Food is decent at best, the service is great but I feel sorry for the staff. Over heard a few of them talking about the owners poor management and some of the shady things he's done. Will no longer be supporting. read more

The restaurant is beautiful, & a welcome step up from the neighborhood that Kingston 11 was in. I frequented K11 at least once a month and their curry goat is something I always introduce newbies to the area on, because it never fails. The only real criticism I have about the space as a whole is the tall chairs have 0 back support, so for someone with back pain it's either the smaller chairs, or the couches. We were initially sat in the tall chairs and had to move to the couch because of my pack problems. It's a little odd to eat a full meal on a couch but better than being in pain. Onto the service, our server was nice but it was clear he was inexperienced. Simple questions like how/what things are were met with "I'm new and not familiar with the menu" maybe some training on what is popular with customers & why from both sections of the menu so he can always have a recommendation in his back pocket. Regarding the victuals, the veggie patty is such comfort food, and takes me back home with every bite. I (of course) had my friend order the curry goat, and once he had one bite he ordered 2 more to go. The portion size for the large eats is massive. It fills the entire plate, and the plates are also massive. I ordered from the Iranian menu, the lemon herb chicken something or other. I was surprised to have dry dark meat chicken. The flavor was good, the seasoning was there, but it would've done much better in my humble opinion in some kind of gravy or something to keep the meat juicy. I see what Nigel is doing here and will return soon even if it's just to get my tried and true curry goat. read more

Plaintains and rice and peas are as good as I remembered from going to Kingston 11. Sadly, the curry goat was not the same. It was was way too salty and I could not eat it. read more

Restaurant took my order for pickup, was listed as open on their website, Toast, and even their own answering machine but was closed when I wasted my time going there to pick it up. Manager was very short with my when I eventually contacted them about a refund and didn't even apologize about the situation. I was very interested in trying this place but this experience turned me off so much now I doubt I will read more

So I will say I need to go back and do a more proper review, because I don't have photos for this review. I will say that I tried a veggie dish for an entree and it was just okay. The curry sauce was delicious and the plantains, but the veggies looked and tasted like they came out of a frozen bag, not much flavor. The curry is what added the flavor. The side of plantains in the entree, well it was a tiny portion, little only 3 of them on the corner of the plate. So I suggest ordering them as an appetizer. I will say that the plantains were DELICIOUS! No sauce/dips that were provided needed. The ambiance was a little off for the night time, the lighting was super bright and didn't give an evening vibe, some of the dishes didn't match, but it was a nice looking restaurant overall. I hate to say that the majority of our party (about 10 of us) didn't finish their food, some got to-go boxes and others just didn't finish it. I feel like it's worth going back to see about the second experience read more

I wanted to like this place. The ambiance is nice. The service was great. The food was VERY disappointing. Beef Patties - good. Hot and comes on a bed of salad that was very great. Jerk chicken plate - this is why they received 1 star, my chicken was not cooked all the way, to where I took one bite and didn't want to eat any more. My rice and beans were extremely bland and lacked flavor. It's just disappointing that our authentic Jamaican cuisine is watered down to satisfy the new residence. One thing about Jamaican food is that it's packed with flavor and then for it not to be cooked through is just ridiculous. read more

We came to Calabash for the Oakland Comedy Show. Our server was kind, warm, and helpful. We order the fish fritters, ox tail stew, and green beans. All of our food was flavorful and delicious. read more

Warm welcome by engaged staff. Delicious small food and wine. I'll be back soon read more

Recently had breakfast here, especially recommend the chilaquiles and the French toast. everyone there was very nice too!

If this is taking the place of Kingston 11, I am very disappointed. I phoned today to place an an order and spoke to a very nice gentleman who answered my questions and told me he would give the call to someone else to take my order. Then I was rudely told by some woman that they were having an event from 4pm to closing and could not take any orders and then hung the phone up in my face. I don't live in this area and I had patronized Kingston 11 many times in the past but if this woman is a preview of what I have to look forward to at Calabash I won't be coming here whenever I come to Oakland. Never had a negative experience at Kingston 11 and the food was fabulous. Sorry to see it go. read more

Food is extremely delicious, especially curry chicken and oxtail. Only feedback would be hours of service are too limited. Would also love to see them expand to pickup-delivery available on Caviar of their full menu read more

Excellent. Tried to order takeout from Kingston 11 but was redirected to this site. Called Calabash and picked up from their location. Had jerk chicken, oxtails, curry goat, extra plantains, and salt fish fritters. The three entrees were great, and I would probably get the same again. Rice and peas were preferable to jasmine rice. I would get the plantains but skip the salt fish fritters. read more

We love close by, and wanted to try a new place..... we just got appetizers, but it was disappointing. The eggplant was extremely bland, just a slimy tasteless mix, the cucumber salad was pretty weak too.... they said it came with Iranian bread, but it really seemed like 2 slices of whole wheat Wonder bread. The olives were good, but man - a $50 dollar meal and we had to find somewhere to eat when we got out. read more

Although I ordered carry out, I enjoyed the items I ordered. I love the lamb salad. It is my go to dish. The lamb is well seasoned. It is a generous portions which gives me too meals. This time I tried the Tamarind Spareribs which were tasty. I would like the ribs to be a little more tender. Again, portion was enough for 2 meals. Lastly the Jamaican beef pattie was excellent. Very tasty. I will return to Calabash! read more

Was really excited by the offerings and vibe. Tried it and interesting ideas but especially for the price was underwhelmed. Simple stuff like wings didn't really come together. No hot food on the Iranian part of the menu. read more

Honestly, how do you build a menu, give details about the dish and then serve something that doesn't resemble the description?....... Calabash does that and they are brand new. The leg of lamb salad, which I ordered because I've never seen it on a menu, supposedly comes with grilled persimmon, which sounds delicious. However, with no apology (the server didn't even know what a persimmon is) the salad was served with slices of green apple. Another server said stone fruit was the replacement. An apple is not stone fruit and stone fruit is out of season, but persimmons aren't. Shame on you calabash, I won't be returning and I won't be recommending either. Another Oakland eatery disappointment read more

If I could give this place 6 stars I would. My boyfriend and I were in Oakland for the day and were pretty hungry, so we decided to follow the sound of the live music to find a place to grub, and I am so glad we did. We stopped by this restaurant with no exceptions, and we are still blown away. We were greeted with wonderful music and wonderful service. The ambiance of the restaurant was magnificent. It was so interpersonal and heartwarming. Off the bat, the energy in this place was dreamy and out of this world. Not only was our waitress (who I am forgetting the name of) one of the only people who was working, she was waiting 10+ all AT ONCE, and was so quick, efficient, charming, and caring. The combo of lovely live music, the smell of delicious food, and delightful staff is an experience I will never forget. This was also my first time ever trying Jamaican food and it was nothing but marvelous. Straight from heaven. Anything on this menu is FANTASTIC. Saying everyone needs to try this is an understatement. It is a must! The owner (Nigel) was so incredible at welcoming us in and sending us on our way. This place seriously restored my faith in humanity and I can not recommend this place enough. read more

My friend and I ate lunch here on a Thursday and we were both very pleased with everything. The server (forgot her name) was warm, friendly, and attentive. The food (a bowl of noodles with shrimp and the roast leg of lamb salad) was delicious. And there were plenty of parking options nearby (on the street and in garages). It was a winner for us today! read more

Good vibe/decor and music. We arrived at 7:00 and there were already several items that were no longer available, which was disappointing. Service was friendly, but spotty. It felt like we attended a soft opening and they weren't quite ready for full service. I might give them a try in a few months and hopefully everything will be better. read more

Delicious food, friendly and down-to-earth staff, and quick service! I came for lunch and really enjoyed the dips and drinks. Great, interesting flavors. Would love to see more people come here and add to the lively atmosphere! Calabash is a great addition to the neighborhood. read more

I like the location, the ambience was nice, the DJ was good, the ginger beer was tasty, staff were great, but unfortunately the fish we ordered and ate wasn't fresh. I think it might've been grouper, but it had a strong fishy smell and some bites tasted kind of pasty and mushy. There also wasn't enough salt on it but even with salt didn't taste very good. I came home afterwards and drank some port because my stomach was feeling a little bit iffy since I left the place. The appetizers were good though. you read more

Picked up some food based on the reviews from others and maybe I ordered the wrong thing. The salad was OK, just bagged greens with a few slices of apple and bottled vinaigrette dressing. The meat patty was decent, it's just the kind you buy frozen and heat up but at least it was edible. The jerk chicken was so bad... it was greasy and gross. The rice and peas were slippery and coated in oil. The whole mess sat in a huge pool of oil. I tried to eat one piece and it was awful. I've eaten a lot of jerk and a lot of Jamaican food and this was like nothing I've ever had before. I've never seen oily jerk chicken. The whole dish went straight into the trash can. read more

We've had 3 wonderful dining experiences this year at Calabash--thanks to the deliciously prepared food and drinks, the wonderful service, and of course, the celebration of being together with friends. The flavors of the dishes (we've shared with our friends the grits, Kingston ox tail, Kingston jerk chicken, lemon and garlic chicken, Neshta platter, roast lamb leg salad, goat curry, BBQ ribs and more) were outstanding and the portions overflowing. Have a great time dining at Calabash! read more

I really wanted to like this place but it was some of the not so good dining experiences I had. I hate to shit on restaurants like this but I'm hoping they'll take notice and improve the food because the vibes and the service were good. For me the food comes first and I don't really care too much about vibe and service. I ordered the Iranian eggplant dip and as an Iranian I can tell you that this was supposed to be served hot but it was cold straight out of the fridge. The fish was mushy textured and weird tasting. It's as if it was cooked before and got reheated. Yuck. I can honestly do better at home and I'm not even that good of a cook. We low key left hungry. The cocktails were super mid and too sweet. It just felt like a rip off over all. I don't know how people spend so much money on a restaurant business just to get the food part wrong. Maybe I ordered the wrong things but honestly none of the things I ordered were a saving grace. Again I really wish they get it together at some point for the sake of the business and the staff but I will not be returning. I was surprised at how empty it was on a Friday night and after tasting the food I knew exactly why. There are plenty other restaurants in much less premium locations that serve FAR better food at similar prices. read more

The food was amazing. I ordered the short rib sandwich and fries. The meat was marinated to perfection and juicy. The fries were A1. I also tried the salad and goat cheese appetizers which were also delicious. Excellent customer service and the DJ was also amazing. The music was just the right volume. I will be returning! read more

The worst ever restaurant we have been to!! Food quality was zero service below zero!! They claim to have Iranian food but that's not true!! Some spiced olive and yoghurt is not even close to Iranian food so please be honest with yourself, get your menu right & have some edible food on your menu. Their staff are so confused , no one know what u can order or not! Just save your money and stay away from this place! read more

Unfortunately there was nothing special about the food. The customer service was average and I just feel as though its not a place worth trying again honestly. read more

Just WOW!! Please come here!!! My partner and I stumbled onto this amazing place by coincidence as we heard live music and decided to follow it to this restaurant. The inside was nice, clean, and had plenty of art and decor that perfectly represented the food. We were quickly seated and had our orders taken by a lovely waitress (whose name I'm forgetting) who provided some of the most kind and genuine service I have ever experienced. Not to mention, she was the only one serving all 10-15 tables in the restaurant, doing it so professionally and quickly. Our food was brought to us fast and it was unbelievably good. We shared the jerk chicken wings, I got the jerk chicken sandwich, and my partner got the pulled beef sandwich. The jerk chicken wings were covered in a lovely sweet and spicy bbq sauce, the jerk chicken sandwich was seasoned to perfection, and the pulled beef sandwich melted in your mouth. Not to mention, each of our sandwiches came with a side of fries which was super seasoned with a mix of regular and sweet potato fries. Each portion was also large and reflected the price well. The owner Nigel also checked up on us repeatedly, and the whole time it felt so interpersonal and welcoming. I seriously cannot recommend this place enough. For my first time trying Jamaican food, this place has raised the bar sky high and I can't wait for my next visit!! read more