Lucuma Kitchen & Bar

Wow. This place was fantastic. We came here for brunch and it surpassed all of our expectations. Their drink menu was large and great (we had the lattes and the pisco sours). We ordered a ceviche, a croissant, and 2 of the egg dishes and all of them were packed with flavor, well cooked and well balanced. The staff were attentive, the food came out at a great pace and all in all the atmosphere was lovely. Could not suggest this place more as an awesome brunch spot. Looking forward to come back and try dinner.

The food is truly delicious. Everything tastes homemade, fresh, and well-prepared. The portions are generous, and the care taken in the cooking is evident. Definitely a place I would return to and recommend.

Pete Salmon

Lucuma Kitchen is a Keeper! Open only 6 months, and it is very hard to get into this hot place in Oakland! We slipped in for Happy Hour on a Friday, and we're very pleasantly surprised. A warm welcome, nice seating, and delicious tapas with tasty drinks...what more can you ask for? We ordered ceviché classic, ceviché verde, yucca fries, plantain chips, and pork sandwich. Ceviché classic was okay, but we really liked the ceviché verde. And the fried plantains. And the yucca fries. And... you get the idea. Our server, Vanda, was fabulous! Attentive, yet not obtrusive. When she went on a food delivery, the other staff seamlessly stepped in and supported her. A very pleasant experience. Make reservations in advance, as walk-in seating is nigh impossible to get. And enjoy!

Sam Breach

Last minute brunch in the area with 2 women friends, we sat at the bar where we could see the care put into cocktail creation. Staff were caring and friendly. Food was fresh and delicious. I had the mushroom sandwich (spicy!) and an exquisitely presented side of avocado. Love the decor in this place, the color scheme, the earthy ceramics and the accessories are on point. Will be back for happy hour!

Danny Sogar

We had an amazing time trying many creative and quality cocktails, and the food is absolutely fantastic. The extensive ceviche and small plates menu was a highlight for us. We tried ceviche clásico and camarón, the short ribs and lamb lollipops, and the ribeye and chicken, and everything was so flavorful and perfect. Bartenders and other staff were friendly and helpful. Felipe was amazing as our bartender. Will return next time in town!

Jaime D'Urso Roy

I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. I had a fantastic dining experience here with my husband this past week. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and the service was fantastic! Everyone from the host to our server to the food runner were pleasant and knowledgeable. We ordered two cocktails from their specialty menu that were delicious and had the empanada trio, the scallops, and potatoes. All were wonderful and I would order them again. Especially the scallops, they were amazing! Highly recommend this for a date night spot or a fun dinner place. Would love to see these owners open up more businesses in the area!

Liza Shavit

Food is of excellent quality; they also go above and beyond with presentation. Ordering multiple dishes and sharing seems to be really the best way to go. We were able to get seated without reservations twice in a row, but last time we were given a time limit as they had been fully booked past a certain hour. Strongly recommend!

Alysha Cordova

Was only able to grab a cocktail here (pictured is the Tikila - delicious), but I want to go back for dinner! The bar service was so friendly and accommodating. I was able to look at the food menu and see what others ordered and was immediately jealous that we were only grabbing drinks there before dinner. Next time I'm in Oakland, I need to come back for their Crudo and more than one cocktail. Also, the ambiance is lovely. Really cool spot!

Hayley Ferreira

This was the most memorable food experience I have had in a long time. Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavors could not be any better. My partner and I tried 2 ceviche’s and they were both a hit. I love the sweet potato! The lamb, was phenomenal, the drinks were the best. We got both types of pisco sours and they were the best. All in all I can’t say enough good things. Next week I plan to go there for brunch. I think it’s going to be my new spot.

Nicole Pizarro

Wow. This place was fantastic. We came here for brunch and it surpassed all of our expectations. Their drink menu was large and great (we had the lattes and the pisco sours). We ordered a ceviche, a croissant, and 2 of the egg dishes and all of them were packed with flavor, well cooked and well balanced. The staff were attentive, the food came out at a great pace and all in all the atmosphere was lovely. Could not suggest this place more as an awesome brunch spot. Looking forward to come back and try dinner.

Diego Bandera

The food is truly delicious. Everything tastes homemade, fresh, and well-prepared. The portions are generous, and the care taken in the cooking is evident. Definitely a place I would return to and recommend.

Maxwell Morais

Lucuma blew us away for our first couple visits. We love Peruvian food and this place has topped the charts in the Bay Area for some of the best Peruvian food you can find. I highly recommend everyone try Lucuma at least once. If you live in the Oakland area this is the perfect place to keep coming back to for special occasions, or to even have a nice drink and shared plates. Amazing ambiance and decor. Recommend for you to share plates with your group to try as many things as you can - that’s the best way to enjoy the menu. All the drinks are amazing and unique - you’re not going to find a lot of the drinks anywhere else.

Colleen McHugh

It was not easy to get a reservation here, even if they've only been open for 3 weeks. Mi madrastra, who is peruana, could not wait. She called and talked to the hostess into giving us a seating and then called me an hour earlier and said hurry we have to go an hour sooner because they're only available at 4:30. And so we hustled and we made it there. She knew that this was the real deal. The food and hospitality and atmosphere are unmatched. The owners were serving and mingling with the guests. As a non-drinker who doesn't even enjoy mocktails the bar menu is beyond words. I tried the muña cucumber like cocktail and it was incredible. Led by la jefa, we tried about 20 small plates and couldn't leave without sharing the picarones... I remember my dad trying to make them for her when we were younger, but they are impossible to find in the Bay area. They were amazing, along with everything else. The place was packed the entire time and you absolutely need to do everything you can to make a reservation. Make yourself available when they are. You will not be disappointed. Thank you for making my family happier. We already checked how far you can book out reservations and set a calendar appointment to reserve a table for the next special occasion. See you soon ❤️

Dave Joseph

We went for Happy Hour and then dinner a few days later. The drinks are amazing! Particularly love the Agua Perfecta. The cerviche was very fresh, and the sauce on it was spicy, yet balanced. We had the cheesecake for dessert, another homeroom, lighter than you would expect, but the caramel/anise sauce plus the little candies were an incredible combination. The service was very personable, and the design and vibe of the place was fun. A great addition to the Oakland food scene!

Joanne Yuen

I can see why this is the new hot spot in downtown Oakland, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant be fully booked on a weekday night in this neighborhood! Amazing food and gorgeous interior. Some highlights include their Argentinian steak, salmon ceviche, beef heart, and desserts. Was a little disappointed at how little shrimp was on top of the shrimp crispy rice, and prices are a bit on the higher end as we spent ~$100pp with mocktails, but otherwise, a very solid Peruvian restaurant. Glad to see some life breathed back into downtown Oakland. Recommend making resy as people were waiting and it was a Thursday night.

Siena Guerrazzi

Absolutely delicious food in a really cute and thoughtfully designed space! The service was excellent, and the food blew us away. The cocktail menu is expansive and creative. Ceviche was definitely a highlight. Empanada sampler and yucca fries are a must! And some of the most tender lomo saltado. Couldn’t be more excited for Lucuma to join the neighborhood!

Found this spot on accident, last minute sort of thing. Great service, great food. Figured the price point was just it being chic.. it wasn’t just overblown chic. It was generous portions (that negated the price point) and the quality of food and service made it a steal. Had the pineapple ceviche, the cauliflower, the trio of empanadas and the stir fry steak. Ceviche-9.3 Cauliflower-8.8 Steak-9.1 Empanadas-8.2 Service? Solid 10. The spot is very pleasant and ready made for a special date night or a good night out with a group. Cocktails looked amazing but I wasn’t drinking.

Really enjoyable experience! Our server was attentive, the place is super clean and crisp, definitely a good date location. When the manager saw there wasn't anyone at our immediate table, they asked if we were being served, just to make sure we were accounted for. I say, if you come here, go get the ceviche and that alone. It has the layers and complexity I was expecting from a joint like this. It sucks that I feel like they don't give you enjoy plantain chips for the ceviche. But where they really lose you are brunch items. My girlfriend found the El Jardinero a bit too oily. The Arroz Tapado is A LOT of rice. Don't get me wrong, I'm a rice boy, but it's extremely one note. And it says sweet fried plantains but I got one haha. The pan con chicharron was good but, I don't know, I've had better chicharron, by a lot.

I am a huge fan of Peruvian cuisine, and Lucuma delivered on all fronts. Intimate dining space, efficient service, diverse menu, great drinks and apps, super tasty entrees, and excellent desserts. Recommend coming with a group so you can sample as much as possible. Def start with a ceviche of sorts, as there are many. Follow it up with some shared plate — you can go wrong with anything, though I would likely skip the scallop and cheese dish next time due to price/size/interesting combo. Ají de gallina is one of my fav Peruvian dishes, and it lived up to the hype — as did my wife’s lomo saltado. All in all, a solid Peruvian restaurant that I will visit again, but won’t stop me from visiting other Peruvian spots in the area.

I visited Lucuma intending to sup there before it got buzzy and I needed a reservation weeks in advance! The place is worth a visit - date night or comfort food night. The ambiqnce is something otherworldly...almost like a dreamy set. I would take someone here just to impress them with the cane animals. Vegetarians have ample options. Even though the main course does not explicitly tell you this, three of them can be made without meat. We ordered 6 different starters and turned it into a tapas night. The plantain chips came out first. I found saltless and lacking, but they made for good munching. The pequenitos(?) came out next and they were an interesting combo of egg rolls and cheese with a guava syrup. The flavors worked only in this mix! The Pisco sour mocktail came out next I found it a bit citrus forwaed, but definitely refreshing. The potato cake was one of the stars of the evening. It looked like a watermelon sandwich, but was anything but that. Spicy and perfectly gooey it embodied the fusion cuisine this place will be known for. The mushroom empanada was divine. From the crunch to the stuffing to the dip ... They were all a match made in heaven The Yucca fries came out next with the same sauce. I found them a little too chewy and under salted like their plantain cousin. And finally the mushroom chicharonnes. They were relatively unremarkable, but with the magic sauce, they more than filled me. I will have to pay a visit again and attempt take eat through the main course next!

On Saturday, January 31st, I dined at Lucuma for lunch at around 230 pm. I made a reservation for 4 people thinking it would be necessary because restaurants tend to be busier on the weekends, but that wasn't the case at Lucuma. There were only a few people eating at Lucuma when we got there, which I found surprising. I thought it would be jam-packed, but I was wrong. The restaurant is pretty small, but the decor inside and the overall setup are nice. The outside of the restaurant looks cool, especially the Lucuma word/letters. The chair height ratio to the table was a little off. The chairs felt really sunken in and low to the ground compared to the height of the table we sat at. It felt weird while sitting, talking, and eating. I'm over 6 feet tall, so I couldn't imagine what it feels like for someone short sitting in those chairs. It's not the most comfortable seating. The bar looked really nice. Overall, the decor and vibe were spot on. We ordered the short rib with green mashed potatoes and plantain chips, the mac and cheese with corn and bacon, shredded chicken with rice and potatoes, stir fry beef with rice, potatoes with brava sauce, and mixed veggies and the paella with chicken and linguisa. The short rib with green mashed potatoes and plantain chips was one of the best dishes out of everything we ordered. The short rib was tender and melt in your mouth. It you like shredded beef birria or pot roast, you'll like this dish. The mashed potatoes were just okay. The plantain chips were good. The sauce served on the meat was tasty and flavorful. The mac and cheese was okay. It was very cheesy but different compared to regular mac and cheese. It didn't need the corn, in my opinion. There were only a few pieces of corn inside the dish. The bacon tasted really good. You can never go wrong with bacon in or on anything. It always tastes good. The shredded chicken dish with rice and potatoes was good. It wasn't great or anything spectacular. It was basic but good. The shredded chicken had good flavor, and it was moist. The potatoes were flavorful and served in a rectangular shape. They taste like augratin potatoes. The stir fry beef with French fries, rice, and mixed sauted veggies was my favorite. The beef was cooked perfectly, and the soy sauce used in the dish made everything pop. The fries and rice were good when eaten together with the beef. It's definitely a must order. The sauce on the potatoes was flavorful. The paella with chicken and linguisa wasn't like traditional Paella. I'm not sure why Lucuma called it Paella. The dish was basically chunks of chicken, a few pieces of pork linguisa, and sauce. It was good but not anything to write home to Mom about. It was basic at best, and I don't recommend ordering the dish to anyone. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't a true paella. It's misleading. The service was great. Our waitress was really nice and attentive. The food came out pretty quickly. All the staff members at Lucuma were very welcoming. Overall, Lucuma is a nice restaurant with good Peruvian food that is fairly priced. Go give it a try.

Three of us went there for a birthday lunch and we all chose the entree plus main course lunch menu at $35. We started off with the ceviche which was fresh and the sweet potatoes were a good balance but I found the marinate very salty. The pulled chicken entree was tasty but the potatoes were devoid of any taste. The anise cheesecake and chocolate cream were well executed and tasty.

Khiem Nguyen

Really enjoyable experience! Our server was attentive, the place is super clean and crisp, definitely a good date location. When the manager saw there wasn't anyone at our immediate table, they asked if we were being served, just to make sure we were accounted for. I say, if you come here, go get the ceviche and that alone. It has the layers and complexity I was expecting from a joint like this. It sucks that I feel like they don't give you enjoy plantain chips for the ceviche. But where they really lose you are brunch items. My girlfriend found the El Jardinero a bit too oily. The Arroz Tapado is A LOT of rice. Don't get me wrong, I'm a rice boy, but it's extremely one note. And it says sweet fried plantains but I got one haha. The pan con chicharron was good but, I don't know, I've had better chicharron, by a lot.

Christopher Beaty

I am a huge fan of Peruvian cuisine, and Lucuma delivered on all fronts. Intimate dining space, efficient service, diverse menu, great drinks and apps, super tasty entrees, and excellent desserts. Recommend coming with a group so you can sample as much as possible. Def start with a ceviche of sorts, as there are many. Follow it up with some shared plate — you can go wrong with anything, though I would likely skip the scallop and cheese dish next time due to price/size/interesting combo. Ají de gallina is one of my fav Peruvian dishes, and it lived up to the hype — as did my wife’s lomo saltado. All in all, a solid Peruvian restaurant that I will visit again, but won’t stop me from visiting other Peruvian spots in the area.

Ashwin Mudigonda

I visited Lucuma intending to sup there before it got buzzy and I needed a reservation weeks in advance! The place is worth a visit - date night or comfort food night. The ambiqnce is something otherworldly...almost like a dreamy set. I would take someone here just to impress them with the cane animals. Vegetarians have ample options. Even though the main course does not explicitly tell you this, three of them can be made without meat. We ordered 6 different starters and turned it into a tapas night. The plantain chips came out first. I found saltless and lacking, but they made for good munching. The pequenitos(?) came out next and they were an interesting combo of egg rolls and cheese with a guava syrup. The flavors worked only in this mix! The Pisco sour mocktail came out next I found it a bit citrus forwaed, but definitely refreshing. The potato cake was one of the stars of the evening. It looked like a watermelon sandwich, but was anything but that. Spicy and perfectly gooey it embodied the fusion cuisine this place will be known for. The mushroom empanada was divine. From the crunch to the stuffing to the dip ... They were all a match made in heaven The Yucca fries came out next with the same sauce. I found them a little too chewy and under salted like their plantain cousin. And finally the mushroom chicharonnes. They were relatively unremarkable, but with the magic sauce, they more than filled me. I will have to pay a visit again and attempt take eat through the main course next!

Tina Chen

Three of us went there for a birthday lunch and we all chose the entree plus main course lunch menu at $35. We started off with the ceviche which was fresh and the sweet potatoes were a good balance but I found the marinate very salty. The pulled chicken entree was tasty but the potatoes were devoid of any taste. The anise cheesecake and chocolate cream were well executed and tasty.

Deanna Grey

I recently went to Lucuma for dinner. I ate the coconut shrimp (Crispy Camarones) and the Yucca fries. Both were tasty. The quinoa with the shrimp was particularly good. I had a passion fruit mousse for dessert (which was too sugary sweet and too messy). I also had the Elixer del Chaman cocktail (which was beautifully presented, but too boozy for my taste). Staff were friendly.

This place is really cute though small. I want to say great things, but they took forever to bring out my companion’s food and didn’t even apologize! I visited for brunch and had a bit of ceviche cremosa, the French toast and $9 coffee. I would visit again if someone else was paying.

Natacha Jeanty

This place is really cute though small. I want to say great things, but they took forever to bring out my companion’s food and didn’t even apologize! I visited for brunch and had a bit of ceviche cremosa, the French toast and $9 coffee. I would visit again if someone else was paying.

We were informed when making the reservation, and again while being seated, there was a 90-minute clock on our table. No problem, right? Until you sit there for a long time before anyone takes your order, a longer time before your drinks arrive, and you have finished your drinks by the time the apps finally arrive. Followed almost immediately by the entrees, which because we were just still trying to enjoy our apps were set down hanging off the edge of the cluttered table. So do we finish the crudos that were actually great while watching our entrees get cold teetering on the side of the table, or do we ask to have cleared the apps we had paid for and were in the process of enjoying? Slow, slow, slow, slow, and now we are getting rushed so they can turn the table? Food-wise, the crudo was excellent. The fish entree was solid. The ribeye, while a surprisingly generous portion, was over-seasoned, unevenly cooked, and disappointingly not tender. About a third was medium rare as ordered, the rest dry and medium well. Menu prices quite reasonable across the board. Would return but just get drinks and tapas.