Dinner date without any expectations turned into a terrific meal that taught us about the beautiful flavors that Peruvian food should have. We took our time to enjoy several dishes while sitting at the bar watching the chef and Carlos working to prepare many beautiful meals. If you get the chance to linger and chat with Carlos you'll learn lots about his passion and how he and the chef make great Peruvian food. Don't just take my word for it, see the pictures below and try it for yourself. read more

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I highly recommend going to this restaurant for a dining experience. The food was exceptional. The ceviche was fresh and tasty, the Mai dishes were savory, comped with flavors and textures. Loved the open kitchen concept and the way that the entire staff really enjoyed and took pride in what they were creating. This Is a restaurant the entire community should try and support! read more

Really good food, owner was awesome and service was great. Got the saltado it was perfect. Plan to go back again soon.

This is my first review on Yelp but the horrible experience I had at Pucquio last night warrants one. The food was fine. Expensive, but fine. The service however, was unbelievably bad. It took over 2 hours for our party of 4 to get our food. No explanation or apology was provided while we sat there wondering how much longer our night was going to be there. When we voiced frustration and asked the waiter what was going on, he actually said "you have an option to complain or to just enjoy your food". I'm not making this up. That actually happened. After that exchange, I literally sat there staring at my food, uncomfortable and wanting to leave. I don't even know if my $30 entree was good because I was in disbelief as to what had just happened. I took most of my food to-go just to get out of there. read more

Been here three times. First two times it was phenomenal. The food was so good you didn't even notice/care that it was quite overpriced. The third time was probably the worst dining experience I've ever had. Also notice: 8 of their last 12 reviews on Yelp are 1 or 2 stars...something has gone wrong here. Ingredients for getting 1 Star from me on yelp: Service was as bad as I've ever experienced, didn't get water at the table for 30 minutes, entrees took 2 hours to arrive, and then our waiter said I was 'acting like a child' when I complained that it had taken 2 hours for our food to come and no one had told us that there would be this kind of long delay. So, rather than trying to make our situation a little better the server almost literally told me to shut up and eat my food. Awesome way to ruin a dining experience for four people. So let's break it down: You come to a restaurant at 6:30 already decently hungry and ready to eat, you don't get your substantial food course until just after 8:30 and when you are justifiably upset (aka hangry) at the long delay with no explanation from management you are told 'you're acting like a child'. This for a $200+ dinner. Sigh. Is there a zero star option? Pucquoi, if you annoy and upset me this much to give you a long, ranty 1 star review (literally the first time I've done this) you REALLY messed up. Your business relies on the good will of customers and word of mouth. Can you really afford to make four of your customers this upset? If someone from management had just come to our table and said 'we are very sorry about the delay' and maybe given us a bit of a snack (yeah more than one yucca fry per person, waiter dude) our dining experience would have been so much better and you wouldn't be getting bad reviews this morning that are going to effect your yelp rating and probably slightly effect your business. Foof..you guys messed up. read more

Just great ingredients and service. Sushi quality ceviche. Yummy fun to linger. Return soon! read more

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This is my favorite place, the food is amazing and Carlos is the best!!! There's nothing else to say, you got to try it yourself and see... worth every dollar spend.i wish I could give more stars read more

Pucquio - Peruvian Near Me - Oakland, California

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One of the best Peruvian restaurants in Bay Area. Very quaint place. I enjoyed every dish we ordered. We started with Tiradito ceviche which was tangy with mandarin sauce. Loma Saltido was super tender and delicious. We also ordered the tacu tacu with seafood which super creamy and tasty. The homemade hazelnut ice cream was out of this world good. Yum! read more

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We just chanced upon this place as it started to rain this evening. We both have significant dietary needs as we both have chronic digestive issues. We shared some of our restrictions with the host and server, who reassured us that they could accommodate us. We chose to sit at the bar so we could watch the chef do his magic. We ate a pretty much custom made meal as the chef asked us if each ingredient he was putting into his dish was ok for our dietary needs. He practically created a whole other menu for us. The host was so attentive and checked ion us so many times. It felt like we were at a friend's house. We will definitely be back to 'taste the love'! read more

Tried this spot on a week night. Walked up and said WTH let's try something new for dinner. Everything is delicious and extremely fresh. Only issue is it's on the steeper side when it comes to price. Portions are on the smaller size in comparison to spots on the less affluent side of town. Still the owner manager boss man is incredibly accommodating and will point you in the right direction if you're a first timer like we were. read more

This is an amazing restaurant located on college ave In Oakland. Typically by reservation only but got lucky and I was seated with promptness. The plates are over appealing & tasty. A lot of flavor a good place to come with friends for dinner. read more

Cebiches (ceviche) delicious! Coming back to taste all the ceviche dishes! Boutique resto, fabulousl staff. See chef cook using freshest ingredients. read more

Pucquio - Peruvian Near Me - Oakland, California

When something is so good you don't want to share it with anybody? This is how I feel about this place. Every dish is a work of art. The lomo saltado - heaven in my mouth. The ceviches - I died and went to heaven. I've been here a few times, the owner is a really nice Peruvian chef. There is a bar so you can watch how they cook everything. The place is tiny so make a reservation in advance. Please do get a ceviche. The fish is very fresh and the combination of ingredients makes each a special one. You will not regret it. The lomo saltado is my favorite. It is a bit on the salty side. The beef is so smooth and cooked to medium - medium well. I wish I was eating this right now!!! The fried fish is also a popular one in my family. It is so flavorful. The prices are high, but worth every penny! read more

4.5 stars because service is a little slow. BUT...The food is outstanding. The plates are beautifully and artfully presented. Flavor profiles are well matched for the discerning palate. Recommend the TIRADITO ATUN DE HUANDO as an app and HIGHLY recommend the AJI DE GALLINA (LIMA) as a main dish. Drinks are delicious. They are generous in their "tastings" so, check out both the white and red sangria and then decide. I prefer the red, but the white was also quite good. Service is a little slow because the space is small (est. 20-25 seats) and so they don't have a ton of staff, but if you're not in a hurry, this is a great spot to hang out and enjoy delicious food. Let them know if you're in a hurry. They will accommodate. We did make it to our show on time because we let them know in advance. So, they made up for what might have been a very long dinner. read more

This was the best meal we've eaten in Oakland this year and we can't believe this place has been here for 4 years without us knowing about it. We sat at the bar and had a fantastic interaction with Carlos and the other chefs but even without that the food was brilliant, authentic, and tasty. There were no problems for my Celiac and Shellfish allergic SO and everyone there went out of their way to make sure our eating experience was top notch. Highly Recommended read more

Love this place, food, wine, service always top knotch thank tyou

I am confused by the Yelp reviews and my experience at this restaurant. Given the choices of Peruvian food in the area I think this was my one and only visit to this place. The food was good. We had the ceviche (we tried 3 kinds) and it was quite good but was smoothed in onions and there wasn't muc on our plate, lots of onions and big piece of lettuce but not much actual fish. Our second order we asked that they go easy on the onions. Desert was amazing and the highlight of the meal actually, we had 3 kinds of their homemade ice cream and all were wonderful. What was lacking and the reason why I wouldn't return was the service. The waiter didn't write down our order and got it all wrong. We ordered 3 full orders of 3 different ceviches (we clarified this with him), he returned with the ceviche sampler. We ordered another entree and had to remind him 1/2 way through the meal that we ordered something else. And the number 1 reason why I won't return was they charge $5 for less then a 1/2 cup of white rice. Seriously! We were charged $15 for what amounted to less then 1.5 cups of plain white rice. That's robbery. I don't have any problem paying for great food, but I do have a problem paying an crazy price for something that has a food cost of probably 20 cents. If the waiter would have brought what we actually ordered we would have had a much higher bill then what he brought. Like I said in the beginning, there are some really good Peruvian restaurants in the area with lower price points, way better service, and great food. read more

Pucquio is a small, unassuming restaurant that is dominated by the heroics of its chef. The food consistently dazzles, and the plating is gorgeous. But it's effectively a one-man show, and no matter how talented the chef may be, there's only so much he can do. They desperately need help both at the front of the house and the back. What's worse, they don't seem to realize just how depressing it is to watch the one waiter fumble his way through the night like a deer in the headlights while the prep cook takes 20 minutes to dice a single red onion. It's all a little bit like watching a train crash in slow motion. No one wants this, no matter how good the food is... and their repeated defense that they are busy putting "passion into their food" is utter nonsense -- just hire a damn sous chef and a professional server. If you want to try it out before they self-destruct, you should sit at the chef's counter. For one thing, you'll get to watch the chef do his thing. He's engaging, and it's fascinating. But more importantly, you're more likely to get any kind of service attention since you'll be square in their faces. read more

We wanted to like Pucquio, but it wasn't meant to be. Our hostess/server tried her best, but the dining room was too much for 1-person to handle. The kitchen is slow (our dinner was almost 2.5hrs). 30mins after being seated, my party of 4 was asked to move from our corner table (by a group of 7 who also had reservations) to an uncomfortable spot next to the kitchen walkway. We were about a foot from our neighbors, and there was no space for my bag except on the floor. The restaurant is small and stuffy (poorly ventilated). Bathrooms are outside, down a driveway (shared with an office complex). Charming neighborhood, good ceviche and dessert, but for the price-point there are better dining options around. read more

This place is my new top 3 fave restaurants in Berkeley!!! Everything is so delicious. If you like tart / sour flavor... Definitely get the cebiche (ie ceviche) sampler! They even put the juices in a shot glass to drink afterwards... The traditional Peruvian way to enjoy all the seafood juices! Lol If you are not a fan of seafood, the beef stir fly is incredible. It tastes so smoky and unique. The WHITE RICE is not your avg plain rice... It's soooo flavorful...! I swear they put crack in it... Oh, and of course, the service was impeccable! Overall, highhhhlyyyy recommended!!! read more

This place has great food, but that's it. We got a seat at the bar, and the chef clearly puts a lot of thought into the food. Portions were small, but everything was delicious and beautiful. That's about where the good ends though - the restaurant had unacceptably poor service. We had made a reservation for 7pm and were not seated until 8:10pm. If your restaurant takes reservations, I expect you to honor them. Sure - sometimes unexpected things come up, but this was not the impression the staff gave us. During our wait, the waitress apologized once. Eventually the manager came to us about an hour after our reservation time and asked us if we minded waiting even longer to sit at the bar so they could seat a party of five before us. She displayed a complete lack of customer care. When finally finished our meal and the bill came, they did comp us a couple drinks. But without a sincere apology (or at least it seemingly like their own poor service as a mistake on their part), this gesture seemed pretty empty. It appears that we're not the only people to have experienced this dismal customer service - sorry Pucquio, but I'm not sorry. Get your act together, I've had better customer service at In n Out. read more

This was Not a good experience. Service, cost, and the food itself are what I will describe: We went Saturday early evening, not very busy, we had opentable reservations. Our server was a young lady, who proceeded to first tell us that the prix fixe (2 dishes and dessert for $35) offering from their website was over 6 months old and no (laughing) that is not available. As we ordered, she would consistently and grossly try to upsell and add items on, saying, Oh that's not enough for 3, and so on. The first dish took 45 minutes to come out. Not a complex order, couple items. The food came out and was just OK tasting. The portions are small, the quinoa salad was a half cup of quinoa with a couple sliced tiny beets on the side, $15. The orders continued to take at least 30 minutes between, and since they were a couple bites, there was much lag time. After we had the dessert, the server comes over and asks us to leave because there was a couple at the bar waiting for a table. We still were drinking the overpriced wine ($25/bottle corkage fee, btw). I explained that we would leave in 5, but was shocked at the rudeness. The server continued to come over and make rude remarks, even saying "thanks for the hospitality" at the end. $200 for 3 people with one starter, 2 first course, and 1 first course, with one bottle of wine. This was not a 2 or even 3 $$$. We left hungry and annoyed. Lots of better out there. read more

Tiny, tiny place....less than an inch separated my table from flanking tables. Ordered cerviche as an app... Not bad but was astonished by small serving. Main meal was also of a small portion. Was hungry again 1.5 hrs later. Was hoping service would counter the lack of space and high prices...but it did not. read more

Birthday Girl got her Wish. Our Daughter made reservations for this delightful restaurant. She insisted we sit at the counter, overlooking the open kitchen. Let the Kitchen Games begin! The Chef and his two Sous Chefs put on quite a show. We started with a Ceviche Mixto (w/octopus) and an Asian Ceviche. Delicious! BTW; may I recommend the Sangria. Make it a party and I ordered a carafe. The waitress then topped it, and our glasses off, with Peruvian bubbly. Great! My wife enjoyed the Trout special entree, while I had the crispy, delicious Pork adobe, but the piece-de-resistance was my daughter's Taku-Taku! On a long narrow platter was served Garlic Rice, perfect vegetables, seafood, and a to-die-for green sauce (which I proceeded to dip everything into). We shared a dessert of a rum/raisin cake with a delicious Pisco ice cream. To show our thanks to our chefs, my daughter bought them a beer, and in return they poured us more Peruvian bubbly. A memorable 31st Birthday for my daughter! Ciao, -Thrifty Scotsman- read more

Food was good, service needs more attention to detail. Given the other great Peruvian restaurants in the area, I would not return. I am Latin American and was excited when I read on their website that Pucquio was serving Peruvian street food. It is not street food. The cebiche sampler had an exorbitant amount of red onions. The fish that was there was tasty. The chef fixed the onion ratio when we mentioned the problem. Our server didn't write things down, so he came back to clarify our order, and still didn't bring us what we ordered. The home made icecream was excellent. Probably the best thing on the menu. The worst thing on the menu was the $5 rice. I don't mind paying for good food but $5 for half a cup of rice is ridiculous- even if you serve it in a ring mold. read more

We came out for a rare pandemic dinner with friends and everything was perfect. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. A favorite was the shrimp stew/soup. Loved the crispy shrimp heads. The waitstaff gave us great wine suggestions. Will definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

What a fantastic experience! Carlos and Miguel are both amazing chefs. You can tell that everything is made with care, love and a true passion for food. Lissette and the rest of the wait staff were also incredibly friendly and hospitable. Everything I ate was delicious, but the cebiches definitely stood out. Every piece of seafood was fresh and seasoned to perfection. I highly recommend them! I also recommend sitting at the bar so you can watch the magic happen. It's the best seat in the house! Thank you so much for a wonderful meal and we will certainly be back soon! read more

Went back to Pucquio again today. This time for lunch. Sitting at the bar and watching Carlos work is almost as enjoyable as the food he prepares. The cebiche is the best! The range of flavors extracted from peppers, lime onion, prickly pear, garlic, Peruvian corn etc. is amazing. But it is not only the fish that's fantastic and fresh. Try the way he prepares the pork belly. It's extraordinary! This is one very talented chef who cooks with passion and skill. read more

I think we're approaching our 10th trip here. The ceviche and lomo saltado, need I say more. Every dish is so interesting and thoughtful. The space is intimate and Carlos and his team make you feel at home for the whole meal. Now that we've moved to the East Bay you'll probably find us here weekly. read more

I've been sitting on this review, letting it percolate for a little while. It's been a couple of weeks since we went, and the more I think about it, the better I think it was. Let me explain. Without question, the food was very good. The cebiches are fresh and delicious. The Pescado al Ajo was cooked just right. The Tacu de Mariscos surprised my daughter with how good it was. Unfortunately I waited too long to remember everything else we ordered but we liked it all. Oh - and the corn drink for daughter was also delicious. She's a new fan of that. Service was very sweet and very helpful. So why did I wait? Because the meal took a very, very, very long time. And I think I had a very short fuse that evening....because normally I'm quite happy to lolligag over a good meal. Oh - and the gnats. The dang gnats. It was a warm evening and there were 2 or 3 gnats that decided they liked us best. It was incredibly annoying and we looked ridiculous trying to capture the gnats all night. I don't fault the restaurant for this at all....I'm just explaining that this annoyance added to my wanting to speed the meal up. Anyway, the meal took a long time because it was all prepared to order, from scratch, extremely fresh. It's like going to someone's house and 4 of you (oh yes, and the other tables there as well) waiting for them to cook the 8 different items the 4 of you ordered. Bottom line - it's very good, I'll definitely be back, and you should go! read more

Awesome food and amazing service. The cebiche was spectacular. They went out of their way to correct a minor human error and left me even more impressed. read more

You need to check this place out while you can still easily get a table. When word gets out how amazing the food is, this tiny gem is going to be overflowing. My husband and I had dinner at Pucqio last night and loved everything about it. We decided to go with a strategy we dubbed Fish Overload and I'm so glad we did. We started with the 3 ceviche sampler (you can choose 3 out of 5). All 3 were superb, but I think the real standout was the tuna because of the unusual sweet/spicy flavor combo. We also had a seared tuna salad - outrageous. We then moved on to the whole fish. Wow. I could have licked the plate. Delicate, yet still incredibly flavorful. We finished with the sweet potato beignets. Sweet and savory fried heaven. The service was as superb as the food. The maître d/waiter was friendly, informative and happy to give recommendations, which I always love. The chef also came out to check on us in the middle of the meal, which was a lovely gesture. The space is small, but they have a nice little bar overlooking the kitchen. I can't wait to go back. read more

Food was sooo good! The service and staff were so personable and courteous. Definitely coming back!

We eat out a lot, and Peruvian cuisine is one of my favorites! To start the review on a good note I will say that the location is great the ambiance Incredible. Perfectly clean the kitchen is well kept. And the staff is very kind. It was just 2 of us for dinner w/reservations we arrived at 5:20 we ordered ceviche mixto (1 large shrimp, 4 pieces of 1x1 inch fish and some calimari pieces). The portions for an 18.00 dish was a little skimpy. We ordered 2 glasses of Sangria 11 each and 3 IPA's. 2 small sides of fried For dinner we thought we'd share the sea bearing (whole small fish maybe 1/2 lb) served with 1/2 cup rice 40.00 Nothing else ordered....120.00 plus tip and I was starving?!?!!!!!! I am not obese maybe not skinny but damn their portion sizes are small as hell for the prices. We also arrived @ 5:20 and were not served dinner until 7 pm The food taste... Not bad but definitely not my fave. So sorry but not worth my hard earned $ not with the tiny servings read more

My best friend and I had been meaning to try Pucqio for over a year. We finally made it happen a couple months ago, and were blown away. We sat at the bar and were treated like old friends. Carlos (the chef/owner) clearly loved what he does and is VERY talented. We were walked through the menu and tried a few different dishes. Everything was fabulous. We have been back many times over the last few months and have now had almost everything on the menu. Each visit is outstanding and we are always so warmly received. Pucqio is a neighborhood gem not to be missed! read more

Decided to celebrate a milestone with some good food, and picked out Pucquio based on the reviews. The food did not disappoint! Loved the tacu-tacu de mariscos and ceviche mixto. You could tell right away that the seafood used was top notch. The owner/chef was extremely friendly and personable. Definitely one of the top restaurants in town and I'd highly recommend. read more

There is a great spirit and excitement in this place, they are aware of breaking ground with high end Peruvian food in the line of La Mar, but on this side of the Bay and at a more human scale. Everyone is infused of that spirit and it's a great vibe. I went for the ceviches and tiraditos, which were beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but unfortunately the fish didn't make the cut. Dishes with raw fish only work with the very fresh. Unfortunately, this was not the case on a winter Friday night, the fish had lost it tenderness, was clearly past its prime. Same with the fish in the Jalea, was bland and mushy. Also a con is how expensive it is, entrees in the $30s doesn't seem reasonable for Peruvian street fare, and the place is not particularly fancy. $13 glass for the cheapest glass of wine seemed way over priced too. Other than that, the love they put on the food is remarkable, and service is great. read more

This is one of the best restaurants I've been to in Oakland. Everything I've tried on the menu is delicious. The restaurant itself is very cozy, and the staff goes above and beyond to make sure the experience is one to remember. read more

Service is a little slow but it's clearly a family restaurant. I like it. SUCH good food. We had the cebiche sampler, lomo saltado, and ahi tuna. OH and there were beignets. CHUH CHUH there were good ass sweet potato beignets. Go here! support small businesses! read more

service sucks, they're super rude and did not honor my reservation at the correct time. couldn't tell you the quality of the food because the staff was so rude that we immediately left read more