Reviews for OCULTO in Castro Valley, CA

We are lucky that this place is on Castro Valley. We've been a few times and it is our go-to spot for a nice dinner for 2. ... Love the people and the food. Read more

Wow! This place is incredibly good. Food is very flavorful, beautifully presented and absolutely hands down delicious! The... service was above and beyond.. we really enjoyed our time. Such a great fun atmosphere we will definitely be back with morefriends. Love the new fusion style and city like quality we missed so much! A++ Read more

Made reservations for a Thursday night, and was seated immediately upon arrival. We enjoyed every dish, some more than... others. Here is what I had in order of what I liked from most to least: 1) Oysters topped with tomatilla salsa + baratieremelon 2) Chicken liver mousse w/ strawberry jam + black sesame brittle — very unique combo. The black sesame brittle madethis much more appetizing. The taste of it all reminds me of a peanut butter jelly sandwich. 3) Mary's half chicken — it's ahefty dish! I recommend sharing it. 4) Papas bravos — not as crispy as I hoped, but loved the flavor of the sauces! 5)Chocolate hazelnut budino — delicious! 6) Kanpachi crudo — the pickled cantaloupe and jelly w/ black sesame were the starsof this dish! Overall, the dishes were good. I would come back to try their other menu items. Also, shout-out to the staff.They were very warm and welcoming! Read more

The best meal I've had in Castro Valley. The tostada and papas bravas were incredibly satisfying. Chef Mike is incredibly... talented and came out to talk about each dish as it came out. The service was impeccable. Read more

Creative Mexican fusion food. Some remarkable dishes and an occasional miss. Be in on at the start of a wonderful new Castro... Valley restaurant. Read more

Thanks to this "talented Mexican-American chef," Oculto is indeed helping put Castro Valley on the culinary map (Mercury News).... We loved every plate we ordered and service was on point. Fun atmosphere upstairs in the market, with live music after 8pm (atleast on the Friday we were there). Reservations highly recommended. One drawback was the awful chemical smell from the marketcleaning below once it closed at 8pm. Read more

Came across this place when we were searching for a new place to try and omg it did not disappoint!!! We arrived around 6-ish... and the tables were all booked but luckily there were seating at the bar opened. And omg, I am SOOOOO glad we got seated at thebar. The bar space seated 4 at bar height and 2 at wheelchair accessible height. There were 2 people running the bar and we sohappen to be seated in front of the new bar director, Brandon. It was his first day and he was very informative on the cocktailmenu and the food menu. We must have been seated around first seating because the bar was on fire for about an hour with nonstopdrink orders. However, Brandon managed to put out drinks and still gave us excellent service and menu suggestions. For food, weordered Papas Bravas, Burrata and Chicken Hearts, Niman Ranch Steak and Mary’s Half Chicken Al Carbon. The Papas Bravas wereamazing! The potatoes were soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. And it was topped with an aioli that was just perfect.The Burrata and Chicken Heart was oddly great, in a good way. There were so many different ingredients (asparagus, blueberrysauce, mint, fried chicken heart, Burrata, quinoa) that sounds like an odd combo but it was sooooo perfect. And I’m not theone that enjoys cranberry on her Turkey, so having blueberry sauce and liking it was oddly great for me. The Niman Ranch Steakhad the perfectly cooked steak that was amazingly tender and kind of melt in your mouth paired with a charred cabbage withpickled onions on top and garnish. It was an amazing dish and very filling as well! We were basically full after this. Howeverwe still had the Mary’s Half Chicken. It took a bit for the chicken to come out, which we were told in advance because it’scooked to order and boy was it worth the wait! It was the BEST chicken that I’ve tasted with the super crispy skin and thesauce that accompanies it. The chicken was PERFECTLY cooked, the skin was super crispy and the sauce was amaz Read more

Simply Amazing! The Plantain chips and dip, I could eat that dip like soup it was so delicious! The Papas Bravas, scrumptious!... Perfect place for light bites; getting together with friends and family or a nice dinner with your other half! Read more