Mägo offers a wonderful tasting menu while providing a slightly casual yet classy ambiance. Thus far, I would say this is without a doubt my favorite restaurant in Oakland as of last month when my partner and I went for a date night. Every dish impressed. The beets were a tasty start, with the lemon salsa and papaya well complementing the vegetable and making me wish I had another portion. For seafood lovers, the swordfish dish here was the best I've ever had and would certainly recommend this location if only to try this stew. I've since been looking for coconut stew recipes to replicate this. If you're questioning trying beef tongue, I say go for it. As someone that is occasionally hesitant to try more obscure cuts/parts, this was certainly worthwhile. There will be portions where the texture may be a bit tender and chewy, but for the most part the tongue was well-cooked and had a nice char to it. I thought the pork was quite tasty, albeit this was probably the least notable for the 4 dishes thus far for me. The coconut cake was a nice dessert, in which I was particularly a fan of the banana leaf ice cream. The non-alcoholic beverage pairing was acceptable with the two favorites coming with dessert and with the beets. If I were to go again, I'd probably try the alcoholic pairing or stick to my cocktails, personally. As for cocktails, I also had the cococho, which I would definitely recommend to any other absinthe connoisseurs. This also happens to pair well with the swordfish and the dessert, in my opinion. And, as with any restaurants that offer tasting menus, the service was nothing short of exceptional.

I'm not sure what to do with this review or even whether to post it. The food was good, not amazing, but definitely good and I'd like to support it because it has been so hard for restaurants and especially in Oakland and I truly want to be supportive. We had plenty of drinks which really drove up the price of our meal to $900 for 4 people. At a different price point, I'd be back here in a flash. What I didn't dig was how disinterested our servers seemed to be. Nice, sure, but disinterested. When they asked if we'd like sparkling or still water and we told them, they just brought the bottles to the table and left them there, not asking or pouring. When all of our water was empty, we had to ask them to refill it. I'd just expect more for what we were paying. Our guest has a serious medical reaction to gluten--like rush to the hospital serious, not a dietary preference thing. We made this super clear at the outset and our friend even said how at nice places like this, they're great and take that seriously. And then a few courses in a bready dish was served and our friend's husband asked if that was OK for his wife to eat. The waitress just nonchalantly said "oh, the chef must've forgotten." At another course 2 waitresses arrived at the same time and asked each other who wanted to explain that course, and it was like neither could be bothered. It felt really disappointing. Everyone seemed nice enough, just not very interested, and the food was tasty. Hopefully we just caught them on an off night. 4/4/25 UPDATE: I received a kind and thoughtful reply from the chef/owner hours after my review above. It convinced me that we did indeed just seem to catch them on an off night or had an unusual, off experience. Based alone on the caring shown in that note, I've added this addendum, upped my review from 3 to 4 stars, will at some point try it again (I really would like to see them do well!), and will update my review again after that.

Wonderful and attentive service Food was okay, came during restaurant week so it was about ~$100 pp Very light wine list Enjoyed their specialty cocktails :D Homey ambiance Thank you!

My husband and I came for Oakland restaurant week (this week!). Upon arriving and comparing it to the normal tasting menu, the restaurant week menu is just a smaller version of the normal tasting menu. We didn't mind because it was a more affordable way to try samplings of the tasting menu - menu is attached below. We made a reservation for 5:15 and came early because we expected parking to be difficult (which it was). Restaurant was relatively empty upon arrival, but filled up as we finished around 7. $65/person for restaurant week + $40 for pairing (whole party doesn't have to order pairing - I asked because I wanted the pairing, but my husband just wanted a cocktail). Restaurant week comes with 4 dishes (including 1 dessert). +/- 1. beets / papaya, meyer lemon salsa verde (chef told us it was a chimichurri sauce though - which is what it tasted like and it was great) it was fresh tasting with the papayas and beets (papayas were perfectly ripe), and it went decently with the chimichurri sauce. It was okay, but I'm not a huge fan of beets, would've liked it to be all papaya to be honest with you. + 2. Swordfish / stew of shrimp and snap peas: fantastic - the swordfish was a tad overcooked so the texture was a little tougher than preferred. The dish honestly tasted very Thai to me, as the base was very green curry reminiscent and coconut-y. Snap peas and shrimp were a great combo, and the shrimp especially was succulent and fresh. Wish it was hotter as well since it was a stew! + Caraway arepa / beef tongue, spring curtido (supplemental price $14): SO good - wish it wasn't a supplement because it was my favorite item of the meal. Beef tongue wasn't gamey and the arepa was fantastic - tons of flavor. + Heritage Pork / plantain new onion praline: Wish it had more of that onion praline topping - fantastic! Pork was cooked perfectly, the fat on the edges were seared deliciously. Came with a burnt green onion on the side, which I enjoyed. Plantain was also delicious. + Coconut cake: also tasted very southeast asian to me! Very coconut-y - banana leaf ice cream on top almost tasted like matcha-like. The ice cream was a bit icy, could've been creamier. The coconut cake was on the stodgier side and very strong with coconut bits throughout. Rhubarb sauce added much needed acidity to the sweet, stodgy cake. Pairings in general were great. I'm not super picky with pairings, though. For $40, it was a fair deal. My husband's blood moon ($18) was okay. Nothing to write home about, he wouldn't get it again. Food was overall great, with minor critiques as mentioned here and there. I'm rounding up for the great service. Our server, Roy, was very friendly. And the Mago team worked together seamlessly to bring each dish out as we finished / switched out utensils for each dish. It was a very cohesive dining experience. We spent around 90 minutes in total. Portion size was decent, for this kind of meal. Would definitely come again to try out different dishes once they change the tasting menu again!

Apparently this is thee spot to celebrate a birthday. Took my boyfriend here for his birthday. Three other parties were celebrating a birthday. They brought him flan with a candle which was delicious. Great service from the host and our waiter and waitress. The plates were small but there were soooooo many that it was quite filling, especially since the flavors were so rich. It seems the dishes start off mild in flavor and pack on the flavors with each course. My top 3 dishes were the sesame brioche, lamb and platano, and Mahi Mahi (best Mahi Mahi I've ever had). I took not a single picture but the meal was worth the $$$$ especially being able to sit and watch everyone work in the kitchen a la The Bear

My husband and I went with two friends last year and ate at Mago. We had read good reviews about this relatively new restaurant and we were all wowed by the experience. We sat at the Chef's area and enjoyed watching him and his team prepare the food and also chat with us when we had questions. It's not dishes we were very familiar with but each course we considered delicious, exceptional and full of flavor. You can tell by the presentation of the dishes that the chef puts a lot of thought and expression in his work. It was one of those nights when everyone went home satisfied and planning to go back again. We hope to return soon and keep this place in business. I want the same cocktail for sure. Oakland needs restaurants like this.

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.

We stopped in last night and had one of the best meals we've had in a long time. It bordered on magical. We came in on a whim based on a parking place right in front. We were actually headed down the street but fate intervened and we're so glad it did. We got there later in the evening and without a reservation but they had seats available at the counter. The format is tasting menu and every course was a work of art. The flavors and freshness were off the charts. The chicken course was actually brought to us by Reid, who prepared the course and he was nice enough to answer our questions about the preparation. Very cool guy. The level of the experience and the artistry on the plate was Just a home run all around and fairly priced. This is Michelin star level dining from food and beverage to service and vibe. I give Mägo my highest recommendation.

We have been here twice now for large group dinners. As a vegetarian who cannot eat much garlic, it can be difficult for Mago to offer their best dishes for me. Somehow they found a way to serve delicious, multi course dinners both times I was there. The serving staff operated with ease, multi course plates & several drinks fluidly found themselves on our tables, with well improvised relevant tweaks to the menu for folks with allergies et al. They have outdoor seating with heaters, so ready & pleasant for year round weather. There's plenty of street parking, but all likely occupied, so give yourself a few to find parking.