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    La Perla

    4.2 (172 reviews)
    ModeratePuerto Rican
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    La Perla Photos

    LA PERLA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - La Perla

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    Reviews With Photos

    Felicia H.

    This Puerto Rican restaurant is NEXT LEVEL! I've been rocking with them since they were in Oakland off Fruitvale, and I'm so happy they're now at the Marketplace in Castro Valley (second floor go find them!). The hospitality? 10/10. Customer service is always on point, the staff is welcoming, and the whole vibe feels like family the second you walk in. Now let's talk about the FOOD. Flavor packed in every single bite! I ordered the arroz con gandules, pastel, sweet plantains, and the tostones. FIRE. Whew! Everything was seasoned perfectly and cooked with real love. And don't even get me started on the sauces... GAME. CHANGER. They take the whole meal completely over the top.

    First time trying Puerto Rican
    A Z Flor H.

    First time trying Puerto Rican cuisine. La Perla is located on the second floor of the Castro Valley Marketplace. We decided to come here because parents were visiting from out of town and Dad wanted to try this place out. The decor is very cute. Streamers of Puerto Rican flags strewn across, bongo drums, and colorful tables and chairs. Also the energetic trumpet sounds of Latin jazz filled the air. You place your order at the register and choose your seating where you like. They offer water , pitcher for self serve. Husband ordered the pork chop. I ordered the chicken combo plate. My chicken was very tender and juicy. My husband's pork chop was also thick and tender and juicy . I also loved the vinegared onions on top of my salad. The olives in the rice was new to me but was also very yummy. And of course the fried plantains were hot and sweet and delicious. We really enjoyed trying a new cuisine, something new and different for us. I have no comparison for Puerto Rican foods and other restaurants, but from a first timers experience I would rate 5/5. Would love to come back again. The food was good, hot and tasty and it's a cute little corner shop with fun festive decor.

    Wall
    Genevie I.

    Order: 1 Chicharrones de Pollo (Fried Chicken Cracklings) with Arroz con Habichuelas Price: $17.00 1 Pollo Encebollado (Baked Chicken with Sautéed Onions) with Arroz con Habichuelas Price: $17.00 Total: $47 The restaurant is located inside the Castro Valley Marketplace on the second floor. There are both stairs and elevators available. Parking is plentiful in the lot and free. The food was great--truly a delicious meal. The chicken was very tender and juicy, and I loved the tostones; they were super crispy. My husband really enjoyed his fried chicken cracklings and said the meal was a 10/10. We enjoyed every bite. Service was good. The young lady at the counter was friendly and polite and answered all of our questions since it was our first time visiting on 01/25. You order and pay at the counter, then take a seat. I'm personally not a big fan of ordering and paying at the counter because it can feel a bit rushed. Water and utensils are self-serve. I loved the ambiance of this place. They incorporated their culture throughout the entire restaurant--very colorful, vibrant, and visually appealing. The aesthetics were beautiful. Overall, I will definitely be coming back to try other dishes. I highly recommend this place.

    Fried chicken cracklings
    Kamy T.

    Solid Puerto Rican spot tucked in the top floor of the CV marketplace! You can hear the music when you walk in, and it was a bit busy on a Sunday afternoon. You order first at the counter and then seat yourself, with self serve water available. The food arrived in decent time, and we were given two sauce bottles as well. The pork chop mofongo was my favorite out of everything we ordered! The pork chop was tender and juicy, paired well with flavorful mofongo and surrounded by a delicious sauce. The empanadas were also good and filled with meat, albeit the beef one was a bit dry - the chicken was less dry. The baked chicken plate was great as well! Juicy chicken, well seasoned rice, and solid yuca fries. The only disappointment were the fried chicken cracklings - they were overcooked, hence dry. Overall, had a pleasant time here and enjoyed the food!

    Grilled shrimps
    Anthony H.

    La Perla is on the second floor of the Castro Valley Marketplace. There is an elevator so it is accessible. You ordered at the counter and the food is delivered to you. We dined there on a Sunday for lunch, and almost all the tables were occupied when we arrived, a good sign. The menu is only one page and a bit limited. I was a little disappointed that the Pernil(roasted pork shoulder) they are known for is available only on Saturdays, but we tried the chuletas pork chop, the fried chicken, the baked chicken, and grilled shrimp. For each order, you can request up to two sides, such as plantains or seasoned rice, and a side of salad is also included. Don't come here if you are already very hungry, cause it took about 25 minutes before our food started to arrive, and the reason for deducting a star. While waiting, the owner was singing along to the Latin music he was playing over the sound system. He actually sang pretty good, and with the Puerto Rican decor around the place, it is not a stretch to imagine you are in Puerto Rico. Onto the food, the pork chop was one of the best I ever had. It was chunky and thick with meat, and the way the seasoned the meat made it tasted so good. I am salivating just thinking about it. The fried chicken was also pretty good, but my wife thought the baked chicken was a bit bland. My mother enjoyed her grilled shrimp. The portions of the order were pretty good, so we didn't have room for dessert. As we were finishing up our meals, the owner came by and asked us how's everything, and we gave him a thumbs up. We plan to make a trip back on a Saturday for the Pernil.

    Hot sauce
    Chris B.

    La Perla's new location inside the CV marketplace is a big upgrade from their former location in the Diamond District of Oakland. Plenty of seating, TVs, and access to the rest of the marketplace make it a place worth driving over for. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but my personal favorite is anything with the chicharrones de pollo. Their in house hot sauce is excellent too. Their ordering and food pickup process could be a little smoother, as everything is ordered at the counter, and it's confusing as to whether or not you are supposed to pick up your food from the counter, or it will be delivered to your table. And for the price you pay, it would be nice to see some real plates utilized rather than paper boats. This will not however deter me from returning for more delicious mofongo, chicharrones, camarones, and empanadas.

    Irena S.

    Came here for the first time a couple weeks ago on a Tuesday for lunch. My order: combo plate with chicharrones de pollo, with the sweet plantains (you can choose between the savory and sweet one, or yuca fries), and I got the seasoned rice. My husband got the mofongo. Dishes are around $17 to $25 if you get the average priced ones. Pros: - I feel like it's really rare to have puerto rican food in the East Bay area, so this is a really nice addition to the indoor market here in CV! - Really warm and bright atmosphere, open seating, very colorful - The worker was really nice, and explained the items on the menu in a patient way since I hadn't had Puerto Rican food before - Pretty large portions, we definitely had leftovers, especially if you get the combo plate - Really good bottled sauces that you can use with your meal! there's like a spicy one and a mango one and it's really good on the chicharrons, plantains, and rice. Cons: - Everything to me felt very ... dry? I felt like I had to put sauce on everything so that it didn't feel so dry in my mouth when I was chewing it. It could also be my own ignorance since I haven't really tried Puerto Rican food much before - Not great for parties bigger than like 4 if it's a busy time like during dinner, since most of the tables are smaller - Parking can be tricky if it's a busy meal time, since the village is always super crowded. Overall, not a bad try! Wouldn't mind coming here again

    Sign.
    Greg S.

    The setting is perfect and clean. Nice music playing. Friendly service. The mango sauce in the squirt bottle is perfect to use as salad dressing. The pork chop dish was very good and it comes with a flag as garnish. The baked chicken with onions was juicy and the plantains were excellent. Rice is a nice change from the usual although a coconut rice option would be a great addition to the flavors provided here. As some noted, the credit card charge back is weak. That should be stated as you order as nobody likes surprise charges. Maybe just increase the prices a couple points and don't cause people anxiety. Bottom line though - the food and setting are very well done.

    Carnitas plate with rice, beans, salad and order of chicken chicharron.
    Candace C.

    Repeat customers of the former Fruitvale District location and had to check out the new spot in Castro Valley. Different staff (at least on the day we visited), but nice and friendly. We noticed the portions are smaller, mojo used to be complimentary and we paid $2.50 for less than 2oz. The beans are usually delicious but primarily gravy and less beans. I specifically asked for more beans and less gravy and received more gravy and less beans, which were completely bland. I was so sad, the beans were one of my LaPerla favorites. We also ordered an empanada and didn't receive it but also wasn't charged so we didn't attempt to reorder.

    Empenadillo
    Timothy L.

    Cached in the corner upstairs in the Castro Valley Market, this little place offers Puerto Rican cuisine with 'order at the counter' convenience to eat there amidst the festive decorations or take out. I got carried away and ordered a combo plate, a mofongo plate, and three empanadillos. Total was like $72. Saving the empanadillos for leftovers. Chicken with Mofongo was delightful, savory, and like homemade. Mofongo is made from Plantains, cooked, partially mashed, then maybe fried together. Winds up half way between mashed potatoes and a dumpling. Shrimp in creole sauce tasted really good, and it's not spicy like Cajun creole Worth checking out!

    Kendra F.

    This is a walk up, order, find a seat and pick up your order when it's called out kind of restaurant. It's located upstairs in a grocery / food hall, but separate from the other businesses so it isn't confusing to find. I ordered the creole shrimp. I can't really remember the name, but it was very flavorful and if garlic was used like I think it was, it definitely made an impact in the dish. Side note - you know when you're younger and there are just certain things that your taste buds don't like? Mine was pickled onions from only God knows where, until last Sunday. They weren't half as bad as I remember. In fact, they weren't bad at all, so kudos to growth. Anyway, the one thing I have to pick at is mofongo not being offered as a side. It's only offered as an entree, but I would have loved a side of it. This is a simple restaurant in terms of seating and just ordering your food. We were checked on about our food and that was it - I was able to eat and enjoy in peace.

    Trash area
    Wil L.

    This place is legit. We ordered the fried chicken and baked chicken combos, a veggie empanada, two juices of boxes, and coconut. This is not going to part of the normal rotation. The food was delicious. Three plates and the additional item I mentioned was roughly 80 bucks. I guess this is the norm in costs these days. Process- you order at the counter and sit down. They yell your name and you pick up the food. When you are done, there is a trash can just outside for you to toss your food and drop the plastic trays. Easy. FYI. All the tables were filled by 7pm on a Friday night. They have big tables so it's nice for kids. I consider this a family friendly atmosphere.

    Empanada
    Eugene L.

    I m a Fan of La Perla !!! I have wanted to try them, when they were located in Oakland!!! Now they have a New Home in the Castro Valley Market Place!!! There's Tons of Parking and It's a lot safer than Oakland!!! La Perla is definitely a Family Owned Business and a Family Run Business!!! Decor is Vibrant and very Puerto Rican Proud !!! La Perla was recently featured on KTVU Zip Line Feature on their AM News Show!!! I arrived at La Perla to a very Clean and Festive atmosphere'n The Owners DAUGHTER IN LAW took my Order! I ordered the Beef Empanada , Yucca Frite and Arroz Con Gandules Combination Plate !!! I also ordered a Coconut for a Beverage!!! I grabbed a Table and Chilled out!! 15 minutes later my Food Arrived at my Table. It was a Nice Presentation!! I used some of their House Secret Sauce on my Beef Empanada and my Yucca Frites!! That Sauce is like Crack!!! Yummy!! The Owner and Chef ‍ is Quite Hospitable and Social able !!! For All These Reasons, This Is A Baller On A Budget Approved Establishment!!! I Always Keep My Pimp Hand Strong !!!!

    Carne frita special

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    Ask the Community - La Perla

    Is there easy parking?

    Yes! There is parking on the West side of the building witch goes to the back lot with lots of parking

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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