Updating from an original 5 star after our most recent dinner:I was truly embarrassed that I took my out of town friends here after our experience last weekend. I spoke with the MOD to provide some specific feedback as well, but I've seen a gross decline in the quality of both the food and service - especially for a restaurant on the Michelin watch list.Our original server was excellent, attentive to the severe seafood allergy at the table, friendly, and professional to a fault as you would expect. One of her other tables got really busy so another team member jumped in to help which is where things took a turn.The backup walked up to the table and said "Maria's busy with another table so I'll help you out, what can I get you?" She was very gruff and curt in her interactions, like it was a chore to be there. I get we all don't want to be at work sometimes, but at this caliber of establishment that's not something your guests should feel.She was further visibly and audibly annoyed that 2 of us were sharing a meal - after the original server told us it was big enough to share. We had plenty of cocktails and appetizers across the table, so I'm perplexed by the clear attitude from our server over the quantity of our meals as we placed our order.The lobster on the Pad Thai came out in 2 pieces which were clearly from different lobsters and tasted completely different. One 1/2 was delicious while the other was barely edible. The Drunken noodles were simply "ok" which was disappointing again given the price point and the expectation of a quality, if not mind-blowing, culinary experience from a restaurant with Michelin aspirations.MOD was busting her butt, running around and trying to keep things moving while other staff seemingly were waiting around to be told what to do. I expressed to her that if I were the GM I would shut the restaurant for a day or 2 for an extensive stress test to weed out the staff who aren't cutting it.All of this on top of a mandatory 20% gratuity on a 3-top which is asinine given the experience we had with both food quality and level of service. I understand that running a quality restaurant like Jo's wants to be in Oakland can come with many many challenges, but that's work that the team is responsible for behind the scenes, and not something that your guests should have to experience and pay for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Jonathan Bryant
Excellent experience. Adela was our waitress and she was great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian Ngo
Really amazing food and ambience. The coconut cakes, brisket pad kee mao, and blue sticky rice were our favorites!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Cakes
Edward Livingston
Get the brisket pad kee mao! We had a really great time here at Jo’s. The food was really incredible and Maria was amazing too. Jo’s is a hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ah Dín
Came here for drinks and appetizers. Amazing crispy catfish salad (so bright, balanced, savory, herbaceous) and the mak grut (keffir lime leaf) cocktail was one of the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted—complex, fragrant, refreshing and just delicious. As a person with Thai ancestry who is picky about his Thai food, I definitely recommend this place for a creative spin on Thai food that still respects the proper balance of flavor, at very least based on the two things I tasted!Great service and atmosphere as well. Can’t wait to come back and have a full meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Ginestra
Thanks Maria!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles Vo GFO
Maria Hernandez-Boyd
Beautiful n delicious!!!! So amazing!!! The Branzino was to die for!!! The Oysters are so delicious!!! A must have!!! Andrew was amazing! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Green Papaya Salad Vo GF, Shrimp Toast, Mango Sticky Rice
Damon Tighe
Service is top notch and most dishes are delightfully unique and a modern push on traditional Thai. Spice level is actually close to Thailand spice levels, so if your sensitive wade in slowly and if you are a spice lover, it’s going to be so good to go for those high notes.Drunken Noodles with brisket - a pairing that works well together: smokey meat notes balancing out he noodles and basil.Pork Belly Curry - citrus and lemon grass wonderland enveloped in a rich red sauce.Catfish Salad - amazing appetizer; crunchy flavorful ground catfish with citrus notes and green papaya ready to be rolled up in a butterletuce leaf and devoured / savored
This was my second time here and everything was AMAZING. The catfish crunch salad was like nothing I’ve ever tasted (in a good way). We also got the lobster pad Thai which was delicious. And of course mango sticky rice. Blown away… I’ll be coming back for sure :)Dietary restrictions: They are really good about allergies and cross contamination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Pad Thai, Green Papaya Salad Vo GF, Mango Sticky Rice
Amisha Prakash
Misha is awesome and made our dinner so pleasant and fun. And food is great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anita Addison
Misha was a gem. She was friendly and warm and totally made my dining experience a delight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean M
Misha is THE
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell
Erin Dal Porto
The little coconut cups are so good and the happy hour is great.
This place is
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Drunken Noodles Vo GFO
Updating from an original 5 star after our most recent dinner:I was truly embarrassed that I took my out of town friends here after our experience last weekend. I spoke with the MOD to provide some specific feedback as well, but I've seen a gross decline in the quality of both the food and service - especially for a restaurant on the Michelin watch list.Our original server was excellent, attentive to the severe seafood allergy at the table, friendly, and professional to a fault as you would expect. One of her other tables got really busy so another team member jumped in to help which is where things took a turn.The backup walked up to the table and said "Maria's busy with another table so I'll help you out, what can I get you?" She was very gruff and curt in her interactions, like it was a chore to be there. I get we all don't want to be at work sometimes, but at this caliber of establishment that's not something your guests should feel.She was further visibly and audibly annoyed that 2 of us were sharing a meal - after the original server told us it was big enough to share. We had plenty of cocktails and appetizers across the table, so I'm perplexed by the clear attitude from our server over the quantity of our meals as we placed our order.The lobster on the Pad Thai came out in 2 pieces which were clearly from different lobsters and tasted completely different. One 1/2 was delicious while the other was barely edible. The Drunken noodles were simply "ok" which was disappointing again given the price point and the expectation of a quality, if not mind-blowing, culinary experience from a restaurant with Michelin aspirations.MOD was busting her butt, running around and trying to keep things moving while other staff seemingly were waiting around to be told what to do. I expressed to her that if I were the GM I would shut the restaurant for a day or 2 for an extensive stress test to weed out the staff who aren't cutting it.All of this on top of a mandatory 20% gratuity on a 3-top which is asinine given the experience we had with both food quality and level of service. I understand that running a quality restaurant like Jo's wants to be in Oakland can come with many many challenges, but that's work that the team is responsible for behind the scenes, and not something that your guests should have to experience and pay for.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Excellent experience. Adela was our waitress and she was great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really amazing food and ambience. The coconut cakes, brisket pad kee mao, and blue sticky rice were our favorites!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Cakes
Get the brisket pad kee mao! We had a really great time here at Jo’s. The food was really incredible and Maria was amazing too. Jo’s is a hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here for drinks and appetizers. Amazing crispy catfish salad (so bright, balanced, savory, herbaceous) and the mak grut (keffir lime leaf) cocktail was one of the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted—complex, fragrant, refreshing and just delicious. As a person with Thai ancestry who is picky about his Thai food, I definitely recommend this place for a creative spin on Thai food that still respects the proper balance of flavor, at very least based on the two things I tasted!Great service and atmosphere as well. Can’t wait to come back and have a full meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thanks Maria!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles Vo GFO
Beautiful n delicious!!!! So amazing!!! The Branzino was to die for!!! The Oysters are so delicious!!! A must have!!! Andrew was amazing! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Green Papaya Salad Vo GF, Shrimp Toast, Mango Sticky Rice
Service is top notch and most dishes are delightfully unique and a modern push on traditional Thai. Spice level is actually close to Thailand spice levels, so if your sensitive wade in slowly and if you are a spice lover, it’s going to be so good to go for those high notes.Drunken Noodles with brisket - a pairing that works well together: smokey meat notes balancing out he noodles and basil.Pork Belly Curry - citrus and lemon grass wonderland enveloped in a rich red sauce.Catfish Salad - amazing appetizer; crunchy flavorful ground catfish with citrus notes and green papaya ready to be rolled up in a butterletuce leaf and devoured / savored
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Curry, Drunken Noodle
Nice atmosphere, amazing food, great happy hour deals and very nice server. Everything was brought out quickly and was great overall.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Drunken Noodles Vo GFO
Restaurantji Recommends
This was my second time here and everything was AMAZING. The catfish crunch salad was like nothing I’ve ever tasted (in a good way). We also got the lobster pad Thai which was delicious. And of course mango sticky rice. Blown away… I’ll be coming back for sure :)Dietary restrictions: They are really good about allergies and cross contamination.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Pad Thai, Green Papaya Salad Vo GF, Mango Sticky Rice
Misha is awesome and made our dinner so pleasant and fun. And food is great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Misha was a gem. She was friendly and warm and totally made my dining experience a delight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Misha is THE
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell
The little coconut cups are so good and the happy hour is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coconut Cakes