Octopus Baja — Restaurant in Sacramento

We went to octopus Baja on May 25th. Getting around to reviewing this place today.

Overall the experience at octopus Baja was good. The Ambiance of the place is very energetic and inviting. The timing went was at the beginning of the dinner rush. We were greeted kindly by the hostess who told us our table would be ready in about 10 minutes as they were clearing it up. Also in the background there was a nice level of music that was definitely high energy but wasn't so loud that you couldn't hear you're self-talking

Regarding the food everything was definitely good for me it felt like there was a little bit of flavor missing depending on the dish.

For example the fish stew that I got, you can definitely taste the use of paprika and that is mostly what I could gather from The taste profile. A little bit of a citrus or a little more salt would have helped balance out the flavors a little bit more.

The grilled octopus was grilled well and again it needed a little bit of something like maybe an extra citrus salsa or a little bit of a vinegar based sauce to bring out the flavors.

The scallops though chardwell it was not what we expected as a scallops were cut in half. again the flavor was there but because they were cut in half they were a little rubbery which scallops shouldn't be.

Fish tacos generally good and that one actually was done well as it came with accompaniments of salsa.

Are drinks definitely had some nice flavor to them. For our taste though, they were a little bit on the sweeter side which is not my preference. If you like sweet drinks then you may enjoy them a bit more.

Overall, I would say check out their happy hour or do a few shareable bites to get your opinion on the food because again everyone has their own...

I’d been curious about this place since I kept seeing them at the farmers market promoting their restaurant, so I finally stopped by after work.

They offer a Happy Hour menu from 4–6pm, but I found the food options pretty limited, so we decided to order from the main menu instead.

The oyster shooter wasn’t what I expected—it was just an oyster with green salsa, no alcohol or juices to balance it out, which made it hard to swallow. We also ordered a dozen oysters. While they tasted fresh, I really wish they were served on a bed of ice. By the time we got to the third or fourth, they had warmed up, which made them less enjoyable. The cocktail sauce could also use a little more brightness or spice to elevate the flavor.

The ahi tuna was heavily coated in hot spices, so all I could taste was pepper instead of the natural sweetness of the fish. The broccolini came out room temperature and lightly seasoned—I had to ask for hot sauce to give it some flavor. The braised octopus was tender but under-seasoned and also served lukewarm. For a main course, it felt incomplete—it was just two small tentacles with no sides or accompaniments to round it out.

Overall, the seafood here didn’t quite meet my expectations. Personally, I prefer oysters cold and served on ice, tuna that highlights the freshness of the fish rather than masking it with spice, and hot entrées to actually arrive hot and paired with something to make them feel more substantial.

On a positive note, the drinks were great—refreshing, fruity, and not overly sweet, which I really enjoyed.

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Another sister restaurant to La Cosecha, Mayahuel abd Mesa Mercado, Octopus Baja is a welcome addition to this part of K street (pre-theater dinner at the Sofia, anyone?)

We came for happy hour on Saturday (a Saturday happy hour 3-6, Isn’t that nice!) and enjoyed the composed tacos and the bluefin tostada, that stole the show—so fresh and a great bite to share. The cocktails were delicious, tried both the passionfruit and prickly pear margaritas, one with mezcal with and another with tequila. We asked for muddled jalapeño in them to spice things up, each was perfectly balanced. We took their mahi mahi aguachile to go and it also did not disappoint. The service was attentive, the chefs are turning out excellent food and the decor is dreamy. Definitely reminded me of my favorite establishments Baja in Ensenada. Can’t wait to come back for dinner...