Mockingbird

We ended up at Mockingbird accidentally after seeing a show at the New Parish. They were packed since it was restaurant week. We waited a little longer than we expected, but as soon as there was room for our rather large group, they hustled and got us seated. The wait staff is attentive and affable. The menu is small but special. The starters included their famous brussel sprouts and there is a reason they are famous – crazy caramelized and tasty. We also had the smoked trout slaw, yay. The entrees were delicate – the duck was a pretty sizable leg, the seafood stew was a the small side, but the steak was extra special. I really love this place and have started taking my friends there. The menu could use an entrée that is vegetables but not pasta (and does but the menu changes), and, while i know it’s not their fault, and they are amazingly generous about it, the alcohol issue impacts the meal a little.

Just had dinner there.
Like some of the previous reviews and one of our servers said –the brussel sprouts were pretty good.
The rest of the food we ordered — the hangar steak was good, pork stew was so so, the duck was crunchy and so so and the veg tagine was meh.
Not sure why we stuck around for dessert cause the service was bad. Took them a while to take our order, longer to get food and we couldn’t catch any servers attention to get a refill of water. 2 – 3 of them were chatting away behind the counter and one was fixing her hair in the reflective wall. Finally one of us had to get up with the jug to ask for a refill.
And the bread pudding was dried crusty bread with a dollop of whipped cream. The almond cake was pretty good though I doubt I’d ever go back for more with the terrible service.
Their inattention also meant they served us with an 82 cent x 2 bill. Shouldn’t have corrected that cause the service was just worth that much.

Spent 30 minutes trying to find wine after learning it was BYOB & misunderstanding directions to nearby liquor store (that charges 3x for worst selection I’ve ever seen & I’m from Iowa!)
Got back to find cold apps on table but still delighted with brussel sprouts (truly amazing despite presentation), as was duck pâté, this time with huckleberry jam.
Entrees were less than special — pork stew was ok, but cod nearly inedible.
As for dessert, I love bread pudding, but not this one. Have I become a foodie snob? This was nowhere near 4 stars for me… so disappointing!
Hmm…wonder why is called mockingbird?

Absolutely delicious dinner and great service.
We ordered the grilled Firebrand bread w/​duck pâté as well as the trout avocado toast to start. First, may I just say we are now converts to Firebrand Breads? Holy moly, so incredible (we loved it so much we went to Firebrand this morning to pick some up!). The apps were fantastic and so filling we could have made that dinner, but we had our curiosities peaked so we forged ahead with the pork sugo & steak frites as entrees. My better half said the pork was rich, unctuous and really delicious and the steak frites was perfectly medium rare and drizzled with a flavor-​bomb herb sauce that was a perfect foil to the richness of the beef. Frites were thin & crispy, just as they should be.
I was quite literally stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, but the boy does love him some dessert, so we had the traditional bread pudding & the pavlova. I never was able to get my fork near the pavlova (!) but it was apparently fantastic. And the bread pudding was traditional (no seasonal fruits or crazy flavor profiles) with a delicious caramel drizzle as the perfect finish. Even though I could only manage a couple of forkfuls, they were a couple of delightful forkfuls!
The evening was rounded out with very competent service. Each person we came in contact with was very friendly, wanted to be as helpful as possible, and did their jobs efficiently and effectively so that we never felt a lag or disruption or were in need of anything.
I have had lunch at Mockingbird previously and thought it was good, but dinner was an entirely different experience. A+ for a homey, local, delicious, friendly and fabulous evening!

Holy Cow! What a meal! We haven’t been wowed in a while, but Mockingbird did it! We had the firebrand bakery bread w/​duck liver pâté, steak and frites, pork sugo with grilled polenta. For dessert, bread pudding and pavlova. All dishes we great! Big flavors! Service was friendly and efficient. Big plus that you can byob and not pay a corkage fee. Go now!!!

Finally tried this neighborhood restaurant. We made a last minute reservation for 9 PM, and even though the system didn’t have our table, we were seated in the full restaurant within a couple of minutes. The rustic dining room offered great ambience and the service provided delicious recommendations. All of the dishes were perfect from the jamon with fruit, to the tangine, and fish. Ordering the toast is a must. The tough crust and soft inside of the old world bread is so rare to find these days. It was perfect! The meringue with lemon curd dessert was the perfect way to finish the meal. This place will be a go to spot going forward.

A BYOB in Oakland? Rare, but you can find them. Not only is there no corkage fee, but the food is phenomenal as well.
First, let’s talk ambiance. Great feel and almost feels like a mix of shabby chic and industrial. The service was attentive but not overly in your face. We had a party of 6 and felt that we definitely had great service.
We started with the fried Brussel sprouts with garlic aioli, crumbled blue cheese and Saba. I am still thinking if these Brussel sprouts to this day! The crunchiness of the Brussel sprouts paired with the aioli and blue cheese was spectacular. I have talked about this meal to my friends that haven’t been to Mockingbird.
For my entrée, I ordered the pork sugo with polenta with bitter greens and picked red onions. The flavor on the pork sugo really comes out and you can tell it’s been slow cooking forever!
We all really enjoyed our meals at Mockingbird and can’t wait to go back.

Thank you, thank you for cooking sunchokes the way they should be prepared. The snapper dish was cooked incredibly well. The flavors blended perfectly and the texture was spot on. Brussel sprouts as an hors devour definitely held up to their signature starter. I will be back.
Atmosphere is very welcoming as a single person. It’s warm and cozy inside despite the high ceilings. The staff is welcoming and they don’t make you feel out of place.
Oh and it’s BYOB! That means no corkage fee. BOOM!

New Year’s Eve at Mockingbird consisted of a prefixed menu with three different options for each course: appetizer, entrée, and dessert. With a dining companion, it made it easy to try two of the three options.
Sunchoke soup and an escarole salad were the starters, both of which were light and refreshing. My appetizer was the smoke trout and avocado, with baby greens and onions in a light dressing; I don’t normally like fish, but this dish was so good I finished every bite. My entrée was the star of the meal, a wild mushroom risotto in a delicious broth, which I had to force myself to eat slowly for the sake of politeness because it was freaking fantastic. Such good, delicate flavors that I couldn’t get enough of and never wanted to end. The roast with mashed potatoes was wonderful, and the meat was medium-​rare and incredibly tender and juicy.
Dessert was both great and slightly disappointing; the bread pudding was perfection, warm, gooey, with caramel and vanilla, but the Meyer lemon pavlova with earl grey meringue wasn’t what I hoped it would be. The flavors were so fresh and delicate, but the meringue was too hard and flaky to be very enjoyable, texture-​wise. I really wish I had gone with the chocolate chocolate chocolate mint tart.
Dinner for two with the 20% gratuity included came out to $ 198.00. Very pricey for NYE dinner, but worth it. Everyone deserves a spurge now and then.

Really torn between two and three stars, but it just wasn’t a three star experience overall. The restaurant is really cute, but they’re doing construction outside of it so it’s a little hard to figure out how to get inside. The first snafu was that we made a reservation which was confirmed, but when we showed up the hostess said they were double booked or something so there was no table ready for us, so we had to sit at the bar. The guy who helped us at the beginning of our meal was really friendly and nice, but then I guess his shift ended and we didn’t see him again for the last part of our meal. I found it odd that there was no note of that, like hey my shifts ending now, so and so is going to take care of you. Our food was fine but the entrées we ordered were really unevenly heated. Some of my veggies were hot and others were cold. The portion of the entrée was also a little small, I think. And honestly some of the veggies were straight up undercooked. That dish is really what brought this review down to two stars. Then, we ordered dessert and I had a whole conversation with the waitress about what she recommends and I went with her recommendation, and then somehow they brought out the wrong dessert, which I ate anyway. Also, the restaurant was cleared out, and I mean cleared out, by 10pm on a Friday. To the point where my husband and I felt super awkward finishing our wine and dessert while the staff basically just waited for us to leave. Important note: it’s BYOB, which might be why it was empty so early on a Friday. Anyway, I really wanted to love this place but mostly I regret dropping over $ 100 on an unforgettable meal. I won’t be coming back here. Oh, also, and this isn’t the restaurant’s fault, but parking is nothing short of a nightmare here. We ended up having to pay $ 10 to park in a lot that was a bit of a walk away from the restaurant. I think it would serve them well to put up a note about parking and the construction on their website.

Just not worth going back to with all the other good options in the area.
Server was noticeably stressed and to his credit he had too many tables but the unfortunate situation could’ve been handled with more grace.
Food came out cold, I. E the steak frites.
Bathroom is also out of service.
All in all just too many negatives added up to make the experience unremarkable.

There is nothing to fault at Mockingbird.
On a Friday night, seating was easy at prime time with a reservation. I liked the fact that even on a Friday, it wasn’t too busy but just busy enough.
Our meal started with an amazingly friendly (and sassy!) waiter who knew exactly what to recommend. Between two ladies, we decided to split an appetizer and an entrée to save space for the much talked about bread pudding. I was being ever so indecisive, and the waiter goes «Trust me. you want it.» I like the confidence!
We decide on the Duck Liver Mousse to start, Slow Cooked Pork Sugo, and of course, the bread pudding for dessert.
With our order squared away, we open the bottle of wine that we brought. Oh, did I mention, no corkage fee? NO corkage fee!!!
We enjoyed our red wine leisurely while munching on a heaping amount of Duck Liver Mousse and crostinis. Then came the Pork Sugo… so del-​ee-​cious. The slow cooked pork went so well with the crispy polenta. I usually don’t even like slow cooked pork, but this was on another level. Another great recommendation by the waiter!
Then came the bread pudding. It was very good as the Unilocal reviewers and waiter promised. There was nothing lacking from the food or the service.
In the end, we didn’t even notice how time flew by. Everything went so smoothly my girlfriend and I were chatting away until we realized we were one of the last to go. Great meal and great mood!

Small menu BUT huge flavor! I am pleased to say this is a favorite new dinner spot! We started with the fried Brussels sprouts which were AMAZING and cooked to perfection. Then we tried the fire bread with picked strawberry and duck liver mousse a surprising delightful pairing. For Entrée we had steak and fries and the pork sugo, both were beyond impressive and left you wanting more!!! The fries were insane when dipped in the sugo. I mockingbird. …we will be dining again!
Tip: MAKE A RESERVATION this place books quick! AND ASK FOR MICHAEL HE IS THE BEST!!!

Yummy
Steak frites
Duck confit
Awesome fried Brussels sprouts
Warm service
Proudful staff
Portland casual vibe
Bring your own wine-​no corkage
Will return soon!

Had a nice date night with the hubs here. Ambiance and décor were lovely. Steak was divine! Seriously delicious. Staff is super friendly.
On the not so great side were the fried brussels sprouts appetizer, just wasn’t tasty at all.
Also the byob thing is a bummer (but not so much as to keep us from coming back) and the apple crisp dessert was out by the time we finished our steaks. Boo.
Lastly we were alone in the restaurant for the last half of our dinner and the staff was actively cleaning up and stacking chairs around us, it was kind of a bummer. They might have waited ten minutes until we had finished our drinks and left before putting up the chairs.

Great menu, beautiful décor, excellent service. However, I’m curious if they may have just been off tonight, and not tasting the food before it went out?
The green salad with peaches was amazingly stunning as it approached the table, yet the dressing had so much vinegar in it, I could barely eat the salad.
The brussel sprouts dish with a great balsamic reduction, bleu cheese, and crème was incredible. It was a delight. A must order if you like brussel sprouts.
My entrée of steak frits was cooked perfectly at medium well, and it was topped with a salsa verde. The fries were so over cooked that they were hard, and the whole plate was severely under seasoned (even with the salsa).
My friend was happy with her dish, the duck confit was fantastic.
The décor of the restaurant is warm and inviting. They have several tables with tall stools, and tables are not on top of each other. Their service is also friendly.

An excellent meal in a chill, peaceful oasis in the heart of Oakland.
Mockingbird is located a block away from the busy fox theater and the neighborhood isn’t all that great. Step into the restaurant though, and it’s a respite of white walls, quirky décor, and little flowers in little vases on unfinished wood tables. I liked that a lot, and the food was great as well.
The deep fried Brussels sprouts with blue cheese were savory, creamy, and tangy all at once. And the simple «bread and butter» starter was a great example of less is more. Chewy grilled bread goodness.
Our entrees were also solid. The gnocchi was light as a feather, and super fresh-​tasting with veggies and herbs. The pork sugo was also delicious, topping a tasty crispy polenta cake and accompanied with a seasoned dandelion greens salad. I might have preferred the texture to be a bit firmer (less mushy) but that’s just nit picking.
Service was also great– friendly, genuine, and super efficient. We had a great dinner here, and would recommend to anyone. Oh, and it’s $ 0 corkage BYOB! Sweet…

Great spot. Went here for dinner last week with the husband for our weekly date night.
Nice open space that feels quit cozy. Sat at a high table near the window. We started with the pâté (husband liked this one) and the green goddess salad (light and tasty). I got the smoked pork for my main, and it was amazing. The crispy polenta was a perfect combination of crispness and creaminess. Husband got the special, which was a goat cheese green garlic tart with braised lamb and fingerling potatoes. The food was so great, interesting menu.
It’s BYOB with no corkage, which is great since our wine collection is growing, nice to have some great food to pair a bottle with.
Look forward to coming back here.

I came here with my friends for restaurant week, we made reservations for 8:30, and were seated promptly which was great.
They were really busy because apparently everyone had reservations made at 8:30, so it took them awhile to get our order. BYOB with no corking feee!!! They also had the best restaurant week menu any app + any entrée + bread pudding for dessert. My friend definitely chose the best restaurant, I usually avoid restaurant week because I feel like the restaurants always make you choose from a set menu, which is generally crap.
Since you can choose any app + entrees my friends and I ordered the duck liver mousse appetizer with crostini and cranberry, chicken pot pie, and roasted brussel sprouts with lemon aioli. The duck liver mousse and the chicken pot were scrumptious, especially the chicken pot pie the crust was super flakey and buttery. I also loved how they used dark meat for the chicken. The brussel sprouts were good, but I’ve had the same type of brussel sprouts at almost every restaurant now.
For our entrée we ordered the half chicken, steak frites, and pork hash with fried polenta. I enjoyed the steak frites the most, the steak was super juicy and flavorful. The half chicken portion was huge and was most definitely half of a small chicken. Service was a bit rushed which is understandable since they were so packed from restaurant week.
The steak frites and duck liver mousse are must tries!

Couldn’t decide between the Mini Cheeseburgers and the Pork Torchon Sliders. Both are $ 12 so the server suggested one of each with a choice of salad or fries. Worked for me (
).
The Cheeseburger patty was nicely seasoned and was more medium than the Med-​Rare that I’d asked for (
). It was moist, but not dripping juicy and had a good mix of classic flavors from the ketchup, mustard, & pickles.
The Pork Torchon Slider has a breaded patty of pork, fried like a crab cake along with a mix of greens & Kimchi on top and some sesame aioli underneath (
). There was too much kimchi which dominated the flavor until I took some out. I liked it OK, but would have to say I liked the cheeseburger better.
I didn’t get all the details, but they are temporarily not serving beer /​wine that are still on the back of the menu. My server said they are working through some issues and they are expecting a return of booze at some point in the near future.