Mago

Located on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland in what used to be a popular pizza place, Mago is a new neighborhood spot that specializes in pastas, soups, and shareable plates made from seasonal ingredients over a wood fire. If you come in for lunch or dinner, you won’t end up spending too much either (dishes run in the $8 to $24 range). The menu changes weekly, but you can order things like beer-battered delicata, barbecued carrots, fried brown rice with chanterelles and egg, and hand-cut pappardelle with pork ragu and Calabrian chili. They also usually have a larger dish to split like grilled skirt steak, plus great wine and cocktails to pair with everything.