loading . . . 7 East Bay takeout and park pairings for perfect picnics On a muggy Saturday in August, along Coliseum Way a block away from the Oakland flea market, the weekday smells of diesel exhaust and the rumble of construction crews have been replaced with aromas from clay pots bubbling with a variety of delectable dishes, competing scents of lengua, and al pastor meats, and cheese oozing from quesadillas and searing itself on the griddle while salsa and Norteña rhythms pulse from a wall-mounted speaker.
This cluster, located in a large industrial area, is lined with food stands along 50th Avenue and wraps around Coliseum Way. A handful of vendors — makeshift stands, modified storage containers, tarps covering patches of sidewalk — set up shop during the week. But the corridor is the busiest on weekends, especially Sundays, as families flock to the flea market. All the stalls have plenty of picnic-style seating under tarps.
For at least 10 years, the collection of food vendors has produced some of the best Mexican and Latin American food in Oakland. The informal food market survived the pandemic shutdowns and social distancing of 2020, and was thriving again, but in 2025 business has dipped.
A Mariscos Poblano worker takes customers’ orders. Sept. 7, 2025. Sunday mornings are the busiest days for the dozens of food vendors that occupy the sidewalks and otherwise empty plots on the intersection of Coliseum Way and 50th Ave. The cluster represents a year-round food and business corridor in the East Oakland industrial area that is often overlooked. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh Tacos Al Pastor Puebla sells the fixings to make the tacos at home by the pound. Credit: Ximena Natera for NOSH La Cazuelas serves Mexico City-style corn-based dishes, such as gorditas and quesadillas, filled with stews, cooked vegetables, and meats. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
All of the vendors Nosh spoke with said since President Donald Trump took office in January, they have seen a significant dip in foot traffic and fewer sales. Customers, the vendors say, are fearful to come out because of the looming threat of ICE raids. One vendor told Nosh that some of their customers are police officers and security officers, and, when those groups show up, other customers drive away fearing detainment. Despite the current anti-immigrant rhetoric from the federal government along with increased enforcement and detentions, the vendors remain hopeful and grateful to have this stretch on Coliseum Way to build up their food businesses.
“We get calls from our customers asking us if we are ok and safe,” said Raúl Eugenio Fabian, co-owner of Tacos Al Pastor Estilo Puebla. “Even when business is low, all the vendors support each other.”
Parking can be challenging, especially on Sundays. Still, it is worth the trek to this often-overlooked section of East Oakland.
Nosh visited the stalls multiple times throughout the summer to sample as much as possible, but it would take several more trips to try everything. Here are my top five things to check out.
## Antojitos Catrachos
_**$38 for a plato catracho, a side of tajadas, and a Mexican Coca-Cola**_
Pollo con Tajada from Antojitos Catrachos. Sunday mornings are the busiest days for the dozens of food vendors that occupy the sidewalks and otherwise empty plots on the intersection of Coliseum Way and 50th Ave. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
Open on both weekdays and weekends, this converted storage container pop-up is situated in a gated, open space. I’m not as familiar with Nicaraguan food, but the plato catracho caught my eye. The plate comes with fried chicken (thigh and drumstick), a smoky and spicy sausage, velvety-smooth black beans, an avocado that did not turn brown (despite sharing space with piping hot food in the styrofoam container), fried plantains, fresh cheese, and handmade flour tortillas. I also got a side of soft plantain chips to try, called tajadas.
The plato catracho ranks as my number one, not only because the fried chicken was one of the best I’ve ever had (nothing beats Coop’s Place in New Orleans). The chicken was flavorful without being greasy, and it traveled well as take-out. Both the fried chicken and the tajadas reheated to perfection in the air fryer, and I had the leftovers with some cheese the next day. The portion is plenty to feed two people.
## Tacos al vapor
_**$18 for three tacos (tongue, head, and steak)**_
An order of tongue, head and steak tacos from Tacos al Vapor. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh Tacos al Vapor owners Josefa Laguna and Santos Castañeda pose for a portrait. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
I’m not adventurous when it comes to the meat I choose for tacos, other than loving pancita when I eat goat barbacoa. But in the spirit of the acquired taste that is pancita (a mix of the goat’s stomach filled with chopped up tripe, liver, and heart, seasoned with spices and cooked till tender), I knew I had to try tacos al vapor.
The main difference between the al vapor (steamed) style versus the grilled meat you get at a taco truck is that the meat cooks slowly in a pot for six hours. The different meats are finely chopped, then seasoned and cooked together in the same pot, resulting in a tender, juicy taco filling. To my surprise, the tacos de cabeza (head) were my favorite, with the lengua (tongue) a close second. If you’ve been avoiding trying tongue tacos because you’re afraid of big chunks of chewy meat, tacos al vapor will surely change your mind.
## Tacos Al Pastor Estilo Puebla
_**$37 for three items (al pastor, alambre y gringa)**_
Tacos Al Pastor Estilo Puebla sells tacos as well as gringas, a flour tortilla with melted cheese filled with al pastor and toppings. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh Al pastor marinated pork meat is slowly roasted on the al pastor spit. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh The Tacos Puebla staff pose for a portrait in between customers. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
It’s no surprise that the tacos al pastor from this particular stand made the list. This spot is a favorite among food writers, food influencers, and tacos al pastor aficionados. The stand is owned and operated by three brothers from San Nicolás Buenos Aires, a town in the state of Puebla, but the one face you’ll see at the stand from Fridays through Sundays is one of the brothers, Raúl Eugenio Fabian. He believes that the popularity of the stall comes from the customer service, the cleanliness, and the quality of the meat. An authentic al pastor taco is made with meat slowly cooked on a spit. The town where the brothers are from is famous for their al pastor tacos. What I enjoyed the most, besides the regular al pastor, was a taco de alambre, where the al pastor meat is sautéed with onions, bell peppers, ham and bacon. The addition of bacon and its fat adds a more complex flavor profile to the taco. The tortillas are dipped in the grease from the meat, and with the filling, some cilantro, onion, and salsa, it’s the perfect bite. Fabian said that while alambres are typically made with steak, the brothers tested the recipe with the al pastor meat and it was an instant hit. Be aware that the creamy salsa is hella spicy.
Bonus tip: If you buy the al pastor meat by the pound, you’ll get tortillas, and all the fixings in to-go containers so you can make your tacos at home.
## Mariscos el poblano
_**$55 for a cocktail de camarĂłn y pulpo, and two quesadillas (flor de calabaza and huitlacoche) Bonus: try the cemita de milanesa and the torta de milanesa**_
Milanesa Torta at El Marisco Poblano. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh Sonora style Aguachile at Mariscos el Poblano. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh Sergio LĂłpez Hernandez owns Mariscos El Poblano one of the oldest stands along Coliseum Way. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
Nothing gives me more joy than finding spots that sell food made out of flor de calabaza (squash blossoms) and huitlacoche (an edible non-psychedelic fungus that grows on corn). This was the most expensive of the stalls I tried, and one that is also open during the week.
The quesadillas are made with handmade tortillas, and both the flor de calabaza and the huitlacoche were sautéed with onions, garlic, and other spices, then melted to perfection with the cheese. The cocktail de camarones y pulpo (shrimp and octopus) came in a quart-size plastic container, accompanied by a side of avocado and saltine crackers. Before I could ask our server, she took out red and green salsa from her apron faster than Clint Eastwood drawing his pistol as gunfighter Joe in “Fistful of Dollars.”
I also tried the cemita de milanesa (chicken milanese) and the torta de milanesa. Like many Mexican dishes, cemitas de milanesa can be traced back to when Spain ruled the country and has since reinvented itself. Cemitas are a typical dish from Puebla and both the cemitas and the tortas are the cooler and tastier cousins of the hamburger and the sandwich. For the cemita, the bun with sesame seeds gets smeared with refried beans and filled with chicken or beef milanese, a hefty serving of Oaxaca cheese, avocado, sliced onion and papalo (a wild herb native to Mexico that tastes like a mix of arugula and cilantro).
Mariscos El Poblano is one of the oldest stands, which first started as a tiny stall on the sidewalk back in 2018. The owner Sergio LĂłpez Hernandez said that with much hard work and dedication, he was able to expand and rent a converted storage container that allowed him to expand the menu. If the food seems familiar it is because another family member runs a food spot at the Lake Merritt flea market, everyday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Many of his recipes are inspired by the Mercado Municipal Domingo Arenas de San MartĂn Texmelucan, Puebla where his family still runs a food stall.
## Las Cazuelas
_**$15 for three gorditas (chicharrĂłn en salsa verde, papas con chorizo and bistec en salsa pasilla)**_
Gorditas de chicharrĂłn prensado and papas con chorizo from Las Cazuelas. Credit: Ximena Natera for NOSH Ana Herrera stuffs a gordita with the chicharrĂłn prensado. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh La Cazuelas owners Ana Herrera and Ed Gonzalez pose for a portrait. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
You can’t miss Las Cazuelas. As you fight for parking along 50th Avenue the bubbling clay pots with various meat and vegetarian stews beckon as you drive by the food stall on the sidewalk.
I tried the gorditas (thick and round, made from the same dough as corn tortillas, split open and stuffed with cheese and veggie or meaty fillings). The chicharrĂłn en salsa verde (fried pork skin simmered in green salsa) was probably my favorite, followed by the papas con chorizo (potato and chorizo), which was just the perfect amount of spicy. The steak was simmered in salsa pasilla. Pasilla is a dry chili, less known for its spice and more for its earthy flavor.
For vegetarians, Las Cazuelas also offers rajas en crema (charred poblano peppers simmered in a creamy white sauce made from sour cream, onion, and other spices), nopales (cactus), champiñones (mushrooms), or beans. Either filling you choose, gorditas are the perfect swap if you want to try something other than tacos.
If you want to try a little bit of everything, one of the owners, Ana Herrera likes to mix some of the fillings. Be sure to ask for her recommendation.
## Bonus: Queso añejo and queso Oaxaca
_**$55 ($33 for a wheel of añejo and $22 for a ball of queso Oaxaca)**_
A sample plate with queso añejo, queso fresco with epazote and chilies and queso Oaxaca. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh A couple from Modesto sells homemade Mexican-style cheeses: Queso añejo, Queso fresco with epazote and chilies and Queso Oaxaca. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh
I love cheese, all kinds of cheese, especially Mexican cheese (lactose intolerance be damned!). While I was perusing the stalls, I came across a couple that sell a variety of Mexican cheeses. The stringy Oaxaca cheese is made in Modesto from the cow’s milk that belongs to one of the couple’s family members. The couple has been making the delicious Oaxaca cheese for the past 10 years. Trust me, you haven’t experienced a delectable quesadilla unless it is made with fresh Oaxaca cheese. The other cheese I love and will be coming back for is queso añejo, an aged, dry-cheese cousin of cotija that gets rolled in a mix of paprika and spices giving it a red rim. I shared the wheel of cheese with my family the day I visited this stall, and we devoured half of it, slicing bits and pieces as an appetizer before dinner.
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