Food is good but rather expensive for the quantity. The way one must place an order and then pay by cell phone is ridiculous. Ordering would be fine but having to input your credit card info through your phone is taking the COVID disinfecting too far.

Good menu selection, as always and all four of us were happy with our dishes. Mine initially came out cold, but they brought me an entirely new, piping hot plate that more than made up for it. Happily, they are being very safe for outdoor dining. The online ordering, however (the only why you can order during covid), was a bit of a hassle and it took too long to place a simple order. Maybe it was just my connection. I'll try it again.

It was pretty cold where we were sitting - the heat lamps were not strong (it was 7pm when we sat down). We asked for a few things (sliced limes and more water) that didn't arrive and it was hard to find someone to bring it over. Our apps and mains did arrive quickly, which was nice. The shrimp ceviche I ordered was not as good as previous ceviches I've had there.

The margaritas were great, the mole chicken not so much. The chicken seemed poached and without flavor and barely cooked so it was not tender. Simply covered in mole sauce. The mole sauce had a great flavor but seemed like a topping on some bland chicken certainly not worth a $26 entree. The enchilada Souza’s were good as well as the guacamole and flan.

We had a great Valentines Day experience. Service and food were both very good.

I had not been to Calavera during COVID but decided to go for an early Valentine's Day dinner with my spouse. The outdoor patio was warm and inviting on a cool and windy night. They had an phone-based ordering system that allowed for minimal contact with the server and vice-versa. The food and cocktails were delicious and portions were generous, and they arrived very quickly after submitting our order. I highly recommend Calavera. I will be back!

Food is always good here. Their outdoor eating area is comfortable. The staff does a good job of making you feel safe to eat there.

Would have been nice to know that there was a 90min max time allowed. We ordered additional food and drinks and had to request a refund because we were over our time limit for another round of food and drinks. Sucks to get a refund after you ordered and paid.

Was a good place to meet during Covid and be comfortable.

This is the best all-around dining out experience of the year- the great venue ,great food and the Mezcal at the bar make it work

Loved the food. Just be warned that with distance ordering, all food comes at once. No pacing for apps and entrees. Order separately. The servers should advise of this.

Fun place! Food came out quickly and you can place your entire order online while sitting down (for Covid safety). The mezcal margs were AMAZING.

Great place

The food was good as usual but service was lacking. Understandable with Covid and safety precautions they’re not really doing tableservice and you order through an app. However they did not seem very willing or interested in providing anything above what was available on the app. When we asked To have some of our margarita glasses salted and others unsalted, the request seem to put the host/server out. There was no way to indicate it on the app because there’s no area to put notes and he seemed annoyed that we were even asking. I am in hospitality so I understand current limitations, my issue with Calavera is that their price points are exactly the same as they used to be but the service level is very minimal and Guests are mostly left unattended. Many of our plates/glasses piled up and were not bussed. Perhaps this is just their reopening week but I would highly recommend they step up their service and hospitality levels because for the prices they’re charging we won’t return anytime soon if that doesn’t change.

Great food , service, and unforgettable! We will dine again at Calavera very soon !!!

So grateful for having such an outstanding place in town with a fantastic back patio and heaters, thoughtful and expanded Mezcal and Tequila options with artisan drinks and food that is out of control. The ownership puts great care into the menu and it is full of inspiring options that are sure to raise your bar for latin food and drink experiences.

Meal was delish as usual.

I have been to Calavera over 30-40 times. It's a go to place for me to share with new friends and/or for special occasions.

Although pleased with the safety protocols out in place for COVId , the service level was almost non -existent . I had to get up to grab my own water refill, ask for help with the menu, and cleared my own table 3 times for the additional rounds of drinks and food.

The food was flavorful as usual, but the tortillas were served cold as were the sides of rice / beans and Oaxaca bean dip .

Should they have come and checked in more often and been polite or demonstrated any interest as us as patrons, I would have ignored the cold food and lackluster service.

One expects so much for when spending $400 on a small dinner.

Calavera was amazing. I've always been a fan of the food, but during this time of COVID, they were the best at making us feel safe. Their no-contact procedures should be implemented by all restaurants who have limited indoor dining.

I was very pleased with the precautionary measures they took with covid in keeping both the guest and staff safe. They throughly clean tables and chairs after every party and tables were nicely spread apart. They had contactless food ordering and before serving the food, they made sure guest had face coverings on.

Drinks were amazing & food was delicious. I highly recommend the mole enchiladas 😋

We had guac and chips, roasted vegetables, and enchiladas en mole. Everything was wonderful, and actually better than on our pervious visits. Perhaps we did not order well the other times...

This was my first visit to Calavera with 25% indoor dining capacity and the experience was good overall. One's order is placed through a QR code, which worked well. The food was great, as always; there are some new items on the menu. My only criticism is that most of the food came out at once; I would have preferred better spacing.

Have been coming here more than other places during COVID for outside dining. The staff are very careful and I feel very safe. [They are starting to open up indoor dining, as per Alameda County regulations, but there's no way I'm dining inside yet.] I am thankful for the excellent coctails and food AND the careful staff while enjoying eating outside.

Sorry I never cancelled the reservation. Thought it automatically did because of covid19

Our group of five had beerf tacos, tingas de pollo, guacamole. Everyhing was delicious.

Highly recommend it!

Some interesting takes in some dishes (in a good way!). Good use of spices. My wife had the chicken mole and the sauce was great but the meat seemed like it was not freshly cooked.

The food was outstanding as were the craft cocktails. Our waiter was funny and really attentive. This is a great place for dinner before a show or bar hopping in Oakland.

We went for Brunch, the food was excellent and the ambiance was very good. Will be back.

We reserved a 10 person bench table outside for a friend’s birthday - it was nice and quieter out there and enclosed with heat-lamps so quite cozy. Started to get a smidge cold at the end of the night closer to the wall so bring a coat just in case! Food and service were solid - we started the night with pitchers of margaritas and chips and guac. Everyone enjoyed their appetizers and dinner. It’s a bit pricey but high quality food and excellent taste and presentation. All in all, we had a good time and I’d highly recommend this place for a group gathering or more fun bromate dining experience.

Great food elegantly served. Good drinks too. Service can be a little on the slow side, but it’s worth the wait.

We were looking for somewhere new to go in Oakland before a show. If you're looking a hipper more gourmet Mexican restaurant, this is it. Not that I don't love taquerias and traditional, but it's not like a Chevy's or major chain where everything is smothered in cheese.

The tortillas that came with the ceviche were awesome as well. I could have eaten way more. Get the spicy margarita too if you're tired of sweet ones.

Great service, very attentive and patient with an indecisive group. Food was tasty, not too many options for vegetarians but everything was wonderfully presented and delicious.

A great place for New Mexican. Great food, very attentive service, we were literally screaming at our friends across the table, it was so loud. Food was on high end of $$, in terms of pricing I thought it was expensive relative to what you get. Definitely quality food, but I found myself wanting more of something relative to the price.

Food was dry. Waitress never checked in with us after our food was served. We never saw her again. We ended up having to put cash on the table and left.

Regular menu items were not present, it was a special menu which didnt live up to the expectation. Over priced and not good

A very nice Valentine’s Day. The spicy Margarita was well worth it.

Decent food. Really good service and drink options. Kinda pricy considering what you get. We had a good time, though would probably opt for another Mexican restaurant that has similar pricing but better value.

Decorations inside the restaurant were great, ambiance was nice. Waitress sat, got order, and fed table next to us even though we had been there 40 minutes already. Still got charged for drinks we returned and did not like. Called manager over and had him take them off. Most likely would not come back.