CaÑa - Oakland

I'm really disappointed to say that this was my first and last visit to Cana, as they will be closing permanently on February 18. However, I was excited to enjoy a variety of dishes for dinner with two friends. The food was fantastic! They had an impressive drink and food menu with plenty of options, although I decided to skip the drinks that evening. It's a charming little place with wonderful artwork and a cozy atmosphere—perfect for date nights. I also heard they host live bands and dancing on weekends during brunch.

We arrived late at night and were the only patrons in the restaurant. We parked across the street and were planning to go salsa dancing next door, so we decided to have dinner here first. The waitress attended to us promptly and offered excellent recommendations. We both ordered the oxtail with rice, which was over $30. Initially, I thought it was a bit pricey, but when the food was served, I realized it was a generous portion that we could easily share. The dish was incredibly delicious—moist, tender, and full of flavor. It was so large that we had to take some leftovers home. I would love to return and explore more items on the menu.

I loved the atmosphere of the place as well. However, there was a downside: while sitting in our car parked next to the theater, we witnessed thieves breaking into another car, even with people all around. The area has deteriorated in recent years, making it unsafe to park there. We saw numerous cars with smashed windows. I truly enjoy the food and shops in the area, but the risk of having to replace a window is not worth it. Thankfully, we were lucky this time.

Came here on my birthday because I wanted something different. I got Beef Empanadas, Ropa Vieja I believe. Food was bomb. I need to try the other stuff.

On a quiet mid-week night Cana closes down the main seating part of the restaurant in favor of focusing on the small café space attached to the kitchen. Smokey and loud this actually adds some vibrance to the space that other reviewers remark happens on the weekend. I was in the mood for something differnt and Cuban food looked to scratch that itch. I came with some friends so we were able to try a few drinks and dishes. I will caveat that everything tasted VERY good but the 'average ' star rating comes from the price. We started with some grilled plantains and the beef and chicken empanadas. The plantains were tasty about 6 small pieces), starchy and sweet; just the way I like it. The empanadas come out 2 in an order $14 each. The picadio beef) were filled with ground beef, olives and spices served with a green caper sauce. The chicken were filled with shredded and succulent chicken served with a garlic green sauce. Wrapped in a crispy dough, a little more butter and a deeper fry would have put it over the top. The chicken were the winners here. We got fried chicken sandwiches which were served with a side salad and came as a decent size fried cutlet on grilled bread and all the fixings. Flavor bomb that blew it out of the water. We also got a grilled chicken platter flowing over with black beans, rice and roasted vegetables. Again, the chefs know how to cook some chicken and the flavor of the beans were so authentic. We wet our whistles with mojitos, $14 and a glass of rioja wine $18) meaning each of our bills came to about $70 pp with tip and tax. For a shared app, 2 drinks and a sandwich in a cafe? I love to support local, I know we have an inflation issue, but I can 't rationalize the food to price ratio. I hope that the next calendar year sees prices normalizing so I can come back for my Cuban fix w/o stressing the wallet!