Taqueria del Palmar – El Cerrito California
So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos”.
So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas ……thinking “who’s THIS douche bag” ………..They have one of those menus on the wall behind the counter that actually shows a picture of the food. I like that – I know what the hell I’m getting - and if it don’t look like the picture, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
“Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”….cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.
Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the spices and slight crispiness around the edges. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions. Those little bastards were GOOD…….and what the hell was I thinking by only ordering 2 tacos…..was I high? Well if I WAS high I probably would have ordered like 20 tacos…..and a Nachos Bell Grande®.
Since it’s actually been a couple of months since those little delicious taco were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Bonus points too for Palmar's proximity to Oakland......if you need to score some REAL crack. Viva Tacos Palmar!
So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos”.
So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas ……thinking “who’s THIS douche bag” ………..They have one of those menus on the wall behind the counter that actually shows a picture of the food. I like that – I know what the hell I’m getting - and if it don’t look like the picture, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
“Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”….cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.
Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the spices and slight crispiness around the edges. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions. Those little bastards were GOOD…….and what the hell was I thinking by only ordering 2 tacos…..was I high? Well if I WAS high I probably would have ordered like 20 tacos…..and a Nachos Bell Grande®.
Since it’s actually been a couple of months since those little delicious taco were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Bonus points too for Palmar's proximity to Oakland......if you need to score some REAL crack. Viva Tacos Palmar!
