Popoca

American · Oakland, CA · $$

Popoca is a Salvadoran-inspired restaurant in the heart of Oakland. Popoca means “to emit smoke” in Nawat, the language of native people of El Salvador who stoked wood fires to prepare food over a comal for their families. Revered as more than just a means of cooking, smoke represents a prayer or offering to the spirits. Popoca is a mix of heritage and play. Our food is driven by preserving past, creating something new and uniquely Oakland. After years of pop-ups, Popoca has its own digs in the Old Oakland neighborhood, where the pupusas, chicken with fermented pineapple sauce, and other Cali-Salvadoran specialties are happily devoured.