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man sitting at bar - alaMar Dominican Kitchen, Oakland, CA

alaMar Dominican Kitchen

4.5
4.5
209 Reviews
$31 to $50
Caribbean

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 4 times today
  • Good for groups
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Lively
alaMar is a Contemporary Dominican Kitchen located in the hip Uptown Oakland area. Bravo TV's Top Chef Season 18 Contestant, Chef Nelson German, dives deep into his Dominican culture at alaMar by offering a regional menu of foods he grew up on that his mom, grandmother, and Aunt Maritza would cook and NYC-style Dominican street foods he enjoyed as a child. German brings a unique take to family recipes with his contemporary NYC twist on traditional dishes, including his popular braised oxtail dish. There is indoor seating and a dog-friendly patio with heaters for al fresco dining. The not-to-be-missed craft cocktail program reflects Caribbean influences such as the signature Mamajuana cocktail.

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Caribbean, Latin American, Comfort Food
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Tue–Sat 11:30 am–3:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Three Parking lots a block away from alaMar
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Nelson German
  • Delivery & takeout

What 209 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • East Bay

    Innovative

  • East Bay

    Good for groups

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
alaMar Dominican Kitchen offers a vibrant dining experience with "amazing" food that is "savory, generous and well thought." The atmosphere is lively with great music, and the staff is "very attentive and friendly." Chef Nelson's dishes, such as the "tender" pernil and "delicious" oxtails, are standout favorites.

209 Reviews
  1. Jeffrey

    San Francisco5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is one of the best restaurant I my neighborhood. The service and food is always excellent!!

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  2. Christine VIP

    Phoenix15 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 28, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food, service, and atmosphere were fantastic! Paul served us delicious drinks, made our group feel welcomed, and was super pleasant . The food was delicious with so many good flavors. I wish I could take this place back to phoenix. It is so good. Definitely a must spot if you are visiting Oakland.

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  3. Sharon

    San Francisco1 review

    3.0

    Dined on February 28, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Dear A la Mar Dominican Kitchen Management, I wanted to take a moment to share feedback regarding our recent dining experience at your restaurant. We visited to celebrate my husband's 75th birthday, as we love trying different cuisines. It was our first time dining at A la Mar Dominican Kitchen, and while we were excited about the experience, we unfortunately left feeling disappointed. Upon arrival, we were seated promptly, and our server quickly provided menus, which we appreciated. However, when she returned to take our order, I mentioned that I had questions about the menu, and her demeanor immediately changed. She appeared frustrated, frowned, and became noticeably rude in her responses. My husband was taken aback by this reaction, which set a negative tone for the evening. Additionally, we noticed that the restaurant was not particularly clean, and our menus were stained. While I understand that the restaurant offers a street-food-inspired dining experience, cleanliness is still an important aspect of customer service. As for the food, while it arrived hot, the crispy whole fish was overcooked, leaving the meat dry on the inside. The mustard greens were overcooked, and the squash mixed in was mushy. The plantains were decent but nothing exceptional. Towards the end of our meal, the server’s attitude improved—she smiled, checked in on us a few times, and was more pleasant. However, the initial rudeness had already impacted our experience. When we received the bill, a 20% tip was pre-highlighted. While I normally wouldn’t mind, due to the rocky start, I chose to adjust it slightly to 18% to reflect our experience. Overall, our dinner did not feel like the enjoyable night out we had hoped for. I truly believe that those working in customer service should leave their personal frustrations behind and provide a welcoming and helpful experience for their guests. I hope this feedback is taken into consideration.

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  4. Sharon VIP

    San Francisco14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    There for a birthday celebration and the food was amazing but the service was supreme. Jessica made sure our celebration was wonderful. Great time had by all!

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  5. jackie

    San Francisco3 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on February 26, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 1
    Way too loud. Out of dishes on menu does not match website or Yelp. Very disappointed

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  6. Joanna

    San Francisco2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was great! Our food was served haphazardly; an appetizer came with 2 out of our 4 entrees. That was weird and then maybe 5-10 minutes later they brought out the other appetizer and entrees. I had mentioned in the reservation that we were there to celebrate a birthday but they didn’t mention it or did anything. Maybe I should’ve reminded them but why ask on the app if this reservation was for a special occasion? By 7:30pm they had already ran out of three of the popular cocktails which was a bit of a bummer because I really wanted to try their Morir Soñando which was my favorite traditional drink as a kid and they have added a blend of alcohol to it. Regardless, We all enjoyed our food, especially the fried goat, the whole fish on a bed of red beans and the oxtails. The waiters were friendly which made up for the timing of our meals. We will definitely return!

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    New York City1 review

    3.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    On site menu didn’t match at all the online menu and the waitress acknowledged it hadn’t been updated in years with something like the traditional “kipe” snack as appetizer no longer on the menu. The pernil was very fatty. We really looked forward to the elevated Dominican recipes from one of ours, a Dominican “top chef” but left disappointed.

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  8. William Edward

    San Francisco3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was FABULOUS!!! We had the Oxtails (A++), the Red Snapper (A+++) Service was personal and thoughtful!

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  9. ANISH

    San Francisco1 review

    4.0

    Dined on February 15, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was good. Tasted similar to Indian food surprisingly. Loved their lemon herb sauce.

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  10. ROSA

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was delicious. We had to get some extra food to go.

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FAQs

alaMar Dominican Kitchen offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (510) 907-7555.

alaMar Dominican Kitchen is rated 4.5 stars by 209 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 4 times today
Google Map for alaMar Dominican Kitchen

100 Grand Ave, Suite 111, Oakland, CA 94612

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Caribbean, Latin American, Comfort Food
  • Hours of operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Tue–Sat 11:30 am–3:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Three Parking lots a block away from alaMar
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Nelson German
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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