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✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in
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Mägo, a contemporary latin american restaurant in Oakland, California, offers a unique dining experience that showcases the vibrant flavors of Northern California and Colombia. Their tasting menu, which changes daily, features seasonal produce and live-fire cooking techniques. For a more casual bite, their à la carte menu at the cocktail bar offers a variety of options. The restaurant’s warm and inviting atmosphere, with its open kitchen, intimate tables, outdoor patio, and chef’s counter seating, makes it the perfect spot for a memorable meal.
Stylish neighborhood venue with a rotating menu of wood-fired Northern California fare & drinks.
Hours
| Friday | 5–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5–8:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–8:30 PM |
| Thursday | 5–8:30 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 3762 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
Phone: (510) 344-7214
Website: https://www.magorestaurant.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Mago Restaurant | Latin American Fine Dining in Oakland, CA
Latin American restaurant from Chef Mark Liberman, nightly changing tasting menu.
Menus | Mago Restaurant in Oakland, CA
See the menu for Mago Restaurant in Oakland, CA. Open Wednesday – Saturday: 5:00pm – 9:00pm for dine-in, outdoor seating, delivery and takeaway!
Mago Restaurant (@magorestaurant) • Instagram photos and videos
Cuisine inspired by Colombia and influenced by the bounty and nature of California. Tuesday-Saturday Dinner 5pm-9pm
Reviews
Alejandro Troccoli
My family and I drove from more than 50 miles to dine at Mägo for my birthday. It was very well worth it. The tasting menu was well crafted, with a good combination of plates and a hint of Caribbean/South American touches. We sat at the chef’s counter and had a front row seat to the kitchen, watching the orchestration that goes into delivering the dishes. Highly recommended!
… moreHeather Saarni
Really, really excellent food and service! We splurged by adding the drink pairing to our tasting menu order and were really impressed by how cohesive the entire experience was, everything was delicious and well paced. They obviously put a lot of thought and effort into their dishes and the experience of their guests.
… moreArielle Albert
Came here to celebrate my wedding anniversary with my husband who is a big foodie. We were really excited to visit Mago but were sadly disappointed. I’ll start with the good though – the service! We were there the celebrate our anniversary and on arrival were congratulated and were served a complementary dessert at the end as well! Our waiter was sweet, attentive and knowledgeable.
The mid – the food. Presentation was great but my husband and I felt that the dishes lacked flavor. We weren’t blown away by any of the dishes, honestly my husbands favorite dish was a pear with jalapeño on it. Nothing blew our mind, or made us want to come back…
The con – we came mid-week (Tuesday) for at 7PM dinner reservation. 7PM with two kids is honestly early for us to get out, and we felt rushed towards the end. We started the night with a cocktail and moved to a bottle of wine halfway through the prefix menu. Important to note we were seated on the bar of the open kitchen. Halfway through the bottle and before we were served dessert the kitchen crew is cleaning up in our faces. Fully brooming the floor, scrubbing the counters, even having an after work beer in front of us. It’s not even 9PM! We felt rushed to finish our bottle of wine and eat the desserts. We noticed it says the restaurant closes at 8:30, but then don’t start a new round of service at 7 if your crew is going to start cleaning up in front of clients (and it’s not cheap!) and our waiter even went home and we didn’t know who to ask our check or make our tip out it. This completely ruined the night. We could have been okay with the sub par food since we have a good evening and the experience was cute, but have the restaurant do the work they should do when the doors are locked in front of
Our face after paying so much money was disgusting. To make it worse, there were tables behind us who didn’t even get served their dessert yet, so we can’t even blame it on ourselves for “over saying”. Also music was really soft, felt like we had to speak in whispers.
… moreThe mid – the food. Presentation was great but my husband and I felt that the dishes lacked flavor. We weren’t blown away by any of the dishes, honestly my husbands favorite dish was a pear with jalapeño on it. Nothing blew our mind, or made us want to come back…
The con – we came mid-week (Tuesday) for at 7PM dinner reservation. 7PM with two kids is honestly early for us to get out, and we felt rushed towards the end. We started the night with a cocktail and moved to a bottle of wine halfway through the prefix menu. Important to note we were seated on the bar of the open kitchen. Halfway through the bottle and before we were served dessert the kitchen crew is cleaning up in our faces. Fully brooming the floor, scrubbing the counters, even having an after work beer in front of us. It’s not even 9PM! We felt rushed to finish our bottle of wine and eat the desserts. We noticed it says the restaurant closes at 8:30, but then don’t start a new round of service at 7 if your crew is going to start cleaning up in front of clients (and it’s not cheap!) and our waiter even went home and we didn’t know who to ask our check or make our tip out it. This completely ruined the night. We could have been okay with the sub par food since we have a good evening and the experience was cute, but have the restaurant do the work they should do when the doors are locked in front of
Our face after paying so much money was disgusting. To make it worse, there were tables behind us who didn’t even get served their dessert yet, so we can’t even blame it on ourselves for “over saying”. Also music was really soft, felt like we had to speak in whispers.
E Lee
Came here during restaurant week and I already want to come back. Non alcoholic pairing was one of the best I’ve had so far. The food was also excellent. Menu was portioned well and I left full but not overly. Very friendly staff who spent time at our table with brief but memorable conversations.
… moreJaclyn Wang
Weeknight tasting menu 85pp I think pretty worth it w/o drink pairings I tried some of the nonalcoholic pairings and while interesting non blew me away. First time trying Colombian cuisine so don’t have great frame of reference but I thought the flavors were strangely nostalgic! Non of the mains stood out and I didn’t rly enjoy the first two small bites. but sweet treat girl forever and loveddd both desserts. Honestly would not be mad if they just did 7 courses of dessert they also game us a lil marshmallow at the end. GIRLIES: the kitchen is super cool and open concept but this means your hair will smell like campfire so plan your hair washing schedule accordingly ***
… moreNaji
After coming for some a la carte food and drinks I knew I had to come back for the tasting menu. I can say that it did not disappoint. Every bite showcased the creativeness and incredible flavors cooked up by the chefs…right in front of you in their kitchen concept.
The NA pairing was also a phenomenal selection of fun and exotic flavors including some small batch and locally sourced items.
… moreThe NA pairing was also a phenomenal selection of fun and exotic flavors including some small batch and locally sourced items.
Silva Skenderi-Brown
What an amazing tasting experience! So many Latin American ingredients and dishes presented in new and exciting ways. Each dish was better than the next. The pairing was perfect. Will be dreaming of the rock cod, the arepa, the rice pudding, the coconut rice ball, the sake, etc etc Lovely and welcoming service too. Everything was perfect. Definitely get the kitchen counter seats to watch the action!
… moreEugene Chen
A casual Colombian restaurant that gets serious with the tasting menu.
Fun beverage pairing that includes wine, sake, and cocktail.
Service is adequate, but they are learning and trying.
The weekday tasting menu is probably a better deal. It costs more on the weekend.
—-
The mission statement on the website sounded admirable: The tasting menu is cheaper on the weekdays to make it more accessible.
We were seated at the chef’s counter, which offers a direct view of the kitchen. We quickly decided on the tasting menu and the beverage pairing with an add-on Dungeness crab dish. After a relatively long period of waiting, we were presented with the food.
There are some highlights! But sometimes, I wonder if some dishes need an extra boost of flavor. First were the finger foods. We love the plantains that contrast brilliantly with charged allium. The arroz de coco brought to mind arancini but with a thin crust and coconut flavor. The tostada with amberjack brightened by the kiwi. The arepa was flavorful and puffy, but the butter beans seemed lacking. A general complaint: Please give us a wet napkin or something to wipe our fingers after finger foods!
The larger format blue shrimp was cooked to perfection, but the veins were in some pieces. The achiote ponzu was amazing, but the romanesco might be a tab overcooked.
Dungeness crab guacho, honestly, is a little disappointing. The components are done well, and it is an homage to the regional dish, but it just tasted…fine.
The fish dish was a counter-example of that. I am not sure if there is a traditional dish where it drew inspiration, but it was an elevated dish that we thoroughly enjoyed.
The cilantro and pineapple spread that came with the bread had such a bright flavor we couldn’t have enough!
The grilled pork is definitely the highlight of the evening. It was carefully tended by a chef over the grill, and it was flavorful and juicy. The carrot was grilled slowly until it was almost dehydrated. The intense sweetness and texture worked very well with the pork.
The first dessert course, the banana custard, was terrific. The sweetness was counterbalanced by the subtle sweetness from the caramel. The dish was not overpowered by bananas, which so often is the case. The coconut and lime foam on the top provided a contrast and relief from the custard.
The final dessert course was a bit too sweet and heavy for us. We were told that it was inspired by mole. I like the concept.
Overall, we enjoyed the food. For a meal at this price point, maybe we expect a little more. However, I saw a kitchen with a mission that served some brilliant dishes. I saw service staff striving to be better despite some oversights. Maybe Mago needs to think about where it wants to position itself, but I am rooting for them.
… moreFun beverage pairing that includes wine, sake, and cocktail.
Service is adequate, but they are learning and trying.
The weekday tasting menu is probably a better deal. It costs more on the weekend.
—-
The mission statement on the website sounded admirable: The tasting menu is cheaper on the weekdays to make it more accessible.
We were seated at the chef’s counter, which offers a direct view of the kitchen. We quickly decided on the tasting menu and the beverage pairing with an add-on Dungeness crab dish. After a relatively long period of waiting, we were presented with the food.
There are some highlights! But sometimes, I wonder if some dishes need an extra boost of flavor. First were the finger foods. We love the plantains that contrast brilliantly with charged allium. The arroz de coco brought to mind arancini but with a thin crust and coconut flavor. The tostada with amberjack brightened by the kiwi. The arepa was flavorful and puffy, but the butter beans seemed lacking. A general complaint: Please give us a wet napkin or something to wipe our fingers after finger foods!
The larger format blue shrimp was cooked to perfection, but the veins were in some pieces. The achiote ponzu was amazing, but the romanesco might be a tab overcooked.
Dungeness crab guacho, honestly, is a little disappointing. The components are done well, and it is an homage to the regional dish, but it just tasted…fine.
The fish dish was a counter-example of that. I am not sure if there is a traditional dish where it drew inspiration, but it was an elevated dish that we thoroughly enjoyed.
The cilantro and pineapple spread that came with the bread had such a bright flavor we couldn’t have enough!
The grilled pork is definitely the highlight of the evening. It was carefully tended by a chef over the grill, and it was flavorful and juicy. The carrot was grilled slowly until it was almost dehydrated. The intense sweetness and texture worked very well with the pork.
The first dessert course, the banana custard, was terrific. The sweetness was counterbalanced by the subtle sweetness from the caramel. The dish was not overpowered by bananas, which so often is the case. The coconut and lime foam on the top provided a contrast and relief from the custard.
The final dessert course was a bit too sweet and heavy for us. We were told that it was inspired by mole. I like the concept.
Overall, we enjoyed the food. For a meal at this price point, maybe we expect a little more. However, I saw a kitchen with a mission that served some brilliant dishes. I saw service staff striving to be better despite some oversights. Maybe Mago needs to think about where it wants to position itself, but I am rooting for them.
Maud Sanchez Cuevas
We had a very underwhelming experience at Mago. The food was just good most of the time, sometimes too greasy and a couple of plates had way too much salt. to the point were we couln’t finish it (the white fish plate and the meat were too salty). While the experience overall was not horrible, Mago pretends to be at a level they’re clearly not, cruelly lacking of subtlety. For this, it is such a bad value. For a $300+ meal, you can get a way better experience at a Michelin stared restaurant (I’m talking night and day difference). The service was friendly but very slow. The couple of drinks we had, though, were good. While I love a wood fire smell, it was so strong at Mago that I had to wash all my clothes and hair coming back home. I definitely don’t recommend Mago.
… moreKirsten T
Love the experience here. The food and service are amazing. We ordered a wine pairing as well. My fiance is vegetarian and they also have a vegetarian menu available as long as you inform them in advance. We’re both amazed by food + experience! We had a great night there!
… more