Marica Restaurant

Look no further for a special place to have date night or cozy meal with excellent food and great prices. I may regret authoring this review as will never get another table. Marica offers an intimate space where the owner cares for customers personally while her husband runs the kitchen. Cocktails are solid and very reasonably priced for the Bay Area. The mesquite grilled shrimp appetizer was elegantly and generously presented with a mildy spicy and smoky flavor. Might just be the best grilled shrimp I’ve ever tasted - plump and tender, perfectly cooked with a grilled lemon on the side for adding citrus notes. Fish stew was delightful with intense bisque flavors that run long on the palate. The shrimp and white fish can benefit from being added later as slightly over cooked. But hey, I can find fault with anything. Swordfish in lemon beurre blanc was cooked just right and not salty as seems to be the trend. Asparagus perfectly cooked and delicately coated in pistou (pesto without pine nuts) sauce. Creme brûlée was silky in texture with deep vanilla notes, delicately covered with a thin caramelized orange flavored sugar crust and blackberries. Chocolate soufflé exuded bittersweet chocolate notes with light texture, topped by excellent vanilla ice cream which my wife raved about. Total bill $135 for 2 that included a salad, Manhattan, Old Fashioned and tax. Giving 5 stars balancing quality and price. Can’t wait to go back!

I was looking for a new place to have a company dinner and phoned Marica to see if they could accommodate. Thomas answered the phone and made the reservation for 11 people seamlessly. When we arrived, they had set up a nice long table for all of us by the bar, which who doesn't like being close to the bar? Nina and Thomas were so kind and attentive and we got plenty of recommendations including some great bottles of wine. All our food and drink were delicious and they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and two of our employees feel special at their relocation party. Can't wait to eat here again. What a gem of a place, with kind people, great wine, and good food.

Enjoyed Marica over the years for special occasions (our first time was back in 2012 when we moved to the area from SF). Glad they switched back to this format/menu after doing the pizzeria for a bit. Ambiance & service still 4-5 stars. Food freshness/quality 5 stars. Food preparation 4-5 stars. We’ve tried many items on the menu over the years and have been satisfied -amazed/delighted. The only nit to pick is that dishes at times are on the salty side - a little heavy handed with the salt shaker. Def ask for no or low added salt if you like to watch your salt intake. Keep it up, you definitely have many fans!

I have been seeing Marica pop so many times i was finally able to stop over and grab a bit. I did not know how busy this place got. The staff was great they slid us in before the next reservation. After being seated we took a look at the menu and ordered a few cocktails. Both we very delicious and reasonably priced sucks because i just cant remember their names. As we waited to place our order we were able to enjoy the nice chill vibe. The staff was amazing and fast. The food came out smelling delicious. I got the fries and the mussels. Everything was amazing! I will be back to try more of the menu and will make sure to do reservations next time!

Went on a weekday, didn't struggle to get a table. Food was delicious, portions were a little bit small tho. The service was lonely.

I have heard so much about this place and so I wanted to give it a try being that most of the reviews I read were five star! After my visit in the evening that I had, I ended up giving the restaurant a four stars. The Ambiance is excellent and it's very upbeat and modern, service was good but not excellent. We had to ask for bread and they brought us this small single roll with four slices. Very stingy on the bread. The appetizers that were ordered was the calamari and they were a little skimpy on the calamari versus other restaurants that I had visited. The calamari also seemed a little bland even though it wasn't deep fried, but it appeared it was stir-fried with some spices, but it still seems like it lacked something. For my dinner I ordered the lamb rack and it was very tasty and cooked as expected. The ribs had a good portion of meat and it was seasoned quite well. My date ordered the seafood stew and she particularly didn't care for it and said that she would not order it again. I tried the stew and it appealed to me however I am glad that I did not make this as my main entree. Dessert was five stars! We ordered the chocolate mousse with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and that was divine. It made up for all of the previous sins and I would go there just for the desert! All in all like I said I gave it a four stars out of five and would I dine here again? Of course I would!

Seafood stew is quite flavorful, and well cooked. Salmon is well cooked. Calamari is decently cooked. Salad packed with fresh ingredients. It has a relaxing vibe. Everything is well put together.

A very cozy and feel likes home restaurant, love this place as first time I walked in, people are friendly and the foods is great, I mean fabulous excellent anyway is really lovely. We got a seafood stew w/ bread, the bread dipped hall stew is sooo goooood, owner say they took many hours to cook, feels like I’m under the sea. And we also order the Cajun bbq shrimp w/ greens, I have to say that the shrimp is fresh definitely, and portion of the greens quite big enough for two people for sharing, also the dressing with the rice I can have it all. As a Chocolate soufflé to end the perfect nite. We love the sweet.

My boyfriend and I came to celebrate his new job and had a delicious time per usual. Marica has come to be our go-to place for birthdays, anniversaries and any celebration really. The food is always on point as well as service. And the pricing is pretty good for the quality of food as well as portion. My bf was only slightly disappointed they ran out of the Twice Cooked Lobster for the day - slightly. He was debating between the Lobster and the Seafood Stew anyway so it made the decision easier for him. Seafood stew was delicious per usual. We tried some new items to us on this visit including the mushroom toast, the grilled prawns appetizer, the fries, and I had the sweet Korean pork ribs for the first time. I would easily get all the dishes again. The mushroom toast was a little pricey but honestly so good. The grilled shrimp was nice and tender (probably the least "creative" dish so I could skip next time). We'll absolutely be getting the fries again though because they're so crispy and fun to eat - and the mayo/aioli is so yummy with the fries! I'd definitely get the ribs again but I'll probably be doing the Twice Cooked lobster again on my next visit because it's a must every other visit! All in all, looking forward to the next excuse to come back to Marica!

The service was decent, the ambiance was nice, but the food was pretty disappointing. Almost everything was bland and underseasoned. It felt like the chef was just playing at running a kitchen. Places with that care about the food they serve with a passion generally taste their stuff before it goes out. The saving grace was the chocolate soufflé. It was actually pretty good with a nice balance of bitterness, sweetness, and a kick from whatever alcohol they put in there. Damn, salt your food! It's really basic stuff.

We somehow found the high-quality, reasonably priced, extremely delicious, family restaurant of our dreams! As an East Coaster, observing the vibe and hearing about the same family who has owned the establishment since 2000 just givessss authentic. Then the food came out! O-M-G! Must haves: Calamari (it's lightly breaded and pairs so well with the side salad), as well as the Achiote Shrimp app! For dinner the salmon and Day boat scallops were awesome! Scallops were cooked perfectly succulent and bouncy fresh. Asparagus was a nice touch, not overcooked with just the right amount of crunch. Do you like Pesto? Do you hate Pesto? Well, try the Pistou! It's an amazing complementary sauce that will surprise diners on both sides of the Pesto spectrum. Didn't have a chance to try dessert, maybe next time! If you're lucky enough to get Thomas as your server then consider yourself lucky, and maybe go play the lottery later because your stars are aligned!!! Thomas is awesome! We'll be back every 6-8 weeks when we visit Oakland :)

Such an incredible experience! My boyfriend and I came here for dinner on a Saturday and it wasn't too busy. Service was absolutely fantastic. Everyone was welcoming and they even let us choose our table. They also gave us complimentary bread and butter and a free refill! The ambiance is lovely and the interior feels classy. We ordered the seafood stew and grilled salmon. Both dishes were fantastic. Portion sizes are a bit on the smaller side but it was delicious. The flavor of the stew especially stood out to us. Definitely a must try dish!

Food was all delicious. The salad was so ridiculously tasty. Prefix salmon scallop dinner was superb. Crème brûlée so good. I ate every bite of the meal. Friendly service. Beautiful and clean restaurant. Perfect for group meals.

The food was pretty good - I particularly enjoyed the seafood stew and they were generous with the bread and butter for the table. The staff seemed a bit overwhelmed on a weeknight, although it is not a big place so I wonder what the underlying issue was. I did wish they had more fresh seafood offerings on the menu, i.e., oysters on half shell and carpaccios. That said, I do look forward to coming back when I'm craving seafood in this area.

I came to this place with my roommate when we were bored on a Friday evening. Parking is relatively easy to find nearby but it might cost money before 6PM on weekdays. The interior is nice and small but we didn't have to wait. We ordered some calamari (not pictured) and seafood stew. The calamari was very good, especially because we like the flavor of lime in seafood. The seafood stew also has very good seafood overall. My main complaint with the food is the portion of the stew itself. It looks like a lot in the photo and the stew certainly tastes very good. However, the amount of stew was simply not enough food for me. I'd love to recommend this place to fellow seafood lovers but can't say it's perfect with the portion sizes. If there were 50% more soup, this would be a perfect seafood stew for the price.

Hate to rain on the parade here as most reviewers have been very positive. The food, service, and ambience were underwhelming relative to expectations from other reviews. The pricing was fair, however, so that is certainly something to call out.

Got two salmon caesar salads delivered and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. The "salmon" was little more than a crispily burnt piece of skin. There was almost no fish to it and what was presented was beyond dry. The caeser dressing was odd and the to go containers were barely half full. Had heard great things about this place but nevermind.

Date night. So we decided to return after all these years. Food was good but I remembered the ambiance was more romantic. Maybe I'm just getting older... the lights were too bright and the tables were arranged in a funny way that wasn't as .... Romantic Service was great. The food was yummy. I had their Paloma. They promised it was very smoky and it was indeed deliciously smokey. Had their special wok-fried calamari. It was very flavourful. The husband had their three meat meatball with spaghetti. Although the meatballs weee tasty, the dish was a bit anemic and could've used a bit more sauce. I had their infamous seafood stew. It was decent. Everything was cooked just right. But the flavour wasn't as intense. Perhaps because the wok fried calamari was so flavorful in comparison

I'd never been here, but I reached out about 2 days prior for a birthday reservation of 15 people and they accommodated me immediately. I was impressed with how much thought they'd put into my party. I was able to bring a small cake and balloons, and they let me move tables together for everyone to sit together. They even asked what my favorite song was to play after everyone sang. Can't believe I've never been here! This was exactly the atmosphere I wanted for friends and family - intimate but lively with great service and accommodations. Thank you for bearing with me, and now you've got another 5 star review! Thank you!

This is a gem of a restaurant, small in size but with absolutely perfect food, service, and ambiance. Nida, one of the owners, took care of us as we celebrated my father's birthday. He is a connoisseur of fish stews, and has eaten them around the world - he pronounced Marica's version, with a broth that takes 20 hours to make, outstanding. The seafood prix fixe menu was also good, although less memorable than the stew, and the crème brûlée for dessert was impeccable (and served with a candle for the birthday occasion). We will come back for sure, and I recommend it to all seafood lovers.

I have been seeing Marica pop so many times i was finally able to stop over and grab a bit. I did not know how busy this place got. The staff was great they slid us in before the next reservation. After being seated we took a look at the menu and ordered a few cocktails. Both we very delicious and reasonably priced sucks because i just cant remember their names. As we waited to place our order we were able to enjoy the nice chill vibe. The staff was amazing and fast. The food came out smelling delicious. I got the fries and the mussels. Everything was amazing! I will be back to try more of the menu and will make sure to do reservations next time!

Had dinner reservations here and was seated by the window. Marica is smaller in size so they make use of all spaces. We ordered the pomme frite, fries are super thin and crispy. It came with ketchup and a tarter sauce. The fries were lukewarm, disappointing since they obviously had been sitting out for awhile before being served. I ordered the Cajun BBQ shrimp and we shared the chocolate flan. Both were good. Make sure you make reservations, I didn't see many walkins.

Excellent food and service !! Went there for our first time and the ambiance was excellent along with the service and food

I want to say that it's hard to mess up a Caesar salad, but this place did. First of all, don't give me the romaine head in my salad, and also my salad was filled with a lot of white pieces with a sour dressing. And although I do like anchovies this dressing was a but bitter and sour and tasted like some economy restaurant salad. The HH pork ribs were a rip off for 3 for $12. Super small and super boney. HH mussels where like 10 mussels for about $12, once again overpriced and underwhelming flavor. My coworkers stew took forever to arrive and it was small and the seafood was overcooked. Who likes overcooked scallops? Not us. My other friend's green salad was subpar and the mushroom toast was a 3 star meh. She left most of it on her plate. The clam chowder for $12 was a waste of money. Tasted like something out of a can but like triple the price. Give me Boudins any day over this. LOTS of fatty bacon that I had to pick out. None of us got dessert, and none of us will be back. Oh, the highlight were the crispy little fries for HH with aioli. They should consider just selling fries because that was the best thing we ate. Also, though we didn't order the lobster sandwich we heard it was full of mayo and not worth it, that's why I didn't order it.

The seafood soup was ok. Not great as I would have expected. I had seafood soup in Aruba and was hoping Marica's version would be at least as good. It wasnt but I'll try it elsewhere.

Came for dinner on a Tuesday evening w/ my husband for our anniversary and we enjoyed it! We had a reservation and were seated right away, but I think on a weeknight you could probably walk in and still get a table pretty quickly. Relaxed atmosphere (but nice enough for a little date night) and really good/attentive service. They were out of lobster, ox tails, and lamb, which was disappointing but luckily they had a few other items on the menu that we wanted to try. We tried: - Lobster Corn Soup: good, wish it had pieces of lobster in it - Shrimp Corncakes: tasty little pancakes topped with perfectly cooked shrimp and roasted corn. Very flavorful, loved it. - Salmon & Scallops: came w/ roasted potatoes, veggies, a side of pistou and a side of beurre blanc. The pistou was fresh, herbaceous and delicious; (reminiscent of a pesto, but better, to me, because I don't love pine nuts). The salmon was good, cooked to just the right temp. The scallops were fantastic. - Mahi Mahi: came w/ roasted potatoes, veggies, and a pimento-saffron beurre blanc. The mahi mahi, although a touch under salted, tasted fresh and was cooked really well. The potatoes were delicious! The beurre blanch was rich and buttery, but I wish the pimento and saffron came through a bit more. - Paloma Cocktail: delicious! - Voilet 75 Cocktail: the butterfly pea tea took over, but was still tasty. The lemon zest was a nice touch Overall, we liked our meal and would come back. Hopefully they'll have lobster next time! :)

Took my Mom here the other day while perusing through restaurants in Berkeley/Oakland. Firstly, the wait is extremely long. There aren't that many tables inside of the restaurant since it's small so I guess that made sense? Anyways, after finally being seated we were served fresh water and handed a couple of menus. I ORDERED- Calamari - 3.5/5. It was a little salty. I'm not sure why it also came with a side salad? Bread & Butter- 5/5 it tasted good but was expecting it to be complimentary Side Salad- 5/5 delicious and flavorful salad dressing Seafood Stew- 1/5 they used lots of tamarin and you could tell. A weird after taste so my Mom sent it back. Lobster Roll- 3/5 no flavor but not too bad. Kind of basic The waitress was super sweet and very understanding when we sent the stew back. She removed it from our check and offered solutions. This place wasn't too bad but I think it's a bit overhyped.

One of my favorite seafood restaurants in the East Bay. The seafood stew is amazing! I would recommend that to anyone checking this place out. A small family owned restaurant with family recipes makes this a gem on College. The staff and owner are so nice and helpful and always giving their recommendations too. Love the fresh brewed iced tea with any meal. The special and prez fixed menus are on point too.

We picked Marcia bc of good reviews. I was disappointed. The restaurant was much more concerned with their take out orders than actual customers sitting at tables. Seated customers should always come first. I couldn't count the number of door dash (or whatever) drivers came and went there were so many during our dinner. It clearly made a negative impact on table, bar service and the Kitchen. There really isn't much of any ambiance. My seafood stew was just ok, it contained no lobster and scallops were overdone enough to be chewy. Shrimp cakes were very good. Probably wouldn't return unless they decide what they want to be; a take out restaurant or a sit down restaurant.

OMG! I did a web search for a romantic place to have our anniversary dinner in Oakland prior to our event at the Paramount Theatre. This little gem of a place was in a couple of ranked list. When I looked at the menu and pictures of the food I decided to give it a try. There where no reservations, which was a bit off putting but we gave it a trying anyway. I can't say it was all that romantic and the wait staff was ok but nothing that stood out as exceptional or special as we did have to waive her down a couple of time and she didn't give us eye contact when passing by or clearing tables adjacent to us, And the place is not very big. There wasn't more than three tables of patrons during our entire visits. At the end we went to the front to pay our bill as the waitress was just not that attentive. The seating was not so comfortable - metal type table and chair that where light weight and a little unstable It was a very small storefront restaurant facing College Avenue just past the Broadway College Ave intersection. It was very clean and the food was delicious. Their wine pours are very generous and they have a nice selection! The food portions where a little skimpy for the price. But would gladly pay the price again as the food was sooo tasty. I've been craving the lobster and he has been craving the spicy shrimp ever since. I would definitely order their food to go again and again. I might dine in again but probably will try other local eateries before I circle back around as the experience was not very memorable or special. I would recommend trying the food and dining in for a lowkey eating experience to leisurely eat, drink and enjoy conversations. The wait staff's tempo and wine pours are perfect for this type of experience!

Food well prepared. We usually get seafood but menu has several other options. All offerings are vey good. Reasonable pricing.

We ate here on a Friday night and the service and food were great. As a diabetic I chose not to eat my sides of potatoes and carrot puree because side I forgot to ask to have them changed. Our server Enriqueta noticed and had the chef prepare me a special side of diabetic friendly veggies! We really appreciated that and look forward to dining there again.

The service was amazing everyone was so nice. The food I have Mixed reviews I ordered the Grilled Prawns Appetizer was good and I also got Seafood stew. The Seafood stew was missing the lobster; the bread that came with it was a little soggy; it also could have used maybe a little bit of flavor, something was off about the broth and I expected a little bit more seafood.

Marica has always had a special place in my heart as we have had many happy times over the years, celebrating my daughter and my birthdays there as well as celebrating Mother's Day. So hubby and I came back after our yoga class and he had parking karma right in front! We enjoyed a relaxing and delicious meal and got to chat with Nedda for awhile. Hubby ordered the chilean sea bass lemon caper Beurre Blanc and I had the pre fixe menu of salmon, mixed green salad and creme brulee. Nedda also provided a complimentary signature Marica fried calamari to go with our meal. The calamari was crispy and tasty and we enjoyed our delicious entrees of Chilean sea bass and salmon. Topping it off, we shared my creme brulee! We need to come back here more often!

Do not let the outside fool you the chefs know what they are doing here! The lobster was so flavorful It was finger licking good! The marinade still permeated on the shell after we devoured the lobster meat and made it Finger licking good! I had the day boat scallops Chilean sea bass with remoulade, eggplant and pimento risotto. This was delicious! The scallops were cooked perfectly, not over cooked just right. The edges of the sea bass had a little crisp texture but not over cooked. If you're into pairing this place can accommodate the food pairing to your needs. Our server was Julia and she provided us excellent service! For dessert we wrapped up our experience with the crème brûlée and panachote both were prepared with care and attention. Service: 5/5 Flavor: 5/5 Presentation: 4/5. After I took my first bite the presentation factor goes out the door because of the amazing flavor! Street parking. We took Uber here. To be perfectly clear my wife and I had an amazing experience here and we would return to explore other items that this place has to offer!

To be honest, this place is mid now. It used to be really decadent and delicious. Let's start with the drinks... Old Fashioned 2/5 it was watered down and not made properly, so I switched to the Manhattan 3/5 it was stronger but didn't taste very good. Calamari 3/5 was just ok, didn't feel special or flavorful. Seafood stew 2/5 because when i used to come here it was rich, decadent, full flavored, and fresh. This was just an overpriced cioppino and the broth had no depth. Service 3/5, i sat near the bar/cash wrap so i heard the waiters conversations which should have been kept at a minimum with a customer right behind them. But whatevs, the experience was already a lost cause. Kinda disappointed, this powwow used to be a gem. Playing was pretty (shrug).

Sue was amazingly hospitible on the phone and welcoming as our waitress. A true ray of sunshine on a rainy day. I use a cane. (Handicapped Veteran) Nita the owner was awesome. I was barely inside the door when Nita walked over and set a chair against the wall so I could sit and be comfortable while I waited for my table. After years of going to restaurants, I very rarely have that happen, and that was so nice of her to be forward thinking about the comfort of our customers. It's apparent that they focus a lot on cleanliness of the restaurant and the restrooms. This is also a family run restaurant. So you have family in the kitchen as well as on the front end. The place is located in Oakland on College Ave. in a very nice neighborhood. There is parking available nearby on the street. It is modestly decorated in a very nice way. It's very comfortable and there's plenty of seating but it is a small place. It's at this point I need to remind you that reservations are not taken it's 1st come 1st serve and they do have a waiting list. When we saw the food on the tables around us we literally went crazy and ordered so many things off of the menu that I would just recommend you look at our photos. Everything that landed on the tables around us and on our table had I appeal we asked the people sitting around us how they were enjoying their meal and they raved it. We joined them in this accolade. The food was as delicious as it looked. These items had layers of flavor, unique use of spices, and the presentation was spot on. Some of the items that we ordered were the pan roasted salmon with a lovely mixed greens salad, also the barbecued prawns with roasted potatoes, I also got the twice cooked main lobster and I followed it up with cocktails. We also finished our meal with a wonderful creme brulee, and also a surprizing creamy banana pudding. This place exceeded my expectations in comfort food and service.I highly recommend eating here. It seems that everyone that works here absolutely loves working here and it's apparent in how you're treated.

Had a meeting at the Claremont Hotel and was looking for a quick bite to go. Got the twice cooked Maine lobster. It was soooo good. Not sure how it's prepared but the meat was cooked just to perfection. Super juicy and flavorful. The rice was full of chopped herbs and delicious as well. I might have set the record for the fastest time inhaling this lobster. Finger licking good!!! It's a must try if you're in the area

The place is not so big but the food and service were so great. Price was a bit on the higher side. I would highly recommend this place for birthdays and some important dates.

I've been wanting to try this place with my family for over a year, and we finally made it. No reservations, but we arrived at 4:00 pm. When we arrived the "We will return at" sign said 4:30, so we walked down the street to have a drink while we waited. We walked over to the restaurant and were warmly/promptly seated. The door is a little tricky to open. The person who seated us also shared the specials. There were also signs that shared the specials and the price, which was a nice thing to see. We order the calamari starter, the grilled sea bass special, the day boat scallops special, and the seafood stew. Everyone enjoyed the food. I had the scallops and they were cooked perfectly and the risotto was very flavorful, nice and garlicky! The seafood stew broth was really tasty and my mom was pleased with the big pieces of seafood. My aunt enjoyed the sea bass, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. For dessert, we ordered the crème brûlée and the restaurant threw in a banana pudding. The desserts were delicious and a pretty fair value. Note: this restaurant does not sell coffee, but they had tea. Overall, I was pleased to bring my family here and they are definitely looking forward to returning the next time they are in the bay.

We (party of four adults) ordered appetizers- mushroom toast, shrimp, and wok-fried calamari ( for me). They were OK-the calamari was tough. We had a range of entrees- salmon, short ribs, and a squash soup. My friend enjoyed them. I ordered the seafood stew- smelled like an overdose of fish sauce. Had a few shrimp and a scallop, plus a piece of white fish. The smell was too intense. I couldn't eat it and sent it back. I have never done that before after traveling in Europe, Norway, and the United States. The service was outstanding and I enjoyed the Helles beer. Not sure what happened with stew

One of my absolute most favorite restaurants in Oakland! The seafood stew and calamari are fantastic and I've always enjoyed everything I've ordered there. Their menu is mostly seafood and it's changed a few times since I've been there but there's usually a few non-seafood options. They have a bar with tasty house cocktails as well. In fact, I ended up drinking too much and had to catch a ride home and get my car in the morning because the drinks were too dang good! (don't drink and drive y'all!) The service is outstanding--there's been a couple of times towards the end of the night that they've offered me a creme brûlée on the house. It's a bit small inside so try to make a reservation as they can fill up quite fast. I've come here for birthdays, other celebrations and dates and always left with a small on my face! Ugh, I love them. I'm texting my friend now to see if she wants to go tomorrow!

Really tasty seafood in the east bay. The top seafood restaurants for me are this place, sotto mare in sf and maybe fog harbor. This place isn't as big as the other two, but in terms of flavor and taste its arguably one of the better among the three. Definitely check it out!

I was so underwhelmed and disappointed by this place. But even with the right expectations, I would not go back. I want to give this place 2 stars to bring down the strangely inflated reviews, but I think it deserves 3 stars -- I didn't get sick. We were looking for oysters for a mid-afternoon snack. This place showed up on every internet search, including Google Maps. Of course, the posted oyster photos were only remnants of a special and they did not offer it when we went in. I suppose I can't really blame the restaurant for customer photos, but there's a separate dialogue I'd like to put out there about what a pain it was to find oysters and french fries in Oak/Berkeley. Maybe I'm spoiled in SF, but what a chore! In any case we ordered some other dishes at this place before eventually leaving to find oysters elsewhere. Another dish we came for was mussels. Figured there'd be fries served with those, cuz that's standard. Nope. Sweet. Next, the mussels were undercooked and served in a wine sauce with raw garlic. So, the only thing I enjoyed about this place over making this simple dish myself was that they cleaned the mussels for me. We also ordered a calamari salad that was roughly tossed together. It wasn't plated with any care. Not a looker. The dressing was floral and tasted quite nice, but the beets clashed with the squid -- too earthy. The salad was advertised as calamari, which I associate with crispness. They were not, kinda soggy but still flavorful and good. Not a complete disaster like the mussels, but also not worth writing a positive review about. If I had only ordered the salad and wasn't told by 450 Googlers that this place was a 4.6, I wouldn't have written this scathing review. But I feel I owe it to the true foodie out there. Make the trek to SF where the restaurants are actually good, or just go to Lake Merritt and accept the commercialism of Chalet while you quench your desire for oysters and fries like we did.

Always wonderful and still is. Good to be back . We had not been to one of our favorites lately. Thank you for a great visit.

I was looking for a new place to have a company dinner and phoned Marica to see if they could accommodate. Thomas answered the phone and made the reservation for 11 people seamlessly. When we arrived, they had set up a nice long table for all of us by the bar, which who doesn't like being close to the bar? Nina and Thomas were so kind and attentive and we got plenty of recommendations including some great bottles of wine. All our food and drink were delicious and they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and two of our employees feel special at their relocation party. Can't wait to eat here again. What a gem of a place, with kind people, great wine, and good food. Our table had: Calamari appetizer Shrimp on Corn Cakes (this was spicy for some) Kelenbac Fries (crispy shoestring fries, kinda like a chip) Entrees: Salmon Ribs Lobster Steak Spaghetti Desserts: Banana Pudding (YUM!!) Creme Brulee Chocolate Souflee Everything was tasty although the lobster is VERY messy to eat. Personally I would have liked it better outside the shell.

Been hearing about this place and finally got my chance to visit. Located in the Rockridge area, which is a cool hipster neighborhood in Oakland, with nice boutique shops and trendy restaurants. We ordered the following; Wok-fried Calamari - excellent calamari along w/the aioli sauce. The salad included was really refreshing and really really good! Seafood Stew - loved the seafood stew! Nice big chunks of seafood, no skimping. The scallops were cooked perfectly. The lobster, chicken, and shrimp broth - Amazing! Perfect for bread dipping! Lobster Roll - nice touch of adding the capers to the lobster roll. Really fresh lobster and the roll was nice and soft. Definitely will be coming back here!

This was one of the more spectacular meals I've had in a long time. We were part of a large party and all the food was fresh, incredibly seasoned, delicious and the food tasted and as amazing as it looked. Christophers' signature dessert was even better than one can imagine! The staff made it one of those memorable dining experiences. I was concerned that we might be too loud for the other diners, but everyone seemed to join in the fun and joy of being there. Thank you Christopher, Nedda and family!

My last review stays the same. Marica is still one of best restaurants and deserves at least one Michelin star

So disappointed. Ordered the $29 seafood stew. I got 4 shrimp and one scallop and 1/4 inch piece of swordfish. I was so disappointed I. How the food has declined. They used to be in my weekly rotation. The good was expensive but good. Will never go back after speaking with the manager Nita about my concern. Sad !

1- Stupendous customer service 2- Fresh and homemade, small staff that really cares about the food that they put out. 3- Try clam chowder you'll love it! 4- if you want an extensive menu this is not the place but if you want good food done right this is the place. Mom and I had awesome conversation and the wine was really tasty.

Suuper sweet, family run establishment in Rockridge. Came here for a casual date and was pleasantly surprised by the laidback, neighborhood vibe. The two servers helping us were really sweet. We opted for the bread to start, the calamari, the seafood stew, and beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes. Aside from the bread and butter being VERY cold (please soften your butter and warm your bread!!!!!), everything else was really delicious. The seafood stew was so homey and comforting, and the beef bourguignon was rich and savory with good contrast from the asparagus with pesto (?) sauce. We ended with banana pudding and were TOTALLY stuffed after. I also had a glass of Sancerre and pricing for everything was super reasonable. It's not mind blowingly good but something about the humbleness of this place and the rich comforting flavors makes me want to come back again and again.

We had such a nice time here last night. It'd been a few years since last here and it's definitely going to rejoin the rotation. The service was outstanding, dishes all shared were perfect (Caesar, mussels, calamari, steak), and a delicious bottle of wine. Felt incredibly spoiled by the whole experience and highly recommend!

Came here for a date night with my boyfriend. It's a cute little date spot! The food was great. It was flavorful yet, fresh. Not too oily or greasy. Service was amazing. I wish I remembered our server's name, but he was very kind and made great recommendations.

Dined here for a quick dinner as we were already in the area for a work event. We ordered the following -- * Salmon Dinner Entree: Pan roasted organically farmed Canadian salmon with veggies. Gluten free. ($25.00) * Lobster Roll: Chunks of tender and sweet lobster meat (cold), caper mayo in a warm Wedemeyer Kaiser roll. Served with small mixed green salad. Contains dairy & gluten. ($26.50) * Cajun BBQ Prawns: New Orleans style, beer sauteed prawns with seasonal veggies. Contains gluten and dairy. ($26.00) * Wok-Fried Calamari: Flour battered fried calamari tossed with ginger, garlic, jalapeños, oyster sauce, lime juice. Served with a small mixed greens salad. ($14.50) * Creme Brûlée (gf): French custard with caramelized sugar top and berries. ($7.00) * Banana Pudding: Bananas, custard, vanilla wafers, whipped cream. ($7.00) Everything was ordered individually and through scanning the menu's QR code. The food came out quickly and tasted healthy, and fresh! I especially loved the beets on the house green salad -- super refreshing. The ambiance was casual and inviting. There is a wine list that also includes beer and cocktails. Would definitely recommend this cute mom and pop's restaurant in Oakland. Support local y'all!

The service was outstanding here. I was recommended a fantastic white wine, and I was offered a side of bread to enjoy the delicious mussels. Speaking of the food, the mussels were amazing. The garlic butter had just enough acidity to pair with the mussels (as if the wine wasn't amazing enough alone already). The highlight of the meal was the shrimp corncakes. I thought they were the quirkiest thing on the menu and I had to get them. Needless to say, they were amazing with the perfect amount of spice built into the pancake and perfectly cooked shrimp. The meatballs and pasta were great as well. The only thing i may have a minor comment on are the lobster rolls and bread. The lobster felt a tad overcooked and the butter could be softer when served. That being said, these are nitpicks and not to affect the final review/my stance on the restaurant. Come here for a great time, some great food, and fantastic service!

After nearly a year, we had dinner here again...Entree was fine but both the grilled potatoes and asparagus were overdone..potatoes were burnt and asparagus were steamed to almost soft mush. Very unusual....