So many different flavors and such an interesting menu. Papusas were great. Definitely order again. Weird but tasty turnip greens. Very pleasant and attentive service. We were in the back porch area. Nice and toasty with heaters. A great addition to downtown Oakland's restaurants. so many creative central American menus and wonderful food. Aren't we lucky?!
Sumeet
Everything on the table was excellent. We unfortunately did not try any plates, but tried several of the appetizers and pupusas (mostly vegetarian) all of which were great. My partner tried the Duck Tamal and that was an instant favorite. Signature cocktails were fun and went well with the food.
Zach
Just perfect and friendly inviting atmosphere. Tremendous staff thank you everyone for a memorable Friday night🤙
Lenora
We did the fixed menu for NYE! It was really fun and the vibe was delightful! The oxtail pupusa was definitely the stand out, and their house shrub cocktails were amazing. However, they asked us to keep our silverware between courses with no place to rest them, the delivery of the courses was not paced well, and the dessert was exceedingly odd. We enjoyed ourselves and the meal, but having to hold my dirty cutlery while waiting for the next dish undercut the the upscale experience I wanted for the price.
Bianca
Wonderful New Years Eve Dinner at Popoca! Great, flavorful cuisine! Highly recommend. Cocktails and Wines were also great!
Lily
We were unfortunately really disappointed with our NYE pre-fixe meal. It was quite expensive, totaling ~$400 after tax/tip, for very basic food and flavors. It felt like they tried to make a fancy meal with fancy ingredients (the NYE menu had lobster, steak, oxtail, and caviar) but at the end of the day it was just average quality food at a very high price point. We found some of the food quite salty, like the seafood soup appetizer, though the flavor was decent. The lobster corn dog and oxtail pupusa were fine but nothing special. The lobster main was a small lobster, and it was literally only two bites of meat. The steak main was decent, and the sides for both mains were okay as well, but again not for the price tag given the flavors were so basic. I personally actively disliked the dessert due to the flavor, which is really rare for me, and just left it, though my husband didn't mind it as much. The caviar didn't add anything to the flavors of the dessert, and the hot chocolate drink was clumpy (and I have no problems with drink texture like in boba or sago or mochi sheets). I'm curious if their regular menu is better tasting and better priced but a bit scared to try them again after our experience.
Tom
Staff were pleasant and friendly. We had the New Year's Eve prefix which made decision making easy. Food came out quick and was plentiful. Pupusas were a hit as was the New York strip steak. Will need to go back for the main menu.
Shawn
Chose this place to celebrate a birthday. Food was delicious, but we were seated at a shared table with other adults (we had a kid with us), despite me noting that this was a birthday celebration and that we're bringing a kid. Nothing was done to make it feel even a bit special and service was slow. Go for the food, not for service or ambiance.
sean
Used the Chase credit here. We did the $75 per person deal here where the chef just picks what to make for us and we regret it. We honestly should have just ordered what we wanted because they didn't really give us anything of the things that we wanted. Food was good but if it wasn't for the Chase credit I wouldn't ever eat here. Everyone keeps talking about the tres leches dessert but with our chefs meal they gave us something else which is a big letdown lol. But oh well, we live and we learn
Jessica
It was ok. The reservation system is a mess, no advanced reservations on Open Table, then everyone showed up at one time in a line outside.
It was our first time there, and won't be our last. I can see why there is so many great write ups on this place. The menu is on the smaller side, but that allows them to focus on making each item a winner. Highly recommend
Myrna
We went to Popoca for the first time, hearing about their gourmet pupusas and they did not disappoint! The service was very nice and the speed of service was just right. It was a good value and we ended up stuffed and bringing home extra food for lunch the next day! We will be back!
Jenny
Overall, the experience was good, though somewhat underwhelming considering the price point. The pork chop and clams were the highlights of the meal. The outdoor grilled pork chop was tender and flavorful on its own—lightly seasoned but still enjoyable. However, I was not impressed with the guacamole or chicken wings, which are typically reliable, basic appetizers. The guacamole was overly sour with a strong citrus flavor, and it didn't pair well with the thick tortill. - weird combination. The chicken wings were mediocre and didn't stand out. I'd also like to note a service-related issue. I made a reservation through OpenTable for the opening time (5:15 PM). Despite there being many seating options available—and seeing walk-in guests seated freely—I wasn't asked for my seating preference and was placed at the far corner of the bar, which was disappointing given the reservation. While there were some strong dishes, there are areas where the experience could be improved, especially for the price.
Lynna
Everything was outstanding, but the food blew our minds from start to finish. Fabulous cocktails, inventive and delicious pupusas, incredible tres leches cake. We can't wait to go back.
Sarthak
The food here is okay, though a bit under-seasoned for my taste. However, the service was genuinely poor. The staff seemed overwhelmed and ignored multiple requests throughout the night. It is frustrating to have a 20% tip mandated when the service doesn't meet basic standards of attentiveness. If you're looking for a high-end experience where you feel taken care of, this isn't it.
So many different flavors and such an interesting menu. Papusas were great. Definitely order again. Weird but tasty turnip greens. Very pleasant and attentive service. We were in the back porch area. Nice and toasty with heaters. A great addition to downtown Oakland's restaurants. so many creative central American menus and wonderful food. Aren't we lucky?!
Everything on the table was excellent. We unfortunately did not try any plates, but tried several of the appetizers and pupusas (mostly vegetarian) all of which were great. My partner tried the Duck Tamal and that was an instant favorite. Signature cocktails were fun and went well with the food.
Just perfect and friendly inviting atmosphere. Tremendous staff thank you everyone for a memorable Friday night🤙
We did the fixed menu for NYE! It was really fun and the vibe was delightful! The oxtail pupusa was definitely the stand out, and their house shrub cocktails were amazing. However, they asked us to keep our silverware between courses with no place to rest them, the delivery of the courses was not paced well, and the dessert was exceedingly odd. We enjoyed ourselves and the meal, but having to hold my dirty cutlery while waiting for the next dish undercut the the upscale experience I wanted for the price.
Wonderful New Years Eve Dinner at Popoca! Great, flavorful cuisine! Highly recommend. Cocktails and Wines were also great!
We were unfortunately really disappointed with our NYE pre-fixe meal. It was quite expensive, totaling ~$400 after tax/tip, for very basic food and flavors. It felt like they tried to make a fancy meal with fancy ingredients (the NYE menu had lobster, steak, oxtail, and caviar) but at the end of the day it was just average quality food at a very high price point. We found some of the food quite salty, like the seafood soup appetizer, though the flavor was decent. The lobster corn dog and oxtail pupusa were fine but nothing special. The lobster main was a small lobster, and it was literally only two bites of meat. The steak main was decent, and the sides for both mains were okay as well, but again not for the price tag given the flavors were so basic. I personally actively disliked the dessert due to the flavor, which is really rare for me, and just left it, though my husband didn't mind it as much. The caviar didn't add anything to the flavors of the dessert, and the hot chocolate drink was clumpy (and I have no problems with drink texture like in boba or sago or mochi sheets). I'm curious if their regular menu is better tasting and better priced but a bit scared to try them again after our experience.
Staff were pleasant and friendly. We had the New Year's Eve prefix which made decision making easy. Food came out quick and was plentiful. Pupusas were a hit as was the New York strip steak. Will need to go back for the main menu.
Chose this place to celebrate a birthday. Food was delicious, but we were seated at a shared table with other adults (we had a kid with us), despite me noting that this was a birthday celebration and that we're bringing a kid. Nothing was done to make it feel even a bit special and service was slow. Go for the food, not for service or ambiance.
Used the Chase credit here. We did the $75 per person deal here where the chef just picks what to make for us and we regret it. We honestly should have just ordered what we wanted because they didn't really give us anything of the things that we wanted. Food was good but if it wasn't for the Chase credit I wouldn't ever eat here. Everyone keeps talking about the tres leches dessert but with our chefs meal they gave us something else which is a big letdown lol. But oh well, we live and we learn
It was ok. The reservation system is a mess, no advanced reservations on Open Table, then everyone showed up at one time in a line outside.
Restaurantji Recommends
It was our first time there, and won't be our last. I can see why there is so many great write ups on this place. The menu is on the smaller side, but that allows them to focus on making each item a winner. Highly recommend
We went to Popoca for the first time, hearing about their gourmet pupusas and they did not disappoint! The service was very nice and the speed of service was just right. It was a good value and we ended up stuffed and bringing home extra food for lunch the next day! We will be back!
Overall, the experience was good, though somewhat underwhelming considering the price point. The pork chop and clams were the highlights of the meal. The outdoor grilled pork chop was tender and flavorful on its own—lightly seasoned but still enjoyable. However, I was not impressed with the guacamole or chicken wings, which are typically reliable, basic appetizers. The guacamole was overly sour with a strong citrus flavor, and it didn't pair well with the thick tortill. - weird combination. The chicken wings were mediocre and didn't stand out. I'd also like to note a service-related issue. I made a reservation through OpenTable for the opening time (5:15 PM). Despite there being many seating options available—and seeing walk-in guests seated freely—I wasn't asked for my seating preference and was placed at the far corner of the bar, which was disappointing given the reservation. While there were some strong dishes, there are areas where the experience could be improved, especially for the price.
Everything was outstanding, but the food blew our minds from start to finish. Fabulous cocktails, inventive and delicious pupusas, incredible tres leches cake. We can't wait to go back.
The food here is okay, though a bit under-seasoned for my taste. However, the service was genuinely poor. The staff seemed overwhelmed and ignored multiple requests throughout the night. It is frustrating to have a 20% tip mandated when the service doesn't meet basic standards of attentiveness. If you're looking for a high-end experience where you feel taken care of, this isn't it.
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