Khana Peena

First time in about 5-6 years I've been back. New ownership but same amazing seafood dishes! Oysters were super fresh and mussels too which came with a great broth. But the star was the seafood stew! It's a must try and you'll fall in love. Velvety and smooth. Very impressed that all the dishes lived up to the standards of the previous owners. Also got an awesome creme brulee dish on the house, one of the best CBs I've had. It won't take me 6 years to come back. See you soon!

Yum! Marica is top of our list. They took a change in direction to make the vibe more casual and focus on pizza (which I'm sure was delicious), but I am happy to say they have the old menu of seafood and meat dishes. This time we had mussels (delicious butter sauce and bread for sopping) and calamari (rare quality that can be lightly pan fried rather than deep fried - excellent texture and flavor). Old favorites include lamb and scallops. We didn't get the chocolate souffle this time, but it is truly incredible (insider tip: you have to order this when you order your main dish). Palomas were great as well - fresh squeezed grapefruit, of course. Updated to add that we went back and had the tartar. Wonderful! Amazing service as always.

Michael Owens

My girlfriend and I decided to have a nice dinner, and this was our 2nd time eating here. We had an absolutely phenomenal experience our first time, and it was no different tonight. If you're looking for an intimate dining experience, Marica is the place for you. I've had some of the best food here, and the reason is because they have perfected the little things. It's the minor details on their dishes that they knock out of the park every time.

Ashley Kua

Both the server and person running food for us was amazing. They sat us even though their kitchen was closing soon, and the food was so amazing. Would 100% come back here in a heartbeat. Very cute interior as well Mussels appetizer and Korean ribs with gochujang/bbq sauce are a must

LianeL

Review is only for dessert...... We had been craving a chocolate souffle and Marica didn’t disappoint. It was hot, light and flavorful.

Gary Cole

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!

Jessica Niva

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.

Emily Takeuchi

Amazing service, best seafood in town, and delicious alcoholic beverages! The Cosmo was a real winner! The seared scallops were. My favorite and oysters are 1.50 each! So fresh! Pay in cash and you save around 10 percent! Complimentary bread is served and I recommend making reservations because it gets busy!

Jamie Kimmel

Absolutely loved this place! They have a decent amount of outdoor seating, the staff is *so* friendly, and the food was genuinely amazing. We shared mussels and some dessert, and I got the lobster combo (roll with salad and clam chowder). Highly recommend.

Danny Chan

Always busy, always meets expectations. $8 happy hour cocktails all day. Good for both casual date nights and to bring the parents for a special occasion. Friendly staff and good food. It’s a small space, so best to make reservations. 3 course pri-fixe special before 6:30.

Huzefa Mamoola

Good flavors and great service! We ordered the Salmon in the Pre-fix menu, and the spaghetti and balls. Also got the mussels and the oysters. The mussel sauce was one of the best I have tasted. Wiped out two loaves if bread with it! Salmon was done really well, soft and moist. Grand Mariner Creme Brûlée was just excellent! Overall great place to eat. Small place so make sure that you reserve.

Flyinthesky

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.

Ashley Dias

First time in about 5-6 years I've been back. New ownership but same amazing seafood dishes! Oysters were super fresh and mussels too which came with a great broth. But the star was the seafood stew! It's a must try and you'll fall in love. Velvety and smooth. Very impressed that all the dishes lived up to the standards of the previous owners. Also got an awesome creme brulee dish on the house, one of the best CBs I've had. It won't take me 6 years to come back. See you soon!

Katie H

Yum! Marica is top of our list. They took a change in direction to make the vibe more casual and focus on pizza (which I'm sure was delicious), but I am happy to say they have the old menu of seafood and meat dishes. This time we had mussels (delicious butter sauce and bread for sopping) and calamari (rare quality that can be lightly pan fried rather than deep fried - excellent texture and flavor). Old favorites include lamb and scallops. We didn't get the chocolate souffle this time, but it is truly incredible (insider tip: you have to order this when you order your main dish). Palomas were great as well - fresh squeezed grapefruit, of course. Updated to add that we went back and had the tartar. Wonderful! Amazing service as always.

What a wonderfully relaxing place. The food is delicious and fresh, but more importantly, seasoned and cooked to perfection. An incredible staff too, Alex made our evening perfect. We had the Korean ribs, salads, the seafood stew, mushroom toast and crème brule. For the love of God it was all amazing. So glad it’s in our neighborhood! ,

Reserved online for a birthday dinner and was impressed by the friendly and prompt service! Even though we arrived almost 20 minutes late (whoops), the service staff were very understanding and accommodating. Food was good, although none of it blew us away, but the desserts were especially delicious. The PEI mussels were also very fresh. Be warned, some of these dishes were so popular they already ran out by the time we came at around ~7:20pm (like the chili crab and shoestring fries). Also be careful parking around Oakland, per usual, lest you become another victim of the smashed car window

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!

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!

Cozy restaurant with really good seafood menu (they have non-seafood options too!) Came for a birthday celebration and had a great dinner. I really enjoyed my scallops with pesto dish. My family also ordered the seafood stew and they liked that as well. Overall really nice quality food and atmosphere - but the place is small so make sure to make reservations!

Cute casual date night spot. We got the mussels, calamari, and the Cajun prawns. The mussels were definitely the highlight, as they were plentiful. But the Cajun prawns were definitely not. It was $26 for 5-6 pieces of regular shrimp and a few stalks of asparagus and I was left feeling still hungry. Walked in on a Friday at 6:30pm. No wait. Didn’t need reservations.

Xavier Turner

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!

Curt P

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!

Kenny See

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.

Natsuko Konishi

Cozy restaurant with really good seafood menu (they have non-seafood options too!) Came for a birthday celebration and had a great dinner. I really enjoyed my scallops with pesto dish. My family also ordered the seafood stew and they liked that as well. Overall really nice quality food and atmosphere - but the place is small so make sure to make reservations!

darcell sockwell

Food is good, a little pricey and not a vast menu to choose from.

Helene

Cute casual date night spot. We got the mussels, calamari, and the Cajun prawns. The mussels were definitely the highlight, as they were plentiful. But the Cajun prawns were definitely not. It was $26 for 5-6 pieces of regular shrimp and a few stalks of asparagus and I was left feeling still hungry. Walked in on a Friday at 6:30pm. No wait. Didn’t need reservations.

C

Some dishes are done perfectly while others are overcooked. We loved the Scallops, Calamari and Chocolate Souffle. The mashed potatoes and carrots puree with Parsnips were a creamy delight. Their Risotto was excellent, but the rice was a bit too mushy for me. Sadly the Lobster was tasty but too rubbery and the green beans were a bit mushy with no seasoning. Stay away from the Oysters, they were sad, dried out and not quite cold when served.

10/10 service, the servers were wonderful and attentive! The food...lacking. Steak was overcooked, asparagus was boiled and placed on the plate aka no flavor and similarly the seafood stew with a 20hr broth was all but flavorless and watery. Would definitely not eat here again. But the servers at amazing!

Ryan Ciborowski

10/10 service, the servers were wonderful and attentive! The food...lacking. Steak was overcooked, asparagus was boiled and placed on the plate aka no flavor and similarly the seafood stew with a 20hr broth was all but flavorless and watery. Would definitely not eat here again. But the servers at amazing!

Have eaten here a number of times. All very good. Sunday night ordered the steamed crab. Too hot to touch. Was not cracked properly. Cracker provided, but no pick provided. Very disappointing.