Bacogai in Alameda

The flavors of the hot pot and the appetizers were good. They are individual pots, but for those of us who have smaller stomach so we can share, some people ate their own. The hot pots 🥘 come with their own set of vegetables to put in to the broth, but you can add on as much as you like.I shared a pork hot pot with Lamb add-on. We also had shaken beef that my friend really loves but she said it was different here as it was not cubed and with rice. Another friend really loved the wrapped beef logs. He said it should come with more herbs, but otherwise enjoyed it.Some people ordered wine and beer. Surprisingly, they also have sangria which one friend enjoyed two of.Had to ask for chilies and they brought a condiment set of three. Thai chilies 🌶️always enhances all my meals.We went with eight people. Made a reservation in advance. There was plenty of seating on a Thursday night.All the ingredients were fresh and everybody enjoy the flavors although the price was a little higher than we are used to paying for Asian type of food. So best for special occasions, or people who really love hot pot.Bathrooms are to the back on the right. Plenty of parking 🚗 as it’s a strip mall Kind of situation.

First time here and very impressed!Not you typical Vietnamese restaurant you would go to for pho. This place specializes in family style hot pot. The menu says recommended for one person but I shared. We ordered a bunch of sides on top of the hotpot dish.I love canh cua hot pot but this time I went with oxtail. I was not let down. So delicious! Also I can forget the spring rolls. They had fried onions in the peanut sauce, wow impressive!Green Thai tea: it’s okay. I would pass on that and get a Vietnamese coffee next time.

Emily and the team at Bacogai deliver a delicious and unique dining experience. We had the duck salad, crab roll, shaking beef, oxtail hot pot, and the waffle for dessert. The food was fresh, the service was prompt, and the atmosphere was pleasant. The shaking beef was particularly flavorful and tender, and the hot pot differentiated itself from what you might expect from other hot pot establishments. I will be back in the warmer months when outdoor seating on the patio is available, but it was also nice to have the hot pot on a crisp autumn day. Worth a visit (and a return visit after that)!

Bacogai surprised me with their atypical take on Vietnamese food. First off, Bacogai does not have an extensive menu. You are limited to a few appetizers and entrees if you are not doing hot pot. This is not the place for you if youre looking for rice plates, banh xeo, or pho. Fortunately, we enjoyed what we ordered.We ordered the Duck Goi Slaw Salad, Crab Cha Gio, and Lemongrass Pork Banh Hoi. The salad was flavorful and refreshing. The Cha Gio was good, but the portion was a bit small. The Lemongrass pork, although a bit too sweet, was cooked nicely. We will have to come back to try their hot pot and Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef).Service was good, except that our waiter brought us our check before we finished eating. Although the waiter said No rush, we felt like we were being ushered out the door despite the restaurant being half empty.As for the atmosphere...the space used to be a Taco Bell location so it didnt have a cozy feel.We will give it a second visit to try the rest of the menu.Bonus: They have Almanac Love Hazy IPA on tap.

Overall I liked the food here. Actually I was surprised by how much I liked their 2 appetizers. The duck salad was super refreshing and the shrimp crackers added a nice contrast in texture. It didnt have that much duck, but that made it taste lighter since duck is quite heavy. The spring rolls were crispy and tasty with the sauce. The 2 hot pots we got were good too. If you like sour flavors like my friend you would enjoy the seafood one (I really really liked the catfish in this one, the sour flavor cut the fishyness really well, and it was super tender!!), but I liked the oxtail soup too. The beef I ordered on the side was good but it was quite expensive. Very melt in your mouth.

Im just going to say from the get-go that the food here deserves way more than 5 stars. So delicious! Oxtail, Wagyu, and Angus beef that tastes like butter and melts in your mouth. Lovingly prepared. Presented beautifully and served by the sweetest family weve ever met. Bacogai is a new Vietnamese and Lao spot located in a beautiful, modern space overlooking the estuary on Alamedas east end. If you love Southeast Asian food as much as we do, truly, this will be your new favorite spot. We ordered a ton of food, took our time eating it, and honestly...we were sad when it was time to go. Omg...and the desserts. So good! Cannot wait to come back!

We reserved a table and ordered the three oxtail, pork and seafood. Everything tasted really good. Service was great.

We were absolutely blown away by Bacogai. The team at Burma informed us Kayla (former staff) started her own hot pot restaurant in Alameda! What a treasure and new edition to the food scene in the East Bay and notably, Alameda Island. This is a great restaurant to dive deeper into Vietnamese flavors. None of us have had Vietnamese style hot pot before and the ox tailhot pot broth is outstanding. On top of that, the pandan waffles with Tuckers vanilla ice cream. DELISH! Alameda sourced, Alameda supported. Coming back again to try more.

Very unique personal hot pot. Soup base flavors are top tier, especially the pork and oxtail. Unique craft beer flavors and appetizers are worth trying too!

YUM. Cute space, friendly staff, amazing food. For those who eat a lot of hot-pot, this is the real deal. We ordered the duck salad, beef luc lac, oxtail hot pot, with dessert. Everything was so flavorful! Personally, highly recommend the oxtail order. Whatever you get, add taro to it. And don’t forget the sparkling sake; ‘tis a must. 🥂