told the paper the partnership is open-ended, with a trial period first.
Why it matters
It's Top Dog's first expansion after closing all but the first of its four East Bay locations, The Daily Californian reports. The chain ran a shop on Center Street downtown for 20 years until it closed in 2024 because of planned construction, and it recently closed a 14-year-old Oakland shop on Lakeshore Avenue. That left only its first shop open.