Oakland: Taqueria Sinaloa

Housesitting for my ex-supervisor in Oakland certainly had its perks.  Not only could I stay in a house with a gorgeous view of the canal separating Oakland and Alameda, my commute to work went from 1.5-2 hours to 40 minutes.  On top of that, I was able to hang out with my Oakland peeps after work and on weekends without having to worry about catching the last bus home.

And the food.  Oh, the food.

My first Sunday housesitting, VN, SY, and I planned a day at Lake Merritt.  SY and I were tasked with procuring the food, while VN was in charge of the beverages.

SY brought up tacos and I was 100% on board.  Especially tacos from Taqueria Sinaloa.  I'd been dying to go there for a long time, but never had the opportunity.  We pulled up to find the parking lot completely full, so we found a spot on the street right next to a couple of police cars.  Couldn't have planned it better.  It doesn't hurt to have some extra eyes on your vehicle when you're on International Blvd.

Taqueria Sinaloa consists of two taco trucks flanking a large semi-indoor seating area:


We figured both trucks offer the same stuff, so we just picked the one with the slightly shorter line:


I knew I wanted tacos.  I just didn't know what kind.  I wanted one of each, but I somehow managed to scrounge up some measure of self control.

I got six instead:


Sitting there on the grass by the lake, I had no idea which taco was which.  The only ones I could distinguish were the tripas (chitlins), suadero (rose meat), and carnitas (fried pork).  The buche (pork stomach), lengua (beef tongue), and the asada (steak) all kind of just blurred together in a delicious jumble.  I killed them all and still wanted more.

Tacos and pearl tea with good friends on a sunny day by the lake?  That's the perfect Sunday right there.

Taqueria Sinaloa has another branch right by the Fruitvale BART station, which is walking distance from where I was housesitting.  When my sister and T came to visit me the following weekend, I took them on a food quest around the Fruitvale area.  Taqueria Sinaloa was our last stop:      


Similar to the original location on International, the Taqueria Sinaloa by Fruitvale BART consists of a taco truck, an indoor seating area, and a parking lot.

Stuffed from a full day of eating, we only ordered five tacos between the three of us.  We got the camaron (shrimp) and the buche (I think):


We also got the cabeza (beef head), lengua, and the tripas:


To wash it all down, we got a small horchata and a pina agua fresca:


I obviously can't get enough of Taqueria Sinaloa because I went back yet again with my sister when I did another housesitting stint for my ex-supervisor the latter half of July.  We didn't try anything new this time, but I just want to share this photo of our tripas tacos because, well, look at them:


They're lovely.  So, so lovely.

All the tacos at Taqueria Sinaloa come with onions, cilantro, and salsa (some green, some red).  Most are $2, except for the suadero, tripas, lengua, camaron, and pescado (fish), which cost $2.25 each. 

I haven't been able to try all of the different meat options yet (I plan to though), but every single one I have tried are freakin' delicious.  The tripas are my favorite because they're fried and crunchy.  The lengua is a close second because I've never met a lengua I didn't like.  The cabeza is super soft, the carnitas, nice and crisp.  The suadero tastes like beef belly and the camaron are unexpectedly plump.

Have I mentioned how much I love tacos? 

Taqueria Sinaloa also offers other things like burritos and quesadillas and tortas.  I remember remarking on how SY's burrito weighed as much as a baby.  I should probably give the other offerings a try the next time I'm at Taqueria Sinaloa, but let's be real here.  I know myself.  I'm going to end up ordering a bunch of tacos instead because I just can't help myself.  I'll skip the aguas frescas though.  They were just alright.

I love tacos.  Did I say that already?


Taqueria Sinaloa
2138 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 535-1206

Tacos Sinaloa #2
3132 E 12th St
Oakland, CA 94601

Comments

Popular Posts

FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON INSTAGRAM!