Berkeley spot ranks No. 2 on Yelp's top 100 places to eat in U.S., and it's not Chez Panisse

No. 2 Cheese Board Pizza, Berkeley This beloved East Bay food mecca known for its farmstead cheeses, sourdough baguettes,and daily pizza offerings ranked No. 2 in the nation on Yelp's list of top 100 places to eat in the U.S. for 2016. It's among the highly ranked restaurants that have earned the status of "must try within this lifetime." less No. 2 Cheese Board Pizza, Berkeley This beloved East Bay food mecca known for its farmstead cheeses, sourdough baguettes,and daily pizza offerings ranked No. 2 in the nation on Yelp's list of top 100 places to ... more Photo: Christina Diaz Photo: Christina Diaz Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Berkeley spot ranks No. 2 on Yelp's top 100 places to eat in U.S., and it's not Chez Panisse 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

Berkeley's venerable worker-owned Cheeseboard ranks No. 2 on Yelp's annual list of top 100 places to eat in the U.S. for 2016.

This is impressive, when you consider the hundreds of thousands of restaurants, cafes and bakeries across the nation listed on Yelp, a crowd-sourced local business review and social networking site.

Nine other Bay Area spots made the cut, including Michelin-star restaurant Gary Danko (No. 6), sandwich shop Ike's Place (No. 24) and the Greek favorite Kokarri Estiatorio (No. 26). (See all 10 above)

Unlike many restaurant lists that focus on fine-dining, Yelp considers all food places, from casual cafés to white-tablecloth restaurants.

To identify the most beloved places, Yelp's research team dug into its vast sea of data and pulled those spots with the highest star ratings, most reviews and most praise in the community.

All of the places on the list have earned the Yelp-designated status of "must try within this lifetime"— but anyone who lives in Berkeley knows the Cheeseboard has the status of "must go at least once a week (or day)."

After college, I used to live around the corner from this food mecca known for its farmstead cheeses, chewy sourdough baguettes and sugar-dusted scones. On my way to work, I picked up a currant scone nearly every morning. On weekends my boyfriend and I bought a blistery pizza drizzled with Meyer lemon oil and dined on our sweatshirts spread across the grassy Shattuck median. In the distance, we could hear the piano player banging ragtime tunes on an old piano the Cheeseboard keeps in its dining room.

Is there a better way to spend a meal in the Bay Area? When you consider price ($20 for a pizza), quality ingredients (local, fresh, inventive) and atmosphere (North Berkeley groovy vibe), Cheeseboard really deserves that No. 2 spot.

On Yelp's top 100 list, Porto's Bakery & Cafe in Burbank, ranked No. 1, the Seattle Caribbean joint known as Paseo was No. 3, and Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Kansas was No. 4.

See Yelp's full top 100 list