Wonderful vibe, great food & music selection, and staff is fantastic…read more Great for treating yourself to a solo night out, and date nights. Def recommend.

** 4 - 4.5 stars ** Visited for lunch and had a nice dining…read moreexperience. Traditional Peruvian with a bit of California-fusion is how I would describe Lacuma Kitchen and Bar. When you walk in, vibrant colors, plenty of greenery and a bright space with friendly and welcoming staff. Even the bathroom has a vibe. This visit I ordered: CEVICHE VERDE with Fish of the Day of rockfish. Fresh, raw white fish with great texture from the choclo (large-kernel Andean corn), toasted cancha (corn nuts), and slices of sweet potato. Dish is served raw, lightly marinated and made to order in a cilantro-based sauce with citrus with a bit of heat from aji limo (Peruvian pepper) - good but a tad salty. Served with plantains but unfortunately, not crispy and more soft and chewy. The trio of empanadas: chicken, beef, mushroom was accompanied with an aioli. Tasty! Friends enjoyed their dishes with no complaints. Lacuma Kitchen & Bar also has creative and quality cocktails/mocktails. Ordered the refreshing cucumber drink (recommendation by our server) as I didn't want anything with alcohol. Bright, fresh with some sweet from sugar and slight sour from the lime juice. Leo, our server was friendly, made suggestions and attentive. A great spot for date night, special dining event and lunch. Located on the corner of 17th/Franklin in Downtown Oakland. Would return to try their entrees.

We came to Shan Dong because people rave about the sesame paste noodles, and I'm happy to report:…read moreit lived up to the hype! The noodles are freshly made in house -- thick, chewy, hand-cut wheat noodles coated in a rich, nutty, slightly sweet sesame paste sauce. Fair warning, it's a heavy dish, so it's not something you'd want to finish on your own, but it was definitely worth it. We really enjoyed it. We also got the chive and pork dumplings, which tasted very fresh -- both the wrapper and the filling. They have a huge tube of chili oil on the table - now you know they're serious abut their food! Set your expectations right: this is an old-school, no-frills Chinese restaurant. The inside could use some updating (the chairs and tables included), and there's a table up front piled with stuff that probably should be stored in the back -- but likely isn't because there's no space. The service matches the vibe: not over-the-top warm, but their version of friendly is friendly, and it works. This is the kind of place where the food does the talking. Prices are good and not expensive. We came early and there was no wait, and you can find street parking nearby. Come for the noodles -- they're the real deal.

Came here for the first time and brought my family along. There were six of us, so we arrived right…read morewhen they opened to make sure we could get a table. The restaurant is on the smaller side, and I had heard there can be a wait, but we were seated right away. We had a great experience overall! The service was excellent, the food came out quickly, and everything tasted great. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and we'll definitely be coming back again.

Really loved this spot and this was my first time visiting. Friendly staff. Good bean options and…read morenice selection of outdoor seating in the sun (and a bit offset from the street) My banana latte was delicious. I appreciated the scorched banana topping for extra caramelization. I sipped the espresso before I mixed it and thought it was great. Not too sweet with the flavor still coming through. My only complaint it that a drink is $10 lol Hoping to come back and try their matcha!

Probably the only cafe that will make me cross the bay bridge just for the taste!…read moreBeautiful, unique fragrants of their wide coffee selections! So far my favourite is the India SLN9! The staff is happy to talk about their bean selection and gave me both a warm mug and an ice cup so I can try them two ways. I like SLN9 chilled, the ice is almost like a prism, reveal and separate floral, light acidic, honey-like notes!! Super refreshing and pleasant! The Columbia washed sweet nectar tastes similarly perfumery but feels stronger when drinking it hot. Love both pastries too. The raspberry one is filled with rich & tart chocolate inside, and the pistachio one has a different chocolate filling is sweeter nuttier and the little crunch is like Dubai chocolate...

Mensho is a very popular restaurant. This was my first time visiting, and I had a great experience…read more The food was delicious! The standout dishes for me were the Calamari, Karaage, and Daikon Salad. The Calamari was perfectly fried, and the seasoning was well-balanced. The Karaage was also perfectly fried, and the sauce was flavorful. The Daikon Salad was light and refreshing. I would like to thank our server, Noah, for his helpfulness in choosing our dishes and for the prompt service. I highly recommend it!

Unpopular opinion: wasn't my favorite. But that's all due to personal preference (aside from…read moreservice and a rocky start). The good: fresh, quality ingredients The bad: started with the host/wait list. I accidentally added my name twice for a solo diner. Host thought it was a mistake and completely removed me from the wait list and seated other parties that came in after me. Thoroughly confused - she didn't even call my name to confirm so I had to go up to her and ask. No apology either. Was seated at the counter where solo diners usually sit. Service was non existent. Server came up to me and ask "what would you like to order?" I've never been there before. No "hi my name is ... I'll be your server" nada. They're just a machine - people in people out. The ramen - broth was fine. The squiggly noodles aren't my favorite. Expected to have kernel corn but had corn ribs instead (good thing I'm good with chopsticks!) The charshu was just okay. Enoki topping was just ... aight. The nice touch was that they didn't put it in the ramen and served it on the side to preserve its crunchiness because it definitely needed the texture! It was loud, busy, and nothing spectacular about the dining scene here. $55 dollars later (ramen, 2 additional toppings, one box of sake) ... I sadly don't think it was worth it.

Still one of my favorites. Last time I reviewed RnR was…read moreover 9 years ago so time for an update! I've trekked across the bridge to come here a zillion times now. I have learned which sushi to order and I always get the tempura too. I have recommended this place to a lot of friends who are now regulars. Just saying

RNR chicken teriyaki rice bowl was very good the chicken was moist …read more The sushi's were good too such as the fried Cali roll, lion king roll, etc . Definitely will be back when I'm in the area and craving sushi.