Best Contemporary American Restaurants in Oakland

Had the best lunch/birthday/celebration for my daughter. The food was delicious and very fairly priced. Very nice variety for lunch. The restaurant was absolutely stunning. The wait staff and management could t have been kinder or more attentive. We were there to celebrate our daughter’s 19th birthday and they made it so special. We were seated by the windows, which was requested when I made reservations and it was just a beautiful experience. Loved everything about the iconic restaurant!!

Me and my fiancé had a lovely Valentines dinner. I definitely recommend the Pekín duck, although it seems that just about anything made there is fantastic. The Valentines menu was a fixed price, so it was a little bit different in value than it normally would be, but the service was fantastic and friendly. If you go to F1RST, they will do their best to give you a 5 star experience all the way through, and I feel that they succeed. The atmosphere is a bit more modern, and it feels almost like eating in a house. From what I can tell, everything was quite pristine, as it is a newer restaurant. The only qualm I might have is that gratuity was included, which I was not alerted to beforehand (as least that I know of). It is possible that this was just for Valentine’s Day because of the fixed price, but I can’t be sure. It was what I would have tipped anyways (standard 20%) so it didn’t upset me too much. I just would have liked the notification beforehand is all. Even the starter bread was delicious, as when I received it and began to dip it into the Pesto they provided (which is a bit of a unique and welcome turn by the way), I just knew I needed seconds! If you’re looking for a more upscale restaurant to spend an evening, but you’re worried about not getting enough bang for your buck, come here and you won’t regret it! And if anyone from the restaurant happens to see this comment, thank you again for a lovely evening! I’ll be sure to come back again :)

I can honestly say that the lobster mac and cheese was great. I have tried it in so many different states and countries but this by far is top 5. For anyone going i recommend you try it. Give my best to the Chef

We went for an early dinner 4pm reservation on Valentines Day. My wife and I had the Spellbinder drink, the hibiscus was aromatic and it was one of the best and strongest margarita I’ve had in a while. We also tried their Colossal Crab Cocktail from the raw bar. Then we had the Collosal Crab Cake from the starters. And for the main course we had the Lobster Spaghetti (a whole Maine lobster) and the Scallops. The experience was lovely and the food was delicious! I can’t wait to come back and try other dishes.

Food was good reasonably priced great ambience. Server was polite, was attentive.