The anticuchos de corazón arrive first: skewers of marinated beef heart, charred hard over the grill, the most Peruvian thing on a menu that runs thirteen ceviches deep. Garrett Morris cooks them; his partner Renzo Roca, who grew up Peruvian and once ran the floor at Bernal Heights' Piqueo's, taught him the canon. They opened Lucuma in a former deli at 1700 Franklin Street in Downtown Oakland in July 2025 and, within five months, had been named one of the East Bay's best new restaurants.
The Kitchen
Garrett Morris is the cook; Renzo Roca, his partner of nearly a decade, is the Peruvian half of the partnership and the reason the kitchen reaches past the usual lomo-saltado-and-pisco template. Roca learned the recipes from his family and ran front-of-house at the late Piqueo's; Morris, who came from a career in construction project management, learned the cooking from him and then sharpened it. The result is precise rather than rustic.
The anticuchos de corazón are the signature: beef hearts marinated in ají panca, skewered, and grilled until the edges crisp. The ceviche list runs thirteen deep, from a clean classic in leche de tigre to a richer ceviche cremoso at about $27. Lomo saltado, the wok-charred beef stir-fry that defines Lima's Chinese-Peruvian chifa tradition, lands at $34 and is the dish to order if you want one plate to argue the kitchen's case. Ají de gallina, a creamy walnut-and-chilli chicken, rounds out the heartland.
Entrees sit between $26 and $34, and the bar pours pisco sours with the same care as the plates. The dining room in Downtown Oakland opened in July 2025; by December it had taken a best-new-restaurant nod in the East Bay's NOSH awards. For a kitchen barely six months old, that is a quick verdict, and a fair one.
The Room
Morris and Roca redesigned the former Wise Sons deli themselves, and it shows in a room that feels personal rather than corporate. Lighting is warm and low; the sound sits at a lively hum rather than a roar, loud enough for energy and quiet enough to talk across a two-top. Tables are spaced with a little more room than most new downtown openings allow, and the bar anchors one side for walk-ins and pisco. Seating runs to roughly fifty between tables and counter. Dress is smart-casual Oakland: nobody will blink at jeans, and nobody is in a tie. It reads as a neighbourhood restaurant cooking a level above what the block expects.
Best for Birthday
Book Lucuma for a birthday dinner when you want somewhere new, warm, and a little celebratory without a tasting-menu commitment. Three reasons it works: the menu is built for sharing, so a table can graze across ceviches and anticuchos rather than each guarding a plate; the bar turns out proper pisco sours to toast with; and the room's lively hum suits a group without drowning conversation. Order a spread of the ceviches for the table, the anticuchos de corazón to start the grill, and finish with the lucuma dessert the restaurant is named for. It is a confident, generous night out. See more birthday tables in the city.
Skip it if you want a quiet, formal tasting menu. Lucuma is a lively shared-plates room with a busy bar, built for grazing and conversation, not hushed multi-course ceremony.
More in this cluster: our Oakland top 10 ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lucuma worth it?
Yes. Lucuma was named one of the East Bay's best new restaurants within five months of opening in July 2025, and the cooking backs it up. The anticuchos de corazón and a thirteen-deep ceviche list show a kitchen doing Peruvian food with precision rather than nostalgia. Expect to spend $40 to $60 a head with a drink. For modern Peruvian in Oakland, it is the most exciting table to open in years.
How hard is it to book Lucuma?
Reserve through OpenTable a week or two ahead for weekend tables; weeknights are easier, and the bar seats walk-ins. The restaurant sits at 1700 Franklin Street in Downtown Oakland and seats around fifty, so prime Friday and Saturday slots go quickly. If you cannot land a table, arriving early for a bar seat is the reliable backup, and the full menu is served there.
What should I order at Lucuma?
Start with the anticuchos de corazón, grilled beef-heart skewers that are the kitchen's signature, then work through two or three of the thirteen ceviches. The lomo saltado at $34 is the one main to order if you choose only one, and ají de gallina is the comfort pick. Save room for the lucuma dessert, the custardy Andean fruit the restaurant takes its name from. Portions suit sharing across a table.
How much does dinner cost at Lucuma?
Most diners spend $40 to $60 per person with a drink. Ceviches run around $18 to $27, entrees from $26 to $34, and pisco sours a little more. A couple sharing several plates with cocktails will land near $130 before tip. It is mid-range for Downtown Oakland, and the portions are built for sharing, which stretches the bill further than the menu prices suggest.
Is Lucuma good for a birthday?
Yes, it is one of the better birthday rooms in Downtown Oakland right now. The shared-plate format suits a group, the bar pours proper pisco sours for toasts, and the warm, lively room feels celebratory without tipping into chaos. It is less suited to a silent, formal dinner. For a birthday built around new food and good drinks, book a table for the group rather than the bar.