I really wanted to like this place more than I did. The decor is really inviting and it's easy to get to. The cocktails are definitely worth ordering; they are strong and tasty. My favorite was the Monarch. Unfortunately, the food just wasn't worth the price. The dishes lacked flavor, which I found surprising. I ordered the vegetarian entree and none of the veggies mixed well and it lacked a substantial seasoned taste. The starters that we had were good, but once again, nothing blew me away. The one entree that I enjoyed was the steak, but not really worth the price (for me).
Review Source:Amazing place!!! Â It didn't take long for my girlfriend and I to get seated. Â The seervice was friendly and checked in on us often to see if we were enjoying ourselves. Â I got their steak with mushrooms and greens. Â The steak was perfectly seasoned. Â I don't like over seasoned beef because I prefer the true taste of beef and this place was able to master that. Â With my meal I also ordered a drink.... you can't go to a restaurant that is well known for their menu and not sample their cocktails. Â They were really good. Â One round and that's all you need. Â The bartender is a good mixer when you can't taste the alcohol but feel it the alcohol half an hour later. Â The view around this place is really awesome because of the city lights. Â The candles on the tables add a great touch. Â Good place to treat that special someone.
Review Source:Delicious and beautiful food, decent drinks, service that started out well and petered out at the end, environment way too loud and tables too close together.
Maybe it was the table neighbors - you know how someone can have a really annoying voice that it is like nails on a chalkboard? We sat next to her, and by next to her I mean 4" between tables. There was no carpet and the ceilings are high so the noise factor was awful - everything carried and reverberates over and over.
I'd get take out from there, no questions. I ate every bite of my food, as did my dinner companion. But I won't be back to dine in unless the atmosphere goes from warehouse art deco to posh art deco: meaning if they added some carpet on the floor and some fabric on the walls.
As for the nails on chalkboard voice issue: the dining room wasn't full so I saw no need to put the tables so close together. Spread 'em out! Then I'll come back.
Vegetarian entree plus one drink was $31. A bit high for Oakland, but not terrible given the quality of the ingredients combined with the professional service and lovely presentation.
My super great boyfriend surprised me with a visit to Flora after a long week, and it totally revived me! We started with cocktails off the menu, and a bowl of mixed olives to go with the Acme bread basket. For dinner, I ordered a braised pork shoulder while he had the salmon, and for dessert, I had the butterscotch pudding while he had a fruit crumble ice cream dish. We enjoyed watching the bar during dinner as well - the bartenders are well practiced with mixing two shakers at once. Definitely a great place for special occasions, or for a splurge!
Review Source:Uptown Oakland? Hostesses were not accommodating. Â Highly recommend reservations and business casual attire in order to be seated. Â Upon arrival, the hostesses greeted us and told us it would be a 45 min wait for a table for 2 for dessert. Â We decided to order our dessert to go and while we waited 7 tables opened up. Â The hostesses never offered a table for us nor did they apologize for the inconvenience. Â While the dessert was delicious, I do not think I will be returning for dine in or take out.
Review Source:Went for a somewhat rare date night with my husband. Everything was...ok? I was expecting the food to be a little more exciting. The dishes were all decent, but nothing stood out. I did appreciate the variety of vegetarian options. Service was good until it was time to get our check, at which point we waited 20+ minutes for our waitress to come by again. I would return, but it's not at the top of my list.
Review Source:Had such a great time here. Â Service is a bit slow, but then again, this is a place that you come to celebrate, catch up, talk and enjoy your food at a comfortable pace. Â The dude ordered the Piedemontese flank steak and I ordered the polenta with baked ricotta and stuffed squash blossom. Â Both were a party for the taste buds. Â For dessert we had the caramel pudding - to die for. Â Will definitely be back.
Review Source:The patrons at this spot don't look like they come from Oakland. They're all sort of LA/OC...and most likely the denizens of The Marina transplanted to Flora on a random Tuesday night. Â They wear lots of hair product. Â Their legs are shiny and stocking-less even on a foggy cool evening.
Most of the food was mediocre.  The shrimp chowder was fresh, but over seasoned, like many of the faux blondes at the bar.  The crispy eggplant  tasted like fried dough without any aspect to the flavoring at all. The fries were good and the steak were passable.  The staff was super sweet and we watched a drunken male patron get escorted out after repeatedly chatting up several scantily clad ladies.
I liked the layout of the place and would possibly come back for cocktails or to show an out of towner the crap that we willingly amuse ourselves with as Bay Area folk.
risk: death by hairspray
reward: cool concept and amusing bar scene
We were eager to finally try out Flora. A friend of mine had recommended it to me several times and knowing her culinary standards, I was confident we would love it. Â We made a reservation on a Friday for lunch at 1:30pm and had arranged for a babysitter. We sat, looked carefully at the menu, talked to the waitress, and took off.
There was nothing that appealed to either my husband nor I on the menu. Being gluten-free, the options were limited for me. It was a boiling 100F outside and we did not fancy any heavy dish. The main dishes consisted of fried chicken on a salad, pork sausage, basic pasta with pesto, fried polenta and vegetables, or flat iron steack on acme bread.
I mentioned to the waitress that I was surprised there was no fish on their menu, since I had checked online and both their lunch and dinner menus had fish/chicken/pork/meat to choose from. She could not even understand me when I said "fish"... she made me repeat 3 times and even spell it out!
Anyway we took off and went to Venus In Berkeley (closer to 2pm!) and had an absolutely perfect meal. I was so bummed we were not able to eat at Flora, because my friend always rave about it. I guess we will have to try them for dinner... maybe. They would have to bring a little more variety and creativity to their menu.
Perfect place to take out of town guests! Just make sure to make a reservation for a larger party because the place fills up fast, even on weekday nights. The salmon is served quite raw but when we sent it back it came out perfectly cooked. Great flavors and great atmosphere, a must try. I can't wait to go back.
Review Source:A group of us were attending a program at the Paramount theater and had dinner reservations for Flora. Â Talk about an art Deco night! Â Love the design of the exterior! Â We were extra early and had drinks at the bar. Â Within in a half an hour, the place was packed.
I started with the harvest garden lettuce salad which had toasted walnuts and apples,very good. Â My main course of Hampshire pork loin was absolutely delicious. Â The meat was soooo tender and everything just melted in your mouth! Â If you go, you must try the caramel pudding. Â A couple of people ordered it. Â One taste, and we all had to order some too!
Make a night of it and attend a show at the Paramount. Â The art deco is a show in itself. Â Beautiful!
Cheers!
My bf and I love our dinner dates at Flora. Â Lovely ambiance, feels like a sophisticated diner if that makes any sense, candle on the table, nice bar area, casual yet attentive service (I forget the server's name that we had a couple times but I remember her as pippy longstockings for her knee length socks, very cute). Â
Most of all, we enjoy the food, cocktails, and the lovely presentation. Â I recommend these if they're on the menu the night you dine there:
-arctic char
-salmon
-ribeye (he ordered medium and they cooked it perfectly)
-quail
I would absolutely recommend to family, friends, and visitors to Oakland.
Update:
I'm the petite Asian girl, tonight, that cleaned her plates; appetizer, main dish, and TWO desserts.
Came here to celebrate two belated birthdays; mine and my brotha-from-anotha's. he ordered the fried chix w cornbread and coleslaw. I had their steak w roasted beats and chard. Omg! I literally cleaned my plate, no crumbs, just some streaks of the sauce. Ahhhhh SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!
While waiting for our delicious dessert, our neighbors food was arriving to their table (they ordered the same thing as we did!!). My eyes were fixed to their plates bc I wanted more! I was so excited for them :)
LOVE LOVE LAAAAAAA-LOVE!
The best service that we received was from the hostess - she was friendly, helpful and awesome. And maybe it was an off day because I've received good service here before, but this weekend it was virtually non-existent. In the end I walked out having paid nearly $80 for a meal that was frankly, ruined by the inattentive, unfriendly, and aloof server.
I'd rather spend my money at time elsewhere.
Literally, the best salmon that I've had in 5 or 6 years, easily.
I had the salmon, and the salted caramel pudding. Both were superb, absolutely stunning and perfect. The cocktails were spot-on, as well.
The BF had quail, and seemed to be experiencing paroxysms of joy.
The waitstaff was excellent, and the lighting and ambiance are something special.
I loved the experience, and would highly recommend it. What a gem!
Another fabulous meal! I always have a great night when adding Flora to the itinerary! Staff is friendly, attentive and efficient. The cocktails are well made. The menu always offers several deliciously, difficult choices. And, their desserts have never disappointed.
My one wish is that they provide valet.
We were headed to a show at the Fox Theatre and always wanted to try Flora so we made a reservation. Â They were very accommodating and asked several times if we were going to the show to make sure they could put a rush on our food order and get us out of there on time.
We had a great meal across the board. Â The service was good but we did have to wave our waitress down a few times to get more butter, another drink and our check but otherwise everything was perfect. Â Their drink menu was awesome and we each ordered two drinks and they were both really good. Â I got the Salt & Pepper and the Carter Beats the Devil and both were really smooth and tasty. Â
For our meal, we got the housemade charcuterie to start followed by the steak and salmon which we shared. Â Everything was perfectly prepared and very tasty. Â For dessert we got the much talked about caramel pudding and it lived up to our expectations as we cleaned the plate clean.
Great spot for a wonderful meal, excellent drinks, before a show at the Fox or just to come on a normal night.
Did Mother's Day brunch here last week. Solid menu and very good service. I had the kick-ass burger and also sampled the salmon (cooked perfectly) and their famous (and delicious) caramel pudding. I also ordered a Bloody Maria, which I did not like at all. But others at my table loved it...
Review Source:Came here for mother's day brunch. Â I liked the french press coffee they had. Coffee was not bitter and did not even need milk! Donette's (fancy for donuts!!) were amazing! Super fresh and soft and wonderful. Can't go wrong with those. Â Got the waffles with candied walnuts on top. The waffles were a bit too soft and I was not very impressed. We also got the prosciutto & asparagus benedict which was amazing. The potatoes on the side were wonderfully spiced. Service was great as well. Will come back!
Review Source:I don't know what the problem may have been with reviews I read here about FLORA before but I had a great experience today for Sunday brunch. We ordered the fresh doughnuts, mimosa, blue bottle coffee, pork belly benedict and a glass of OJ for myself.
The server was attentive and always looked over our table, I could sense her checking for our order and pushing it through for us. I am very simple, all I want is good food, service and atmosphere. These 3 things make everything extra nice.
Crowded but not overly noisy, water was good and food service never had more then 5 minutes between if even that between plates.The food was up to par and I enjoyed the burger's flavor, of course I added applewood bacon on it and the fries were twice fried and crispy to my delight. I tried a piece of pork belly from the other plate and it was cooked to perfection, moist and flavorful, right on the money with this one "Flora"
The old vintage feel and being on the corner of the block makes it feel like a real cafe/bar. I would return here for brunch or breakfast any day of the week.
Have dinner at Flora, get your drinks at Fauna. As a former student of biology, I've got to say I LOVE how they named their restaurant and adjacent bar.
Ritzy art decor look without the pretentiousness, and great drinks all around. And the bar next door? Equally phenomenal decor, drinks, and ambiance.
As a fan of all things gin, the Orange Blossom was deeee-lightful.
I had my most amazing meal yet at Flora last night; where I gathered with a friend or two for libations.
It started with a salad that defies naming conventions, but had pickled cauliflower, heirloom tomatoes, snap beans and plenty of watercress, all topped with trout roe and a light vinegarette. Â Excellent.
Then the seared duck breast, which was the hit of the evening. Â Carefully seared breast, amply sliced, with slightly charred asparagus, topped with a mega sunny side up duck egg with runny yolk. Â Break the egg, let the yolk run down all over the breast, and enjoy (sounds a bit sinful, no?)
solid 16 oz steak for $40, but nothing to write home to my mommy about. The bed of Swiss Chard underneath paired well..
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/flora-restaurant-and-bar-oakland?select=vyroX86ehKgo3bQCARgEZg#vyroX86ehKgo3bQCARgEZg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Brussels were packed with citrusy flavor but my other side/app, sweetbreads, lacked crunch and flavor.
Glad I tried but not likely to return..
Solid 4 stars. This place is def worth going to. It's a perfect date spot. Dimly lit. Great ambiance. Not too loud, not too quiet. Perfect for intimate conversations. Romantic atmosphere. The waitstaff wears suspenders (who doesn't love suspenders!). The chairs actually have backs (anyone who has ever been to Plum knows why this is important to mention, it's the chairs at Plum have NO backs).
Just a tip: Guys- I would not recommend wearing a tshirt here. Jeans are totally fine, just dress it up a little with a nicer shirt or a blazer over your tshirt. You will look out of place if you show up in tennis shoes, or anything super casual. Ladies - Dress up a little. It's art deco and kinda glamorous decor.
The food was really good. I had the chicken sausage entree, and it was some of the best chicken I've ever had. I don't remember what my partner got. The salted caramel dessert was so decadent and rich you could only take a few bites. Definitely share dessert.
I must say, I found it just a bit over priced for what is was. You will spend no less than $100 on dinner for two (Entrees $25-40). $15 corkage on first bottle of wine, not sure about subsequent bottles. The cocktails looked amazing, I suggest trying one. I was kinda sad we brought wine to dinner.
I came here on Valentine's Day with my girlfriend and although we had a late reservation (9:15pm) I am very pleased that we went to Flora for the special day.
The lighting was extremely dark to foster the romantic mood with a single tea-light at every table and a cute tiny flower arrangement. The whole place just screamed classy to me. It was an amazing change from the University crowd at Berkeley.
Stuffed Chicken:
The chicken was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend getting any chicken dish from Flora because they cook the chicken to perfection. There was not an ounce of chicken that was dry at all. The whole chicken was juicy and succulent. It was probably the best cooked chicken I have ever gotten at a restaurant.
Burger:
The burger and fries were delicious as well. I was debating on whether to get the steak, but unfortunately at $40 it was a bit out of my price range as a college student and I heard that the burger was the next step in trying the beef at Flora. I think the burger was a good choice because the beef tasted great!
Overall, I had a wonderful time at Flora and I highly recommend all couples to make a trip there for a romantic dinner because you won't regret it.
I came here on Valentine's Day with my boyfriend and although we had a late reservation (9:35pm) I am very pleased that we went to Flora for the special day.
The lighting was extremely dark to foster the romantic mood with a single tea-light at every table and a cute tiny flower arrangement. The whole place just screamed classy to me. It was an amazing change from the University crowd at Berkeley.
Stuffed Chicken:
The chicken was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend getting any chicken dish from Flora because they cook the chicken to perfection. There was not an ounce of chicken that was dry at all. The whole chicken was juicy and succulent. It was probably the best cooked chicken I have ever gotten at a restaurant.
Burger:
The burger and fries were delicious as well. I was debating on whether to get the steak, but unfortunately at $40 it was a bit out of my price range as a college student and I heard that the burger was the next step in trying the beef at Flora. I think the burger was a good choice because the beef tasted great!
Overall, I had a wonderful time at Flora and I highly recommend all couples to make a trip there for a romantic dinner because you won't regret it.
I tried out Flora for my first time last night and found out first-hand about the delicious hamburgers, great atmosphere, and excellent service. After immediately being seated we were tended to by a nice waitress and several other staff members who never missed an opportunity to refill our glasses of water, ask if there was any other way to help, and even refold our napkins when we had gotten up to use the restroom.
The food was excellent, as was the beer, and although the prices are a little on the high side considering the area, you are truly getting what you pay for in this case. I've been a long time fan of Luka's burgers and drinks, and this place blows it out of the water in not only the flavor, but the decor and presentation.
Overall I'm looking forward to heading back to Flora and trying more of what they have to offer.
Flora is the best brunch place I've been to in the Easy Bay.
I went with my boyfriend for a post-valentine's day brunch. We ordered the chicken liver toast and the pork shoulder chili. The chili was a little bit salty but everything else was spot-on. The chicken liver came with a lightly dressed arugula salad with chicken hearts speared on a sprig of rosemary. The flavors complemented each other perfectly.
We also ordered a big mug of hot chocolate with a home made marshmallow- delicious. Just the right amount of sweet. I would definitely recommend Flora for a nice, casually romantic brunch!
I've been wanting to try this place for a long time. When I saw that they were on the Restaurant Week list, I grabbed a friend to try it with me.
This is one of those places where the menu changes daily which means they're pretty fancy.
I ended up ordering a few items off the menu since there were no substitutions and I didn't want to eat seafood. It's okay because that meant there were more things for us to try.
The drinks and desserts are probably their strongest items here. I did enjoy my food as well but it seems like the drinks and desserts were the best things here.
I ended up getting the Last Tango drink and my friend got the Orange Blossom. Both had Saint Germain which I'm a huge fan of thanks to Yelp. Both were tasty and strong about $10.
Next was the first Restaurant Week item: Chicken Liver Mousse, Sesame Crackers, Onion Marmalade and Saba. It was pretty good. We needed more crackers which we received.
Our entrees came next: Sausage, fish, shellfish stew, brussel sprouts, aoili for my friend. I got the potato gnocci, local wild mushroom ragu, leeks, roasted cauliflower, meyer lemon and crispy kale. It was quite flavourful. It seemed to be a small portion for the price but I did find myself feeling full after eating it. My friend also gave me the sausage from his meal which had a bit of a kick to it.
Dessert was the last item for each of us: I figured we might as well go big since I rarely eat at fancy places like these I better try everything.
My friend got caramel pudding, sea salt and whipped cream. I got chocolate mousse, toasted marshmallow, cinnamon soaked almonds, graham cracker ice cream. Both were outstanding. I wish there was more ice cream and less marshmallow. Overall, the drinks and desserts really won me over here.
This is one of those special occasion or once in a great while type of places because the entrees are pretty pricey. I'd save it for birthdays, dates and other celebrations. It's definitely worth seeking out though. I ended up spending about as much as the prixe fixe restaurant week menu minus getting a starter.
I'll be back though - maybe for brunch and/or dessert or a cocktail. You just won't see me here regularly.
If you know me, you know that you probably wont find me stomping around the east bay that often. Â Nothing personal -- I'm just a city girl that's all. Â That being said, there are three things that could make me cross the bridge: Â family, friends, food/drinks. Â BUT...it's gotta be some damn good food/drinks.
Enter Flora. Â I happened to be in the area one night and this place came recommended. Â I'll be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the food, with the exception of the chicken -- it was really really good.
So why did I get lured back to Flora 2-3 times so far? Â Simple: Â the drinks and dessert. Â I was skeptical watching a few of the bartenders here, and yea maybe I'm a little biased. Â But I was more than pleasantly surprised. Â Every cocktail I've had here was exceptionally good -- the whiskey fizz .... the corpse reviver .... sophia loren .... and yes, the salt & pepper (which is in fact gin and probably what started my affair with gin).
To end this, I've only had one dessert on their menu, and frankly, it's all I need -- salted.....caramel....pudding. Â It's good. Â Really good. Â Stab-someone-in-the-neck good. Â
And yes, I wouldn't mind at all making the drive a few nights just for the salted caramel pudding and a few cocktails.
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