4th Street

i can see the draw of this place if you like furniture and home goods. other than that, not much going on. very few restaurants and two cafes that i saw. more mainstream stores than i thought i would see.

Still enjoy this place, and it’s nice to see Bette’s and a few other businesses still going strong 30+ years later. Lots of changes since I first stumbled upon this spot, and a few places that I loved are gone for good (O’Chame and Cody’s Books).
But, on a sunny Sunday, it’s great to get your Peet’s on and sit outside and enjoy the passing parade. It really is a little slice of Berkeley, all crammed in to one spot. If you are a tourist, this is a fun little spot. And for a former local gal, this brings back many fond memories.

5 stars on a weekday when parking is easier and it’s less crowded. 3 stars on a Saturday which is almost always when I get over here.
Ah 4^th St.
Husband refuses to come with me to visit you anymore. He reviles your ladies who lunch and stroller pushers who all seem to arrive here in Land Rovers full of cash. Ironically, West Berkeley and 4^th St. used to be the place we went to clothe the kid fashionably and inexpensively when we were struggling financially, as it was home to a bunch of kid’s clothing manufacturers who had excellent sales.
What is here now? Well the Crate and Barrel Outlet is mostly why I drop by. There are a bunch of other chain stores for your shopping pleasure including: Restoration Hardware, Flight 001, Sur le Table, Design Within Reach, CB2. There is a bathroom at Pete’s which is pretty gross by midday on a weekend (better to find a restaurant.) Parking can also be pretty challenging, so plan on parking farther away and walking. No valet parking yet…
Ok all done with posh 4^th St? Now stop by Vik’s (former Baby Carey) and have some Indian street food before you brave the bridge…

Street of small brand & boutique shops, bookstores, interior home decoration, restaurants, cafes, etc. I’ve been here a lot– great place to meet people as it’s just off the I-​80 freeway. A few bits here and there…
— There’s a parking lot in back and street parking.
— During December the Christmas lights makes this place beautiful.
— Large centralized seating area outside Peets, Tacubaya, etc. Sometimes a band plays, creating such a relaxing environment when the environment is nice.
— Women’s clothing shops– Antropologie, Jigsaw, Margaret O’Leary
— Keter’s Salon is here. Great place to get your hair cut.
— Good restaurant options. Bette’s Ocean View Diner is popular– expect a wait. Zut! is very family friendly.
— Dog central. So many pet owners here.
Overall, this place is rather yuppie, shi shi– but it’s a very relaxing and slow place. Great place to leisurely stroll and hang out.

About a year ago, I lived on Fourth St. I didn’t think much about it then, I just thought it was always crowded with the privileged Berkeley 1%.
While waiting for brunch with my GF at Café M (still five stars w/​food and service), I enjoyed a lemonade and people watched. Rarely do I have the opportunity to sit and relax. Pleasantly, I thoroughly enjoyed the scene and chatter. Young families, lovely elderly couples, many «good dogs,» and people wandering and having a good time in the sun.
Changed my mind. Fourth St. Is ok. The 1% are still there. Screw them.

Love 4^th street in Berkeley! Has a variety of unique shops — boutiques that you can find one of a kind items. Of course there’s the regular suspects like anthropology, Mac, benefit, crate and barrel outlet. But my favorite store is Castle in the Air! It’s a magical papery store. It’s like you just transported yourself to a store in Harry Potters world. Fountain pens, special inks, personalized wax stamps, special envelopes, beautiful old styles brass desk flair and then upstairs is adorable little mice world creatively crafted to melt your heart. You’ll have to see it for yourself. But I will tell you hand crafted magic wands are sold here!!!
I have never left this place without buying something.

Lovely street to spend an afternoon and people watch. Love that the area is dog friendly and has Tons of spots for great eats and shopping!!! What more can a girl ask for!!!

It’s an outdoor boutique district section in Berkley right off the I-​80/​I-​580 freeway, located on the opposite side of CalTran’s train tracks. It offers free parking just around the corner from the shops with options for paid meters on the same street as the shops. The fourth street shops have restaurants, traveling boutiques, and cafés.
One of the great aspects of fourth street is it has a small town feel just located outside of the downtown San Francisco area. Shops in this part of Berkley are on the higher end side but the the quality and the options of the products in these shops make it worth it.
With an Apple store, crate & barrel outlet as well as a CB2 for the younger generation with funky taste in furniture, just to name a few. There are also other options. Options like a wide array of restaurants that serve American fusion, Italian, Etc… If you happen to go during the daytime you can find jazz bands playing free concerts for shoppers. When the holiday season comes around it turns 4^th street into a charming shopping bizarre. Both sides of the street are laces with holiday ornaments and Filled with wonderful Christmas lights and sounds of the holiday season.

4^th Street (or the «Fourth Street Shops») refers to the stretch of 4^th St. between Virginia St. and Hearst Ave. in Berkeley. It’s an outdoor boutique district with shops, restaurants, cafes, and specialty businesses. If it wasn’t for the holiday lights, I’d probably give 4^th Street three stars. However, the holiday lights are pretty whimsical, so I’m adding an extra star just for that.
Check out this short clip I posted to Vine of the holiday lights:
. Also, if you haven’t already, check out the pictures I’ve uploaded with this review.
Both sides of the street are decorated in lights. The trees and lamp posts are wrapped with string lighting from top to bottom. The tree branches have a variety of light decorations ranging from colorful balls to animated icicles. The power lines that span above the street are also decorated with string lights along with giant snowflakes. It all makes for a beautiful, fantastical, and picturesque setting.
Holiday lights aside, 4^th Street has a neighborhood, small-​town feel to it. The street parallels a set of train tracks one block to the west. I-​80/​I-​580 are nearby so the shops are easily accessible. Free parking lots are located close-​by. Circle around enough and a spot will open up for you.
Most of the shops seem local and/​or unique. Most prop their doors open so you can walk right in. They almost feel like open-​air shops.
Some of the bigger brands with store locations here include Apple, Anthropologie, Aveda, Crate & Barrel (and CB2), Paper Source, and Sur La Table. Apple actually has quite a big space. It’s enjoyable to grab a drink at one of the cafes and people watch. A fun place to check out is the Ark Toy Store (
). That is a classic, movie-​like toy store if I ever saw one.

A few days ago we met friends for dinner at Café Rouge. We were totally unprepared for the Christmas decorations on 4^th Street. We’ve been here countless times to shop or eat or hear music (Jazz on 4^th) but this was the first time we had been down here at night around the Holidays. It was absolutely fabulous, a festival of lights, some static, some moving. I understand they add a bit more each year. If you’re in the area and haven’t seen it, go down and give it a look. Someone has posted a photo, which gives you a bit of an idea, but it’s better in person. Five stars for the lights alone.

4^th street is an adorable, charming, artsy little gem in the city of Berkeley. You can find something for everybody in one of the shops along the way, and there are several lovely restaurants and coffee houses to enjoy a delicious meal or warm brew.

4^th street is a charming street of shops close to home. It makes for a lovely stroll on the weekend.
It has clothing, cosmetics, books, travel and furniture stores among a healthy selection of restaurants and artisan goods (paper, wine, cheese, kitchen, etc.)

Nice street to go and relax, see some loud-​ass trains going by (which they should really stop tooting there horns so often), and eat some good food.
There is a public restroom located inside Sur La Table. Like others mentioned there aren’t public restrooms so as to deter the homeless and/​or crazies from mucking up the area. Even south of University is building up slowly and cleaning up that portion where the train station is under the highway on/​off-​ramp.

A couple blocks of shops and restaurants. Quite a good place to spend some time. I live only a few blocks away from and often take my dogs for walk around there. And it’s nice because most of the shops are dog friendly.
The street is well maintained and nicely decorated. And people are usually pretty friendly around there.
Overall:
I would definitely recommend taking a walk down 4^th street or trying one of the restaurants around there.

Best place to go and enjoy the day during the holiday season!

I always try to stop at 4^th Street whenever I’m in the general area. Bette’s is a fantastic place to take out of towners for breakfast, Peets is there, Crate and Barrel and Sur La Table which is worth the trip all by itself. As other reviewers have said — Books Inc is terrific and so is Restoration Hardware. Fourth Street managed to get upscale without being soulless. Good thing too or the Berkeleyites would have none of it. When you are there, have lunch at the awesome Japanese restaurant right down the way from Peets. fantastic! I echo other’s wish. a bathroom please? Having grown up in the area I know that public bathrooms just won’t work but something for shoppers is essential.
P. S. Christmas is gorgeous on Fourth Street!

I really liked 4^th street. It is a great mix of unique clothing, food, furniture and other stores. Bette’s Oceanview Diner is awesome and Chocolate Blue is right next door for some amazing dessert.
Swing by Books Inc to check out their book selection. Yes, they still have book stores. Great place to spend half a day doing window shopping or actual shopping.

Super cute little street, essence of Berkeley. Boutique shops, skincare and makeup, specialty papers, delicious food and sweets (Bette’s and Chocolatier Blue!), and of course the beautiful Apple store!
Parking can be a @#$O (*@$ though.

Places like this make me feel so conflicted! I totally get sucked into drooling over the furniture, home décor, and kitchenware because it’s so pretty and shiny. And then I remember that I make 15k a year, live in the Midwest, and there’s no way I can manage the lifestyle that so many of the shoppers here embody.
Still, it’s a nice place to walk and people watch. The parking can get pretty crazy; your best bet is to come in on 5^th and take the back way into the parking lots, or park on the street there.

I still like 4^th Street, although Cody’s and a few other places are gone and the Spenger’s lot is no longer free. Every couple of months I park the car and wander around for an hour or 2. I usually find myself at Bette’s Bakery, Crate and Barrel, Builder’s Booksource, the Gardener, the Ark Toy Store, Castles in the Air, and Miki Paper. The only things missing is the opportunity to share a meal with Gayle and not having Pete Olson’s music to listen to in front of Peets.
Parking remains tight and there are of course «established» personalities along the way. But this is Berkeley, and I enjoy observing various «creatures» in their native habitat. And if I really want to complete this experience (and analogy), all I have to do is walk over to the Vivarium on 5^th Street.