My wife and I picked Bocanova for our first meal in Oakland based on trip advisor reviews. It was a great choice. First of all the restaurant was pretty full so that is always a good sign. We didn't have a reservation so we ended up sitting at two of the kitchen bar seats. That ended up working out well because we got to see a lot of the food coming out before ordering. The Caesar salad was excellent (big enough for 2 to share). I had the grilled octopus which was very good. My wife had the black bean and brisket dish and it was outstanding. Service was very friendly and helpful as well.

Highly recommend this place.

Great ambience, bartenders make consistently excellent drinks, food is tapas-style and is consistently tasty 90% of the time. Small portions, can sample or share a number of dishes. On nice days, it is the best place for outdoor patio dining, especially when they have the Sunday Farmers Market, considered the largest in the East Bay. Weds nights is best as it has half off each and every bottle of wine! Four separate dining areas, all beautiful and unique.

Boconova is situated on the waterfront of Jack London square. There is a large outdoor seating area with proper furnishings for sunny days, and brisk nights. I've been here twice, once during the day for a Sunday brunch, and once in the evening for a Friday night dinner. In both instances, we were seated immediately with no wait. There is a lot of room inside to not feel cramped.
OK, on to the food. There were some similar elements shared from the brunch and dinner menu, and some items were not available for the time of day we dined. The shrimp ceviche was delicious, but did not come with any chips for sharing - I feel like the server should have mentioned this to us prior to ordering. Chips are available as an order, so that wasn't too big of a deal. The portion sizes were appropriate for this class of restaurant, small, but high quality.

The dress code was casual, as there were dressy people on Friday night, and laid back jeans and a t-shirt attire on Sunday.

At no point during the dining experience was the noise too loud or the lights too dim. It would be suitable for a get together with friends from out of town, business meals, or a nice family meal.

What Bocanova most has going for it is location. They've got a great outdoor space with a view of the estuary. There's generally good people watching here. Plus a full bar. The cocktails are pretty good, decent beer on tap. Haven't had much wine here, so I can't speak to that. The food is good. Not memorable, but good. I find it slightly over priced for what it is, but not terribly so. But really, this is where I go when it's beautiful outside and I want to soak in the sun with a drink in my hand.