Is not salvatorian food , ir your like taste avoid this place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Christian
IDK why I went here if I knew how it was going to be. *Face palm* If you want authentic Salvadoran food, this is not the place to go to. However, if you want to pretend to be cultured and look cute for Instagram, this is your place. Food was not authentic tasting and not even served authentically. And extremely expensive. $9-$11 for 1 pupusa...bruh, LMFAO. And everyone was eating pupusas with forks, SMH. You're better off buying the pupusas from Costco and putting guacamole on them. I get what the owner was going for, but maybe should have tried it with a different cuisine. Total L in my opinion. For a more realistic experience of real Salvadoran food, try Las Cabañas in Hayward. And yes, I'm Salvadoran.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Eduardo Cervantes
Popoca had been on my list of places to try, so I made a reservation for five. We opted for the Estilo Popoca option on the menu to share family style and sample a variety of the menu options. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
The pupusas (camarón, lengua, and hongos) were flavorful, and the ceviche was enjoyable, guacamol was good, but overall, it wasn’t great. A big disappointment was the Pollo en Chicha, which was undercooked. Definitely not what I expected, especially for the price point.
That said, the service was great. Andrew was attentive and made the experience better, so I’m giving service a full five stars. However, based on the food alone, I don’t see myself returning. Perhaps my expectations were too high coming in.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Francisco Carrillo
Crab for Valentines day dinner, 🤔 let's get messy as we try to have a nice convo.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Ashwin Mudigonda
I struggled with the rating of this place. Popoca deserves more than 3, but a 4 would not work. The ambiance is very inviting and cosy. There is a bar while you wait. Sadly, the beer choices are...abysmal with Sol, Modelo, and Bohemia as the only options. The cocktails looked interesting, but I didn't get to try them.
I'll be honest about the food: the servings are closer to tapas style, but the cost is closer to a regular restaurant. And for this I dinged a star. Having a lot of experience in central and south American cuisine I did not expect the food to be bursting with interesting flavors, but the food was quite bland. There was an option to spice it up with salsa on the side, but it felt like a cop out.
The mushroom pupusas were the highlight and I would definitely order them again. Vegetarians have a few options, but overall this place has the cuisine out of a food truck, wrapped in the haute couture of a snazzy east bay eatery that is exploring an undiscovered country's cuisine. In summary don't come here if you're very hungry and are on a budget.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Peggy H
I was underwhelmed by the food, surprisingly, considering the great reviews. Overpriced and not exceptional food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
D Kwon
Popoca was an amazing experience from the staff to the tasting menu! For around $75 a person we got a delicious assortment of foods I had honestly never tasted before ending with a beautiful tasty trio of pupusas with beans and rice. (Other standouts included the pork with mole I believe and the hot chocolate and bread at the end!)
One of the best meals I had and a great introduction to El Salvadoran food.
What wasn’t so great was our car was broken into parked less than 50 feet away from the restaurant. If you come to Popoca please come by BART and walk or be willing to risk getting bipped/car broken into. I found the guy selling my stuff online but Oakland Police said there was nothing they could do. Def be aware that the area can be sketch and keep your head on a swivel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sylwia K
Popoca serves what feels like Californian food with a Salvadorian twist. I would recommend trying a variety of small plates to taste a variety of fun flavors. They are creative, fresh and delicious.
Our favorites were: apple & celery salad, ceviche de atun, gauca-mol and the papusas. We also really enjoyed the sweet plantain dessert (not too sweet, well balanced). I dropped one star because pescado en alguashte seemed overcooked and not the freshest. Everything else was great so I’d just skip that dish.
We didn’t try it this time but the tasting menu seems like a great value for money at $68 as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ceviche De Atun
Karen Rosenthal
Unfortunately, my friends and I had a terrible experience here. We had a reservation for three people. They would not see us even though two of us were there, but I understand that that is their policy. When our third person arrived, we were seated at a tiny table that was clearly intended for two people. They just shoved a third chair to the side of the table. We saw that there was an empty 4-person table. We politely inquired whether we could have that table. They said no without any explanation or apology. We decided to make the best of it, ordered a lot of food, it was all bad. Only the pupusas were decent, everything else was bland to the point of being inedible. For example we had an expensive fish dish that was dry and flavorless. The waiter didn't even say anything when he cleared it, even though it was barely touched. To top it all off, we saw that the restaurant actually seated a party of three at the 4-person table that we had asked about! That was the last straw. Clearly they didn't want our business, and we will happily oblige. I will never go back here.
Nicole Hadassah
Had a terrible experience two weeks back. It was a beautiful , warm evening. The restaurant was half full and still understaffed. Unsure where all the positive reviews are coming from, and felt confused after hearing nearby tables raving at the flavors. Got the plums con alguashte, pork chop, and summer beans. The flavors felt like a lot going on, contradicting each other as I ate them. The pork chop took over an hour to arrive at our table. It was cold but bearable. I did not enjoy the achiote gravy that covered it. Wiped it off but it was unavoidable. Should have gotten the papusas but I grew up in San Leandro and any to go Salvadorian spot tends to satisfy my cravings.
Loved the fried chicken wings, and green beans. The dessert was delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Pupusa De Calabaza, Pollo Campero
Hari Vasu-Devan
Awesome restaurant in Old Oakland. Great vibe. Elevated but casual and friendly. Excellent cocktails. Wonderful antojitos and pupusas. Recommend for drinks and apps over full dinner. Friendly service. Would go back anytime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Pollo Campero
Christopher Dove
Came here for a wedding anniversary dinner after reading the glowing review in SF Chronicle from 9/18/24. Arrived at 18:00 for an 18:00 reservation. (Restaurant opened at 17:15.) Waited 15-20 minutes for water and menus. Ordered three apps (plum salad, pupusa, ceviche) plus one main (pork chops). Salad and pupusa were good, if on the slightly small side. Ceviche ($25) never arrived. Pork chop ($48) was completely charred on one side. The bed of yuca it sat on was undersalted. Dirty service trays were left to sit on the table for 20 minutes in between courses. Decided against dessert.
We were billed for the ceviche. When we asked the staff to remove it, she gave us a $25 "discount" instead, meaning the suggested tips were based on a $129 pre-discount bill instead of the actual bill ($104). Tipped $22, which their mobile POS device registered as 17 percent. Classy.
And I haven't even mentioned the massive cobweb floating over the table.
Disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Nira Liu
The flavors aren't really adding together for their food. It's like trying to feature DMX on SZA's album. Cool vibes tho.
Is not salvatorian food , ir your like taste avoid this place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
IDK why I went here if I knew how it was going to be. *Face palm* If you want authentic Salvadoran food, this is not the place to go to. However, if you want to pretend to be cultured and look cute for Instagram, this is your place. Food was not authentic tasting and not even served authentically. And extremely expensive. $9-$11 for 1 pupusa...bruh, LMFAO. And everyone was eating pupusas with forks, SMH. You're better off buying the pupusas from Costco and putting guacamole on them. I get what the owner was going for, but maybe should have tried it with a different cuisine. Total L in my opinion. For a more realistic experience of real Salvadoran food, try Las Cabañas in Hayward. And yes, I'm Salvadoran.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Popoca had been on my list of places to try, so I made a reservation for five. We opted for the Estilo Popoca option on the menu to share family style and sample a variety of the menu options. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
The pupusas (camarón, lengua, and hongos) were flavorful, and the ceviche was enjoyable, guacamol was good, but overall, it wasn’t great. A big disappointment was the Pollo en Chicha, which was undercooked. Definitely not what I expected, especially for the price point.
That said, the service was great. Andrew was attentive and made the experience better, so I’m giving service a full five stars. However, based on the food alone, I don’t see myself returning. Perhaps my expectations were too high coming in.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Crab for Valentines day dinner, 🤔 let's get messy as we try to have a nice convo.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
I struggled with the rating of this place. Popoca deserves more than 3, but a 4 would not work. The ambiance is very inviting and cosy. There is a bar while you wait. Sadly, the beer choices are...abysmal with Sol, Modelo, and Bohemia as the only options. The cocktails looked interesting, but I didn't get to try them.
I'll be honest about the food: the servings are closer to tapas style, but the cost is closer to a regular restaurant. And for this I dinged a star. Having a lot of experience in central and south American cuisine I did not expect the food to be bursting with interesting flavors, but the food was quite bland. There was an option to spice it up with salsa on the side, but it felt like a cop out.
The mushroom pupusas were the highlight and I would definitely order them again. Vegetarians have a few options, but overall this place has the cuisine out of a food truck, wrapped in the haute couture of a snazzy east bay eatery that is exploring an undiscovered country's cuisine. In summary don't come here if you're very hungry and are on a budget.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
I was underwhelmed by the food, surprisingly, considering the great reviews. Overpriced and not exceptional food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Popoca was an amazing experience from the staff to the tasting menu! For around $75 a person we got a delicious assortment of foods I had honestly never tasted before ending with a beautiful tasty trio of pupusas with beans and rice. (Other standouts included the pork with mole I believe and the hot chocolate and bread at the end!)
One of the best meals I had and a great introduction to El Salvadoran food.
What wasn’t so great was our car was broken into parked less than 50 feet away from the restaurant. If you come to Popoca please come by BART and walk or be willing to risk getting bipped/car broken into. I found the guy selling my stuff online but Oakland Police said there was nothing they could do. Def be aware that the area can be sketch and keep your head on a swivel.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Popoca serves what feels like Californian food with a Salvadorian twist. I would recommend trying a variety of small plates to taste a variety of fun flavors. They are creative, fresh and delicious.
Our favorites were: apple & celery salad, ceviche de atun, gauca-mol and the papusas. We also really enjoyed the sweet plantain dessert (not too sweet, well balanced). I dropped one star because pescado en alguashte seemed overcooked and not the freshest. Everything else was great so I’d just skip that dish.
We didn’t try it this time but the tasting menu seems like a great value for money at $68 as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ceviche De Atun
Unfortunately, my friends and I had a terrible experience here. We had a reservation for three people. They would not see us even though two of us were there, but I understand that that is their policy. When our third person arrived, we were seated at a tiny table that was clearly intended for two people. They just shoved a third chair to the side of the table. We saw that there was an empty 4-person table. We politely inquired whether we could have that table. They said no without any explanation or apology. We decided to make the best of it, ordered a lot of food, it was all bad. Only the pupusas were decent, everything else was bland to the point of being inedible. For example we had an expensive fish dish that was dry and flavorless. The waiter didn't even say anything when he cleared it, even though it was barely touched. To top it all off, we saw that the restaurant actually seated a party of three at the 4-person table that we had asked about! That was the last straw. Clearly they didn't want our business, and we will happily oblige. I will never go back here.
Had a terrible experience two weeks back. It was a beautiful , warm evening. The restaurant was half full and still understaffed. Unsure where all the positive reviews are coming from, and felt confused after hearing nearby tables raving at the flavors. Got the plums con alguashte, pork chop, and summer beans. The flavors felt like a lot going on, contradicting each other as I ate them. The pork chop took over an hour to arrive at our table. It was cold but bearable. I did not enjoy the achiote gravy that covered it. Wiped it off but it was unavoidable. Should have gotten the papusas but I grew up in San Leandro and any to go Salvadorian spot tends to satisfy my cravings.
Restaurantji Recommends
Some of the best cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loved the fried chicken wings, and green beans. The dessert was delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Pupusa De Calabaza, Pollo Campero
Awesome restaurant in Old Oakland. Great vibe. Elevated but casual and friendly. Excellent cocktails. Wonderful antojitos and pupusas. Recommend for drinks and apps over full dinner. Friendly service. Would go back anytime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings, Pollo Campero
Came here for a wedding anniversary dinner after reading the glowing review in SF Chronicle from 9/18/24. Arrived at 18:00 for an 18:00 reservation. (Restaurant opened at 17:15.) Waited 15-20 minutes for water and menus. Ordered three apps (plum salad, pupusa, ceviche) plus one main (pork chops). Salad and pupusa were good, if on the slightly small side. Ceviche ($25) never arrived. Pork chop ($48) was completely charred on one side. The bed of yuca it sat on was undersalted. Dirty service trays were left to sit on the table for 20 minutes in between courses. Decided against dessert.
We were billed for the ceviche. When we asked the staff to remove it, she gave us a $25 "discount" instead, meaning the suggested tips were based on a $129 pre-discount bill instead of the actual bill ($104). Tipped $22, which their mobile POS device registered as 17 percent. Classy.
And I haven't even mentioned the massive cobweb floating over the table.
Disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
The flavors aren't really adding together for their food. It's like trying to feature DMX on SZA's album. Cool vibes tho.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
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