Pleasanton residents gathered in downtown this weekend to enjoy diverse flavors at the Forkful Food event. At this annual event, 10 restaurants in downtown showcase signature dishes for visitors to taste.
“We are doing all we can to help promote downtown restaurants and this is a fun way to take it to a community level. We want to showcase all of our fun restaurants and what they can do to elevate their food and just bring folks downtown, supporting all our local spots,” said event organizer Mindy Louie.
Nonni’s Bistro
Nonni’s Bistro, which specializes in traditional European food, has been a part of the Pleasanton community for 15 years. It joined the Forkful event in 2023.
“We decided the dishes we were going to prepare today by choosing our mussels, which are a significant, signature dish here and one we find a lot of people enjoy. This dish is from Iceland and it is a part of our culture. It’s a lot of seafood, over there we eat lots of seafood,” said Nonni’s Bistro employee Isabella Sigal.
Promoting local restaurants
The Forkful’s design encourages Pleasanton residents to engage with local eateries in a non-conventional and exciting way. During the check in, attendees are given a fork to bring around to each restaurant. In each of the participating restaurants, they are given samples of different food items. At the end of the event, attendees get a chance to vote on their favorite location to nominate the winner of “Best Bite of 2025.”
“I’d definitely come back, I mean look at the sun. I mean it’s beautiful out here, warm, sunny, so many people. Everyone’s friendly, you know?” said Forkful participant, Nancy Lee
Forkful organizers designed this event to allow the community to explore culinary creativity and make meaningful connections with small business owners. Over the years, the event has become a beloved tradition among the residents of the Pleasanton neighborhood.
