Small Change Oyster Bar

Yeah this place is super fun. As far as oyster bars in the east bay I can’t think of a better spot. The decor is super cool sweet mix of modern meets east coast fishing house. The service was great and the oysters tasted great. When I come back I think I’ll try the fish and chips. The couple next to us got them and I was super jealous. The wine selection is also really good, small but it has 3 options for every type, what else do you need??? I’ve been here a couple of times now and will totally be coming back.

Came in on a Friday evening party of 4 - really impressed with this new restaurant ! The restaurant is super cute inside! Not a long wait for the patio. If you can, grab a seat outside! It's decorated really cute with sunshades and string lights and patio tables. They also have music playing outside which gives it a great weekend vibe. Fun place to come with friends to have a good time! Their wine selection is great - there's something that fits everyone's tastes. Oysters are so fresh and you can really taste the quality in them!! Fish and chips is a must and the Rockefeller oysters are the best broiled ones. Owner is super nice and knowledgeable on recommending wines based on our preferences!! I appreciated the help!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Small Change Oyster Bar, it was an outstanding experience. The cozy and inviting atmosphere immediately made me feel welcome. The staff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. I started my meal with a plate of fresh oysters, and they were absolutely divine. Each one was plump, briny, and full of flavor. It was evident that they were sourced with care. The oysters were served with a variety of accompaniments that perfectly complemented their natural taste. For my main course, I opted for the fish and chips. The fish was beautifully cooked, with a crispy golden batter that gave way to tender and moist flesh. The chips were perfectly seasoned and had a delightful crunch. It was a classic dish done right. Small Change Oyster Bar exceeded my expectations in every way. The quality of the seafood, the attentive service, and the inviting ambiance all contributed to a memorable dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for delicious seafood in a cozy setting.

We loved Dona Tomas and were bummed it remained empty for so long. I don't know how Small Change had escaped our radar, but we're glad we found it for my bday. Smaller menus often mean the team can focus on doing a few things really well. Everything was yum — a dozen oysters, Caesar-ish salad, and fish and chips, which were the best, like ever! Not too breaded, over-fried, or greasy. Plus a crisp pils and white wine. Awesome patio vibe, esp w/live spinning on Wed. nights. And we spoke to the manager for a long time, who was super sweet. We learned they take a whole day to "caramelize" the chowder. I'll def get that next time — when I bring friends. Great place for dining w/friends!

I wasn’t impressed. Oysters weren’t great. Didn’t love the wine. Soup was watery. Sampled some other bites too and it didn’t feel elevated or special. For the price we paid, might as well go to the wolf where the quality matches the price. Service was AMAZING, however. Really great personalities and good energy was the saving grace here.

Was worried that the food would be over rated, but the clam chowder was way better than I expected. The oysters were delicious and the drinks yummy. Vibes inside are cute and there’s a nice sunny open back patio.

Had a great time trying out Oakland's newest oyster bar! They had two options for raw oysters, from California and Canada. Sadly I didn't get to try the michelada as the tap wasn't working when we were there. The oysters Rockefeller were excellent!

Excellent fare all around. The oysters, fish and chips and wine we ordered were all delicious. The prices were about as high as you'd think for an oyster bar, but worth it for a night out. The servers were all very nice. I was think they're still finding their stride after opening, since we had a wrong order brought our table 3 times, but it wasn't a big deal and we ended up with the right food at the end.

Incredible addition to the Temescal neighborhood. Truly thoughtful seafood selection - both raw and cooked so something for everyone. They know how to balance the raw dishes with amazing complementary flavors (e.g., citrus, Szechuan) while also not overpowering the creaminess of fish! It's Snail Bar vibes but i think less wine options. Huge pro is that they have partnered with Broc winery in a lot of their wines, such as their house chenin blanc. Indoor seating is mostly bar stool vibes and they have some seating outside in the back patio (next to Pizzaiolo)

I recently dined at Small Change Oyster Bar and had an outstanding experience. The restaurant's cozy and inviting atmosphere immediately put me at ease. The staff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. I started with a plate of fresh oysters, and they were divine. Each one was plump, briny, and bursting with flavor. It was clear that they were sourced with the utmost care. The oysters were accompanied by a variety of delicious accompaniments that perfectly complemented their natural taste. For my main course, I opted for the fish and chips, and it was a classic done right. The fish was cooked to perfection, with a crispy golden batter encasing tender and moist flesh. The chips were perfectly seasoned and had a delightful crunch. Small Change Oyster Bar exceeded my expectations in every way. The high-quality seafood, attentive service, and inviting ambiance combined to create a truly memorable dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking delicious seafood in a cozy setting.

Because it's a an oyster spot I feel weird giving it a 3, so here's a 4. Non oyster and wine stuff was not worth the belly space or the wallet space tbh. Their raw oysters are great and have tasty broiled flavors that are essentially seasonal. The tomato broiled oysters were about to go away so we had to try it, and it was tasty but I regret not getting the garlic butter. I would say I enjoyed salty pearl's oysters more but it's hard to compare since we went with the tomato one. Great wine selection. It wasn't busy but the bartender was helping us order food and when we finally decided on the lobster roll, he didn't understand that we had ultimately decided. So we waited way too long. The balls that were recommended were not good. I didn't even want to finish the plate. The lobster roll was completely underwhelming in every way. $38 for a super small roll and it was alright. Better off waiting to to the wharf or Pacifica to be honest. You can look at the pictures and see balls in the background and decide the size of this lobster roll. Also, check out the oysters compared to this plate as well. All trays are the same size. Best thing was their michelada mix. I'm Mexican, it was pretty good!

Absolutely amazing service, Super fresh oysters, and Louie salad. The focaccia and catfish hush puppies were specials tonight and they knocked it out the park 10 out of 10. Easily one of my new favorite places. I cannot wait to go back.

Friday night dinner on Telegraph. If you are brave you can eat outside on the patio with your dog. I restaurant has likely 20ish seats majority of them surrounding the bar so you can see your food being prepared. Most of the uncooked food comes out in 10 minutes or less, the fish and chips took over 25 minutes it felt like. The waitress were very sweet and attentive. They offered my daughter a Mr Potato to play with. Very helpful to have her calm down and sit while the group was eating. We ordered almost everything on the menu -- ceviche , oysters, Rockefeller oysters, fish and chips, and hush puppies. The oysters were fresh and the fish and chips fried to perfection yet a little over salted. 5 stars for service and 3 stars for food.

The food is ok, nothing special. Especially not for the prices. We got a dozen oysters, bread, yellowtail crudo, fish and chips, calamari, a curry and fish broth, and salad. It was all pretty average; the oysters were the best part. Ambiance was great outside and the vibe was really nice. Employees were nice, but service was just ok. Overall, most of the dishes are overpriced and not that amazing.

Libby our server was super friendly and helpful. We have been wanting to come here without our kids and finally made it out. The interior looked clean when we walked through to their patio which was also clean and has heat lamps and benches. The raw and broiled oysters did not disappoint. The Kumamoto and Beau Soleil varieties were both delicious and shucked well. The broiled Calabrian chili and lime oysters were so good, we ordered two. I have gotten this at Hog Island in Larkspur and SF so I'm grateful to have a local spot now where I can satisfy my broiled oyster craving for this Calabrian Chili and lime flavor. The crab Louie salad is presented in a deconstructed fashion. Libby didn't miss a beat when we asked if we could order it with the lemon thyme vinaigrette instead of the Louie dressing, which we appreciated. My husband doesn't like creamy dressings so I always try to accommodate when there is another option. I tried their Halibut tostada and that was really delicious, especially when paired with the French Domaine Coteaux Des Margots white wine I ordered. The one negative is that at 7pm they were playing hard core rap with explicit language that would not have been appropriate with small children or if my mother or in laws were around. I'm not crotchety but the lyrics for one song were not just curse words but misogynistic and offensive to women. When we arrived there were several tables in the patio area with babies and toddlers but they had left before the hard core rap songs came on. I definitely would not bring my kids with that music playing loudly so I would definitely encourage staff and management to be aware of the content of the music that is played and consider eliminating hard core music that puts women down. My husband says I'm going to come across as "old" but I don't hate rap and the lyrics in the song were really inappropriate. It was something outside of what I've ever heard before, especially in a restaurant setting: gunshots, f bombs, and one line stood out because it was really anti woman & I'm kicking myself for not remembering exactly what it was. It's trendy to play edgy music but it might be good to vet the list.

The restaurant itself is postage stamp sized, but the back courtyard is huge and darling!! Service was fast and efficient. Their oysters are fresh and they have a variety of broiled oysters. Alas, their fresh raw oysters are still the best. Their bartender pour TALL drinks. I was impressed that the waitress didn't spill a drop!!

Great new shop in Temescal that is serving up some tasty plates! I stopped by at the opening hours and the crowd was already gathering. There's seating inside that is bar style and a large outdoor patio in the back (highly recommend this seating). It's nestled away from the busy street traffic and feels really intimate in a busy side of town. The staff were really polite, informative and kept our dishes coming out in a timely manner. I have only ever tried local oysters so our waitress did a great job answering our questions all throughout our service. We ordered: - Ceviche- 4/5. I really liked the freshness of the seafood in this. I would've enjoyed more acidity and heat from the jalapeños on this just that is just a personal preference. - Rockefeller Broiled Oysters- 5/5. I really enjoyed this as a single bite. I've never had an oyster served broiled style so this was an absolute treat. It's creamy, it pairs well with the breadcrumbs topping. I'd order these again. Full Dozen Day's Selection- 4/5. We ordered six New Brunswick and six Tómales Bay sourced oysters. I was most impressed with the New Brunswick (Canadian) oysters. Some of the most creamy oysters I've had. Paired with hot sauce and the mignonette, it was the perfect bite. In general, I was expecting larger oysters for the raw servings but this might be influenced by timing of season, etc I would recommend ending with the New Brunswick oysters! Perfect final bites to end a trip to Small Change. Location/Ambiance- 5/5 Staff/Service/ 5/5 Food- 4/5

If this was my neighborhood, then I'd probably come consistently. With that said , the food is nothing to write home about, but the service and vibes are everything! Fair menu with food options for the non-oyster eater. Nice selection of bubbles, whites and rosé wines. Best of all, fair prices. Nice quaint minimalist counter set up inside with good sized patio in the back. Patio is not heated, so be prepared with a little hoodie if dining at night. My sister and I popped in on a Thursday evening bout 7:30pm, waited maybe 10 minutes for a counter seat. The hosted was polite giving us updates. Our bar tender/server the cutie p'tootie Grandé was friendly, did a wonderful job walking us through the menu making recommendations, and great fun conversation. Tell him Robbin I said "Heeeey". The restrooms could use a little TLC (they may be shared with other businesses), parking is tricky in that neighborhood so be prepared to walk a block or two. THE FOOD: we opted for the specials over the regular menu items. Figured we can always go back to try the regular items. Plus the chef staff were way too excited about the specials, so we got excited. Clam Chowder - not ya typical clam chowder. It was a broth situation not a "chowder " very bacony for you bacon lovers. The little toast that came with it was hitting. Cod B's? Somebody's Bs...either way, something like a crab cake but made with cod fish and potatoes. They refer to it as a poor man's cab cake...that's exactly what it was lol. It was good with the mustardnaise and greens. I would have of liked a specialty seasoning blend to make it hit since cod and potatoes are both naturally bland foods. Broiled Oysters w/ a special tomato based sauce. I liked them. You could still enjoy and taste the oyster with that bit of smoky tomato flavor the sauce had going. It was a bit oily, but not enough to bother me. Definitely eat them fresh out. Local Raw Oysters- pretty solid. Not as creamy or salty as I like, but good with one-two dashes of that Crystal's hot sauce and lemon. Aye, can't remember the bubbles I had but it was the highest priced one and quite delicious!

Stopped in to have dinner on a rainy Sunday night. Service was great from start to finish. They have a super cute covered patio. The picnic tables outside have comfy pillows on the benches. We ordered a couple of Temescal beers and relaxed. We got some super fresh and plump Miyagis, roasted oysters with allium butter, oysters Rockefeller, and oysters with a seva achaar. All the oysters were fab in their own ways and super complimentary to the others. We got the fish and chips and some chowder too! The chowder came out with lots of fresh herbs on top. The cup was full of clams, potatoes, bacon, and hella black pepper (in the best way). Both the fish and the chips were crispy and seasoned well. Nice and flaky fish with a couple of shakes of malt vinegar and a swipe of tartar sauce was perfect. Thanks for a great meal, Small Change. PS get the bread and house cultured butter, it goes with everything!

$233 for the four of us. We all split a fish and chips, a dozen slim oysters, good calamari, salmon sashimi appetizer, a curry broth, small salad, and a few drinks. No clam chowder on the menu. Lobster roll is now $48 so we skipped it. Not bad, but not great and not worth the price in my opinion. Would I go back? Not really.

cute and quaint oyster bar! happy to see that they finally opened! So I came to check it out. The inside is super cute, they decorated it well with the bar seats and gives a nice modern seafood bar feel. The staff is friendly and quick. I tried the oysters from Tomales Bay and the ceviche. Both were solid and exactly what you would expect, oysters were super fresh. But nothing blew me away. I'm hoping that they will bring a lobster roll back eventually. And next time I will have to try the shrimp Poboy, which everyone seems to love when I was there. definitely come and check them out!

5 stars for the food The small menu is carefully crafted and you know everything will be delicious. I wanted to order the salmon mousse but when we looked around at other tables everyone was ordering ceviche but not the mousse. I looked on yelp and there was no photo. We rolled the dice and ordered it. It was delicious! Our table liked it even better than the ceviche. And I added a photo below. Even my friends who didn't want to order the salmon mousse all said how much they liked it. My other favorites included the shrimp po boy and the corn gazpacho with crab. 4 stars for service. The restaurant went from a food truck to a full restaurant so there are some things they need to work out. For example our waitress had never tried the salmon mousse and couldn't comment on it. Most restaurants have the servers try all the food so they can comment and describe it. We also ordered a bottle of wine and it came uncorked/open to our table and t didn't even ask if we wanted to try it. Usually to confirm it's a new bottle you open it at the table. Nevertheless I am definitely coming back again as they can work out these small service issues and the food is amazing!

This place is fucking good. Haha. The seafood michelada is $20 but it is pretty big. It was actually really good. They also use the pebble ice and I love that kind of ice, hehe. That was probably my favorite thing. We got a dozen oysters and they were super fresh. And the ceviche and that was very flavorful. Would definitely come back!

Excellent crab Louise piled high with crab, a mix of raw oysters ( East and West Coast) and oysters Rockefeller with butter and herbs. Portions aren't tiny, just enough, but you will have room for dessert!

Such a cute little find. What a great little oyster bar. Claw chowder was fabulous but I wish it included more bread. Can't wait to come back!

What a delightful cozy space! It's bright and clean as you'd want for an oyster bar, and staff are friendly. Great ambiance to bring friends, have a drink and sample some delicious oysters. Definitely recommend trying happy hour specials, the clam chowder really is delicious and full of clammy goodness as well. Great neighborhood to walk about after as well

I love this place so much! The vibes, the food, the wine. It's the perfect hang out spot in temescal that really captures the essence of the neighborhood. You can't go wrong with any of the oysters, the crab salad (pictured) and be sure to get the michelada.

Came in early on a Friday. Friendly service, nice patio and the Fried Shrimp Po Boy was very good.

Can't say enough good things. The ambiance, food and staff are all fantastic. A can't miss.

Came here with family and a few friends to celebrate a rare win during these tough times. The raw oysters and sparkling wine shone and they've got a great crab louie salad (hard to find these days). I asked for bread and butter (which I like when eating oysters); it wasn't on the menu but they brought some out anyway. Small Change is an updated take on a classic Oyster bar (like Swan's over in the West Bay). Enjoyed talking with the friendly staff.

4/5 Food - the oysters are fresh and delicious. (ask for hot sauce). We ordered: 2 Swim Good Albarino $34.00 - a white natural wine. Pretty light and refreshing. Just make sure you don't have the last pour or you'll have stuff in your glass and they don't seem to care. 1 Oysters (6) Half Miyagi $18.00 - not bad, but I wouldn't order them again. 1 Oyster (6) Beau Soleil $24.00 - these I would definitely order again. Highly recommend even though they are a little pricier. 2 Clam Chowder $24.00 - has bacon (not mentioned on the menu) but was super delicious. More on the runny side for a chowder, but amazing flavor and paired perfectly with the toasted, buttered sourdough. (I added hot sauce to mine and it was chef's kiss). 2.5/5 Service - my sister got there at 7 pm and put her number down to wait for a table or seats for us (party of 2). She was told it would take 10-15 minutes and she would receive a text. She stood outside in front of the window (clearly visible to the host). By the time I got there it was 7:15 pm. No text still. We see people get seated and we should be next since they do not take reservations and we know the people left came after us and saw the host to put their numbers down also. We patiently wait. By 7:40 pm we see the people who were technically behind us get seated first. Still no text at this time. We glance at the seating iPad and do not see ourselves on there. I ask the host, and she also has no record of us or my sister's number. She asks for my sister's number again and tells us it will be a 10-15 wait (AGAIN?!). So I ask to look in the back and if there is any place to sit since we have already been waiting for 40 minutes. She said probably not, but she can check in the back. I ask if I could also go back and look (since it is outside I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too cold for us in case they didn't have heating lamps). There were 4 tables opening up. Thankfully she said we would be next to be seated. No apology from her this entire time about the wait or mix up. When we finally sit down, delayed table service. No waters and no menus since I had one in my hand from the front but we should have had at least 3 at the table (2 food & 1 drink). I had to ask for menus after we were sitting there for 10 minutes. We did meet the owner so that's why my rating is at a 2 at the least. He is kind, local, attentive, and very personable. I also understand the waitress was trying her best too, but this was just too much at once for us. Finally, we ordered the Albariño (white wine). Mine had a lot of uncomfortable hard bits at the bottom. They had the texture and integrity of oyster shell bits and very clearly visible in my glass. I asked the waitress about it, she asked the bartender and he said that it is crystallized honey since we ordered a natural wine. But no apology, no empathy, nothing. A very "deal with it" attitude. By the time we finished everything I was literally dying for my experience there to be over. 3.5/5 Ambiance - beautiful place inside and out. Very pleasing on the eyes. The outdoor area has lights so it's very cozy, just cold. Would be a fun hang out spot if you have patience and don't mind the sub-par service. Takeaways: - Make sure you double check your number with the host. - You may sit outside so dress accordingly since they don't have space heaters. - There is bacon in the clam chowder which would be helpful to know and be noted on the ingredients list on the menu for the pescatarian crowd. - The pricey oysters are worth it.

An amazing find in the Temescal section of Oakland! Owner Brandon has done a phenomenal job creating a great vibe with wonderful food and ambience. We ordered a bottle of Muscadet which paired perfectly with the raw oysters, clam chowder, shrimp cocktail and broiled oysters that we feasted on! Our service was great and friendly, the outdoor patio seating was perfect and the weather cooperated. I love this place and Brandon was always present to check on how things were and to offer suggestions...I hope people find this gem and enjoy it as much as we did! 10 stars out of 5!! Absolutely recommend!

omfg YUM! My friends bday dinner was here tonight, where Libby treated us with care. The menu definitely is quality, small portions. We had an order hiccup at one point as well with a bottle of wine--when we meant to order something different. She price matched the bottle we thought we had wanted, which was awesome wonderful service! Made long time patrons

Great oysters. They have natural wines! Would come back. I would suggest you sit in the patio area it's a lot cute than inside

Fish and chips - great! Uncontrolled children all over the patio - not so much. That should not be the staff's responsibility, but I was surprised they didn't step in eventually.

Brought friends here for the first time. Yet again, we had an amazing experience! The vibe is right at Small Change, and the food is nothing short of spectacular. We had both kinds of oysters they had, the Branzino special, a salmon dish that I can't recall the name of and clam chowder, and let me tell you I've never had a clam chowder I like but this was unreal! The service was amazing, everyone was so kind and attentive. If you're looking for a good place to bring friends Small Change is the spot. I wish I took photos but we demolished every plate they brought out

Incredible new neighborhood gem, with some delicious bites and excellent wines. Love the diverse slate of oyster preparations and awesome outdoor space. Excellent service. Highly recommended!

Our party of four sat comfortably at the bar, where we enjoyed great interaction with Emilio and other staff who all seemed as happy as we were to be there. All of our food choices exceeded our expectations: fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail, halibut ceviche, fried shrimp po' boy sandwich, crab louie salad, and fish & chips. Our wine selections (a white and a rosé) paired well with all of our food. The outdoor patio looked inviting for our next visit.

Server was great- sat near the kitchen And the chef answered questions from the helm of the kitchen-wines were delicious and perfectly paired- will be back!

Food is excellent and service is delightful. We came here for a friend's birthday and everyone working at Small Change was friendly, helpful and accommodating. They even brought out toys for our 4 year old to play with! Highlights food wise were the smoked tomato butter broiled oysters!

Everything was hella good. Oysters were very fresh and flavorful. The seafood michelada was on point. The staff were all very friendly and nice. It was clean inside and cutely decorated. I will be back...

The perfect addition the Temescal! We were here for their soft opening and only tried a few items, so we knew that we needed to come back for more bites. Everything was incredible and the portions were perfect for sharing. I always appreciate when you can taste your way through a menu without feeling overly full afterwards. The back patio is stunning and service is always so attentive and sweet. Branden has made this space into somewhere you will remember and want to come back to. You can feel the passion and hospitality from beginning to end! We can't wait to bring more of our friends!

The name is a bit misleading. You will need more than small change... The food is not bad, just a bit over priced for very modest portions. Service is meh. Nothing specifically wrong with the service we received just not up to the quality one might expect for the price paid. This is a place to socialize. A decent oyster bar. It is not the place to come for a meal. There is not a single dish that is not essentially an appetizer or an appetizer portion.

Excellent food with great service. All of the staff was friendly and very helpful. The oysters were super fresh and very well prepared. Service was excellent. Staff was very attentive. Highly recommend.

I love the patio outside. the entrance is very unassuming. we had the raw east coast oysters (5stars), the clam chowder (3stars), the civeche (5stars) & the oysters Rockefeller (5stars) overall rating 4.5 stars. all was delicious. A table next to us had the shrimp poboy that I was curious about and said it was okay, a bit dry which it looked like it. should have been slathered in maybe some type of cream sauce or come with a dipping sauce. the wait staff was nice as well. we had a party of 3 and were able to be seated right away which was great. I highly recommend. I'm new to oysters and this is spot was my second experience. We all keep talking about a trip back as we are not locals.

Absolutely incredible. Owner is incredible. Do yourself a favor and get some BC oysters on the half shell and some choice wines. Beautiful spot.

Food--5 stars for the halibut ceviche, local oysters and oysters rockefeller One star for the clam chowder; only because it had no flavor, nothing. But lots of clams. Very, Very Bland. Service--3 stars. Friendly, Hostess was lovely. Seated us right away. Food servers slow. There were only 2 other tables seated, not sure why service took so long. Our waitress did not order our food in the order we requested, so our meal was disjointed. When we asked the 2 different servers about the clam chowder, (which we did not eat but were still charged for), both admitted that they had NEVER tasted it! How can one work in a restaurant and not know what the food tastes like? Our waitress was not familiar with a lot of the wines on the wine list. The wine list is very unique and interesting. Most of them I had never heard of and would liked to have tried more. But did not because I could not get an idea from our server about the wines. How can one work in a restaurant and not know the wines? Ambiance-4 stars. Outside, cool music, not too loud. Picnic tables instead of tables and chairs. Will go back for the ceviche and oysters. Don't waste your money on the clam chowder. And don't expect good service. The food outweighs the poor service and is worth going back for.

Absolutely incredible food - we particularly loved the shrimp po boy! And the oysters were perfect! Special shout out to the owner and staff, they truly made us (and really, every guest) feel welcome and we cannot wait to go back and experience this wonderful restaurant again very soon.

Awesome new restaurant! The staff was friendly and attentive, and the food was top notch. The raw and broiled oysters (we tried them all) were delicious and I could eat the smoked trout dip every day. Also love the casual ambiance and design of the place--it felt so welcoming. Wish I would have taken photos of the food but I was too busy devouring it. Can't wait to go back and try more things (specifically the clam chowder and shrimp po' boy)!

The food is delicious. Nice location with a cool patio in the back as well. Try the ceviche and fish and chips

Love this place. Great wine and everything we ate was great. Shrimp cocktail was served with an amazing homemade cocktail sauce. Broiled oysters with smoked tomato were incredible. They need to serve it with bread to sop up all the buttery goodness. Loved the clam chowder- it was light, flavorful and not gloopy like it can be. I tasted my friend's crab Louie salad and it was great. We split the catfish hush puppies. They were good but I really liked the remoulade they served with it. Plus....the wines were amazing. Service was also friendly, knowledgeable and made great recommendations. One note: we ordered a bottle of wine so it would've been nice to be poured a taste first. But all together a great night and I can't wait to go back.

Excellent food. Fish and chips as good as advertised. The tartar sauce was excellent. Oysters, raw and grilled, were also excellent. No dessert. No worries, Curbside Creamery is right around the corner. Tables are outdoors and it can get chilly.

We stopped in and were floored with the Amazon costumer service . Beautiful patio and fresh oysters. What more can you ask for!

Great service. The food was good, but some of the portions were pretty small. The outside space was very nice!

Small Change is an awesome addition to the Temescal neighborhood. The oysters are locally sourced, the wine list is short but sublime, and the staff is friendly and inviting. Try the seafood michelada, you won't be disappointed.

The hostess is not welcoming, she really seems to hate her job, and should find a new line of work. We waited for 40 minutes and no apology after being told it would 10 minutes. The po boy gave me food poisoning and my friend ordered the Rockefeller oysters and also got food poisoning. Our server seemed to be really friendly towards males and can't be bothered to look you in the face until you're paying. Cool spot if you want to be sick all night and day and love bad service. Don't recommend, steer clear of this spot.

Terrible service, can't believe they can expect to have these prices and provide this level of competency from the hostess. What is her deal? The spot is designed well, ambiance is great for dates etc but the hostess seemed to lack training or know how of treating patrons with respect. And she doesn't seem to communicate well or maybe that was intentional. Food portions tiny but the fish and chips dish was decent, although not good enough to charm me and my wife back. Same theme we notice with some of these Oakland establishments, oh how times have changed.