Oakland: Taqueria El Paisa

The best part about CK and AG moving to Oakland is AG taking it upon himself to find all the good eats in the area.  We half-jokingly told him that he should create an AirBnb experience and take people on taco tours.  One of the stops on the tour would definitely have to be Taqueria El Paisa:

It took AG two trips to figure out the right way to order.  It's actually super simple, but I'm going to pass along this info to you, so you won't have to figure it out for yourself.  

You're welcome.

First you go up to the cashier:

Instead of listing all the different types of tacos that you want, just give a number.  (Tacos are $3.50 each.)  After paying, you'll be given a ticket, which you'll present to one of the gentlemen cutting meat further down the counter.  

Tell the nice gentlemen what meats you want in your tacos and make sure you have enough friends waiting to help carry away the plates:

Definitely say yes to the grilled onions and grilled nopales (cactus).  You can thank me later.

Now, I don't remember what meats we ordered that night.  So I'm just going to leave these taco photos here:

And here are some El Paisa tacos in daylight:

So far, I've tried El Paisa's suadero, lengua, cabeza, buche, and tripas.  Everything has been solid.  Individually, they might not be the best tripas or the best buche I've ever had, but together, El Paisa boasts of a really strong carne selection.

Not only are the tacos good, but the atmosphere at El Paisa is fun and colorful.  There's plenty of seating both inside and outside, perfect for when you want to hang with a slightly larger crowd.  The staff are super efficient and friendly and the prices are reasonable.  There's really nothing I can complain about.

El Paisa is definitely in the running to be my favorite taco spot in Oakland at the moment, but I'll reserve judgment until AG finalizes his Oakland taco tour itinerary.

Taqueria El Paisa

4610 International Blvd

Oakland, CA 94601

(510) 368-5403