Start your day with a colorful East African feast

Alem’s Coffee, a no-frills East African cafe north of Temescal’s main drag, serves one of the Bay Area’s most delicious versions of shihan ful, a spicy stew made from dried fava beans. At their 21-year-old restaurant, Eritrean husband-and-wife owners Alem Negash and Nigisity Eyasu generously top the dish with glugs of olive oil, chopped tomato, jalapeño and feta cheese for a colorful feast. It’s vegetarian, creamy and pleasingly spicy, thanks to a heady sprinkle of berbere, and comes with two pieces of airy French bread for scooping. Enjoy it out on the trelliscovered patio, a popular morning gathering spot for Oakland’s East African community. If it’s a Sunday, pop over to the farmers’ market across the street and explore items like local olive oil, dried fruit and honey. Most of Temescal’s boutiques open at 11 a.m. Definitely check out Temescal Alley, sometimes affectionately called Hipster Alley, an area once lined with horse stables and carriage houses that now features small indie shops. One of the newest is Old Salt Merchants, which opened this summer with flavored salts (think grassy matcha or spicy habanero), sugars and teas. The outfit also carries a few items from other Bay Area makers, such as whole-grain pastas from Oakland’s Community Grains. Then walk down to Preserved, a treasure trove of kitchen supplies for pickling, fermenting, cheese making and more. Beyond ceramic crocks and sourdough starter kits, Preserved also carries many wonderful artisan pantry products, such as Yume Boshi’s shiso syrup, Diaspora Co.’s single-origin spices and Saba’s seasonal jams.

At Alem’s Coffee, top, the shihan ful, above, is a fava bean stew.