Pappo

I had a Travelzoo voucher that was WAY past its expiration date. Although they say that they are always good for what you paid, this one was really old-​I never thought it would still be honored, but hey, it never hurts to ask! It was no problem! The owner said I could absolutely use the voucher. It was Mother’s Day and I was in Alameda for the street festival (a sponsor of the event). They packed up their chicken sandwich for me and I took it back to my booth… to enjoy the most delicious chicken sandwich I’ve ever had! It was a whole boneless chicken breast fried to absolute perfection-​juicy and tender on the inside and crispy and well seasoned on the outside! I was in heaven! Of course, the chocolate dessert that accompanied it was also heavenly! I’ll go there whenever I’m in the neighborhood!

Pros:
— Had the best fried chicken sandwich!
— Selection of Alameda-​brewed beers
— Great wait staff — very sincere, present, and capable
— Attractive interior space with great modern art on the brick walls
Cons:
— Noise level
— A bit pricey
— Rather limited menu
— Parking can be hard to find

After seeing the restaurant reviewed on Check Please! we were intrigued to try. I chose the $ 28 flatiron steak as a special treat. I didn’t have any detailed description of how it was cooked or marinated, etc. so I assumed it was a basic steak frites type of dish. Upon first taste i was taken aback by the smokey flavor, and found the meat to be pretty chewy. It wasn’t a thick cut so that fact that it was so labor intensive to cut and eat was weird. I had also heard people rave about the garlic fried but after a few, I was good (Scolari’s wins this category).
I was not thrilled to wake up in the middle of the night with gut wrenching pain that went on for the entire day. I lost my entire sunday, stuck in bed or close to the bathroom. No one else in my family was ill, they also had different dishes at the restaurant. It seems like all clues lead back to the Flatiron steak.
It was so disappointing to have splurged on a nice meal only to be so ill from it. As of monday morning my stomach still is not feeling great, the restaurant is closed to today but I will follow up with the management when they reopen.

My husband and I went to Pappo because we were told that they would accommodate my severe food allergies… and they came through! Our server, Fay, was absolutely delightful and had several conversations with the chef to ensure I would have an enjoyable meal without the various allergens. Wish we had a Pappo closer to home!

Fabulous menu and even more wonderful food. I would come back here anytime I’m in the vicinity. Service was friendly and incredibly efficient what more can I say. This place is a gem!!!

I hate to say it but I am just not a fan. I’d give 2.5 stars, but forced to choose, it is closer to 2 than 3. I’ve been here 3 times, once for brunch (some years ago), twice for dinner. Ambience is fine. Service is very good.
Brunch was good but nothing extraordinary and prices were high. But both times I was there for dinner, my meal and my partner’s meal were extremely salty. I like salt. I have high blood pressure partly because I like salt a lot. But OMG. Sooo salty!
The first time I was a wimp and said nothing. The second time, we were there shortly before closing so I did not want to send it back (in fact I can’t remember now what I had but I think it was a stew or it had a sauce or something like that where the salt would have already been in it and not able to be changed individually). But I did tell the server, and they gave us free dessert, which was good. My partner agreed that the food was salty, but he didn’t care because he doesn’t really care about food too much.
I say if both meals were too salty both times, that means their food is over-​salted in general. For brunch I had French Toast so that isn’t going to be too salty.

We joined our family members who dine here every Mothers Day as a tradition. The menu is a set price, prix fixe You have a shared fruit plate, and mini croissants then your choice of entrée and dessert that you don’t have to share.
Service was great and the food was good, I would have liked to have a larger portion though. Overall very good.

My wife and I were so very
our food. First let me say that I am glad these folks are here. Alameda is saturated with Asian, Mexican, and Italian cuisine, so it is always refreshing to have an alternative. The California cuisine is a great alternative to the others. I would like to say that everything was perfect except for the food and the value. For starters, the restaurant is very pleasant and beautifully decorated. We were promptly taken in and the young lady at the bar pleasantly served us our wine while waiting for our table. We were given a nice seat, and our waitress couldn’t have been better. We ordered the Caesar salad as an appetizer. it was very tasty. For the main course, my wife and I ordered the meatballs and hangar steak. I have never had such dry meatballs. Literally like bound sawdust. The hangar steak was perfectly cooked but not tender. That would have been okay but it was so heavily seasoned with Cumin that no other flavors were perceivable. Neither my wife or I were able to finish our meal. I will say the garlic fries were really good. Because we were still hungry, we decided to have dessert, so we ordered the Crème Brulee’. Again, the worst we have ever had. It was runny and had a fairly pronounced citrus flavor that I didn’t like. Worst of all, as we began to eat the dessert, we found warm and chilled spots throughout. It was a real turn-​off. Again, we didn’t finish the dessert. The last unpleasant experience was the $ 130.00 price-​tag for a dinner that we thought was pretty terrible. We left feeling embarrassed that we had spent so much, and left so displeased with the meal. Again, everything was wonderful, except for what came out of the kitchen. I am not sure that I would go back but hope these nice folks can work out the problems in the kitchen. If I thought there were changes to the cuisine, I would gladly give them another try.

Every dish so far has been divine. Service is stellar. Parking can be difficult, but we can alway walk here from home. Def a place to come visit and have a great meal. Thank you Pappo and we didn’t even have reservations last visit. Wow!

This place is small and very intimate. We came here on a Friday night and it only took us a good 30 minutes to look for parking (never coming here on a Friday, for sure lol) the service was great and so was our food. My only complaint was that the portions were small and pricey. They also didn’t have any martinis or drinks besides wine. Checking out the menu before going is recommended if you’re picky!

Had reservations for dinner with my girlfriends on a Wednesday night since it was 2 of my friend’s birthdays. The restaurant had an intimate vibe with their dim lighting. We were led to our table and started off with water. One of my friends has food allergies and our server, Fay, was very helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. We started off with the truffled burrata cheese to share. It came out with 5 crostinis with the burrata cheese and a white fig jam. The sweetness of the jam with the burrata cheese on the crostini was perfect for an appetizer to share with friends.
We also ordered the homemade gnocchi to share. The gnocchi were like puffs of marshmallow pasta that melted in your mouth. The sauce that went with it was very rich but not heavy. And the butternut squash and leeks added additional texture to the dish.
One of my friends ordered the cream of mushroom soup and it definitely shits on canned cream of mushroom soup. It was perfectly creamy but not overly thick, in a deep purple color. Flavorwise, it was so good and definitely a comfort soup.
I ordered the duck risotto, while my friends ordered the filet mignon and grass fed beef burger. I’m not a huge duck person but this dish was pretty good. The different spices used reminded me of paella or a Mexican rice dish. Though it was good, after a while of just eating only that, it did start to get a lil bit salty so my friend ordered a lemon-​caper aioli to add to it just to change up the flavor. I also wished that the risotto was creamier but overall, it was a good dish.
Also, if you order anything with fries in it, ask for their chipotle aioli to dip your fries in. It’s pretty bomb as a dipping sauce and just in general.
For dessert, the birthday girls ordered the flourless chocolate cake and the bread pudding, while I shared the homemade vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and sea salt with another friend. The servers brought the birthday girl’s desserts out with candles. The flourless chocolate cake is really good. It actually had the consistency of cake but wasn’t overly sweet. The flourless chocolate cake at Townhouse Bar and Grill had a more mousse-​like taste and cheesecake-​like texture. I didn’t like the one from Townhouse all that much, but this one from Pappo’s was really good. It also came with an espresso gelato. I liked the bread pudding from Pappo’s a lot better too. It was very moist, warm, and flavorful, whereas Townhouse was just overly sweet. And I’m always a sucker for ice cream so the homemade ice cream was great with the caramel sauce and sea salt.
Pappo’s was such a great dinner. Everything we ordered was excellent. Thanks to Fay for a great experience.

Amazing service and such a wonderful way to spend your birthday here! Love how they clean ur table, fill your glasses w/​water, replace ur silverware from appitizers to your main course meal! staff is super friendly! love their fries&aioli!i highly recommend their chocolate flourless cake!

First time ever at Pappo in Alameda. Had a decent experience here. Recommend that you make reservations here cause their restaurant gets packed quickly. Décor was fine and clean. Service was satisfactory.
For starters, we shared their Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare. It came with their homemade potato chips. Not bad at all. Nice start to the meal. (3.5 stars)
Pear Salad was another item we tried. It was tasty and fresh. Hard to mess up a salad, though. (3 stars)
Duck Risotto was the tastiest dish we had that evening. Very flavorful and is something that I would order here again. (4 stars)
Rum Roasted Banana Bread Pudding with caramel sauce was good, but overpriced. $ 7 for such a tiny portion. (3 stars)
Do I recommend the place? Yes, I do. Had a a decent 3 star experience at Pappo. Could see future visits here being much better.

Both the food and service were excellent! My boyfriend and I went to dinner here last night, we both had Caesar salad and steak, sooooooo good, flavorful, fresh, and perfect portions, for dessert I had crème brulé, he had the chocolate cake, again both were super, definitely will go back.

What a wonderful experience! Great food (skirl steak, rockfish and kale salad).Our server was fantastic. Loved those porcupine earrings from Etsy. (Sorry, I had such a great time, I forgot your name).
She couldn’t have been sweeter. Recommended!

Tried this for the first time and it was good. Had the Wagu Beef Burger and it was tasty, the appetizers were also very good portions. Service though for a Friday night not packed was okay. Other tables after us were getting their entrees before us and service was slow at times. Nice, but slow. I will try again when the menu changes.

Whomever gives them less than 5 stars has no idea what they are talking about. The chef here is amazing, the food is most delicious and worth every penny charged, the service staff is impeccable without being stuffy, and I look forward to going back once or twice more before I move to So Cal. I will miss this place. Love their regular menu and if you get on their mailing list, they have Thursday night market dinners that never fail to impress and have special prix fixe menus on special holidays such as Father’s Day, etc.
Don’t listen to the bad reviews here, they have no idea what they are talking about. :)P

Had not been to Pappo in awhile but remembered a time when it was one of the finer dining establishments in Alameda. Alas, the writing is on the wall as to it’s demise. Or should I have said the writing is on the front door in the form of a «Front of the House Help Wanted Sign».
Went on a Tuesday and was surprised to see only 6 to 7 dining couples there the whole time. This place used to be packed and my Sig Other and I wondered why so empty? The Dubs Playoff game was not until 7:30pm…so why?
Well, here’s the reason.
— Price Point is too high for the Quality of Food & Service. The restaurent needs an identity… are you trying to be fine pricey dining or casual less pricey dining? …service was a bit casual for the price. Food quantity and quality did not match the high prices.
— Dishes are Hit or Miss… Asparagus Soup was runny, Mushroom Barley dish was very good while my Sig Other’s Duck could have used more orange sauce.
— Manager tailed the Waiter the entire time. Guess the Waiter was in training or under review. Weird when you have someone follow closely without a greeting.
So disappointed or should I say saddened by the decline…

This is by far my favorite restaurant. The food is impeccable and unique. The freshness is remarkable. The way the dishes are infused with powerful flavors, your taste buds will thank you.
The menu can’t simply be replicated at home. The variety of menu items are sure to please anyone’s pallet.
The prices are comparable to the area. Personally, I feel the cost is cheap for what you’re getting. Everything is fresh, homemade, organic and locally grown.
It’s located in the heart of downtown Alameda. The décor is nice and clean. The staff operates like a big family. The customer service is the best I’ve ever seen. They’re all very knowledgable about the food and wine.
This is the type of place you can make a fancy occasion or casual night out.
I’m glad I don’t live nearby or else I’d be eating here every night. My wallet would hate me but my appetite would thank me.

2.5– Food
5– Ambiance
4– Customer Service
5– Cleanliness
I defintely wouldn’t refer to this place as my Papo, but I wouldn’t throw it to the curb either. I have mixed feelings about the place– which is partially due to my fault, of ordering a couple of the worst items on the menu. I know this to be true, because my counterpart did in fact order a much tastier item than me and the other most appealing item on the menu was sold out. I went against my gut instinct and ordered poorly out of pure hunger.
I ordered a cup of the Mushroom Soup to wet my palette, in which was good, but tasted more salty and creamy than mushroom-​like. Funny, that I look back now, and I got upset that the waitress practically pounced on me to take it away from me before I was done, but I think the warmth and salt is what made me keep sipping it, not necessarily the quality of the food. Why eat, drink, or sip something I don’t like very much? I don’t know, why do people live in the snow? Because they just do, that’s where they live.
I also ordered the Truffle Cream Gnocchi. Yuck. I was running out of time, and didn’t want to be such a priss in front of a slightly newer friend I had just made, so I made it work at that moment (and now I am being a priss in my review.) I avoided the cream as much as I could and went straight for the Gnocchi, which was a really weird texture and seemed to be disentagrating into the cream at a pace more rapid than I could eat.
My friend ordered the Duck Gnocchi, which seemed to be much more well put together and I had a few bites of his. The Gnocchi on his plate resembled the texture and shape that I have grown to be very familiar with and love. His dish was adorned with pomegranite seeds and mini broccolinis and was absolutely delicious.
He pressured me into ordering dessert– their Persimmon Bread Pudding with whip cream was decadent and each bite was filled with sweetness, crisp persimmons and soft bread. It was a little on the dry side, but overall I’m happy we endulged.
The waitstaff was sweet and according to my friend, operates more like a family than a transient wait staff– which you could see in how they served. The waiters there seemed to work as a team, helping eachother out and picking up the slack if another was falling behind. The only thing that bothered me a little was the over attentiveness and the waitress taking away the food before I was done. I know from experience (I was a waitress for a short period of time), that waiting tables is an art and it can be very hard to perfect the timing aspect of, so a high five for the efforts and a thumbs up for the awesome sense of humor when my friend and I gave her a hard time (jokingly).
Would I return? Not so sure. Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn’t. We’ll have to see about that!
Bön Apetit!