Popoca Oakland
Salvadoran restaurant · Old City ·
Progressive Salvadoran cuisine, craft cocktails, wood-fired pupusas
Progressive Salvadoran cuisine, craft cocktails, wood-fired pupusas
"Meet wood-fired pupusa paradise in Old Oakland. At this upscale-ish Salvadoran spot, the corn cakes—full of chanterelles, loroco, or whatever’s in season—are made with masa that’s nixtamalized, ground in-house, and then perfectly blistered on the hearth. Lucky for us, the rest of the food lives by the same smoky spirit, and never fails to impress. You’ll see incredible braised chicken covered in sweet-sour fermented pineapple sauce and finished on an open flame, fried black beans with a satisfying slightly burnt flavor, and a smoked-to-order whiskey cocktail you’ll absolutely want more than one round of. This moody, low-lit place regularly pops off on weekends with glammed-up people here for date nights and birthday dinners." - team infatuation
"Meet wood-fired pupusa paradise in Old Oakland. At this upscale-ish Salvadoran spot, the corn cakes—full of chanterelles, loroco, or whatever’s in season—are made with masa that’s nixtamalized, ground in-house, and then perfectly blistered on the hearth. Lucky for us, the rest of the food lives by the same smoky spirit and never fails to impress. You’ll see incredible braised chicken covered in sweet-sour fermented pineapple sauce and finished on an open flame, fried black beans with a satisfying slightly burnt flavor, and a smoked-to-order whiskey cocktail you’ll absolutely want more than one round of. This moody, low-lit place regularly pops off on weekends with glammed-up people here for date nights and birthday dinners. Get access to exclusive reservations at this spot with Chase Sapphire Reserve. New cardmembers get $300 in annual dining statement credits." - lani conway, julia chen 1
"Popoca is an Old Oakland restaurant with fantastic pupusas and other Salvadoran dishes. Their Restaurant Week $65 dinner is three-courses with a head-on prawn salad, pupusa de loroco, and a chicharron plate with plantains, rice, and beans. Get access to exclusive reservations at this spot with Chase Sapphire Reserve. New cardmembers get $300 in annual dining statement credits." - julia chen 1
"The upside to a reservation on the patio at this upscale-ish Salvadoran restaurant: you’re in prime hearth-viewing position, so you can watch their seasonal pupusas get slapped and fire-roasted. Adding to the charm of the Old Oakland patio are string lights and the smell of fire, setting the stage for a delicious braised chicken covered in sweet-sour fermented pineapple sauce, a life-changing tamal, and smoked-to-order whiskey cocktails. Get access to exclusive reservations at this spot with Chase Sapphire Reserve. New cardmembers get $300 in annual dining statement credits." - julia chen 1, lani conway
"A restaurant whose chef Anthony Salguero will donate proceeds from loroco pupusa sales to mutual aid funds; per the restaurant's Instagram, the loroco pupusa fundraiser starts Thursday, January 9, and runs through the following week." - Dianne de Guzman