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Bocanova: Restaurant Reviews

55 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 444-1233‎
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Ranked #10 of 514 restaurants in Oakland
Price range: $30 - $30
Cuisines: South American, Fusion
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Restaurant details
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Reservations, Late Night
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Cross street: Embarcadero W
Description: Bocanova, located in Jack London Square, features Pan-American food in a lively and colorful setting. Available for all your dining needs, we offer intimate tables in our dining room, a number of communal dining tables for larger parties or if you're in the mood to meet new people, and counter seating up by our exhibition kitchen, when you're in the mood for a show.
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64 reviews from our community

82% Recommend
    34
    19
    8
    3
    0
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
There are newer reviews for Bocanova
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Alton, IL
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
30 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“Nice!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed March 15, 2013

Service was friendly, helpful and efficient. Food was interesting and well prepared. The pork tenderloin was perfectly cooked, nicely dressed with just enough jicama salad and tamarind sauce to add texture and flavor but not overwhelm the juicy meat. The sweet potato gratin and brussel sprouts were generously portioned and tasty. Do wish everything had been a tad warmer, especially the lamb. Succulent and flavorful, the lamb shanks needed warmth the play down their richness. The house made ice cream was a delight with churros and chocolate sauce, the perfect light and playful ending to a delightful meal.

  • Visited March 2013
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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Ask Rbj2040 about Bocanova
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Berkeley, California
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
8 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
“Fab Latin - loved it”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 25, 2013 via mobile

The crab deviled eggs alone make this a worthwhile destination. First try one of the fresh inventive cocktails . If you like heat go for the Cesear which is infused with jalapeño. The Hemingway daquari was so fresh it bore little resemblance to the dessert like concoctions you get elsewhere. Other highlights were the cerviche served with plantain chips and the pork with cracklings. Don't miss the bread pudding with Mexican chocolate ice cream. We will definitely visit again to enjoy the outdoor patio when it warms up. So glad we went!

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Ask luckygirl_2011 about Bocanova
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Williamsburg, Virginia
Top Contributor
80 reviews 80 reviews
41 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
“Friendly staff and good food”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 21, 2013

We were just wandering around Jack London Square and didn't want a huge lunch. Bocanova was a perfect choice. The lunch choices were quite interesting and, more importantly, delicious. I didn't recognize some of the ingredients but everything worked perfectly. The staff was very attentive without being obnoxious. We would definitely return.

  • Visited February 2013
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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San Diego, CA
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
25 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
48 helpful votes 48 helpful votes
“Warm, welcoming and really good food.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 24, 2013 via mobile

Oakland's Restaurant Week gave us a chance to try a lot of different food here. Mostly great and nothing regrettable!

First, warm and friendly from the front door; it has in-kitchen style seating, too, which looks a little in the way but probably a lot of fun if the place is rocking.

We were early, so no rocking; secured a good booth without a reservation at 5:45 pm on a Thursday (it got a lot busier after about 7:00). Very pretty place. We shared a bay scallop ceviche (the light but creamy sauce has a definite habanero bite), marinated Peruvian olives (very tart); comfort-food quinoa salad; a beautifully prepared hangar steak and perfect petrale sole (second best thing we had). A potato and mushroom side dish -- I agree the potatoes are spectacular, but they didn't seem to match with the mushrooms. Each was good, just a strange combo -- they didn't do anything for each other, and would've been better as two sides. The panko-breaded and lightly fried cauliflower in remoulade was the BEST thing on the plates tonight! Dessert was a decent enough banana cake with a buttercream dollop . . . good enough.

The server was fun to talk to, about cooking and wine and all things food. Reasonably priced, too. We don't make it up to Oakland too often, but this would be a place to return to.

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Ask TheresaMc about Bocanova
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Geneva, Illinois
Senior Contributor
45 reviews 45 reviews
26 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 28 cities Reviews in 28 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
“Loved my Veggies.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 7, 2013

I was exhausted after a long air flight, but excited to be with friends. This was one of the best dinners I have had in a long time. Do Not Miss the Pear Salad. Main courses were half chicken and scallops, and hard to believe that the vegetables were awesome. We shared Squash and Brussel Sprouts. I crave them right now.
Caveat: Difficult to hear when the room fills.

  • Visited December 2012
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Ask ABHIL about Bocanova
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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