East Bay Street Food Recommendations

Hi there,

I’m going to be in the Bay Area in a few weeks and am looking for the best street food around. Food carts, trucks, stands, windows, markets and/or counter-only restaurants.

I’d love to mix up the cuisines, so any recs are much appreciated!

In the Bay, food trucks are very frequently no better (and often not even much cheaper) than getting the same dishes in a sit-down restaurant.

I’m going to recommend Tortas Ahogadas Mi Barrio, which, while not strictly speaking “counter-only,” offers an item that is not easy to find in much of the area and is far more legit as a street food than the latest macaroni and cheese truck or whatever.

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Definitely not looking for the mac and cheese! Tortas look fantastic. Thanks!

Little Skillet in San Francisco has a window open to the sidewalk for lunch only. Their southern cuisine is great, especially the fried chicken and grits.

http://www.littleskilletsf.com/

ETA: (sorry, I missed the East Bay part)

Tacos Cala, though not in East Bay.

CDMX-style tacos with guisado filling. Lunch only. From the chef who runs Contramar in Mexico City.

If you are open to grab your own food at the counter then sit down, then Reem’s is an option:

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definitely agree with the Tortas recommedation @Tacos Ahogadas Mi Barrio. table service available.
if you want to go “ghetto”. try El Paisa, 4610 International Ave.
-tacos beyond yum yum, orgasmatic for some, limited parking area. wide range of taco fillings.
Santa Coyote, 4806 International Ave. relatively cheap Mexican sitdown eats.
-fresh tortillas, can’t access my own review, censored for some reason,
-HEADSUP! anti-gringo poster(s), pro Emiliano Zapata posters on wall,
-wide range of authentic mexican eats, cheap when i went, no updates seen on websites.

checked out (my) reviews re: taco trucks fruitvale, no ultra bad reviews in fruitvale. everyone is above average. (competition, no doubt)

Tacos Sinaloa is #1, undisputed, witness the lines @ 2138 International. market priced. $8 regular burrito, $12 super?
-took over El ojo de Aqua spot@fruitvale & e. 12th st,
seating available, no parking though.

MI Grullense, 30th Ave (goodwills parking lot, 2 trucks)
-took over de Aqua space @3053 International Ave. parking maybe, seating yes.
operating as Aquachile El Tamarindo, specializing in ceviche/marisos (all seafood frozen, so i passed)

Marisos La Costa, 3625 International Ave.
-wide range of cheap eats including Marisos, parking lot accessible, seating yes, closes @6.

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btw, Temple Club (Vietnamese) isn’t far from Fruitvale, (2307 International), check hours though, eclectic per family needs,

fyi, Salvadorean eats and Tamales available also. Filipino too (scratch this)
-Los Cocos (salvadorean), 1449 Fruitvale, versatile menu, parking issue
-Tamales Mi Lupita/Lupitas Pupersias, 3340 Foothill blvd. Oakland, Ca.
brick & mortar and supplier of pupusa/tamales for most food carts in fruitvale area.
-Tamales Acapulco, 1680 Fruitvale Ave. fab tamales, in rear of market parking lot.
yummy, cheap, not sure of hours

Filipino foods, fruitvale (severe parking issues)
-Cabelen Sweet & Savory, 3331 International Ave, eclectic hours, no parking available
-Lucky Three Seven Seven, 2868 Fruitvale Ave.
window service only, walk-in available before, severe parking issues
food fabulous, almost worth time wasted looking for parking.

Grab a slice from Cheeseboard. Then eat it sitting on the median like others.

I have never been but does anyone like the Taiwanese street food place Shihlin?

I love the Scotch Bonnet food truck for their dynamite jerk chicken or their oxtails. Usually at the Oakland Museum on Friday nights, sometimes in Alameda on Saturdays, and they just opened up a small place in the Rincon Center of SF for lunch, M-F. LOVE the food.

i have a favorable impression since they use breast meat as an option. it was tender and juicy.
btw, hearsay same people opened the Gong Cha franchise nearby.
no idea what the thigh meat would taste like.
fyi, batter separated from the breast meat whilst i was eating it, just an observation fwiw.

https://offthegrid.com/event/el-cerrito/2018-1-3-5pm

I like the Chairman bao food truck

http://www.hailthechairman.com/

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No Worries Cuisine (Filipino vegan)
Check their calendar for locations. (Usually, first Friday of every month in Oakland.)

Ippo Ramen is a pop-up in various locations in Oakland and Berkeley on weekend evenings. He tweets the locations a few days in advance at https://twitter.com/ipporamen?lang=en. The ramen is excellent.

If you’re around on a Sunday, I like the lamb tacos and the lamb soup at the La Barbacoa stand at the Laney College flea market in Oakland (2 blocks from the Lake Merritt BART station), but I love the lamb tacos at the Taqueria El Chaparro stand at the Richmond flea market on Saturdays (although the location is a pain in the ass if you don’t have a car).

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Today, at Laney



$3. each Loroco = filled with cheese and loroco flowers

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There’s a good Thai truck at East brother in Richmond. Great beer laid-back atmosphere one night we were there they were having a baby shower and a birthday party two separate party. You can take kids your dog your cat your llama whatever you want. It’s a very friendly and mixed crowd atmosphere.