Hopscotch

Reviews 6

JA

Jace Proctor

Hopscotch can be a very conflicting experience. Brunch is great; dinner is lackluster. Service is great; then it sucks. One dish can be amazing; the next dish can be a dud. Ive been here a few times, and always leave scratching my head, wondering how I should feel. Here are some takeaways: First of all, the place is TINY. I think maybe eight tables and a bar with eight stools. It can be very crowded, so factor that into your plans. Brunch is very solid. The fried chicken is out of this world, maybe the best Ive had in California. The Bloody Mary is fantastic. Theyll even do a solid French 75, which isnt always the best experience if the bartender doesnt know their stuff. If you sit at the bar, the bartenders are always pleasant and your service (and your cocktails) will be great. Get the donuts, you wont regret it. A few days ago we went in for a Christmas special "whole lamb platter," which consisted of a few different cuts of lamb, broccoli romanesco, cauliflower puree, and cornbread. It sounded good in the e-mail, but the dinner was just... underwhelming. For $65 we got a "portion for two" that was generously made for one, and immediately regretted not ordering something else. All of the food was fine, but none of it was special. The service was also pretty bad. When we asked for cocktail pairings instead of wine pairings, the waitress basically said, "Um, well, the wine is really good. Are you sure you dont want wine?" and then offered no help when it came to cocktails. In a place that actually has a great bar, youd think they would be more willing to talk cocktails. We felt like we were being pushed hard towards the wine pairings in a gross, upselly-type way, and it was a bummer. I keep thinking I should go back to Hopscotch and give them another try, because for every negative point, theres a positive point. Really and truly, Ive had some great bites and drinks here. But its just not solid enough to stay in my thoughts or stomach for long, especially with so many great restaurants in the Oakland/Berkeley area. Hopscotch needs to up its game. There are some ballers around here.

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DE

Denise Dang

Came here with a friend for brunch on a Sunday morning around 10:45. Since it was still early, we were seated right away, outside on the patio per our request. Service was wonderful and quick, and they made some nice suggestions for brunch, although their menu is really limited and very much Asian-inspired. We started our meal with a carafe of Mimosas for $15, which equates to about 1.5 drinks per person. My friend had the kimchi fried rice with miso marinated jidori eggs. We hadnt expected her rice to be so moist and wet, more on the side of risotto than fried rice, though still good. I had the pork belly eggs benedict, which came with a side salad and skillet potatoes. The Benedict was good, though really rich with the creaminess of the egg yolk, hollandaise sauce, and pork belly fat. The side frisee salad had a nice tart vinegrette. The skillet potatoes came out pipping hot on a small cast iron skillet, though it was rather creamy and cheesy, more like potatoes au gratin than the skillet homefries I was expecting for brunch. Since the pork belly eggs benedict was already so rich, the potatoes seemed like excess. I wish I had gotten fruit as a side instead to even the meal out! Street parking was easy to find. We found out afterwards that their is also a second half to the restaurant two doors down, so theres definitely more seating than the main location shows.

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SO

Sonya Li

My partner and I started with the Yonsei Oyster and the fries. The oyster came with uni, salmon roe, and citrus soy. I didn’t taste a citrus element, the soy was light like a dashi, but it was surprisingly really good in a decadent way and it felt refreshing in the Oakland heat. If I had known how delicious they were, I would have ordered a dozen of these! The fries were crispy and it came with a Frenso chili aioli that was creamy, a touch spicy, and it’s something every fatty like me would enjoy. I ordered the First Base Burger and it came with a house ground chuck, griddled beef tongue, pickled onions, and sesame aioli with a side of Kennebec chips. You can also add bacon or cheddar and I opted for the latter. It’s not a homerun, but still exciting in its own way. I asked for medium rare and received a rare patty but I found it to tender and juicy. The aioli was sparse so I can’t tell you what it tasted like, but the pickled onion added a nice contrast to the beef and the sweet bun. My partner ordered the chicken club and it came with lettuce, cabbage, bacon, tomato, and fried chicken. It was simple but the fried chicken took it up a notch. I only had a bite but have to get it the next time we visit. Items do not appear as described but we had a good meal here.

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WA

Wasaname An Em

I was out working my 2nd job for my family and wife who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was directed pick up an order for the 1st time . I was informed that there was some discrepancy in payment and the credit card paid all except $0.45 and as the waitress begin to tell me politely the manager jumps in and immediately starts attacking the company I work for and me. He was very rude, he cut me off before I could even begin to talk. I couldnt even get half of one letter out of my mouth before I was met with such a harsh and angry attitude . I felt very uncomfortable. I just paid the money out of my pocket so that I continue having a great day . This being my first time at this place I was excited about coming back as a customer as I sat there enjoying the music and look of this bar until I was met with very biased, angry, and what felt like some sort of secret Prejudice from management only . The staff there seem pretty nice but I would not patronize this place nor will I tell my friends about it and we have a social media network of 20,000 people and at least 40% live here in the bay area. The prices are not worth the service from the Management Staff.

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PA

Paul Lam

The staff was attentive, friendly and worked well as a team. I wish the food worked well. Our party was 3 and not one of us gave the food high marks. The uni in the Yonsei Oysters were undetectable. The oyster and salmon roe overpowered the Uni. I couldnt taste the tongue in the 1st Base Burger. Luckily it was served cut in half and I picked out the tongue to eat it plain. Happy hour beer was served in smaller glasses, so not a real happy hour price. I did enjoy the desserts: Mochi Cake and Butterscotch Pudding. I had high hopes as the ingredients were intriguing. I probably wont be going back as my try list for the Bay Area is pretty long, but I would give it a try again if someone asked me to go - only because the staff was great and the menu looked great. The food wasnt bad, just didnt the high price.

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E.

e. vahlsing

Its wonderful to dine in a restaurant where there are no strangers. In Hopscotch, a less than 40 seat bistro meets diner mid-priced Japanese‑inspired restaurant in "Uptown Oakland", no one is a stranger. Its steps aways from the Fox Theater and, with a few more steps, the Paramount Theater. A new "stranger" is greeted by Jenny and feed by Kyle (co-owners) only to be most welcomed by Jason the mixologist behind the oversized blue white marbled counter. And there was no "bottom two" ingredients deleted from his complex cocktails. Of which are enough to fill several menus; check it out: our two menus didnt match when it came to the cocktail list. And that kind of says it about Hopscotch. Worth checking out.

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