El Paisa Taco Truck

2900 International Blvd., Oakland, CA - (510) 384-5465

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Posted By Michael Stern on August 9, 2008 6:16 PM

Taco trucks have become more popular than hot dog carts in many American cities. The most and the best are in California, in Los Angeles and around the San Francisco Bay. One of the greatest of the mobile eateries is Tacos el Paisa, which parks just off International Boulevard in Oakland, a street well-populated by taco trucks.

Proprietor Abel Lopez and his staff offer a wide array of fillings from chicken to beef head or brain. My favorite is the unbelievably succulent pork carnitas – crusty-edged, big-spiced, and juicy nuggets of fried meat arrayed in double-layer corn tortillas along with parsley and pink salsa chopped so fine it looks like caviar. Surrounded by crisp radishes, hot peppers, and slices of tomato, it is one of the most beautiful of all street-served tacos. I also had carnitas in a quesadilla, which is a superthin flour-tortilla sandwich containing not only the pork but also melted cheese, bits of onion and tomato. Great food, and at the right price. Tacos are $1.25 each, and a couple are a nice lunch. The quesadilla, cut into five good-sized triangles, is a very big meal for all of $3.50. A can of soda is 75 cents, meaning you will find it hard to spend $5 on a meal.

There is no seating, other than a few available curbs in the lot where the truck parks.

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