Popoca

Name: Popoca
Address: 906 Washington St, Oakland, CA, United States, 94607
Telephone: (510) 457-1724
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.7

Visa Dining Collection

4.7 (83)

$30 and under

Latin American

906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 20, 2025

8:00 PM

Booked 19 times today

About this restaurant

Innovative
Great for creative cocktails
Good for special occasions

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
Website
https://www.popocaoakland.com/
Dress code
Business Casual

Location
906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607
Neighborhood
Oakland
Parking details
None

What 83 people are saying

Popoca reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Popoca offers a delightful culinary journey with "unique chef-inspired Salvadoran offerings" that are "delicious and craveable." Guests rave about its "fantastic" atmosphere, "incredible" service, and meticulously crafted dishes like the "halibut ceviche tostada" and "tres leches cake." Known for its "imaginative" cocktails and "authentic" pupusas, Popoca is a top Oakland dining destination.

83 Reviews

P
Pilar VIP
San Francisco Bay Area1 review
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Popoca is always fantastic. Last nights seasonal menu included cured anchovies, green garlic pupusas, strawberry/celery salad, and tres leches! There were four of us, and we ordered most of the menu. I always order a sweet potato stuffed tamal to take home because it’s perfect steamed for breakfast the next day. If you’re looking for a locally owned small biz that serves amazing food, has great service, and a super fun but chill vibe - come to Popoca.
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M
Mickey
Phoenix / Arizona1 review
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Delicious! We loved it and would absolutely go back.
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L
Lilian
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Popoca will always hold a special place in my heart. They make incredible food that feeds my spirit and cultural heritage. Their food is inspiring and curious in so many ways, exploring flavors, and creating space for a new interpretation on Salvadoran cuisine.
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M
Marie
Dublin2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had an incredible dinner - the food was fantastic, service was excellent, and the ambiance was a great vibe. It’s going to be in our regular rotation ☺️
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J
Jascha VIP
Baja California8 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Popoca is a modern Salvadoran restaurant where fire is the backbone of the menu—everything is kissed by smoke, layered with complexity, and plated with intention. The halibut ceviche tostada is a standout: bright, clean, and surprisingly deep, with perfect balance between acidity, heat, and fat. Each component is thoughtful, nothing overdone. The Tres Leches cake is exceptional—silky, soaked just enough, and finished with a subtly salted edge that cuts through the sweetness. The space itself is minimal and warm, designed to keep your focus on the food. Everything feels intentional, from the open-fire cooking to the restrained plating. This is technique meeting tradition, and it lands.
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B
Briana
Hawaii2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Absolutely amazing food and drinks! We live outside Seattle but we will definitely be back.
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R
Ruth
San Francisco Bay Area2 reviews
2.0
Dined on May 29, 2025
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Date: May 28, 2025 Service: Andrés was excellent. Atmosphere: very nice Food was a disappointment. For a restaurant that ranked #5 among the Chronicle 100 best restaurants in the Bay Area, we expected more refined and balanced cooking. 1. The apples, celery and aguashte salad was overwhelmingly sour. They had substituted flavorless mushy strawberries for the fruit. The crema was lost in the acidity. Yerba buena leaves interesting, but flavorless and limp. The only thing that shined was the pumpkin seeds. The celery alone did not provide enough crispness. 2. The potato (1) and mushroom (1) pupusas were not worthy of the name. There was no distinction between the dough and the filling. All had been squashed into a thin cheesy pancake, totally one-dimensional in flavor. Detected one mushroom. The green sauce was nice, but nothing special. The curtido (cabbage slaw) was very heavy handed with the oregano. Could not taste any other element. 3. The Pollo Campero was totally ordinary fried chicken wings; greasy with lots of overly fried batter. So very unappealing when it was brought to the table. 4. We decided not to have dessert because we had no confidence in this kitchen.
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R
Russ
New York City18 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 24, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
The unique chef-inspired Salvadorean offerings are both delicious and craveable.
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M
Maureen
Vancouver / British Columbia1 review
5.0
Dined on May 24, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always enjoy dining here. Food always on point, changes to menu to keep me coming back is great. Service always delightful. Such a beautiful restaurant. Always on my top 5 places to dine. Recent favourite: Fresas & Celery Con Alguashte!!!!
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H
Harrison
San Antonio1 review
5.0
Dined on May 22, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Popoca has been one of, if not my best dining experiences in Oakland, hands down. Every single food item was excellent, the masa items in particular really shined bright, so tender and flavorful. The pork chop was probably the best I've ever had and the Tres Leches was heavenly. The food was pretty spendy, I thought some items were maybe not a great deal and the restaurant was pretty loud but overall a wonderful experience that I'm looking forward to repeating.
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FAQs

Popoca is rated 4.7 stars by 83 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 20, 2025

8:00 PM

Booked 19 times today

906 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

Dining areas

Additional information

Neighborhood
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

Website
https://www.popocaoakland.com/
Phone number
(510) 457-1724

Popoca

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Dining areas

Additional information

Menu

What 83 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is Popoca restaurant rated?

Is Popoca currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information