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Popoca, Oakland, CA

Popoca

4.8
4.8
52 Reviews
$30 and under
Latin American

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 19 times today
  • Innovative
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Charming
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
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 52 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • East Bay

    Innovative

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Popoca offers a vibrant dining experience with "fantastic and creative" food and unique cocktails. The atmosphere is "warm and welcoming," and the service is consistently praised as "outstanding." Standout dishes include the "delicious" pupusas and fried chicken, while the apple and celery salad is a refreshing treat. A must-visit!

52 Reviews
  1. Debbie VIP

    San Francisco20 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner with friends before a show. It was fun watching the chef do his thing on the open fire right there among the diners and the food was good across the board. It’s a limited menu but honestly enough choices for everyone to choose items they wanted. We ate tapas style. The crab was amazing by the way (be ready for a mess). Service was wee bit slow but hey, you’re meant to enjoy and they responded quickly when we said we needed to get going.

    1 person found this helpful

  2. Ivan

    San Francisco11 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Great experience. Did the tasting menu and almost everything was a hit. I would probably not order the pollo en chicha again in the future. Good sauce, but chicken thigh and legs needed to be cooked more. the lengua pupusa was amazing. The salvi side plate was so flavorful and delicious. The yuca was amazing! Really loved pretty much everything.

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  3. Anonymous

    San Francisco14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food, service and ambiance. The pupusa and other grilled items are outstanding. Interesting cocktails. Highly recommend.

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  4. Cynthia VIP

    San Francisco14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 7 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious and creative food. Pleasant dining room. Lovely staff. An Oakland gem.

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  5. Justin VIP

    San Francisco1 review

    4.0

    Dined on 6 March 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Nice place would good again, the food was a little pricey but overall good time!

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  6. Jane

    San Francisco26 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 6 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Oh, My! We were introduced to this restaurant by the person who requested it to celebrate her birthday. The food was outstanding. If you enjoy pork chops, this is the place. I had the noodles which were “chow main” el Salvadoran style. When I return, I’m having them again. The white wine from Mendoza was the perfect way to start, while friends had cocktails. We celebrated at the end with their desserts and complimentary dessert drinks. Popoca could not be more welcoming. Such a cozy comfortable spot to enjoy good food and drinks.

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  7. Nathan

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 5 March 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent dinner and drinks. 2nd time here and haven’t had anything remotely subpar.

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  8. Jannelly VIP

    San Francisco25 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We waited at the bar while our friends came since they were late for our ressies but we enjoyed cocktails that were tasty. I had the ahumarindo which is basically a tamarind margarita. It was so good everyone else ordered it as their second drink. Their pupusas are delicious, we also had the carne asada, crab, apple salad and guacamole. Everything tasty and well presented. We left stuffed and happy. For dessert we had the dessert cake that was like a cheese quesadilla, I didn't taste that cause I can't have gluten but it was gone quickly so clearly good. I did enjoy the sipping chocolate with the chain spices even though it would of been nice if it was a thicker consistency. But that's my personal preference. It was more like spiced cacao water, delicious flavor but I think of sipping chocolate being more creamy.

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  9. Michelle

    San Francisco33 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 23 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The food and the spot far exceeded our expectations! Unassuming on the website, but inviting and very interesting compositions: the fried chicken wind was off the charts (app), as was the plum and pumpkin seed app...absolutely delicious! One miss were the popusas...too greasy for my taste. The apple and celery salad was a perfect finish. The hood here was a discovery for us...definately happening and safe! We went to a concert at the Paramount about a mile away and were really happy we came here. We will return!

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  10. ConnieC

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 20 February 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Such a beautiful space and delicious place. Favorites are the salvi side plate and the friend chicken. Have now been three times and can’t wait to go back!

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FAQs

Popoca is rated 4.8 stars by 52 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 19 times today
Google Map for Popoca

906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Area
    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
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