La Perla Puerto Rican Restaurant

Audrey Tang

Loved them when they were in Oakland, and it's totally worth the trip here. Everything is well-seasoned, with generous portions. We had the Chuleta Pork Chop, Pollo Encebollada, and the best Maduros and Yucca Frita ever.

Hiro Cooper

I was finished with my home health visit and passed by a sign with a Puerto Rican flag that caught my eye! My heritage is PR but I didn’t grow up in PR culture unfortunately. I lived in South Florida for 15 years so I’m always looking for good PR and Cuban food. I stopped in and in true PR style was greeted with music and smiles. I had the vegetarian mofongo. It was very flavorful. I’ll stop by again and try some of the other traditional dishes! And it looks like music happens here! I’d definitely want to be here for that!

Joyce Lam

This is a cozy place inside the marketplace. Food was decent. I like the salad that came with the chicken. Felt like a balanced meal. I didn't get the special but it looked so good!

Dan B

Delicious food an d friendly service. Had the chicken empanadilla and my wife had the veggie version. Perfect crispy crust with tasty filling. Lots of free sauces available at the counter. We also had the sweet plantain appetizer, huge yummy portion! The attachment pic is half of the serving!

Tom Fehely

So flavorful and delicious! Tastes like an authentic home cooked Puerto Rican meal. Definitely coming back. Please support this place since almost every restaurant that enters this building ends up leaving. 10/10 would recommend!

Jer king

The food here was eating traditional Puerto Rican food. Really good and great service. The TV would turn off but the lady at the register was really nice to turn it back on It might have a screensaver mode that turns it off after not messing with any of the buttons. Easy fix. And food came out fast and was excellent and great presentation. If you want some good Puerto Rican food I would suggest going here.

J C

Incredible food Incredible customer service - super friendly and care about my experience Really nice upbeat atmosphere We were there one of the first nights and it was packed! So happy this place is in castro valley.

Eating en La Perla is literally like escaping to the island for a littlw while. Its not just how amazing the food is, its that you really feel like you are in Old San Juan. Cheo, the owner, made us feel welcomed, truly felt like home. The food is phenomenal, tastes just like home. Gracias Cheo. Te llevo!!!!

I used to travel from pleasanton to Oakland for their pssteless and arroz con gandules. Glad they moved closer. They make a great effort to bring puertorican cuisine. Fried Sweet bananas paradise. Buena suerto Jose and staff.

The food is great, but the mango-habanero hot sauce is on a whole other level. Bought a big bottle last time and we’ll be ready for another soon.

Daniel Gonzalez

I used to travel from pleasanton to Oakland for their pssteless and arroz con gandules. Glad they moved closer. They make a great effort to bring puertorican cuisine. Fried Sweet bananas paradise. Buena suerto Jose and staff.

Ashley Gautier

Eating en La Perla is literally like escaping to the island for a littlw while. Its not just how amazing the food is, its that you really feel like you are in Old San Juan. Cheo, the owner, made us feel welcomed, truly felt like home. The food is phenomenal, tastes just like home. Gracias Cheo. Te llevo!!!!

Yamilet Rodriguez

The food was great. My parents loved the pork chop entree. I enjoyed the chicken chicharrones. The rice was moist and the tostones crunchy. The chicken and beef empanadas were amazing. The food is just down right soulful and good.

Great experience at La Perla Castro Valley. José hosted us and guidance to our very first time at the restaurant. We ordered Plato combinado of Chicken tostones, mofongo and pork chop and a beef empanada 🥟. Everything was delicious and very tasty, the ambient was so rico as well. Very familiar food and very comfortable restaurant.

The food was on point! We took a while to be seen they need a bell at the front. I loved the seasoning and the salt level. I will come back Saturday for their pastele!

Nice new place! empanadas are good need to try more plates next time 😁 will go back.

AST 77

Great experience at La Perla Castro Valley. José hosted us and guidance to our very first time at the restaurant. We ordered Plato combinado of Chicken tostones, mofongo and pork chop and a beef empanada 🥟. Everything was delicious and very tasty, the ambient was so rico as well. Very familiar food and very comfortable restaurant.

lynn osti

The food was on point! We took a while to be seen they need a bell at the front. I loved the seasoning and the salt level. I will come back Saturday for their pastele!

Gladiator Spear

Nice new place! empanadas are good need to try more plates next time 😁 will go back.

We typically avoid soft openings since you definitely need patience to allow for some possible rough edges but we mistakenly thought it was over and I guess it was not just yet. The rough edges were thankfully minor: the TV showing the menu was off so they had to be prompted to turn it on, there were no tables and chairs but the 2/F of CV Marketplace had those and the cashier was also the server which was otherwise ok but we needed extra utensils and had to follow up since she was already ringing up orders. The food fortunately somewhat made up for it. I got the Fried Chicken with Cracklings which tasted good except that some of my chicken was overcooked and tough. There was also literally one piece of the crackling which was a shame since I was definitely expecting more and it was delicious. The seasoned rice with pigeon peas were good along with the sweet plantains. Hubby ordered the Sauteed Shrimp with Criole Sauce and while the shrimp was perfectly cooked, I thought it was ok, nothing great. The drink selection wasn’t interesting too but there’s a grocery downstairs which did have a better selection. Overall, happy to have tried and we may do a repeat visit but it won't be for some time.

The menu online has zero descriptions of what you’re trying to order, so it was frustrating trying to figure out what to get. They only have the shredded pork on the weekends which is a bummer so we got the fried pork chop which was $24 for a SMALL piece of pork which was kinda dry. I was disappointed. Also got the chicken combo which was alright, also a little dry. Our combo had the wrong rice (we ordered the rice with the peas but received the beans)

Kathy LC

We typically avoid soft openings since you definitely need patience to allow for some possible rough edges but we mistakenly thought it was over and I guess it was not just yet. The rough edges were thankfully minor: the TV showing the menu was off so they had to be prompted to turn it on, there were no tables and chairs but the 2/F of CV Marketplace had those and the cashier was also the server which was otherwise ok but we needed extra utensils and had to follow up since she was already ringing up orders. The food fortunately somewhat made up for it. I got the Fried Chicken with Cracklings which tasted good except that some of my chicken was overcooked and tough. There was also literally one piece of the crackling which was a shame since I was definitely expecting more and it was delicious. The seasoned rice with pigeon peas were good along with the sweet plantains. Hubby ordered the Sauteed Shrimp with Criole Sauce and while the shrimp was perfectly cooked, I thought it was ok, nothing great. The drink selection wasn’t interesting too but there’s a grocery downstairs which did have a better selection. Overall, happy to have tried and we may do a repeat visit but it won't be for some time.

Winnie Lam

The menu online has zero descriptions of what you’re trying to order, so it was frustrating trying to figure out what to get. They only have the shredded pork on the weekends which is a bummer so we got the fried pork chop which was $24 for a SMALL piece of pork which was kinda dry. I was disappointed. Also got the chicken combo which was alright, also a little dry. Our combo had the wrong rice (we ordered the rice with the peas but received the beans)

This was my second time eating at this restaurant. The very first time I didn't enjoy the meal and I contributed to the soft opening. Went back yesterday. Aunt, it was horrible. The chicken was dried out. Had no taste. I'll pass

The pasteles and tostones were good. I had to eat half of my sister’s pastel because when we got to order there were 3 of us and they only had two left. The arroz con gandules was mushy and the pernil was refrigerator cold. The red beans were full of carrots. We had to wait over 1/2 hour to get food. They did improve from their previous location in Oakland. My daughter went the next day and found the rice mushy too. It also needs some more sazon. Wishing you all the best. Que viva Loiza. Went agin today on Christmas Eve. No pasteles, no pernil and no pork chops. The arroz con gandoles was horrific the chicken no flavor it what was on the menu. Never going back. Wasted $52.

Sylvia Garcia

The pasteles and tostones were good. I had to eat half of my sister’s pastel because when we got to order there were 3 of us and they only had two left. The arroz con gandules was mushy and the pernil was refrigerator cold. The red beans were full of carrots. We had to wait over 1/2 hour to get food. They did improve from their previous location in Oakland. My daughter went the next day and found the rice mushy too. It also needs some more sazon. Wishing you all the best. Que viva Loiza. Went agin today on Christmas Eve. No pasteles, no pernil and no pork chops. The arroz con gandoles was horrific the chicken no flavor it what was on the menu. Never going back. Wasted $52.

The service wasn't that great ! The pork chops were to dry and over cooked . The owner wouldn't cook the pork chop the way we asked for it . Chrispy outside and juicy in the inside . Instead he came to our table and said he has too cook well done cause it was pork ? Ok ? But not everyone wants to eat a dry tough pork chop you can barely chew and swallow . For. How much it was I feel that a scoop of. Rice a small pork fat and a couple of pieces of fried bananas

Lena Taitague

The service wasn't that great ! The pork chops were to dry and over cooked . The owner wouldn't cook the pork chop the way we asked for it . Chrispy outside and juicy in the inside . Instead he came to our table and said he has too cook well done cause it was pork ? Ok ? But not everyone wants to eat a dry tough pork chop you can barely chew and swallow . For. How much it was I feel that a scoop of. Rice a small pork fat and a couple of pieces of fried bananas

Eric Lopez

Had the most expensive Mofongo. No flavor on the mofongo and the meat.For the mofongo the give you some can of tomato sauce no chicken soup. I 100%Puerto Rican never see tomato sauce with mofongo. For two mofongo and order of tostones an two sodas 73 dollars. I don’t mind paying that amount if the food was good. First and last time we visited this restaurant. An one more thing the lady at the register refused to speak Spanish.

J R

We ordered and then asked why we had an 18% service charge that showed up on our bill. They said it was for large groups. Nowhere does it list this on their menu, which means the service fee was illegal under california law. It also makes makes no sense to have a large group charge, this place is order at the counter, pickup your own food at the counter to bring to your table, serve yourself your own water, eat off of a paper plate using plastic utensils. So what is the 18% service charge for? It also took almost 45 minutes for our food to be ready, despite not seeming very busy when we ordered at 630, half the tables were open. We asked to have the service fee removed, but they said it was their policy for large groups. We didn't argue more since its just an employee following the policy of the owner/management. Our order was for 3 people, but we were meeting another 3 people (who ordered separately). I guess we were a burden with such a large group: message received, I'll go elsewhere in the future.