We read about Tacos Oscar in the East Bay Express and the SF Chronicle, and knew we had to check it out. Situated right next to the popular mac and cheese spot, Homemade, Tacos Oscar is a testament to what can be done with limited space, and serves as inspiration for foodies, artists, cooks and hopeful small business owners who have a dream, but limited space. The kitchen operates in a renovated shipping container and there’s a cozy seating area that stretches out behind it decorated with cacti and happy, bright colors reminiscent of cafes I visited while living in Oaxaca City, Mexico. What’s particularly uplifting about eating here, besides the incredible tacos, is that Tacos Oscar started out as a taco making dream of 2 musicians/cooks, and turned into pop ups all around the East Bay and a stint at Starline Social Club to serve up their tacos. Just this past fall, the Tacos Oscar team found their permanent home on 40th Street in Oakland.
Their menu is creative and often varies week to week, so we didn’t get to try their famous fried egg taco, but what we did have was delicious. Tacos Oscar makes their own tortillas a la plancha (on the grill) with masa from Oakland’s La Finca Tortillera, which has been around since 1983. Handmade tortillas are not that easy to find and man, do they make a difference. Oscar Michel is Mexican-American, and uses family recipes, but Michel and Jake Weiss follow their own creative pathways to create super tasty combinations.
So here’s what we had:
Chicken tinga taco ($4)
Vegan nopal (cactus) salad tostada with red cabbage ($5)
Pork chile verde ($4)
Chips and homemade salsa
While the meat tacos were so, so good (my favorite was the chicken tinga while Russell’s was the pork), the vegan nopal tostada was so yummy and flavorful that we ordered a second. I haven’t eaten much nopal as of late, but years ago when I spent a summer in Oaxaca City, aka the culinary capital of Mexico, I saw nopal pop up in everything from tacos to ice cream. Other menu items offered when we went that we didn’t get to try were a braised mushroom taco, and a charred green bean taco. Local beer/wine, Mexican Coca-Cola (which I think we all know is the best type), and Topochico are also on the menu.
Muchísimas gracias a Tacos Oscar for the yummy, affordable eats. Mmm let's take a look one more time at the whole meal:
You can check out Taco Oscar's Instagram here for announcements. Open Thurs-Mon 5pm-10pm.
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