El Cerrito's Third Weekend in October Runs on Secondhand Everything

On Saturday, October 17, a compost pile will sit next to the tennis courts at Upper Cerrito Vista Park. The City says it was made from yard waste and food scraps. The listing runs all day, while supplies last. Bring your own containers and a shovel, and take up to 5 cubic feet per household or business, which the City puts at about seven 5-gallon buckets.

That pile gives a fair picture of the whole weekend. Most of what El Cerrito has on its calendar for October 16 and 17 is filed under the City's Green El Cerrito category: the compost giveaway, the Fall 2026 Citywide Garage Sale and a public tour of the Recycling + Environmental Resource Center. Two of the newest places to eat on San Pablo Avenue opened in rooms that previously held other businesses.

The Compost Has a Few Rules Worth Knowing First

The giveaway is for El Cerrito residents and businesses only. Enter off Avis Drive, near Moeser Lane. Park hours run sunup to sundown, and the City says compost is usually available on the third Saturday of each month. It also warns that a very wet day can postpone or skip that month's giveaway, so check the calendar if rain comes in late in the week.

"While supplies last" appears on the listing in capital letters with three exclamation points, which suggests the morning is the safer bet. This October, the third Saturday is also the citywide garage sale, so whatever goes out of the garage that morning may leave room for compost bags in the car that afternoon.

A Garage Sale the City Draws the Map For

The City of El Cerrito runs a citywide garage sale every spring and fall to encourage reuse. Residents can host at home, at a school or at a church. This fall's sale runs Saturday, October 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Host registration closed September 27 at midnight, so the list of sellers is already set.

The City publishes an 11-by-17, two-sided map with a short description of what each host is selling, and says the printed maps would be out a week before the sale. You can pick one up at:

• El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue
• The Recycling Center, 7501 Schmidt Lane
• The Community Center, 7007 Moeser Avenue
• Online, as a digital map with listings, at elcerrito.gov/GarageSale

Questions go to [email protected] or (510) 215-4350. If your route goes near Potrero Avenue, the City's 2026 slurry seal project has been working on 23 street segments in that area. The City has asked drivers to watch for temporary traffic controls and detours, and posts updates at elcerrito.gov/2026surfaceseal.

Friday Afternoon Starts at Two Very Different Facilities

The weekend begins Friday, October 16, at the City's Recycling + Environmental Resource Center, which offers a free public tour from 3 to 4 p.m., starting in the office lobby at 7501 Schmidt Lane. RSVP by email or phone is required. Groups can book tours at other times for a fee.

Half an hour after that tour starts, the Swim Center's Annual Pumpkin Splash opens, running from 3:30 to 7 p.m. The City's September update describes Splash Park-only time for families with children seven and younger, regular pool sessions, a pumpkin included with admission, and required pre-registration. The City is also using the event to collect input on Crosstown Connect, a planned east-west bikeway from El Cerrito Plaza BART to the Bay Trail. Staff listed Pumpkin Splash as one of their in-person stops for public comment. Project details and the schedule are at elcerrito.gov/CrosstownConnect.

Saturday, Laid Out by the Clock

On Saturday, four separately organized events overlap in one morning.

The farmers market keeps its usual Tuesday and Saturday hours, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Chamber's calendar shows it running every Tuesday and Saturday through the end of October and into November.

The chalk art event comes a day before United Against Hate Week, which runs October 18 through 24. It is hosted by the El Cerrito Human Relations Commission and the Arts & Culture Commission. This year's theme is "Belonging in Action." Local artist Naima Yi will draw a chalk centerpiece, and the morning also includes music and a storytime hour for elementary-school ages, offered thanks to suggestions from the El Cerrito Public Library. The event sits right on the Greenway, so you can walk or bike there between garage-sale stops. Details are at elcerrito.gov/stophate.

Where the New Tables Landed

For a meal between stops, two of the newest options occupy rooms that already had a history, and a third shares an address with a cafe that closed this fall.

H&J's opened at 10841 San Pablo Avenue, the former home of Nibs, near the Richmond border, with a parking lot in back. Nibs dates to 1949 and was known for charbroiled burgers and homemade pies, Hoodline reported, citing earlier Patch coverage. The new owners are siblings Jennifer, Jessica, Jenna and Jeffrey Tran, who went to El Cerrito schools. Their parents have run the Inn Kensington Restaurant since 1993. The "H" in the name stands for their father, Hong, and the "J" for the four siblings. H&J's is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays and breakfast only on weekends, which matters if you're thinking of a late lunch on garage-sale Saturday.

When the Richmond Standard's "Rich Dish" column visited on October 7, a waiter recommended the Chorizo Scramble with the homemade buttermilk biscuits, and Corned Beef & Hash or Eggs Benedict on weekends. The menu also has the family's "Meet the J's" dishes. Jessica's Favorite is three scrambled eggs with sautéed corn tortillas, green onion, Jack cheese, simmered salsa, sour cream and avocado. Jeffrey's Favorite adds andouille sausage and chicken breast. The reporter was most enthusiastic about the biscuit:

"Consider the biscuit less an accessory than an edible exclamation point."

Across the street on the same block, Miles Pizza Slice at 10810 San Pablo Avenue held its ribbon cutting on October 1. Richmondside's Nosh column described it in June as a quick revamp of Super Slice Pizza. It offers 18-inch takeout pizzas and meal-sized slices cut from 24-inch pies, made with dough that cold-ferments for 48 hours. H&J's, Miles and City Hall at 10890 are all within a short walk of each other, which makes that stretch an easy place to start a garage-sale route if you're picking up a printed map.

Farther south, Cafe Buenos Aires has opened at 6401 Fairmount Avenue. It's the Argentine empanada cafe's fourth shop, after one in West Berkeley and two in San Francisco, and it serves empanadas, two of them vegan, plus alfajores, smoothies, coffee drinks and pastries, Richmondside reported on September 29. Sweet Potatoes Up Beet Cafe, also listed at 6401 Fairmount, had closed by mid-September, according to Richmondside's closings roundup. The reports put both businesses at that address but don't say whether the new cafe took over the same space.

One More Morning on the Greenway

Reuse continues into the next month. On Sunday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to noon, the El Cerrito Green Teams will hold a volunteer day at Baxter Creek Gateway Park, meeting at Conlon Avenue and the Ohlone Greenway. The work includes picking up litter, pulling invasive plants and caring for native plants. All ages are welcome, though volunteers under 13 need a guardian. Everyone fills out a Volunteer Registration Form first, and the City supplies tools, gloves and bags. There are no bathrooms at the park. City and Chamber calendars are live listings, so check the details on elcerrito.gov the day before any of these events.

At Diana Sweet, we follow El Cerrito the way residents do, one Saturday at a time, from the Plaza market to the newest table on San Pablo. If this fall has you thinking about which part of town fits the way you actually spend your weekends, we'd be glad to walk it with you. Start Your Home Search.