Came here for the Oakland restaurant week menu. Portions were huge, enough for 2 people to share. Service was awesome and loved the Japanese/ Mexican interior. Great tapas style joint!
Stephanie B.
Food was great, and my non-alcoholic cocktail (amor prohibido) was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Anne S.
I would recommend this place if... 1. You want to drink and don't care about the taste of your food and you don't mind lining your arteries with unnecessary grease. 2. You're in the mood for awkward service that doesn't engage or talk to you except asking what food you want, but never making a recommendation, and removing their lackluster menu for no reason by someone who wasn't your server (I think it was the bartender?) 3. You don't mind them standing over you during the entire transaction of paying, as if you were going to run off with their POS system or possibly prefer to not tip them the 20% they don't deserve. 4. Like good music with an unmatched sad vibe this place gives off. 5. Don't mind throwing away money on a meal that could have easily been made for fraction of the cost at home, if you can at minimum fry an egg or bake a potato. I'm left dumbfounded as to what happened here on my recent dining experience. I was reluctant to go because dining in Oakland has become a diversion after my last couple of experiences. The concept of this place has potential so I gave it a shot. It doesn't match the good reviews I read, but reinforces all those with lower ratings. The food lacks flavor, especially the rubbery matcha tamal with the not so appetizing guacamole smeared on top. The grease that was dripping from the egg taco was unnecessary and the tortilla tasted a bit stale. The wedge salad wasn't bad minus the stem of the romaine lettuce that looked pink (going bad, just cut it off!). The seared tri-tip needs to be replaced with a meat that is more tender and please slice it thinner. The menu was lackluster and leans heavily on fried food to satiate. Hopefully, this was a bad day for them and this isn't the norm. I wouldn't return, but I hope others experiences are better.
Noelle M.
The team behind Hopscotch didn't disappoint in their new iteration, Good Luck Gato. With a really clever fusion menu blending Mexican and Japanese, everything we ordered was delicious and unique. Major standouts were the tri-tip tartare, the loaded baked potato, and the egg taco. Definitely don't sleep on the cocktails either- the Lady Snowblood was fantastic. The staff was incredible and made sitting at the bar into the best seat in the house! Sophia and V made our night so fun and kept us laughing so much we lost track of time in the best way. We'll definitely be back. My only note is to please bring back brunch!!
Mel Torres
Found this place when looking up Ninth Life on Google. Saw some pics, I was interested in the concept and my intuition did not do me wrong. This place was busy on a Tuesday night. The vibe is fun and chill, wait staff is helpful and kind. We ordered 4 dishes to share and they were all fantastic. I will definitely come back when Ninth Life is open because we want to pay them a visit as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christy C.
The dining experience left little impact, though the warm service stood out. Their New Mexican-Izakaya fusion lacked innovation. The Miso Caesar wedge salad had a pleasant crunch from the coijita and tempura crisp, but the pink discolored roots of the lettuce were off-putting. The whole anchovies felt unnecessary. The Tempura maitake mushroom was delightful with its crispy texture, but there was a shortage of mushrooms. The Egg taco was messy with yolky egg and standard pico de Gallo, lacking creativity given the price point. However, the Hamachi tartare tostada was a standout, featuring fresh fish and a satisfying crunch from cucumbers, jicama, and tostada. I appreciated the vibe they are going for but would like to see much more creativeness, especially for the price point.
Andy Moreno
It's good, loved the Mexican beer with Japanese spirit
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Tempura
Erica M.
Came for Valentines Day w/ my husband and we enjoyed it! Because it was a holiday they had a special prix fixe menu, and it included a cocktail (which is a great deal in my opinion). We arrived a few minutes before our reservation so the host escorted us next door to Ninth Life bar to grab our complementary cocktail. We hung out there until our table was ready. They came and got us once our table was ready and we ordered: - Shrimp Ceviche: tasty start to the meal, good flavor, nicely seasoned - Roasted Multicolor Beets: simple, straightforward dish. It's beets, nothing special. I like beets, so I liked this. The jammy egg was a nice touch - Tempura Fritter: really good! Tempura batter was light and crispy. The sweet soy sauce was the perfect pairing. - Seared Hokkaido Scallops: perfectly cooked scallops, delicious sautéed veggies, loved the bok choy - Black Sesame Chocotaco: liked it, just wish the taco shell was crispier - Raspberry Sorbet: this came topped with candied jalapeños which was an unusual pairing to me but I respect the creativity Overall, we had a good experience. Casual, trendy atmosphere with great service. Would come back again for a light bite and cocktails.
Sophia G.
The cuisine was overwhelmingly very tasty. We def were not able to try all the things that caught my eye. Standouts were the miso Caesar & the sashimi with persimmon and chipotle. Beverages were great. Only disappointment was dessert. The sesame chocowaffle was hard to eat and lacking sesame.
Jessica T.
This place had excellent service. We sat at the bar and everyone was very attentive to us. The drinks and food were so good! We loved everything we tried.
Love love love. The food, drinks, dessert, everything was fire. You can tell they really care about everything. And the vibe is great, nice parklet outside too. Will be back soon I hope!
Timothy M.
The interior decor is cozy and well-done, but our table service was abysmal, unfortunately. Botched order, hours-long wait for food, and mediocre dishes. Not recommended.
Anne P.
Disappointing visit to Good Luck Gato. Waiter took our order twice with a 30-40 min gap. "Fried" Brussels sprouts were far from fried--disappointing. Small portions, high prices, and subpar service. Not living up to the name. Overall, a letdown.
Joe C.
Ate here on Sunday 1/28 with friends to try something new. The food was virtually all trash. The matcha green tea tamal was the only decent item. The fries and karaage were dry and practically cold when they were served and everything else was extremely forgettable. Small portions. The drink the waitress recommended was overly sour, not balanced at all: "Tarantino Dance Floor" (don't get it). I definitely regret dining here. Waitress was nice but couldn't make up for the poor overall experience. The concept sounds interesting, however it is anything but. To top it off, they charged me a $60 fee for "not showing up" to my reservation even though we dined there. Called them to have it reversed multiple times this week and only got a busy tone, finally got through to someone tonight, and they acted like they couldn't hear me and hung up on me. Will have to call my credit card company to report fraud.
Grant C.
Excellent food and wonderful service. Came here as group of six. We ordered a bunch of stuff and shared. Pretty much everything was great. Very unique and delicious. Standouts for me were the hamachi crudo, shishito peppers, the potatoes, and the choco taco. We had some wine as well, though it is a very limited wine list. Great service and well paced meal. Nice ambiance for our party to sit and chat and eat and drink. Wonderful place and definitely need to come back.
Came here for the Oakland restaurant week menu. Portions were huge, enough for 2 people to share. Service was awesome and loved the Japanese/ Mexican interior. Great tapas style joint!
Food was great, and my non-alcoholic cocktail (amor prohibido) was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I would recommend this place if... 1. You want to drink and don't care about the taste of your food and you don't mind lining your arteries with unnecessary grease. 2. You're in the mood for awkward service that doesn't engage or talk to you except asking what food you want, but never making a recommendation, and removing their lackluster menu for no reason by someone who wasn't your server (I think it was the bartender?) 3. You don't mind them standing over you during the entire transaction of paying, as if you were going to run off with their POS system or possibly prefer to not tip them the 20% they don't deserve. 4. Like good music with an unmatched sad vibe this place gives off. 5. Don't mind throwing away money on a meal that could have easily been made for fraction of the cost at home, if you can at minimum fry an egg or bake a potato. I'm left dumbfounded as to what happened here on my recent dining experience. I was reluctant to go because dining in Oakland has become a diversion after my last couple of experiences. The concept of this place has potential so I gave it a shot. It doesn't match the good reviews I read, but reinforces all those with lower ratings. The food lacks flavor, especially the rubbery matcha tamal with the not so appetizing guacamole smeared on top. The grease that was dripping from the egg taco was unnecessary and the tortilla tasted a bit stale. The wedge salad wasn't bad minus the stem of the romaine lettuce that looked pink (going bad, just cut it off!). The seared tri-tip needs to be replaced with a meat that is more tender and please slice it thinner. The menu was lackluster and leans heavily on fried food to satiate. Hopefully, this was a bad day for them and this isn't the norm. I wouldn't return, but I hope others experiences are better.
The team behind Hopscotch didn't disappoint in their new iteration, Good Luck Gato. With a really clever fusion menu blending Mexican and Japanese, everything we ordered was delicious and unique. Major standouts were the tri-tip tartare, the loaded baked potato, and the egg taco. Definitely don't sleep on the cocktails either- the Lady Snowblood was fantastic. The staff was incredible and made sitting at the bar into the best seat in the house! Sophia and V made our night so fun and kept us laughing so much we lost track of time in the best way. We'll definitely be back. My only note is to please bring back brunch!!
Found this place when looking up Ninth Life on Google. Saw some pics, I was interested in the concept and my intuition did not do me wrong. This place was busy on a Tuesday night. The vibe is fun and chill, wait staff is helpful and kind. We ordered 4 dishes to share and they were all fantastic. I will definitely come back when Ninth Life is open because we want to pay them a visit as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The dining experience left little impact, though the warm service stood out. Their New Mexican-Izakaya fusion lacked innovation. The Miso Caesar wedge salad had a pleasant crunch from the coijita and tempura crisp, but the pink discolored roots of the lettuce were off-putting. The whole anchovies felt unnecessary. The Tempura maitake mushroom was delightful with its crispy texture, but there was a shortage of mushrooms. The Egg taco was messy with yolky egg and standard pico de Gallo, lacking creativity given the price point. However, the Hamachi tartare tostada was a standout, featuring fresh fish and a satisfying crunch from cucumbers, jicama, and tostada. I appreciated the vibe they are going for but would like to see much more creativeness, especially for the price point.
It's good, loved the Mexican beer with Japanese spirit
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Tempura
Came for Valentines Day w/ my husband and we enjoyed it! Because it was a holiday they had a special prix fixe menu, and it included a cocktail (which is a great deal in my opinion). We arrived a few minutes before our reservation so the host escorted us next door to Ninth Life bar to grab our complementary cocktail. We hung out there until our table was ready. They came and got us once our table was ready and we ordered: - Shrimp Ceviche: tasty start to the meal, good flavor, nicely seasoned - Roasted Multicolor Beets: simple, straightforward dish. It's beets, nothing special. I like beets, so I liked this. The jammy egg was a nice touch - Tempura Fritter: really good! Tempura batter was light and crispy. The sweet soy sauce was the perfect pairing. - Seared Hokkaido Scallops: perfectly cooked scallops, delicious sautéed veggies, loved the bok choy - Black Sesame Chocotaco: liked it, just wish the taco shell was crispier - Raspberry Sorbet: this came topped with candied jalapeños which was an unusual pairing to me but I respect the creativity Overall, we had a good experience. Casual, trendy atmosphere with great service. Would come back again for a light bite and cocktails.
The cuisine was overwhelmingly very tasty. We def were not able to try all the things that caught my eye. Standouts were the miso Caesar & the sashimi with persimmon and chipotle. Beverages were great. Only disappointment was dessert. The sesame chocowaffle was hard to eat and lacking sesame.
This place had excellent service. We sat at the bar and everyone was very attentive to us. The drinks and food were so good! We loved everything we tried.
Restaurantji Recommends
Love love love. The food, drinks, dessert, everything was fire. You can tell they really care about everything. And the vibe is great, nice parklet outside too. Will be back soon I hope!
The interior decor is cozy and well-done, but our table service was abysmal, unfortunately. Botched order, hours-long wait for food, and mediocre dishes. Not recommended.
Disappointing visit to Good Luck Gato. Waiter took our order twice with a 30-40 min gap. "Fried" Brussels sprouts were far from fried--disappointing. Small portions, high prices, and subpar service. Not living up to the name. Overall, a letdown.
Ate here on Sunday 1/28 with friends to try something new. The food was virtually all trash. The matcha green tea tamal was the only decent item. The fries and karaage were dry and practically cold when they were served and everything else was extremely forgettable. Small portions. The drink the waitress recommended was overly sour, not balanced at all: "Tarantino Dance Floor" (don't get it). I definitely regret dining here. Waitress was nice but couldn't make up for the poor overall experience. The concept sounds interesting, however it is anything but. To top it off, they charged me a $60 fee for "not showing up" to my reservation even though we dined there. Called them to have it reversed multiple times this week and only got a busy tone, finally got through to someone tonight, and they acted like they couldn't hear me and hung up on me. Will have to call my credit card company to report fraud.
Excellent food and wonderful service. Came here as group of six. We ordered a bunch of stuff and shared. Pretty much everything was great. Very unique and delicious. Standouts for me were the hamachi crudo, shishito peppers, the potatoes, and the choco taco. We had some wine as well, though it is a very limited wine list. Great service and well paced meal. Nice ambiance for our party to sit and chat and eat and drink. Wonderful place and definitely need to come back.