The food is ok, nothing special. Especially not for the prices. We got a dozen oysters, bread, yellowtail crudo, fish and chips, calamari, a curry and fish broth, and salad. It was all pretty average; the oysters were the best part. Ambiance was great outside and the vibe was really nice. Employees were nice, but service was just ok. Overall, most of the dishes are overpriced and not that amazing. read more

Ace Seafood - Oysters & yellowtail crudo - Seafood Near Me - Oakland, California

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This place is AWESOME! You gotta check it out! I highly recommend their cracker spread (:

An amazing find in the Temescal section of Oakland! Owner Brandon has done a phenomenal job creating a great vibe with wonderful food and ambience. We ordered a bottle of Muscadet which paired perfectly with the raw oysters, clam chowder, shrimp cocktail and broiled oysters that we feasted on! Our service was great and friendly, the outdoor patio seating was perfect and the weather cooperated. I love this place and Brandon was always present to check on how things were and to offer suggestions...I hope people find this gem and enjoy it as much as we did! 10 stars out of 5!! Absolutely recommend! read more

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Seafood is one of my favorite things, so I've been here a few times. We ordered the dealer's choice dozen oysters, plus chowder and Ed's bread with cultured butter. Everything was delicious--the chowder was the best I've had in quite a while, creamy yet clammy, and the mix of oysters was exactly what we were craving. You might think a hunk of bread with butter isn't worth $12, but it actually is--incredibly flavorful sourdough flaxseed. The staff are helpful and warm, and I like the casual patio. read more

4/5 Food - the oysters are fresh and delicious. (ask for hot sauce). We ordered: 2 Swim Good Albarino $34.00 - a white natural wine. Pretty light and refreshing. Just make sure you don't have the last pour or you'll have stuff in your glass and they don't seem to care. 1 Oysters (6) Half Miyagi $18.00 - not bad, but I wouldn't order them again. 1 Oyster (6) Beau Soleil $24.00 - these I would definitely order again. Highly recommend even though they are a little pricier. 2 Clam Chowder $24.00 - has bacon (not mentioned on the menu) but was super delicious. More on the runny side for a chowder, but amazing flavor and paired perfectly with the toasted, buttered sourdough. (I added hot sauce to mine and it was chef's kiss). 2.5/5 Service - my sister got there at 7 pm and put her number down to wait for a table or seats for us (party of 2). She was told it would take 10-15 minutes and she would receive a text. She stood outside in front of the window (clearly visible to the host). By the time I got there it was 7:15 pm. No text still. We see people get seated and we should be next since they do not take reservations and we know the people left came after us and saw the host to put their numbers down also. We patiently wait. By 7:40 pm we see the people who were technically behind us get seated first. Still no text at this time. We glance at the seating iPad and do not see ourselves on there. I ask the host, and she also has no record of us or my sister's number. She asks for my sister's number again and tells us it will be a 10-15 wait (AGAIN?!). So I ask to look in the back and if there is any place to sit since we have already been waiting for 40 minutes. She said probably not, but she can check in the back. I ask if I could also go back and look (since it is outside I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too cold for us in case they didn't have heating lamps). There were 4 tables opening up. Thankfully she said we would be next to be seated. No apology from her this entire time about the wait or mix up. When we finally sit down, delayed table service. No waters and no menus since I had one in my hand from the front but we should have had at least 3 at the table (2 food & 1 drink). I had to ask for menus after we were sitting there for 10 minutes. We did meet the owner so that's why my rating is at a 2 at the least. He is kind, local, attentive, and very personable. I also understand the waitress was trying her best too, but this was just too much at once for us. Finally, we ordered the Albariño (white wine). Mine had a lot of uncomfortable hard bits at the bottom. They had the texture and integrity of oyster shell bits and very clearly visible in my glass. I asked the waitress about it, she asked the bartender and he said that it is crystallized honey since we ordered a natural wine. But no apology, no empathy, nothing. A very "deal with it" attitude. By the time we finished everything I was literally dying for my experience there to be over. 3.5/5 Ambiance - beautiful place inside and out. Very pleasing on the eyes. The outdoor area has lights so it's very cozy, just cold. Would be a fun hang out spot if you have patience and don't mind the sub-par service. Takeaways: - Make sure you double check your number with the host. - You may sit outside so dress accordingly since they don't have space heaters. - There is bacon in the clam chowder which would be helpful to know and be noted on the ingredients list on the menu for the pescatarian crowd. - The pricey oysters are worth it. read more

Great oysters. They have natural wines! Would come back. I would suggest you sit in the patio area it's a lot cute than inside read more

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The only reason for 3 stars is we had a great server at the oyster bar. Food was good. Like the space. Limited menu but not the issue. The issue was $40 bucks for a crab roll and fries, $12 bucks for bread, a total bill for 2 people over $250 for a fairly small meal so if the prices were 20% lower it would be 4.5 stars but then likely the place couldn't afford rent so there you have it. It's too bad but can't see this working with those prices for an extended period of time. read more

What a delightful cozy space! It's bright and clean as you'd want for an oyster bar, and staff are friendly. Great ambiance to bring friends, have a drink and sample some delicious oysters. Definitely recommend trying happy hour specials, the clam chowder really is delicious and full of clammy goodness as well. Great neighborhood to walk about after as well read more

Fish and chips - great! Uncontrolled children all over the patio - not so much. That should not be the staff's responsibility, but I was surprised they didn't step in eventually. read more

omfg YUM! My friends bday dinner was here tonight, where Libby treated us with care. The menu definitely is quality, small portions. We had an order hiccup at one point as well with a bottle of wine--when we meant to order something different. She price matched the bottle we thought we had wanted, which was awesome wonderful service! Made long time patrons read more

Disappointed by my first meal here. It's a super cute spot with great ambience, a nicely tailored menu, and a good-looking crowd. Only problem was that our server forgot to send our order to the kitchen. So 30-40 minutes later when she came to ask us if we wanted to order dinner it quickly became confusing and awkward. I'm a small business owner and want small businesses to succeed. And I get that mistakes happen. But when a customer orders a $40 crab roll and you goof it up, it's on you to find a way to make it right - but that wasn't offered. We had to ask for them to do the right thing. The only thing the GM decided to do was take a glass of wine off the ticket. For a $200 meal for two people, it just felt like insult added to injury. I'll give the restaurant another shot because the food was good and everything else checked out. But c'mon, Small Change - do a little better next time. read more

$233 for the four of us. We all split a fish and chips, a dozen slim oysters, good calamari, salmon sashimi appetizer, a curry broth, small salad, and a few drinks. No clam chowder on the menu. Lobster roll is now $48 so we skipped it. Not bad, but not great and not worth the price in my opinion. Would I go back? Not really. read more

Our party of four sat comfortably at the bar, where we enjoyed great interaction with Emilio and other staff who all seemed as happy as we were to be there. All of our food choices exceeded our expectations: fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail, halibut ceviche, fried shrimp po' boy sandwich, crab louie salad, and fish & chips. Our wine selections (a white and a rosé) paired well with all of our food. The outdoor patio looked inviting for our next visit. read more

Incredible new neighborhood gem, with some delicious bites and excellent wines. Love the diverse slate of oyster preparations and awesome outdoor space. Excellent service. Highly recommended! read more

Server was great- sat near the kitchen And the chef answered questions from the helm of the kitchen-wines were delicious and perfectly paired- will be back! read more

Ace Seafood - Awesome drinks delivered by owner:) - Seafood Near Me - Oakland, California

Welcoming restaurants with friendly staff! The oyster master is professional well knowledgeable man. Cool ambience with a little of relaxing atmosphere where you can relax with friends or a date. Little up in price but the service is excellent read more

I love the patio outside. the entrance is very unassuming. we had the raw east coast oysters (5stars), the clam chowder (3stars), the civeche (5stars) & the oysters Rockefeller (5stars) overall rating 4.5 stars. all was delicious. A table next to us had the shrimp poboy that I was curious about and said it was okay, a bit dry which it looked like it. should have been slathered in maybe some type of cream sauce or come with a dipping sauce. the wait staff was nice as well. we had a party of 3 and were able to be seated right away which was great. I highly recommend. I'm new to oysters and this is spot was my second experience. We all keep talking about a trip back as we are not locals. read more

Everything was hella good. Oysters were very fresh and flavorful. The seafood michelada was on point. The staff were all very friendly and nice. It was clean inside and cutely decorated. I will be back... read more

Ace Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Oakland, California

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Excellent food with great service. All of the staff was friendly and very helpful. The oysters were super fresh and very well prepared. Service was excellent. Staff was very attentive. Highly recommend. read more

Came here with family and a few friends to celebrate a rare win during these tough times. The raw oysters and sparkling wine shone and they've got a great crab louie salad (hard to find these days). I asked for bread and butter (which I like when eating oysters); it wasn't on the menu but they brought some out anyway. Small Change is an updated take on a classic Oyster bar (like Swan's over in the West Bay). Enjoyed talking with the friendly staff. read more

Absolutely incredible. Owner is incredible. Do yourself a favor and get some BC oysters on the half shell and some choice wines. Beautiful spot. read more

Ace Seafood - Seafood Near Me - Oakland, California

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The perfect addition the Temescal! We were here for their soft opening and only tried a few items, so we knew that we needed to come back for more bites. Everything was incredible and the portions were perfect for sharing. I always appreciate when you can taste your way through a menu without feeling overly full afterwards. The back patio is stunning and service is always so attentive and sweet. Branden has made this space into somewhere you will remember and want to come back to. You can feel the passion and hospitality from beginning to end! We can't wait to bring more of our friends! read more

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Food--5 stars for the halibut ceviche, local oysters and oysters rockefeller One star for the clam chowder; only because it had no flavor, nothing. But lots of clams. Very, Very Bland. Service--3 stars. Friendly, Hostess was lovely. Seated us right away. Food servers slow. There were only 2 other tables seated, not sure why service took so long. Our waitress did not order our food in the order we requested, so our meal was disjointed. When we asked the 2 different servers about the clam chowder, (which we did not eat but were still charged for), both admitted that they had NEVER tasted it! How can one work in a restaurant and not know what the food tastes like? Our waitress was not familiar with a lot of the wines on the wine list. The wine list is very unique and interesting. Most of them I had never heard of and would liked to have tried more. But did not because I could not get an idea from our server about the wines. How can one work in a restaurant and not know the wines? Ambiance-4 stars. Outside, cool music, not too loud. Picnic tables instead of tables and chairs. Will go back for the ceviche and oysters. Don't waste your money on the clam chowder. And don't expect good service. The food outweighs the poor service and is worth going back for. read more

The name is a bit misleading. You will need more than small change... The food is not bad, just a bit over priced for very modest portions. Service is meh. Nothing specifically wrong with the service we received just not up to the quality one might expect for the price paid. This is a place to socialize. A decent oyster bar. It is not the place to come for a meal. There is not a single dish that is not essentially an appetizer or an appetizer portion. read more

Absolutely incredible food - we particularly loved the shrimp po boy! And the oysters were perfect! Special shout out to the owner and staff, they truly made us (and really, every guest) feel welcome and we cannot wait to go back and experience this wonderful restaurant again very soon. read more

Awesome new restaurant! The staff was friendly and attentive, and the food was top notch. The raw and broiled oysters (we tried them all) were delicious and I could eat the smoked trout dip every day. Also love the casual ambiance and design of the place--it felt so welcoming. Wish I would have taken photos of the food but I was too busy devouring it. Can't wait to go back and try more things (specifically the clam chowder and shrimp po' boy)! read more

Brought friends here for the first time. Yet again, we had an amazing experience! The vibe is right at Small Change, and the food is nothing short of spectacular. We had both kinds of oysters they had, the Branzino special, a salmon dish that I can't recall the name of and clam chowder, and let me tell you I've never had a clam chowder I like but this was unreal! The service was amazing, everyone was so kind and attentive. If you're looking for a good place to bring friends Small Change is the spot. I wish I took photos but we demolished every plate they brought out read more

The food is delicious. Nice location with a cool patio in the back as well. Try the ceviche and fish and chips

Food is excellent and service is delightful. We came here for a friend's birthday and everyone working at Small Change was friendly, helpful and accommodating. They even brought out toys for our 4 year old to play with! Highlights food wise were the smoked tomato butter broiled oysters! read more

Excellent food. Fish and chips as good as advertised. The tartar sauce was excellent. Oysters, raw and grilled, were also excellent. No dessert. No worries, Curbside Creamery is right around the corner. Tables are outdoors and it can get chilly. read more

Love this place. Great wine and everything we ate was great. Shrimp cocktail was served with an amazing homemade cocktail sauce. Broiled oysters with smoked tomato were incredible. They need to serve it with bread to sop up all the buttery goodness. Loved the clam chowder- it was light, flavorful and not gloopy like it can be. I tasted my friend's crab Louie salad and it was great. We split the catfish hush puppies. They were good but I really liked the remoulade they served with it. Plus....the wines were amazing. Service was also friendly, knowledgeable and made great recommendations. One note: we ordered a bottle of wine so it would've been nice to be poured a taste first. But all together a great night and I can't wait to go back. read more

We stopped in and were floored with the Amazon costumer service . Beautiful patio and fresh oysters. What more can you ask for!

Great service. The food was good, but some of the portions were pretty small. The outside space was very nice!

Small Change is an awesome addition to the Temescal neighborhood. The oysters are locally sourced, the wine list is short but sublime, and the staff is friendly and inviting. Try the seafood michelada, you won't be disappointed. read more

The hostess is not welcoming, she really seems to hate her job, and should find a new line of work. We waited for 40 minutes and no apology after being told it would 10 minutes. The po boy gave me food poisoning and my friend ordered the Rockefeller oysters and also got food poisoning. Our server seemed to be really friendly towards males and can't be bothered to look you in the face until you're paying. Cool spot if you want to be sick all night and day and love bad service. Don't recommend, steer clear of this spot. read more

Terrible service, can't believe they can expect to have these prices and provide this level of competency from the hostess. What is her deal? The spot is designed well, ambiance is great for dates etc but the hostess seemed to lack training or know how of treating patrons with respect. And she doesn't seem to communicate well or maybe that was intentional. Food portions tiny but the fish and chips dish was decent, although not good enough to charm me and my wife back. Same theme we notice with some of these Oakland establishments, oh how times have changed. read more