Soizic Bistro

I have enjoyed this find for a few years. I have taken business clients for dinner and had lunch meetings at Soizic and surprised everyone with the food quality and service.
The menu is varied and offers everyone a choice of something they will enjoy.
Priced very well compared to Jack London Square eateries — I find this a welcome distraction from all those ambience centers as the focus is food — service and quality.
A wonderful value!
I am never disappointed here.

I couldn’t have asked for a better place for our first date… I was running a little late that night so I ended up taking more time to find parking than actually getting there! The entrance isn’t on Broadway, like I expected (but then again, I was running across the street in high heels, trying to make it before the light changed so I may not have really been paying close attention to the entrance!), but I found the door soon enough. I walked in and the entrance is curtained off, creating a foyer of sorts to help block wind. I pushed aside the heavy red velvet curtains and found my date sitting at the bar chatting with the host (he later told me that I made quite an entrance through the curtains).
This was our first date and actually the first time we were meeting in person so the nerves were on full alert. The host was great — joking around and giving me a little grief for being late — but it definitely helped us break the ice. The food was excellent — I had the salmon (an asian fusion style) and he had braised short ribs. Nothing left on either plate… my salmon was a tad salty for me, but I tend to under salt rather than over salt. Still delicious though, and I ate it all. We were there for a couple of hours — combination of great food, great service, and great ambiance made for an unforgettable first date. When we finally decided to call it a night, there was one other couple still there… and from the look of it, they were on a first date as well!
4 solid stars for the restaurant — an extra half star for excellent service/​staff/​environment and I’m throwing in a little bit more for sentimental value. :) We will definitely be back!

Boyfriend and I came here for dinner before his surprise birthday party and had an amazing time!
It was dark and sexy. The food was phenomenal. Our server was wonderful. Everything was timed just so. We got nice and drunk on an organic Rioja.
Say what you want about Jack London, this place is a «petite bijou»!

Summary based on several visits over years, in this location as well as the old one in Berkeley:
–Food is usually pretty good
–Service is helpful, friendly, and accommodating
–Parking is pretty good
–nice décor, probably a good date place if you want to come to this part of Oaktown

Using the nifty little iPhone Unilocal app we found this place. It’s located in Jack London Square. First impression was it has good ambiance. We got in about 6pm and the crowd had just begun trickling in. The service here is outstanding! The menu well being that it was a French restaurant I was looking forward to Escargot. Was a little disappointed when I saw that it was not on the menu. We started off ordering some wine and ordered the Sauteed Chanterelle. French feta cheese on a toast which was really good.
For my entrée I went with the Coq Au Vin my other half ordered a salmon dish. Honestly, I was not really impressed with the Coq Au Vin… I have had it many times in the past and I was really disappointed in the sauce. It was to my taste bland. I wanted to like this place but just was not impressed at all and based upon all of the wonderful reviews here I was not left feeling that way. The bf did however like his entrée.
Now, dessert… We split the the Ginger Custard and that was amazing. We got out of here just under $ 100.
NOTE: I know that this has nothing to do with the restaurant at all. BUT. If you are a Kings of Convenience fan or Whitest Boy Alive fan or an Erlend Oye fan then take a peak at the chief… The one at least working that night we were here resembles Erlend!

Not the best, neither the worst around.
Mussel soup was slightly over-​salted; otherwise, it’s not bad — pretty creamy with decent flavor.
Butternut squash was fair and the side ingredients did not help to bring out the best of the dish.
Main course was coq au vin, sea bass, and duck confit. The flavor of chicken and duck was okay, but I wasn’t able to taste the subtleness expected from French cuisine. I did happen to like the sides along with the entrees because it was kept simple — fresh and not heavily seasoned.
I think I had an okay experience with this place. For next time, I will probably explore somewhere else new, but I wouldn’t oppose to a second try.

The occasion: mom & dad hosting a birthday dinner for our 24 year old daughter, her boyfriend and her brother. A rain drenched Friday night, the highways turned into parking lots. Everyone arrives 30 to 60 minutes late.
The setting: Soizic Bistro
Impressions: wet and rattled, we meet in the cozy bar, where the bartender, Roland, made expert cocktails: the chamomile infused scotch was a delicious master piece. Ditto all of the handcrafted drinks.
The mood of the place is relaxed and mellow, take your time. We could hear each other talk!
Half of the group were vegetarians and the other half were carnivores. The Lamb, braised short ribs, and coq Au van were terrific. All the vegetarian dishes were very good, complex with spices and cooked perfectly. (A rabid vegan might find the menu a bit limited.) We order appetizers of Acorn Squash salad – fantastic! Smoked Trout, ditto. Everyone had deserts: the ginger crème
brulie, the pot o cream chocolate, flour less chocolate cake— all very good.
We came to Soizic for good food at a reasonable price. Most SF restaurants would be charging 25% more for the same meal, in a noisy place — something has caused us to seek GOOD VALUE in the total restaurant experience— Soizic is it. It’s way off the beaten path, but well worth it.

The exterior look and feel of this restaurant does not do it justice at all. I would have driven by here many times and would never notice it’s existence. The inside is very unique and… different. The décor is very artsy with paintings, high ceilings, dark ambiance with candles, and a curtain hangs in front of the entrance (you have to sweep it to the side to enter or see the bar area). There is plenty of seating as well as a bar area and additional seating for private parties.
Appetizer
— Warm unagi: included grilled radicchio, watercress, wasabi tobiko, and horseradish cream. This dish was flavored well and quality was evident (no bones from what I recall).
Lunch Entrée
— Salmon aïoli: with caper, roasted red pepper, vegetables, and polenta. The salmon was perfect. Crispy on the outside from being pan fried and moist on the inside. I wasn’t really a fan of the polenta, it didn’t really look too appetizing either (yellow mush). Polenta fries would have been a better side in my opinion.
Dessert
— Walnut tart with white pepper ice cream: the white pepper ice cream intrigued me to try this dessert. Subtle pepper flavor that I could barely taste, but you can definitely smell it. It was alright at most, I don’t think I would order it again.
— Fruit crisp with vanilla ice cream: the fruit crisp consisted of some type of berry (cherry, perhaps?). It wasn’t overly tart like I expected it to be (more on the sweeter side. Warm and delicious accompanied with ice cream/​crispy granola. *Favorite*
Service was great, a little slow at times, but with great company we didn’t notice it. Loved the fact that they didn’t try to rush us and kick us out even when we probably stayed past their lunch time and all other lunch customers that surrounded us were no longer in sight. Their menu is not extensive with many options, but ingredients used taste fresh and they perfect their dishes. I would recommend their salmon and fruit crisp.
P. S. You can make reservations on their web site through Open Table.

We liked it. A-​OK. Coq-​au-​vin was really good. Duck confit was OK.
Pot de crème was tasty. 10 y/​o port equally tasty.
i’d go back again to taste the rest.

Mua’s sister. The view from Broadway is deceiving, see the neon blue lighting. This is about four blocks from Jack London Square, it’s actually closer to 880 than the water. Looks like a beat closed down bar. But on the side street, the real entrance greets the patron, inside is just right, lighting is moody and the draped velvet entrance feels like a VIP access at the exclusive nightclub. High ceiling, Asian art in the right places, unique childish art that is the Mua trademark, and onto the food.
Butternut squash cup of soup, excellent, hot through and rich. Lamb filet and corn polenta were decent enough, presentation was top shelf. Sea bass special with lemon accent over greens at $ 22 a plate not a value. Pasta was so-​so. Out the door at $ 140 for four guests eating one entrée each without any drinks. Nothing to write home about, but certainly what I was expecting, nothing more, nothing less. I won’t be patronizing Soizic on a regular basis, but if in the area, it’s the top 5 restaurant in Jack London Square area and is a spot for special guests or occasions that allow for air and talk without inhibition. Yoshi’s and the Fat Lady are equal or better for experience and value. A welcome addition to Oakland and «Jack London Square» on Broadway. Sister location, Mua, in Uptown Oakland at 26^th and Broadway for drinks and tapas.

I’ve been here in the past and haven’t loved it, but my visit last weekend changed my mind. I was there for a big family dinner, and all of the food I tried was pretty solid. Highlights included the rib-​eye steak, the lamb fillet mignon, and the fish special. They all came with a sauce that was a little on the heavy side, but I’ll forgive them that since it tasted pretty darn good.
The waiter was a saint in dealing with my family (not easy, believe me) and recommended a nice wine (somehow I’m in charge of ordering wine with my family though, which is a little stressful for me, since I don’t really know much about it, so I always appreciate a waiter who can talk wine with me).
And, if you’re confused about what kind of food it actually is (French? California? Mediterranean? It’s so hard to tell) — they describe themselves as «French, with Californian, Mediterranean and Asian influences.» Just to make sure they’ve got everything covered, I guess.

I’m sure the food was fabulous. The problem is that they gave an observant Jew, someone who is Kosher and had SPECIFICALLY requested «no bacon» on her meal, a bowl of pasta full of bacon. I took two bites, got a mouthful of bacon, and threw up. (Yes, I know the vomiting was entirely psychosomatic. I was just that grossed out.)
There were four people in my party. They also gave the pescatarian a chicken instead of the tuna she’d ordered.
Two out of four orders completely wrong, and in ways that had these been allergies instead of preferences, could have killed us.
At that point, the rest seems pretty irrelevant to me. I won’t ever go back, and if you have any food allergies or preferences of this kind, I can’t recommend it either.

Service — A
Food — A+
Wine list — B+
Décor — B–
Cocktails — A
Friday night = date night around my household. Recent dates have included Wood Tavern (a favorite of ours), Oliveto, A Cote, Flora, Pizzaiolo, Dona Tomas, Marzano, Bocanova, Dopo.
Though we have been talking about it for years, we have never been to Soizic. We have had friends tell us to go there, we have parked in front and, at the last minute, changed our mind — but we have never stepped inside until tonight. I guarantee, it will not be our last time.
Here’s the story:
Friday night… no reservations. We walked in, fingers crossed that they’d have space for us and they did. While they set a cute corner table for us, we checked out the menu. To be honest, after looking over the menu, we almost walked out. It’s not that it looked bad, but it just didn’t look that exciting. Together with the facts that we were able to walk in without a reservation and that the décor is a bit dated (really ugly 90s track lighting, a carpeted floor (!), industrial looking ceiling tiles and an ugly material on the bench seating) AND the menu didn’t excite us, we were about to leave when the really friendly waiter called us over and told us our table was ready. So, we gave it a shot. So glad we did.
Okay, so then we sat and began looking over the nitty-​gritty of the menu. I have to say, I was NOT happy that they were serving farmed salmon instead of wild (even if it was Loch Duart — Monterey Bay Aquarium still says «NO» to farmed salmon). The other thing I got all high-​horsey about was the unagi on the menu (
). That said, I was excited about the chanterelles and the specials of the night — lamb tagine and butternut squash soup.
The wine list was interesting and the sommelier helpful in matching a wine to the food we ordered. We were also excited by the $ 15 corkage fee. Groovy.
Oh, and throughout the evening, the service was excellent — attentive, informative, friendly, funny. The timing of the food was good — very quick.
Cocktails — a fun and interesting list. I must say, it’s pretty rare for me to order one of the house cocktails at restaurants because I find them too frequently to be overly sweet & overly complicated. This time, however, I was drawn to one that had rye whiskey and something unexpected in it (sorry I can’t remember — elderflower liqueur maybe?). It was delicious. Oh, and the bar was super cute — very french feeling. I could see myself getting very cozy hanging out there for a while.
Okay, so I’ve covered décor, cocktails, wine, & service. Now, on to the food.
We ordered a chanterelle mushroom salad, the special of the night butternut squash soup, the special of the night lamb tagine, and the spinach ricotta ravioli. Let’s put it this way — we asked for another serving of bread so that my husband and I could mop up every drop of everything on our plates. The food was divine. I must say, I can be kind of hard to please — I often find that dishes need more salt or more acid or more depth, but every single thing we ordered was perfect. Perfectly prepared, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. Even dessert did not disappoint — guinness ice-​cream anyone? Wow.
The long and short of it is that I frequently leave restaurants thinking, «I could make that at home and it would taste better.» Not tonight. Soizic’s chefs would kick my butt in the kitchen. So, I will happily return to Soizic again and again.

Parlez-​vous français? Je t’aime Soizic!
*For the record, I took Spanish in high school. :)
After getting my fill of beer and ice cream at the Eat Real Fest, we needed something more substantial to eat. This place is easy to miss as it’s not exactly in the located in the heart of Jack London Square. Just a few blocks up from JLS, on Broadway, you’ll find Soizic amidst the industrial and residential area.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a wait for a table as we were warmly greeted by a hostess. I loved the ambiance, which wasn’t stuffy at all, and more relaxed and somewhat romantical. Diners here were dressed both casual and dressy.
Soizic’s cuisine is French, with Californian, Mediterranean and Asian influences. The menu has many wonderful dishes from traditional French dishes like Coq Au Vin, Ribeye Steak, Lamb, but also other pasta and fish entrees. There’s also an extensive wine selection. After perusing the menu and listening to the daily specials, we decided on:
1) Squash blossom salad — Daily special and was so delectable. I’m sorry I didn’t take pics of this lovely creation.
2) Penne smoked chicken with sundried tomatoes, sautéed onions, broccoli, parmesan cheese — Ok, are you ready for this? OH Mylanta, this was absolutely one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had. It was a decent portion size, and the sauce was delish and savory with a kick to it. I loved all the ingredients, from the chicken, which was tender and moist; my fav veggies (sundried tomatoes and broccoli); cheese (enough said, as I’m a cheese freak). Seriously, what was there to NOT love about this dish? I savored every bite and my plate was practically clean (aside from the broth) when the server cleared it.
3) Halibut — Daily special. This fish was so light and delicate, but bursting with flavor.
The desserts looked fabulous, but after eating dessert first (at the Eat Real Fest), we weren’t feeling like ordering anything. However, the only exception would be if they had crème brûlée, which they didn’t. Hopefully, they’ll have it next time!
We had an outstanding, friendly, and attentive server, Roland. Thank you for chatting with us and Soizic is very lucky to have you.
Bravo Soizic! I will return to this quaint French restaurant for more savory entrees, desserts, and wonderful service! BTW, prices aren’t astronomical. OUI! OUI!
Je t’aime Soizic!

The service attention, play fullness and sincerity deserve 4.5 Unilocal stars. The food is just 3 stars.
Food: Compared to the French cuisine of Liaison Bistro on Telegraph in Berkeley; Soizic is not as richly flavored. Compared to my favorite French style bistros on my home turf in Sonoma County like: Underwood café in Graton, K & L Bistro in Sebastopol, or Bistro des Copain in Occidental, Soizic cooking and presentation is pretty weak.
Soizic Wine list is unusual. Offers wine labels not seen elsewhere. Cocktails are good. I had a Laphroig with lemon juice, grapes on the skewer drink. Interesting and strange combo of flavors.
Old building has charm. Room is decorated nicely. Again the servers are wonderful. They pamper without smothering.
If you’re in Jack London Square and want french style food and aren’t too fussy, this will do.
3 course meals for two with cocktails and wine = $ 133

This is a fantastic small to medium sized french restaurant that seems to still be a little under the radar, they way I like it. Soizic has a nice variety of french american cuisine, a decent wine list and a very cozy dining environment. I came here with my parents and my dad’s old high school buddy. He even liked it. And he is a long time SF Telegraph hill, name dropping aristocrat who is used to dining at places like Fleur de Lys. And Soizic held up nicely.
The food is french, fused with california cuisine. I had the soup purée. It was absolutely delicious. If you come here, try their soup du jour. Also I had the penne chicken pasta. It was very well prepared. Others had the filet mignon which was also quite good. I only deducted one star for the slow pace. But it was the end of the evening, and they patiently waited as we were the last to leave.
They are passionate about good cuisine at Soizic, and it shows. We all had a nice meal and left happily into the night. Soizic has survived the times (dot com boom and bust), and still remains a great Oakland restaurant.

Pretty good bread and butter. I ate almost an entire dish… and that’s a compliment since I don’t normally eat bread and butter at restaurants.
I had the Rib-​Eye steak, medium-​rare, while my boss had the scallops special. The steak was very tender and cooked perfectly. I didn’t really dig the Stilton cheese on top and I don’t know if I consider the pistachios on top of the steak a very good compliment to the overall dish. I think I would have preferred the steak without those extras. The sides were decent, and the potatoes it was served with were pretty good, too. Again, there’s something missing in the savoriness that makes the dishs not exactly «hit the spot» …maybe it’s the healthiness they are more conscious of.
The scallops were deliciously seared, but could use more flavor, as with the rest of the items on the plate. They had this cool broccoli-​cauliflower hybrid vegetable… but it just tasted like a lighter version of cauliflower. We also had the squash soup, which was decent, but could also use more richness in flavor.
Overall, nice looking and pretty delicious dishes but pricey for the portions.

Super food, super wine, super atmosphere. Very romantic and not too loud so you can have a nice conversation and look into eachother’s eyes without some guy yelling obnoxiously next to you. (However, there was a customer who would burp/​hiccup every time he walked by our table?)
We started with some champagne because we were celebrating a birthday and I mentioned this to our waitress. This actually went really well with our creamy mussel soup. The bread was perfect for dipping as well. Delicious.
For our entrees, coq au vin and warm duck confit salad. Very satisfying and wonderful. I had the Soivic Syrah with the salad and it was really good.
The flourless chocolate torte came with a candle on top because our waitress remembered the birthday. This was the fluffiest flourless torte I have ever had – it tasted just like a cake but richer. Sooo good.
Definitely a new favorite.

This is the third time we’ve had dinner here and we’ve never had a bad one. Last night we were seeing Billy Cobham and Friends (Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker and John D. Williams… some friends!) at Yoshi’s and wanted to eat elsewhere for a change. We were greeted and seated by the hostess, who morphed into our server. She was a busy woman. I saw her mixing cocktails at the bar and we overheard her chatting w/​the couple at a nearby table about her plans for travel and education. She did a great job. We arrived about 6:15 to a restaurant w/​a few tables along the front wall filled. As we ate the place gradually filled, the 4 top next to us w/​rather loud, but interesting people. If you’re going to be forced to listen to others’ conversations it’s nice if they’re interesting, at least.
But the food. Oh, the food. Well, I started w/​a Limoncello mojito and it was yummy! Could have had another, but I had to walk. I ordered a spinach salad w/​goat cheese, cucumbers, red bell peppers, red onions, kalamata olives and sliced and toasted almonds. It was a marvelous blend! Alan had several bites and agreed. He ordered eggplant layered w/​oyster mushrooms, ricotta and goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and chard. It was accompanied by polenta but he substituted potato gratin as he doesn’t like polenta. It was very good. I ordered the wild caught salmon which had a soy/​sake sauce and was accompanied by nappa cabbage, Chinese eggplant, the tiniest vermicelli I’ve ever seen and carrot salad. I feel a wave of pleasure just writing the description, it was that good, perfectly done and beautifully balanced.
It was an easy walk back to Yoshi’s for the show.

Soizic has got to be one of the strangest restaurants I have ever been to. Well, maybe not THAT strange, but it’s certainly up there. The exterior is uninviting to say the least. Situated in a rundown looking old warehouse, Soizic is some type of European cuisine (I can’t tell if it’s French or Italian). It’s not the kind of place I would venture into on my own free will, but since I was invited for a fellow Unilocal member’s birthday party, I had to give it a try.
Here’s the breakdown:
Décor: Well, they did what they could considering the dilapidated warehouse setting. The faux European design is somewhat warming, but the ceilings are way too high, and it just doesn’t feel cozy. To top it off, they have some of the weirdest pictures on the walls. A couple of the highlights include a wolf or Tasmanian devil having its milk sucked out by four little cubs, and a smiley cherub with two «you know whats.» Furthermore, the paper thin replica paintings used in the attempt to block out the warehouse windows really don’t help the cause.
Staff: Of all the waiters I have been to, Soizic probably has the least «wait staff looking» wait staff I have ever seen. Apparently, they must have just peeled off the orange jumpsuit after a hard day’s work along the California highways, and headed straight for their night job. One of the servers reminded me of a younger version of Danny Trejo. They are also a bit loopy at times, taking forever to finally come around to take our order, but are quick to refill water and bread.
Management: I believe this European restaurant is run by or at least partly owned by a Korean family, which is very odd. In addition, while we were dining, I could hear and see a bunch of the daughters causing a ruckus, laughing and screaming as if they were in a soju bar. One of them even brought a dog into the restaurant. That certainly destroyed what little ambiance there was in the first place.
Food: Not being an expert on this type of cuisine, I can’t provide any detailed commentary on it, but what I can say is that it filled me up, and I have no complaints. The fare is nothing to whoop and holler about, but I suppose for the price of around $ 12 – 20 for entrees, which is equivalent to what you would pay at most chain restaurants, it’s more than adequate. Actually, let me restate myself. The portions do actually tend to be a tad on the smallish side, so if you are even the slightest bit larger than this slim, buck fiddy Asian dude, you might want to load up on the complimentary bread or order an extra appetizer. Also, be warned that the menu is quite sparse, but most of your typical meat items and salads are covered.
Location: It’s right on Broadway, highly visible to all passers by along the street. Unfortunately, as stated before, with the unattractive exterior, even the bright blue neon sign isn’t enough to draw people in. Luckily, if you manage to be sucked in, there is ample, safe parking all around. Remember, it’s all free after 6 pm!
In closing, other than the fact that it has an identity crisis, coupled with the bland exterior and oddball décor, Soizic isn’t half bad. Maybe it’s not so strange after alI. I don’t really mind the work release wait staff, as it adds more character to an otherwise vanilla experience. Would I come again? Sure, but probably not on my own though.