Popoca

Name: Popoca
Address: 906 Washington St, Oakland, CA, United States, 94607
Telephone: (510) 457-1724
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.7

4.7

16 Reviews

$30 and under

Latin American

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 22, 2024

7:00 p.m.

Booked 9 times today

Experiences are available.

Charming
Lively
Innovative

Popoca is a Salvadoran-inspired restaurant in the heart of Oakland. Popoca means “to emit smoke” in Nawat, the language of native people of El Salvador who stoked wood fires to prepare food over a comal for their families. Revered as more than just a means of cooking, smoke represents a prayer or offering to the spirits.

Popoca is a mix of heritage and play. Our food is driven by preserving past, creating something new and uniquely Oakland.

After years of pop-ups, Popoca has its own digs in the Old Oakland neighborhood, where the pupusas, chicken with fermented pineapple sauce, and other Cali-Salvadoran specialties are happily devoured.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Latin American
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 5:15 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:15 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(510) 457-1724
Website
https://www.popocaoakland.com/
Dress code
Business Casual

Location
906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607
Neighbourhood
Oakland
Parking details
None

Experiences

Popoca NYE - 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu
US$150.00 per person
Dec 31, 2024 only
4 course prix fix menu $125 per person with the choice of seafood or vegetarian menu and an optional beverage pairing. A glass of sparkling wine included upon arrival for all guests 21 and older! Please note payment is due at the restaurant. A credit card is only required to secure your reservation.

What 16 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

East Bay
Innovative
East Bay
Romantic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Popoca offers an "amazing culinary adventure" with "exciting flavors" and a vibrant atmosphere. Guests rave about its "outstanding" service, highlighting servers like Andrés. The menu delights with dishes like pupusas and distinct green beans, though some find limited vegetarian options. While the ambience can be lively, the overall experience is "perfection."

16 Reviews

VT
VT03
Greater Boston
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 14, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Outstanding food & cocktails. Cozy vibe. Friendly staff.
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J
John
VIP
San Francisco
15 reviews
4.0
15 reviews
Dined on December 7, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Came here for first time for a birthday celebration with five. We really enjoyed ourselves. Great high energy atmosphere. With the place entirely full on. Friday night it was pretty loud inside but not impossible. We especially liked the pork chop which was one of the best we have ever tasted, guacamole and sweet potatoes. The chicken was good also—not amazing. Papusas were good also. We tried two of the craft cocktails. The martini was ok; the tequila with coffee notes was pretty much undrinkable. We would not order either of these again. An Argentinian red blend wine was excellent. The gin mocktailss our group tried were outstanding and we would order again. Really nice spot in Old Town Oakland and we hope it does well there.
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I
Ileana
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on December 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent service! Exceptional food, amazing flavors!! Superb cocktails! Lovely indoor and outdoor ambiance!
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A
Ally
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 30, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a large group, 11 people, and it was super fun to share the Taste of Popoca. We all cheered for the dessert at the end!
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C
Christina
San Francisco
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 17, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Food is delish. We were there on a Saturday night and the servers were busy. We had to wait a bit here and there. Music way too loud. Made conversation a bit difficult. We will go back.
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M
Michael
San Francisco
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on November 17, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food was excellent, well worth it. Highly recommended. Two things gave us a bit of pause. First, my wife and I don't care for *loud,* which is what you get at many restaurants these days, including this one. Second, my wife ordered fish and I ordered chicken. She got her order about 15 minutes before I got mine. It seems to us that we should get our main dishes at the same time.
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H
Heather
VIP
San Francisco
30 reviews
5.0
30 reviews
Dined on November 13, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The food is amazing. Exciting flavors with traditional dishes
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M
Maura
Portland
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on November 10, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Excellent food - well prepared and seasoned. Very tasty. We will be back. Our server Andres was OUTSTANDING.
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B
Bunny
San Francisco
21 reviews
5.0
21 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fabulous meal at Popoca. Had a great time enjoying the delicious food and cocktails. Would recommend you go with friends and plan to share all the dishes. Very fun. Great staff too!
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Y
Yoloooo
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 3, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Everything was excellent. Can’t wait to visit again!
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Popoca is rated 4.7 stars by 16 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Dec 22, 2024

7:00 p.m.

Booked 9 times today

Experiences are available.

906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighbourhood
Oakland
Hours of Operation
Tue–Thu 5:15 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:15 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Latin American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
None

Website
https://www.popocaoakland.com/
Phone number
(510) 457-1724

Popoca

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Experiences

Popoca NYE - 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu

Menu

What 16 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Popoca restaurant rated?

Is Popoca currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information