This tiny new taco shop, next to the recently closed (after 30 years) Yogurt Deluxe offers fresh pressed tortillas and from what I tasted opening weekend some pretty solid tacos.
The tortillas are of the thick sort which I don’t like once they have cooled and been reheated because they’re too stiff, but here they let the corn flavor shine through. I also really enjoyed the carnitas I got–well seasoned and well crisped, the crisp version has been lacking from a lot of the old-school standards these days. The fish taco was well balanced, though the fried fish itself wasn’t as crispy as I had hoped. After noticing an actual spit for the al pastor (with 1/2 pineapple on top) I will definitely check that out next time.
Oops, I meant to add that while the fresh-pressed tortillas are good, the tacos are a bit difficult to eat as the proportion of toppings overflows the small tortillas–I’ll have to order chips and salsa next time to pick up the overflow.
We did take-out at a friend’s house in Oakland last night - can’t believe this was my first time hearing about/trying this place. Even with the tacos having grown tepid, this food was terrific. Everything tasted fresh and vibrant, all was perfectly seasoned. I especially loved their rice and beans - really delicious rice, great texture, again, well-seasoned (I find many places make their rice too bland), and the fat beans were creamy and delicious. Extra nice touch were the roasted onions and chilis. We each had 2 tacos - camarones, al pastor, chorizo, and pescado - and shared an order of nopales quesadillas - super meaty and creamy, the rice & beans, and tender, flavorful carnitas sopes - very satisfying. Also, a big salad that we didn’t get anywhere near finishing - full of black beans and tortilla strips, which gave it a lovely creamy texture almost, due to having sat for the rest of the meal. Loved it, was sad it really would not have kept until the next day. The thick, house-made tortillas held up well to travel, though, even cooled down. Their fresh salsas come in plastic packets and must be refrigerated, and I found the red packed a good amount of heat. The roasted chilis with the beans also had me tearing up and sniffling. My camarones in my taco were perfectly cooked, the chorizo well-spiced. This is really some of the best taqueria fare I’ve had in recent memory, and I wish it were in my neighborhood. If i’m in the area, I’ll be sure to try some of their other offerings - I’m betting the chile relleno will be a stunner.
