Flora - Oakland

I've visited Flora twice in the past month. Both times I was charged for Fociatta that I did not receive. Both times I ordered it, did not receive it, and was charged for it.

Good food, interestingly prepared. Enjoyed the different cocktails. We had an 8 PM show and they got us out in time.

I don't remember being welcomed so warmly at a restaurant; Greeted by both the front desk and server with "Happy Anniversary" and seated with two flutes of bubbly. The MENU even said "Happy Anniversary"!!! Reviewed the menu with our server Scott... his recommendations fit our inclinations perfectly.

The first course of Arancicni ( risotto globes stuffed with mozzarella) matched up well to the savory arugula and marinated beet salad. Since we were celebrating 'opposites attract'... the SF Bay halibut, plated with both shishito and nardello roasted sweet peppers, was nicely complemented by the Italian meatballs with cubes of crispy polenta and just a kick of hot pepper.

Then there was dessert. WAS there ever dessert! While the chocolate cake was excellent, not too dry, not too sweet... the caramel pudding was pulled from a different time-space continuum.

Flora's caramel pudding has some body... nearly mousse-like, and the MOST intense caramel flavor I have ever had in a dessert. Set off with maldon sea-salt, creme fraiche, and pepitas pumpkin seeds... this dessert deserves its own PAGE on the menu! Recommended... Highly Recommended... MUST HAVE!

Service was a little off. Too long for the wine to arrive (middle of the meal) and too long for ketchup (burgers and fries ordered by two at the table), not to mention the cheeseburger with no cheese. Usually one of my go-to restaurants in downtown Oakland — questioning now. Also, the booths are threadbare. Really bad at this price point. Actually, horribly unacceptable.

The drinks were well done. However the quality of food has been uneven this past year especially considering the prices. The beet salad had only a few tiny pieces of beets and goat cheese. My husband enjoyed his entree of meatballs and fried polenta, but the serving portion was too small. I ordered a chicken dish: dry uninteresting leg and thigh roasted in the oven with a very thin nondescript sauce that was slightly spicy--so disappointing since at our last dinner at Flora's earlier in the year, I also had chicken which had a crispy crust over tender moist meat and flavorful sauce along with a good vegetable side. This time the side was chard which might have been slightly steamed, but was too tough to chew. I also had similar experiences the previous year: one visit was very good and one was very mediocre.

Food was excellent, staff attentive without being overbearing. Fried sweet potatoes delicious.

Made dinner reservations for when they opened at 5:30 with a 7:00 show to make and things worked out well. We'd already stopped for drinks across the street before hand, but I did enjoy one, the Pop Your Cherry.

We started with the arancini and corn bob tomato broth. The deep fried risotto was well prepared with the delicacy need to keep it from being too greasy or heavy. We wish the broth had more corn taste, especially with corn in season right now, but it was still good.

I chose the meatballs and polenta and was pleased with them. Without pasta and only cubes of polenta, I was worried about whether it would hold up on its own, but it did so superbly. Pasta would have been too much.

My wife had the duck plate, which was only half good. The duck was rather bland, but the liver pate toast made up for it.

We finished with the pavlova and the orange curd worked well in place of the usual lemon curd.

Overall there was room for improvement, but we'd be willing to go back for another meal.

The good was great. The service was a big slow, did not receive our full order, and there were extra charges on our bill that were instantly removed.

Heather and the team of servers provided excellent customer service! Just the right amount of attention and kudos to the kitchen for the pace with which each course was delivered!

We agreed that everything we ordered, from the cocktails to desert were expertly crafted and delicious!!! Our next trip back to Flora will be to experience brunch.

I thought the food was good bu there wasn't enough of it. I ordered the sea bass for $32 and it was a modest-sized portion with some interesting garnish. No vegetable on the side however, and no mashed potatoes or rice on the side.

The restaurant is extremely noisy. Our server kept having to ask us to repeat what we just said. And my friend and I did, too.

A pleasant surprise. This restaurant has come up on open table many times but finally decided to try it. A really creative menu. So many choices but we went with the burgers and the heirloom tomatoes. The flavor of the onion jam along with the cheese and heirloom were delectable. Great service. Best fries in a long time and the little gem salad with blue cheese dressing was a perfect accompany. We will be back!

Great food, desserts and service! Highly recommend!

Craft cocktails and salted caramel pudding are amazing!

I liked flora but it was a little dark for me.

Flora is tremendously average. Menu is safe and boring. Not keen to plant based movement and non alcoholic mocktails. Lots of fried foods

The food here is consistently excellent. I had burrata with tomatoes, arancini, sea bass, and pudding. All were superb. Service was attentive.

Very creative combination of ingredients that surprise the palate.

Shane was, as always, wonderful as he greeted us. Food was glorious and the Bloody Marys..out of this world.

The waitress would not offer us anything until I asked. From a menu, to water to being able to order a drink. This place is over. Sad.

Flora is a long-standing neighborhood favorite of ours - consistently wonderful food and service.

Great meal. Great service. I'd definitely eat there again.

Very convenient to Fox Theater. Great cocktails (Sophia Loren quite delicious), arancini and caramel pudding. Tasty burger, mediocre salad with fig and nectarine (the fruit could've been riper.) Slower service than usual.

Great location easy parking and right across from the Fox Theater. Food is super good, fresh and interesting. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. You can tell they take great care with the food and love what they do.

Would recommend sticking to the lighter side on their menu. Bigger dishes including the burger a bit rich.

I dined here on Father’s Day with my partner and her parents. The service was amazing and the food was great. We will definitely be back for date night soon!

Fathers Day and we were treated like kings and queens. Everything they do is fantastic. Will keep coming back as we are regulars!

Beautiful setting. Food a little disappointing, generally seemed a bit too rich, portions too big.

Food was nothing special I was pretty bummed. The ambiance needs work it feels dead and not cohesive - service was great

Although we have been to Flora numerous times, typically to have dinner before a show, this occasion didn't even seem like it was the same restaurant. The dishes we ordered were simply not good at all. My $34.00 salmon was a teeny tiny thin piece. It was barely five bites. It was accompanied by a smear of cold hummus, and three large rubbery asparagus stalks. It was a joke. I have ordered salmon many times at various restaurants, and the portion sizes have been smaller, but at least I could find it on the plate. My son's short ribs were miniscule as well resembling three strips of bacon more than an actual beef rib. They were served on an appetizer size plate with no accompaniment. This was supposed to be an entree. Both dishes were a complete rip off. My husband's vegetarian pasta was too al dente, but at least adequate. Lastly, my daughter's
hamburger came with a burnt bun, and not cooked as requested. Service was slow, taking forever to receive a glass of wine and the waitress didn't bother to ask if everything was okay. Flora is off our list for Oakland dining.

Perfect location for having dinner before a show at the Paramount Theatre. Nice selection of spirits!

Service was horrific. Won’t go back.

Flora provided very nice meals, highlighting local ingredients. We had the Lassen trout, which was excellent, and the duck, which (I heard) was excellent as well. The salad was delicious, if not very robust in size (we were told by the server it would be good to share, but it was much too small). All in all, we had a fine time.

Great brunch menu with fresh healthy greens like nettles and wild arugula. Also great desserts!

Th caramel pudding is amazing! Very attentive waitstaff. Great ambiance. A bit loud.

Food was terrific - my trout was excellent - though kitchen was slow; desert and drinks excellent; service good though tables in the center are too close for servers to access without bothering adjacent tables; the restaurant was full so noise level made conversation difficult.

Flora is an enjoyable and comfortable hip place to eat and have a drink. The drinks are a bit small and promising but could use a bit refinement. Food was good, but also could use a few more selections for non red meat eaters and non meat customers. I had the meat balls which were very tasty and combined with interesting ingredients, but I thought IMO could have used a bit more spinach or green mixed in to balance the strong meat taste. All in all we had a pleasant time and enjoyed the meal.

Wonderful experience!

Great food and service from our waiter Shane. Good location, the food was very fresh.

Absolutely fantastic food - looking forward to the next occasion for me to eat there

Reduced lunch menu but still a true Oakland venue showing the best of new Oakland.