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Chao Pescao

4.3 (369 reviews)
Open • 11:30 am - 8:30 pm
Updated 2 weeks ago

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CHAO PESCAO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Trendy
Moderate noise
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Chao Pescao

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Menu
Annabelle R.

What a lovely spot for latin american cuisine! Made a dinner reservation here on Friday evening, before attending a musical at the Orpheum Theatre just around the corner. My friend and I were greeted with prompt and cordial service at arrival. Found parking diectly in front of the entrance too (meter is free after 6pm). The quirky decor inside the restaurant added character to the place, with each wall panel in the main dining room showcasing a unique theme of 3D artwork, like instruments, phones, and mirrors. There was also high top seating available near the bar, toward the front of the eatery. We ordered quite a few items from the menu and ended up with leftovers. The classic mojito and mango tango cocktail, the latter which came in a cute tiki glass, were both refreshing and delicious. For food, we had the arepa rellena de bistec without habanero salsa, which was stuffed with flavorful skirt steak, a bit chewy but tasty nonetheless. Got it with regular fries on the side which were surprisingly really good and quite addicting. Added an arepa with cheese and this was so buttery and cheesy. Loved it! The cubano was served with thick pieces of ham and pork, and the dijon sauce came on the side. As recommended by staff, we opted for yucca fries to go with this dish, which were thick and dense, not bad, but we liked the regular fries better. The soup special, ajiaco, was a unique concoction of chicken, corn, potatoes, and veggies, topped off with crema. It was enjoyable as well. All in all, we had a positive experience. And Chao Pescao is a convenient option for grabbing a meal if catching a show at the Orpheum nearby. After dinner, we continued our awesome evening with a tale as old as time.

Very tart
Jack R.

Restaurant Week 2026 This is what my coworker and I chose to explore Restaurant Week....so here we are. I had the beef empanada, pork salad (Havana salad), and rice pudding. Wow, the most underwhelming tasteless (as in no flavor) empanada and salsa I've ever had. My coworker said the same thing about her empanada. This was supposed to be shredded flask steak and it was like some tasteless thing I would expect from a tin can from camping minus the views and fresh air. The salad was actually decent. Notice I said salad and NOT the shredded pork on top of it. What is with the meat here? Don't get me started on the rice pudding dessert that looks like oatmeal that you'd get at a prison somewhere. Both of us disliked it. It tasted like mushy cinnamon with raisins. HARD skip on this. The normal price for their rice pudding dessert is $12 which is laughable. You'd have to pay me $12 to eat this, and I still wouldn't do it! Cubano sandwich that my coworker had was a "meh and oh" of surprise. She said it was basically unevenly seasoned where the bites of pork that were seasoned were good, but the bites that didn't had no flavor. See a pattern here? No flavor. She liked the bread and shoestring fries though. The lemonade and Arnold palmer that we both had were very tart and not worth the $8. Service was one waiter who didn't refill out water, and who was running from table to table. It started of empty but then he had like 5 tables to attend to, which included ours. For the price, quality, and taste of the food it's a hard NO for me. I couldn't imagine paying regular price for this. I felt robbed paying the restaurant week prices let alone regular prices LOL

Fried brussels sprouts were great!
Aaron Z.

I came here for a work lunch and it was decent overall with a festive vibe, but the service was a littl euneven that day. I normally cut a lot of slack when a restaurant is serving a group, but it seemed like there were problems with the kitchen. That said, the server/manager-type guy was very warm and welcoming; he checked in a few times apologizing for the delays. We received our food a bit more than 45 minutes later, so had to rush through the eating part. I got the Tajin Fried Chicken which was nicely cooked. The plantains were excellent and everything was very fresh. It was good chicken, but honestly I didn't notice Tajin in the chicken or the sauce. I almost wondered if they forgot it? The fried brussels sprouts were awesome though and I'd definitely get it again. In conclusion, I think they just had an off day, but it has all the right pieces to be a good restaurant.

Ceviche de la Casa
Michelle P.

Service was little spotty, seemed well staffed but had to keep catching different servers to get to go boxes. It was lively for happy hour. Brussels were nice and crispy and the zero proof colada was delicious! Others were mediocre. Good choice for a bite before the symphony or a show at bill graham

Happy Hour menu
Kim S.

Cute restaurant. Great Happy Hour. Plenty of choices for drinks. We shared the empanadas. Tried steak, chicken, pork and veggie. All were good, chicken was my fave. Service was slow even though there was sufficient staff.

Steak Sandwich
Christian R.

Came to Chao Pescao for a team lunch of eight people. We had a reservation, so we were seated pretty fast! Let's start with the food: I got the Pan con Bistec, a nice steak sandwich with thin cut fries ($22). The sandwich was pretty good! The steak was nice and tender, and the sauce on the sandwich was super tasty. I appreciated the fresh veggies and the crispy bread. I wish there was a bit more steak on the sandwich, but overall it was good. The fries were crispy and well salted. We also got brussels sprouts for the table. I'm not too sure what the sauce was, but it was delicious, and the sprouts themselves were very crisp. These were the best thing we ate. The service is really the only downside to this restaurant. Sure, we had eight people at the table, but it took so. long. to get our food--about 45 minutes to an hour. Many at our table were talking about the long wait. At one point a waitress spilt a bit of water on our table and did not try to clean it, or even give us anything to clean the spill. It wasn't a big deal, but just not the best experience overall. So, yeah, I think you can come here for pretty good food but this may not be your best option if you're planning on a quick bite for a lunch break.

Yuca Frita
Vivian L.

Came here for a team lunch. We made reservations for 8 people and had to wait a few minutes for the table to be set up when we got there. We enjoyed the appetizers more than the actual meal itself. We ordered the Colombian style chicharron, empanadas, yuca frita, and Maduros. They were all so delicious but I think my favorite was the chicharron with the sauce that they had. Majority of us got the sandwich and did not enjoy it too much, it was a bit dry and plain, and smaller than we thought. I got the pan con bistec (ribeye) sandwich and it was plain & dry. All of us ordered drinks and they were very strong (which is good LOL). I got the mango tango drink. Service was fine, a little bit on the slower side (and restaurant was empty). The restaurant has two restrooms and only street parking. They also have parking validation for $5 too.

Empanadas (3)
Mike P.

Ate here before watching a show at Orpheum Theater nearby. Place has a cool Latin-Caribbean vibe and lively atmosphere. Capacity was almost full but the staff was always attentive. The food was very good even though I only had appetizers. Will come back again for the full meal experience.

Delicious Caesar salad!
Sondra H.

Came here before a show at the Orpheum Theater. Shared the pork empanadas and a Caesar salad with shrimp. The pork empanadas were especially tasty and came with a hot sauce that was equally tasty, but I have to say I enjoyed the empanadas by themselves. The Caesar salad was delicious and I was disappointed that it was such a small portion. I would definitely go back and try other dishes that I saw on other tables!

Tostones with pistachio salsa verde: 4 stars Wish
Eve K.

Latin with Cuban and Colombian influences with a fun happy hour. 3.5 stars Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 3 Cost to worth it rating: 4.5 for HH Opentableable: yes Return worthiness: sure for hh Highlights: - Happy hour: good amount of food and drink on the menu plus discounted drinks on standard menu. Appreciate timing going til 6pm - Cocolatl Maize cocktail: excellent cinnamony rich version of an old fashioned. 5 stars - Empanadas: tried one of each pork, beef, chicken, and veggie. All were great with a crispy exterior that was gluten free too. Beef and pork were the faves if we had to choose. 4 stars - Pork arepa: lots of shredded pork in between nice masa patties. 4 stars - Tostones: thicker version than the typical flat but loved the green salsa with pistachio. 4 stars - Close to war memorial or Davies for shows - Staff: super nice and helpful - Gluten free: most items which is great for us where that's friendlier to our stomachs Midlights: - Happy hour: in bar area only but didn't note that on the website - Bar area kind of dark: hard to read the menu - Atmosphere: was pretty dead on a Thursday night Lowlights: - Steak arepa: bit hard to eat even though steak was thin was hard to bite into. 3 stars - Pao de bono: usually love there but flavor was lacking and a bit tough too. 3 stars Wish the vibe was more energetic but food and drinks were fine and had a good time.

Tarta de Queso sin Azucar
Teri K.

Great spot for dinner before a show! Copa Havana cocktail= smoky pineapple sweetness, Empadanas... All good but the pork one was the best, the fried chicken = crispy goodness with super flavorful rice& beans. And surprisingly delicious low sugar cheesecake was the perfect way to end the meal. Would definitely come back! Extra perk is $5 validated parking!

Thu N.

Solid spot for Latin Caribbean cuisine in the Civic Center area, especially when it comes to happy hour deals between 3-6PM! recs: empanadas price: ~$30/person We came by for happy hour on a Friday and didn't have a problem walking in, although the space filled up super quickly closer to 6PM. Chao Pescao is located conveniently near all the bustle of Market St but has a beautiful view of the community garden and City Hall that you should totally check out. - Chicharron: For $15 at happy hour, this was unanimously agreed upon as a shockingly large portion. Paired well with the pickled veggies and red onion that came with it, but personally I thought it was a tad dry. - Tostones: Fried plantains that were sweet and savory and taken to the next level with the avocado-pistachio salsa that came with it. - Empanadas: Both the beef and vegetable empanadas were spectacular and each one came with their own sauce. The crust was perfectly thin and crispy, and the filling was plentiful and piping hot. Seriously considered getting more of these. - Pan de Bono: Got this just to try -- it was surprisingly bouncy and savory, like a dinner roll but 10x better. Service was decent despite the busy dinner crowd! So glad we got to try this spot!

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Food was delicious, the service exceptional and the place looks really nice. Great place to have drinks or dinner around Civic Center

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Chao Pescao Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Chao Pescao

When is happy hour and is there a menu published anywhere? I don't see it in the website...

They are all on their website.

What will your hours be around the upcoming holidays?

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Flavas Jamaican Grill - Oxtail & Jerk Chicken

Flavas Jamaican Grill

4.1(1.2k reviews)
8.6 mi
•$$

The jerk chicken and oxtail combo was delicious and a generous portion! Oxtail was…read morefall-off-the-bone tender and the jerk chicken was cooked perfectly with incredible flavor. Everything was well-seasoned without feeling too heavy. It's the kind of homestyle comfort food that really hits the spot! I tried some of my husband's ribs too and they were so savory and flavorful. The staff was friendly and the service was great. Seemed like most customers were ordering takeout since there weren't many dine-in customers but rather a steady stream of people picking up orders. My husband and I chose to dine in and it was a great experience.

I ventured into downtown SSF to dine at Flavas Jamaican Grill, which I've had the opportunity to…read moretry at a catered office event last year (I've been craving it ever since). The daily lunch special - chicken curry with rice, beans, and plantains - sounded delicious, and I couldn't resist getting a side of cornbread. The restaurant was packed, yet I did not have to wait long for my food. The curried chicken was aromatic, juicy, and mildly spicy, and it paired excellently with the sweet fried plantains. There were little pieces of bone in the chicken, which is the risk you run when eating bone-in chicken thighs. I wish there had been more beans in the rice and beans, but I'm glad there was a generous portion of rice to absorb all of the delicious curry sauce. The cornbread tasted freshly baked, but it was a bit denser and chewier than I'm used to. There were so many other menu items I wanted to try, so on my next visit, I'll have to get the oxtail stew and beef patties.

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Flavas Jamaican Grill
Flavas Jamaican Grill - Jerk Salmon -- photo doesn't do it justice !

Jerk Salmon -- photo doesn't do it justice !

Flavas Jamaican Grill - Jamaican Patties Beef

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Jamaican Patties Beef

Casa Borinquena - Chicken Pincho Sampler plate

Casa Borinquena

4.7(74 reviews)
0.5 mi•Union Square, SoMa

I went to Casa Borinquena the other day for the first time and WOW I've really been missing out…read more The menu is small but mighty. Everything sounds delicious but the sample plates pack the most punch. I love plantains so having those figure prominently, with delicious rice and plant based chicken, is perfect. The service is incredibly fast and easy, and being at Saluhall, you get to take advantage of other vendors and a full a bar. It felt a little quiet on a Friday night but places like Casa Borinquena definitely make it a destination for me. Go now if you've been waiting. Casa Borinquena is not to be missed.

Wepa! Casa Borinquena is anything but boring. Puerto Rican vegan food with all the flavors is far…read morefrom your typical mall food. Saluhall has two floors of food options. Definitely go upstairs and explore Casa Borinquena. If you're wondering what Market Street has to offer, duck inside IKEA. There are many seating areas. Yes, in addition to IKEA's viral food court, there's so much more. Saluhall opened with all-vegan vendors but things have shifted back to meat and dairy. Case Borinquena is the last standing all-vegan stall. This is Caribbean soul food and it's so good. If you're looking for a salad or something light, this is not for you. This food will fill you up and leave you wanting more. Loaded Tostones is pumped up with nacho-ish toppings. Served with a thick and tasty mama sauce. I was dunking everything into that sauce. I opted for the side of tostones because I was craving the crunchy plantain. It was crisp perfection! Lulu's Famous Pastelillo filled with vegan beef or chicken was another winner for me. The dough was fried perfectly and I loved the chicken filling flavor. Chef's kiss. Coquito cake is on the menu! If you love eggnog, get this right now. I want to return for the sampler plate. At $20, it's cheaper than a flight to Puerto Rico. Pro-tip: first hour of parking is free!

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Casa Borinquena - Some of our menu favorites

Some of our menu favorites

Casa Borinquena
Casa Borinquena - Vegan chick'n pastelillo. Yummy!

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Vegan chick'n pastelillo. Yummy!

Lolinda

Lolinda

4.2(2.6k reviews)
1.7 mi•Mission
•$$$

We celebrated my daughter's surprise 40th birthday at Lolinda with a party of 14 after our…read morecupcake-decorating workshop. Our theme was "Dress in the City," where Emily in Paris meets Martha Stewart, and Lolinda was the perfect place to continue the celebration. Communication with Cortney was excellent from the beginning. She was helpful, attentive, and created a special menu that matched our theme beautifully. We were seated on the mezzanine, which gave us a wonderful atmosphere and made our large party feel comfortable and special. The food was absolutely amazing, and everyone enjoyed it. The entire evening was beautiful, lively, and memorable. Thank you to Cortney and the Lolinda team for helping us make my daughter's birthday so special.

We came here to celebrate our anniversary and to try their Happy Hour in addition to their regular…read moremenu. We were not disappointed. First let me give a shout out to our server Mindy. She was super attentive and made the dinner special. Thank you Mindy! And thank you Lolinda for the complimentary glasses of Champagne, so nice and unexpected. Note if you wish to try the happy hour it is limited to seating in the bar area which was fine with us. We started with (from Happy Hour menu) Cocktails 1 Bees Knees and 4 Penicillin (I had 3 and wife had 1) Suffice it to say we liked the drinks. Beef tartare and toasted bread, beef was luscious! Empanadas beef and chicken were hecka good. we wanted to bring some home but they don't allow take away from happy hour menu Mushroom empanada yep this was good too Dipping sauces were excellent Dinner Asada Mixto. Meats, peppers, potatoes, bread and chimichuri sauce. Excellent combination of flavors and textures. The grilled peppers and potatoes were soft with nice charred flavor. Two types of sausages with crisp casing and great flavor fillings. Could have used a bit more meat but the flavors were great. Outstanding bread served with this dish and with beef tartar Rescoldo, Eggplant, pepper and onion, Served room temp spread over toast Dessert Burnt Basque cheesecake with poached peaches. To die for!!! Beautiful interior warm and rustic. Open kitchen in the back but you can't see them easily from the tables. There's a long bar height table centered in the bar area for large groups. With several bar height tables along the wall and normal tables and booths in the main dining area. For the most part there is street parking but good luck finding a space. We took Uber so that we could have some drinks.

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Lolinda - Inside from waiting area

Inside from waiting area

Lolinda - Ceviche pescado

Ceviche pescado

Lolinda - Cookies and milk

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Cookies and milk

Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen - Shredded Beef Pabelln

Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen

3.9(1.8k reviews)
1.0 mi•Mission
•$$

People have recommended Pica Pica to me for years and I never had the chance to go ... until a few…read moredays ago. For some reason, I thought this was a regular restaurant with table service, and a much larger space, but it's a somewhat narrow space and you order at the counter. I decided to try their trio sampler plate so I could get an idea of how a few of their meats were prepared and they each were in their own mini-arepa, so I thought that would be a good introduction. Unfortunately, I didn't like the arepas as much as I thought I would. I found them to be a little dry and lacking that rich corn masa flavor I was expecting. I don't know if this has to do solely with Pica Pica or if it's simply how arepas are made in general, but I came away feeling like I preferred other foods with a corn base such as tamales and pupusas. Meat-wise I had the fried chicken, the shredded beef and the asado negro. The fried chicken, to me, was not very exciting. The shredded beef was good, tasty, but the asado negro was the absolute star of it all? As far as I'm concerned, it's a most delicious cut of brisket with a sweet tomato sauce. I wish I had ordered more. The platanos or fried plantains were not like maduros that are very sweet. They're a little dry and flavorless, and the side order that I got of them for $7.50, they sure don't give you all that many. so that was a bummer for me. I also tried two flavors of what essentially are aguas frescas, the passion fruit and the mango. The passion fruit was out of this world! The mango, don't bother. It tasted like water with a powdered mix. I will definitely be back -- unfortunately, not for the arepas, but for the asado negro, either as a plate with rice & beans or in a salad.

My first arepa and cachapas experience! We came here on a Sunday around 5pm and it's empty. The…read moreplace didn't seem to have lights on when we were there and we decided it's more pleasant to get it to-go and eat at Dolores park. I liked the cachapas with pulled pork so much more than the arepa with shredded beef. The pulled pork portion was huge and very juicey and delicious! The combination of sweet corn and savory pork was incredible. It's a bit weird though there are was half an uncut avocado just sitting inside the sweet corn crepe. The salad that came was also fresh, and I enjoyed the all the sauces that came with it. The white arepa we had was dry and uninteresting. I liked the plantains and the beef fillings too but the cachapas just couldn't beat. When we asked for to-go they put it in a brown bag. They didn't include any utensils so I suggest getting them if you want to eat somewhere else.

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Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen - Some seating

Some seating

Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen - Yucca fries

Yucca fries

Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen - Pica Pica Nachos

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Pica Pica Nachos

Nalo’s Jamerican Soul - Jerk wings

Nalo’s Jamerican Soul

3.7(57 reviews)
9.6 mi•North Oakland

4496 Broadway Oakland, CA 94611…read more The other day, I got a tip that the spareribs are really good at this restaurant. So I placed a pickup order thru Doordash, and used some credits I had on my account. I ordered for takeout: - Jerk Ribs w/ 3 sides - Sides= Rices & Peas (beans), Coleslaw, Mac 'n Cheese Now, it being Jamaican food, I was expecting something spicy or perhaps exotic flavors/spices. What I got was an order of BBQ spareribs. OMG, those ribs were "fall off the bone" tender. The rice and peas were tasty and moist. The coleslaw and mac 'n cheese were dry. I have ordered BBQ ribs from Everett & Jones, Flints, Famous Daves, and I made my own. These were good BBQ ribs with a mild sauce. Some of the other reviews state that the menu isn't 100% Jamaican food, and they are correct. Maybe it's Jamaican food and American soul food. Then BBQ ribs would be on the menu. If you're looking for Jamaican food, I guess it depends on what you order.

Ok. So I was really enjoying this place. Had been there several times and was always very pleased…read morewith the service and food. I went 2 days ago and there was new staff cooking. The food has suffered. It's still ok, but definitely not at the same level. I'm definitely gonna give this place 1 more try, but if it's the same as my last visit, I'm going to have to find a new spot for my Caribbean food. Will post again after I try it next.

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Nalo’s Jamerican Soul - Drinks

Drinks

Nalo’s Jamerican Soul - Curry goat

Curry goat

Nalo’s Jamerican Soul - Snapper

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Snapper

Chao Pescao - caribbean - Updated October 2026

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