Mägo — Restaurant in Oakland

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...

Ideally, a 3.5/5. My friend and I visited Mägo during the Oakland Restaurant Week (priced at $65 pp). From outside, it looked like a regular building, but once inside, Mägo offered a charming atmosphere. The indoor area had a warm, intimate feel with soft lighting, perfect for a quiet dinner. They also have a back patio with heated lamps, making it a versatile spot depending on your preference. They also had blankets for us to use because the weather was extra chilly and rainy. Their patio area is mostly covered, so you should be fine if it starts raining unless you are seated at the table we were at. Our table was slightly exposed to the outside elements, and with the strong winds, we could definitely feel the drizzle, but it wasn't a big deal. We just moved our seats, and we were fine afterward.

The food had its ups and downs, but unfortunately, the service significantly impacted the overall experience. Our Restaurant Week tasting menu, which consisted of only 4 courses, stretched out to a staggering 2.5 hours. This slow pace put a damper on the evening, especially considering the number of courses.

The menu itself was an interesting mix. The jicama, rhubarb, feta bunuelo, and radicchio starter had intriguing flavors, but the execution felt a little disjointed. The bunuelo was hard like a brick and wasn't much cheesy. I liked the rhubarb, but my friend wasn't a fan.

The ling cod, maitake "ajiaco", capers, and avocado were pretty good, with the ling cod cooked perfectly and the maitake mushrooms adding an earthy depth. The avocado was a little salty, but it came on the side, so it didn't really impact the overall flavors of the dish. All in all, it was a great dish.

The beef carne asada was a bit of a letdown. While the asparagus and black garlic were interesting accompaniments, the beef itself wasn't as consistent, and some pieces were a bit dry.

The pan de coco with plantain butter (an additional $8) was phenomenal (MUST TRY). It was a delightful combination of sweet bread and creamy plantain. We devoured this in no time. I'm still dreaming about it. 🤤

The torta de zanahoria (carrot cake) with rum raisin and cinnamon was another great dish that delivered a classic carrot cake flavor with a boozy twist. All the textures and flavors complimented each other really well, and the cold ice cream on top really took this dessert to the next level.

Overall, Mägo has a lovely ambiance and some creative menu ideas. However, the incredibly slow service significantly detracted from the experience. While our dinner started off with some okay dishes, it definitely ended on...

My wife and I came here for her birthday celebration, which was also our first real date night since having our daughter. We couldn't have asked for a better experience.

The food is just unbelievable.Every single dish of the tasting menu was outstanding and made you take a moment to appreciate just how creative, fun, and delicious it was.

The beverage pairing was also perfect. Such an interesting variety with really engaging context provided for each course. Highly recommend, and it was really nice that they let us split the pairing so that we could also try a cocktail (which was, surprise surprise, immaculate).

The service is absolutely on point top to bottom. They are such a calm, well-oiled machine and it was a joy to watch them work in the kitchen. Every member of the team was in sync and so good at what they do. Just lovely people all around.

The service really shined with how extremely accommodating they were of us. My wife has a gluten allergy, and they seamlessly supported this by making a few modifications where necessary (but largely the majority of the menu was already gluten-free). Just a spectacular tasting menu for any gluten-free people out there.

In addition, we were on a tight timeline because we had an event scheduled after dinner. They were so kind to keep our schedule in mind and timed things perfectly to fit it. We really appreciated that they were able to make our schedule work when we hadn't really allocated as much time as we should have.

Mago just ticks every single box. Or rather, just knocks every element of a dining experience out of the park. The Bay Area is fortunate to have some really amazing tasting menus, but in my opinion this one is the best. And, it's an incredible value at only $86. I would happily pay much more for such a high quality experience.

Thanks again to everyone at Mago -- you gave us such a special night, and we can't wait...