T'chaka a Taste of Haiti — Restaurant in Oakland

Being of Caribbean descent (Guyanese), I have been missing the Caribbean flavors so normally present in my childhood home. Besides the Jerkn It tent at first Friday, I didn't feel like I had many options.

That entirely changed this last Friday when I had T'chaka for the first time. 5 of my closest friends are all Zoes, and they cook! I haven't had flavor like this since I was in NY with them 3 years ago.

Everything about this place is impeccable. The atmosphere is amazing. The service is hard to beat - I felt thoroughly taken care of. And the FOOD. Let's get started.

The Akra - this was our choice of appetizer. It was between this and the calamari. This was the best akra I've ever had. Perfectly fried texture on the outside gives a great crunch followed by the dense and flavorful taro root. And every single one was cooked to perfection. The pikliz on the side added a great acid finish, as well as some reallllly sneaky heat!

My Dish - Oxtails - I'm Caribbean. You put oxtails in front of me, I'll eat them. These were sweet and delicious. The meat was tender, but not overly tender and turned into a mush. It had just the right amount of bite, and the sauce it was cooked in was deep with flavor from herbs and spices.

My partners dish - Curry Goat - Similar to the oxtails, it was well cooked and tasted great. The only reason I don't have more to say is because my partner ate it so fast I only got one bite! I guess that speaks for itself.

My drink - Sorrel Ginger - might have been my favorite part. I love sorrel, but sometimes it's too tart. This was smooth and refreshing. It was my partner's first time trying sorrel, and you made a new fan of her!

Thank you T'chaka team. Everyone was cool and helpful - while demonstrating excellent service. One of my new favorite spots in the...

To start off, I’ve never had Haitian food and didn’t know what to expect. After going to T’Chaka for lunch, I’m pleasantly surprised. Glad that I got a taste of Haiti. Food, service, ambiance, and decor is amazing.

T’Chaka is located next to Swan’s Market in Old Oakland. Outside - there’s a colorful bright yellow sign with potted palm plants so place is hard to miss.

Server was extremely friendly, helpful, and accommodating.

Decor and ambiance - very colorful and vibrant. Haitian flag stood out to me. A lot going on with the paintings, fish tank, vases, wall fixtures, etc. Definitely feels like you’re walking into a local mom and pop restaurant that will serve authentic cuisine. A bit pricey - around $20 for each entree but the quality and time spent makes it worth.

Unfortunately, I am pescatarian so I was unable to try the Oxtails, Jerk Chicken, or Griot. What a tragedy. But my co-worker said Oxtails were flavorful and delicious, went well with the fixings. She finished the whole plate and cleaned the bones off!

Shrimp salad itself was flavorful - with passionfruit dressing. They also did not skimp on the shrimp - HUGE PLUS. As exotic as the dish sounds, the flavors went well together. Shrimp was well seasoned with a tangy, sweet, yet savory flavor. The passionfruit dressing itself was light, refreshing, and not overly sweet. Nice palette of flavors, definitely Caribbean-esque.

Cocktails and dinner: I would especially recommend coming for their dinner menu or Saturday special and drinks. Cocktails looked very intriguing and would go well with menu offerings.

I would definitely recommend this place. Haitian food is super underrated! Take advantage of going during...

I have dined in at T'Chaka twice and had take out about 4 times. I think I've had enough opportunity to fairly rate this restaurant. The good dishes were the Rice and Beans, Bannan Peze, Snapper, and Lambi. As a New Yorker who has lots of exposure to Haitian food and food from other caribbean countries, their offerings are mediocre. Sure the food tastes okay, but I would disagree that it is Haitian restaurant. It is more a caribbean fusion restaurant. FYI offering "jerk" and "curry" is more of a Jamaican style.

Something they should reconsider is the Calamari. Absolutely horrid, not fresh, overcooked, and I could not find any flavor at all. I might as well have been chewing fried rubber. The cabbage in the pikliz was mushy. The Kremas is acceptable.

On the first visit the service was pretty good. My second visit service abysmal. I was seated and did not receive a menu for almost ten minutes. When the server finally appeared and took the order he came back 15-20 mins later to ask again what were the items that I ordered. I think he forgot to put it in honestly.

Overall I think it is a missed opportunity to introduce Haitian cuisine and culture to the community. I hope in the future they reconsider some of the menu items and decide to include more authentic...