Sideboard is a New American café dishing up salads, sandwiches, and pasta, plus a morning menu of coffee, pastries, and scrambles. A lush park separates the eatery from busy Mt. Diablo Boulevard, creating a perfect location for a picnic. The Lafayette restaurant serves fried-to-order chicken, sold by the bucket, plus blankets and shade umbrellas — and the staff will bring your order to the park in an old-fashioned picnic basket. Sideboard’s interior is homey and charming, featuring mismatched silverware, creamers, cruets, and condiments, along with old-fashioned milk bottles filled with ice water infused with mint and seasonal fruit.

As for the menu, you’ll find classic, simple dishes using quality ingredients. Try the signature Sideboard Salad, made with mixed baby lettuce, Point Reyes blue cheese, currants, toasted pecans, and baby tomatoes tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Another favorite is the Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich topped with basil pesto aioli, lettuce, and tomato.