First time going here. We ate family style. Great music, great atmosphere , great service, great food and great bathrooms. read more

Calabash - Roasted Salmon Curry Vegetables, with Jasmine Rice and Plantains - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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If I could give -10 stars I would. The service was rushed... the environment was loud. There was a private party being held so there was a lot of people, however they stated the kitchen was still open. It was my 1st time eating here so I was asking for recommendations from the staff... I was told to try the Jerk chicken. Chicken was undone, rice & peas were overcooked with a burnt taste, plantains were soggy & chewy. Will NOT ever come back.. not for free! read more

Located in a spot I wouldn't have expected. In between office buildings in Oakland is a jazzy , cozy, laidback place with delicious Jamaican foods . We there after my daughter's college graduation. The oxtail stew was amazing as was the jerk chicken with rice & beans n plantains. We were served by the manager herself , she was very friendly , funny so easy to talk to like we'd known each other forever. Can't wait to go for happy hour , would definitely recommend. Oh and the music read more

This restaurant & bar is an interesting mashup of cultures, and the food does show why this combination works. The noodles with shrimp chicken and eggplant was very flavorful, and the pulled beef short rib sandwich was so juicy and also filled with flavor. read more

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Went here for a comedy show for a date. The food was pretty good. Despite how busy they were because of the show they staff was able you check on us and get us what we needed on time. The drinks were delicious. I really recommend the oxtails and the jerk chicken. read more

Ambiance: clean, bright, airy, but strangely deserted at lunch on a Saturday. Service: fine, though our waitress was "just filling in" & "hadn't looked at the menu." Nice enough person but didn't seem like an actual waitress. Good: really quite bad. Got the carrot & squash salad, Brussels sprouts & jerk chicken. Textures, temperatures & flavors were all wrong. Wouldn't recommend a single dish, unfortunately. I would not come back here or recommend to anyone. read more

Came to Calabash for a private event and the food was beyond delicious! I had the chorizo scramble and it was simply wonderful. The veggies melt in your mouth and the flavor was very good. The potatoes that came with the dish were so soft and tasty as well. The ambiance is very beautiful and welcoming, the staff was very nice and extremely accommodating. And the owner, Nigel was also very nice! Looking forward to coming back and trying more dishes. I had the shrimp/octopus ceviche, Chorizo scramble w/ potatoes, and the lemon drop. 10/10 read more

We had a great dinner at Calabash on Valdez St in Oakland. We were greeted by King David who made us feel right at home and ensured that we received great service! The restaurant has a soulful vibe with Caribbean music playing in the background. The food was delicious, very flavorful and not overly spicy as some Caribbean restaurants can be. We started with beef patties and a beautiful salad. We completed our meal with jerk chicken wings in a divine wet sauce with peas and rice. And you must have the rum punch, made with three kinds of punch! We will definitely be back! read more

I decided to go to Calabash for lunch while in the area after trying to go to Kingston 11 Cuisine and learning it had been moved to the Calabash location. From the Small Eats section of the menu I ordered Jamaican beef patties, Salt fish fritters with Chimichurri sauce, and Pan roasted curry shrimp with red onions. From the Entrees Menu I ordered the Kingston oxtail stew, with jasmine rice and plantains and the Spicy stir-fry with beef chuck and scallions, with jasmine rice and plantains. All of the food was good, but I especially enjoyed the Kingston oxtail stew, chimichurri sauce, and curry shrimp. These items seemed to have the most flavor out of everything I ordered. I also ordered a Jamaican Sorrel (hibiscus) drink. The Sorrel was tasty, but served in a very small glass. The service was good and the restaurant was beautifully decorated. read more

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Excellent food! Friendly staff! We were a table of 4: we had the Oxtail soup, Jerk Chicken and Shrimp pasta, the Ginger Salmon and the Jerk Chicken Salad. All dishes were amazing and the cocktails were fun and unique! Highly recommend and we will be returning ASAP! read more

Some friends and I checked this place for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. This spot is very clean with a warm presence. Service was excellent throughout our time here. We ordered plenty of goodies. The highlight for me was the beef patty. It had was served warm and the filling had a nice spicy kick to it. It wasn't overwhelming in taste. Just the right amount of spice. We also had the salt fish fritters , soup of the day (chicken noodle) and pita bread and dip. All were simply delicious. For our meals, one ordered the curried goat, another ordered the jerk chicken salad and I had the curry crab with jasmin rice. Each dish was flavorful and fulfilling. For drinks I had a smoothie-type beer which was so good. Very refreshing. read more

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I honestly have NO CLUE as to WHY i haven't been here SOONER! As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted by McKenzie... I had to double take to see if I knew her because she was just SO SWEET. The ambiance, so relaxing, so green, so refreshing. I was provided with the menu and was so happy with the description of food and recommendations, I literally wanted to try EVERYTHING! We made our selection of the Roasted Lamb Shank Salad as well as the Lemon and roasted garlic Chicken.... HOLY MOSES! Food IS AMAZEBALLS!!! Such a nice change from the other food places in the area. THANK YOU FOR COMING TO OAKLAND!! Cant wait to go back! read more

Calabash - Roasted Lemon & Garlic Chicken w/Jasmine Rice and jerk veggies.... JESUS - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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First time here. Excellent food and service! Recommend the short rib sandwich! Delightful wait staff. Appeared to be one guy that was taking our order and mixing our drinks. Guy was doing it all! Great experience. read more

Food was OK. Drinks were good. Ambience is beautiful. I've been to Calabash twice. The first time I went, the manager was our server and left our food sitting in the kitchen pick-up window for several minutes. She did not notice that our food was done because she was sitting down on her phone. I had to walk up to her and ask her to bring our food to us. My second time at Calabash, which was yesterday. My drink was ready at the bar, but the manager did not notice because she was resting her head down in the kitchen's pick-up window. I again had to basically serve myself and go to the bar and grab my own drink because the manager/server did not notice that it was ready. The manager is also rude and unprofessional. If the manager is your server, I would definitely ask for a new server so you can fully enjoy your experience dining out. read more

The restaurant is just opening, so looking forward to when they are fully up and running. My colleague and I happened to stumble in on the third day they were open. The full menu looks delicious, and even the limited menu we had access to was great. They have a breakfast menu that is available daily until 1 p.m. It has a lot of savory options. I ordered the cornbread with my lunch salad, but unfortunately not available - a reason to go back :-). I had a brussels sprout and roast cauliflower salad with pomegranate. It was delicious and the portions were good for a lunch salad. My colleague had a prawn noodles that he kindly let me taste - the flavors were delicious, and not too heavy. We had a lovely wait staff who answered all questions about the fusion menu. This will definitely be a place to continue to try. Interior is fun and looks like the evening scene will be energetic. They have a small, but cozy bar area in addition to the restaurant seating. Don't be put off by the heavily tinted exterior windows (you'll appreciate them on hot days) - they're in there and serving some delicious food you likely haven't had before in the same ways. Recommended! read more

We ordered the the Caramelized carrots & butternut squash, Noodles with Shrimps & vegies, Beef Barley Stew with roasted veggies. Everything was great - big portions and flavorful. The Beef Barley Stew was the best - very tender chunks of beef and roasted veggies with very savory sauce served on top of steam rice. It was a very satisfying dinner. Service is very friendly and attentive. Glad to have Calabash in our neighborhood. read more

Calabash - I already took a bite of the beef stew, wowed by the tenderness and flavor. A stew this good deserves a photo! - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Met two friends here for lunch and I have nothing but amazing things to say! 1. The food was incredible. They had a great special, and the menu had wonderful dishes to share. 2. The space is so beautiful, well decorated, and comfortable. I want to come back for drinks one evening! We sat in the lounge area and it was such a wonderful place to catch up, look out the window, and snack! 3. The service was amazing. Our waitress was so kind and fun to chat with, she was also super well versed in the menu and was able to provide her favorite items and good recs are portions for family style! read more

The food was a 7/10 for me because the e oxtail was on the fattier side. There really wasn't a lot of meat BUT the beef Pattie's are bomb! We dined outside when the weather was nice. Our server was attentive as well. read more

Calabash - Kingston Oxtail Stew - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Amazing Jamaican food & cocktails! So good!!! Our waiter/bartender took good care of us! We will be back soon! read more

Calabash - Jerk chicken - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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We LOVED Kingston 11 and would frequent it often before it closed its doors. We were happy to find out the news that Calabash was serving some of our favorite recipes from Kingston! The food has always been consistently good. However, the last time my partner and I tried to dine here, we had a very negative experience with the staff. On a random week night we had arrived an hour before Calabash was set to close, When we got there we were informed that the restaurant was going to be closing early. No explanation, just that they were going to close early. Alright then. The next day, considering the experience we had the previous night, we called ahead of time to make sure they were still open and we were able to be seated. The man we spoke with said "yes we will be open and we can serve you". We got on the road, drove across town for round 2 attempting to eat at Calabash. Once we arrived we were immediately informed that we actually would not be able to dine since there was a private party. Where was this info over the phone?! The 2 employees up front were extremely unwelcoming and non chalant about the whole situation. So disappointing. The staff could use some serious customer service training. read more

This place was great! The service was incredible (every person that works there was so kind) and each plate was so good! The jerk chicken especially was delicious. I really recommend at least giving it a try! read more

Calabash - Oxtail Stew, jerk chicken, and tamarind pork ribs - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Best Jamaican food I hav had since Brooklyn. The service is amazing and the place is spotless. read more

Calabash - Oxtail rice and peas with plantains. - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Service was great, we ordered the recommendations from our server and were happy with the choices, meals are generous and filling. Must try the ox-tail read more

Good food. Definitely be aware this is not a Persian restaurant, much more of a Jamaican jerk restaurant, only 4 vegetarian dishes. We were craving kabob. We made this mistake, yet the food is good (ox tail stew) and the service was friendly and accommodating, even though we arrived there very late in the evening before closing. Thank you read more

They serve Jamaican food from Kingston 11. The quality is different and in my opinion has been compromised. The oxtail is way overcooked and is pretty much a mush. While oxtails should be tender and falling off the bone, they don't need to be off the bone served to me. I just think they're overcooked and become a mush when they're served. When they used to serve them at Kingston 11, they were cooked perfectly! I'd say the same for the jerk chicken and my last order was actually undercooked. So it's a mystery as to what's going on moving their recipes or their food to this venue. The restaurant is pretty clean and staff friendly, so if like to try a Persian dish. read more

I ordered the crispy salmon bowl with jasmine rice. First off, the salmon was not crispy at all. If you label the dish "crispy" than it is crucial that it be just that. I give that part of the dish a C-. The vegetables that came with it were bland and the greens were over cooked and bland. I give it a D+. The absolutely no frills jasmine rice was the star of the dish. I give it a B. For $25 this was a fail. The chefs need to go back to the drawing board and retool this dish. It was disappointing. read more

wet disappointing. the oxtail dinner had no whole pieces of oxtail- only broken bones with little bits of meat& the portion was very sparse & served lukewarm. I will not be back. read more

The oxtail is legit (I'm West Indian). The rum punch is really good, and the service was warm and amazing. I really enjoyed my lunch at Calabash and would recommend this for a fun dinner or lunch. read more

I wish i could give this place more stars. The food here was amazing. The beef short rib sandwich was tender and juicy and exploded with flavor. The curry goat was extremely good. Very tender and well cooked with the rice and beans being a great addition on the side. The shrimp was delicious with beautiful presentation and amazing flavor. We also had Jamaican patties which were really tasty. The service was great with our server being extremely friendly and warm. Very professional and nice. The vibe was great. Very chill place with some nice music going in the background. Nice potted plants and a some couches and tables. Bathroom was very clean and well kept. Calabash was perfection and definitely recommend it! Review by Rémy. #SPES represent read more

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I love the plants inside and I've had great experiences with the food and drinks for brunch and dinner. I like having this restaurant in the area and hope more people can be introduced to the unique cuisine read more

First time and not our last! We (6 hungry adults) came for lunch. We tried several small plates... plantains and black bean sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, mixed greens salad, Jamaican patties (beef & vegetable), jerk chicken wings, curry shrimp... pork rib with tamarind bbq sauce. We were all very satisfied and stuffed. Every dish was flavorful and good portions for small plates! My favorites, hands down were the Jamaican patties, ribs and plantains... However, everything was tasty. We'll be back to try the other dishes we missed. Service was good, good vibes everywhere. It had a nice ambiance and very clean. read more

Absolutely delicious! Beautiful space as well! Great for private events or dates; full bar and great music!

Great service. Tasty food. Unique menu - something for everyone. Fabulous addition to the neighborhood.

Don't get the crab dish, it's all potatoes, veggies, and rice. I suggest you take it off the menu if you barely put any crab, you're asking for a bad review. Drinks were good tho. read more

The food here is fantastic! I love the chickpea & cucumber salad, as well as the roast chicken, but everything I've had has been great. I don't drink liquor anymore, but their cocktails look amazing! They have a nice wine selection, and I do still drink beer & wine. The staff is friendly & beautiful! read more

Great ambiance and fun energy. Enjoyed the old fashion, chicken soup and noodles with Shrim and chicken. All wonderful.

If you like goat curry, this is the place for you. It's cooked perfectly, so soft it melts off the bone, with a mild heat that lingers on your palate long after you're leaning back in your chair and patting your full belly with satisfaction. Large portions, big cozy couches, and friendly customer service add to the experience. Highly recommend! read more

Stumbled on this place on my birthday and wow! I love this place so very much. The owner welcomed us with open arms and the staff was super friendly and nice. The Kingston Sunset and the curry shrimp were awesome!! read more

Great service! Highly recommend the curry crab meal. We ordered each entree and loved it all! read more

Calabash - Curry Crab - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Calabash... what a sad sad case. I thought it to be such a great option after it's partner Kingston 11 went out of business. Jamaican flavors and a decent vibe is what we experienced when we first found it in June. But now it's become a sinking hole of a business like many of its neighboring restaurants. Not only have we been turned away twice, the second was after a confirming call that they are still seating ppl and still open to the time they say. Met twice by two racist employees. One man who has a bowl cut and another lady. This restaurant is now black listed in my book and I will no longer come to this restaurant. I will spread the word that this place is no place to come to and not an emerging community staple as I had hoped it to be. If you don't want your night to be met with soggy server attitudes and let down do NOT go to this place. Do NOT rely on Calabash and do not get your hopes up. Such a waste of time and such a disappointment. read more