Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt lists his 11 favorite restaurants in SF, Oakland and Berkeley

Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt is a lifelong Bay Area resident, runs the cafe Rudy Can't Fail, and happens to have some great restaurant recommendations. Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt is a lifelong Bay Area resident, runs the cafe Rudy Can't Fail, and happens to have some great restaurant recommendations. Photo: Europa Press News/Europa Press Via Getty Images Photo: Europa Press News/Europa Press Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt lists his 11 favorite restaurants in SF, Oakland and Berkeley 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

"We worked our asses off cooking this thing for your ears," says Green Day bassist, Mike Dirnt, describing the band’s just-released 13th LP, "Father of All … ."

Ever since their platinum selling second album “Kerplunk” in 1992, Green Day has been one of punk rock’s biggest crossover successes, and it all started in the East Bay (Dirnt even has the tattoo “product of the East Bay” on his arm). The band lived throughout the area, from Rodeo to Berkeley to Oakland. Performances at notorious divey nonprofit venue 924 Gilmore Street in Berkeley helped launch their success, and their newest album is one of their most diverse ever, including influences from all over the rock spectrum.

"This is kind of like Green Day’s version of celebrating the music we came from. The history of rock and roll through Green Day’s filter, whether it’s classic R&B, glam, or Brit Pop, it’s all in there," says Dirnt. "We’re also pushing the needle forward sonically, so you’re going to hear more bass and you’re going to want to dance more than you ever have on a Green Day record."

As a founding member, Dirnt obviously knows his way around a fretboard, but it might surprise some fans to learn he’s almost as well acquainted with the Bay Area restaurant scene.

Dirnt cooked at a restaurant in Crocket throughout high school, then in 2002 between the release of “Warning:” and “American Idiot,” he opened the restaurant Rudy Can’t Fail in Emeryville (he recommends the “Deuces Wild” breakfast plate with veggie sausages). They expanded to a second location in Oakland that recently shuttered, but the original is still running strong, its traditional diner fare complemented by coffee from Oakland Coffee Works, which he started with bandmate Billie Joe Armstrong.

Compared to his greasy spoon restaurant, Dirnt keeps a relatively healthy diet. He eats 80 percent vegetarian, with a home cooking repertoire that includes mostly simple salads and soups (lentil, butternut squash, vegetable broths). On tour is a different story: He always carb-loads a fist full of pasta before each show, but actually loses weight thanks to a healthy chef who travels with the band.

Some of his favorite Oakland haunts (you can see all of them in the slideshow above) include the Pretty Lady, Asian fusion spot Blind Tiger and Starline Social Club, while Hopscotch is his go-to for fried chicken.

In Berkeley, his list of favorites includes Trattoria Siciliana and Agrodolce Osteria, whose chef Dirnt both went to high school with and spent a week with in Sicily.

And when he makes it into San Francisco, there’s a good chance he’ll end up at Foreign Cinema. "Gayle absolutely kills it and has killed forever. She was the first person to stick her neck out there in the Mission — love the way she runs her business. You’re never going to go wrong there."

Dan Gentile is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com | Twitter: @Dannosphere