Bombera

This is in Oakland and I’m telling you this place is worth coming to. The atmosphere of this little gem in Oakland is just amazing. The drinks are well crafted. The food is plated like pieces of art. There taste of each dish are excellent. Come here with friends and just order different dishes and just share. You would like to try a lot of dishes and they all taste amazing. The dessert were top notch and just perfect for the evening. I heard great things from a friend of mine and wasn’t disappointed about this little gem in Oaktown.

From the tacos, to different takes on Mexican dishes are refined and made to insanely fine cuisine. The staff are friendly and the server will help you if this is your first time at this location. They will guide and are very informed on the dishes. Great serve and awesome food.

Bombera nestled in a neighborhood with a cute outdoor patio and decor gives the restaurant that comfort and warm vibe you get from local/hole-in-the-wall type restaurant. We enjoyed sitting outside and likely preferred it to what sounded like a loud indoor experience. The heater lamps and available blankets were great at keeping the temperature comfortable.

Beyond the ambiance we left Bombera questioning if we would return, we landed on "maybe." The service was fast but the dishes left us wanting a little more (or in one case less). We started our dinner with the much discussed (on yelp) menu item: the spicy carrots toasted almond misantla. Bring your tums / acid reflux relief! While I enjoy a spicy dish, I found the spicy carrots to be overly spicy and oily. It felt like a whole bunch of chilly oil you might find at a Chinese restaurant, just with an added kick. I took one bite and was done! The dish needs a little balance, perhaps some cotija cheese or just less heat.

The roasted chicken dish (half) was a good portion size. The salad served with it was likely the best part. The chicken itself was fine, it could have used some more spice. The boiled rice and beans were as expected, basic. This dish was nice when combined, just needing something more.

The carnitas dish also felt like it needed a bit more oomph.

The agua fresca and horchata were delicious and maybe the best things we had on the table. Unclear if tortilla chips and salsa are included when you arrive at the table. We didn't get any, so requested some. The thick cut chips were nice (oily) and so were the quac and salsa.

Bottom line the food was fine, fit well with our reservation, a weeknight meal!

I brought my family here for a late evening dinner. We had heard that the food was delicious. We were not disappointed. We had outside seating, which was terrific. A bit chilly, but the heaters were handy and functioning well. The inside seating I observed was rather noisy, I was glad to be seated outside. We ordered posole, pork, Carnitas, watermelon, salad, blue corn, quesadillas, chips, and guacamole and salsa and lots lots more. Everything was served up Hot and delicious. We ordered up several cocktails, mine was a favorite ,their Moscow Mule. The service was excellent and we were very pleased at the evenings end.

Terminator Voice: I'll be back!

There's a lot to unpack, but this place is definitely going to enter my dining out rotation.

First, for people visiting or unfamiliar with this part of town, i'd recommend Uber/Lyft. If you drive remember the Oakland/SF parking rules. Do not leave anything that looks remotely valuable on display in your car. No bags, boxes, etc. Nothing happened to me, but I don't want anyone to have a poor dining experience because they didn't park smart.

Second, as far as the dining establishment goes... beautiful. I think this place was built inside an old fire fighter station, but the ambiance was great! I loved the decor and indoor/outdoor seating. The place books up, so make sure to get a reservation as early as you can. There is $60 no show fee,

Third, the drinks and food were great! The service was good, but the drinks and food really impressed me. I really thought this place was going to be over hyped, but it definitely surpassed my expectations. I got the carne asada plate, my wife got the half chicken and the mother in law got the chicken quesadilla and added sweet potatoes to it. We started with tamale's and their version of queso fundido, which was really good (especially if you're into sauteed mushrooms and jalapenos). I did a Cadillac margarita and they had regular margaritas, very well made. This was definitely one of my favorite meals out in a while. I waited until Wednesday to try and get a table on Friday night, and we were only able to get an 815pm slot, which is later than we normally eat, but it was worth the hype. Pricing was reasonable for what you get in my opinion. It's not taqueria pricing, but it's solid for an upscale Mexican restaurant. 3 entrees, 2 starters and 3 margaritas came out to about $180 after tax.

I'd highly recommend to others considering trying something new.

Food: 4.8/5
Drinks: 4.8/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 4.2/5
Price: 4.2/5

Overall: 4.6/5

Best fried fish tacos I've had in a while; perfectly crispy and succulent. The quesadilla with yam has great flavors and is good for kids. The charred beets make for great veggie tacos. Even the chips and salsa were fantastic. Overall, you can't go wrong.