Xolo has always been a great staple to downtown Oakland, and on a recent visit, so happy they're…read morestill rockin'. With a spacious interior and plenty of seating, this fast-casual spot is a solid choice if catching a show or quick bite. I went with the tacos this trip ~ both the fried shrimp and chicken (Camarones and Pollo, runs about $5 a piece). There are so many yummy options here, with a little something for everyone. They have vegetarian and beyond meat options, salads, soups, burritos/bowls, quesadillas, kiddo options, and baked goods. I believe they serve beer and also delicious horchata/agua fresca, and other refreshing NA options. Order at the register/grab your number type of spot. Friendly service, fair pricing. Good and filling portions. Flavorful food. Looks like they're open for breakfast too & have weekend deals. Parking is tough downtown, so this trip and most trips I take in this area I'm walking/using ride share.

I've been coming here for a while. They used to have Carnitas and my lord, they were a five star…read morereview, but they've discontinued so my next go to on their menu would be the Carne Asada, burrito or the surf and turf, but both are pretty heavy wouldn't have it for a casual lunch. The chips are a little too crunchy where you almost have to use force to bite it, and it could stab the roof of your mouth. The guacamole is really good. Churros are also good. The ambience is really cool very high ceilings and colorful decorations lots of seating even an upstairs area Staff is always friendly If you're in the area, going to see a show at the FOX it's worth given. I'm a try, but I probably wouldn't drive out of my way for it.

My wife and I tried Mesa Maguey for lunch last Sunday. We walked in...it wasn't crowded on a…read moreSunday. We loved the decor. Very comfortable tables/seating. Friendly staff. We ordered rose sangria and 3 plates to share: ceviche, flautas, and empanadas. We didn't wait long for the drinks and food. The ceviche was excellent. The flautas and empanadas were good (we've had better elsewhere) so we'll likely try other dishes when we go here again. Good quality food at reasonable prices. Again, friendly, attentive staff. We enjoyed our lunch and visit to this restaurant. Looking forward to returning. Definitely going to try their mole.

Fridays at Mesa Maguey are very fun, there is a musician and the vibe is very happy…read more Service is good, the staff is amicable and always checking in. Their flautas and chilaquiles are delicious and their regular ceviche very flavorful. Prices are great. A little tip: always ask for the price of the specials, we ordered a special ceviche thinking the prices would be similar than the rest of the dishes and when we got the bill it was the most expensive dish of the whole menu, and we actually left more than half of the place because we didn't like it, we usually have a great experience here and is one of our quick and nice to go places, but this was a bit of a bummer.

We went to Agave Uptown for a dinner before seeing Poppy at the Fox Theater. When we arrived, we…read morewere pleasantly greeted by the host and sat at a table for two. Very quickly someone came to give us water. We looked over the menu and were able to decide what we wanted pretty quickly so with in a couple minutes our server came to take our drink order. Since we were decided, we ordered everything at that time since we were on a schedule for the concert. My wife ordered the Chef Salad and I ordered the two tacos plate. We also ordered shrimp ceviche to share. With in a few minutes, our server brought our drinks to us. A couple minutes later, the ceviche was brought to the table and it was absolutely delicious. Just about the time we finished off the ceviche, our meals were brought out. They visually looked stunning and smelled wonderful. The first bite of a taco was so good. The chicken seasoned perfectly, the ratio of onion with cilantro was spot on and the salsa was delicious. The plate included Mexican rice and black beans, both of which were excellent pairings with the tacos. My wife's chef salad was outstanding as well. We determined that if ever in Oakland, this is our go to place to grab a meal

Update: I came here about twice after last time and thought "Okay, even the lady who was hostile…read morelast time is now cloyingly sweet, even if just to mock me, but its still good food and a nice time, I'll update the review" and enjoyed myself here on a date recently.... Until tonight. I came tonight with my autistic friend for their birthday and the staff kept giving me mocking eyes, as if he thought I was on another date, (and of course mere seconds after approaching me, talks of "puta" and overtly derogatory slutshaming terms all while still glancing at me with a smirk as he talked to his friend at the bar was quite irritating,) and the evening continued with a pretty heavy tone of dude giving me a mocking look, as if barely able to hold onto his laughter seeing me with a more poindexter looking openly autistic looking friend of mine, assuming I was just some hoe having hella dates, I get it, I was here a few days ago for an actual date. God forbid I think "What a pleasant spot, and I like their agua frescas, let me take my autistic friend who doesn't drink for a little bite since it's their first night in Oakland after an hour long drive, after a nice outing today, and to end an evening on a high note." And the mockery didn't help set a tone for a fun evening at all, we left pretty fast from the discomfort and bro triggered my migraines with the passive aggressiveness. Delicious food, and the woman server was pleasant, the guy? Not exactly. And its a shame, I liked the pork loin and agua frescas here a lot, not the ableism and weird commentary and vibes.

Love this place! I got the chorizo frijoles & crunchy…read morebirria tacos this time and it was insanely delicious! Imo you can't miss when you go here!

Came here for taco Tuesday last week and according to their website, shots are $5 and margaritas…read moreare $7 yet I still got charged full price for everything and for one of the drinks, they gave us a completely different one than the one we asked for. The bartender said the discounts start at 3pm but after looking on their website, there is no start time mentioned at all for taco Tuesday discounts. It's happy hour that starts at 3pm and that's under a completely different tab. It's not the end of the world that I paid full price for something, I just don't like false advertising or employees that don't know their own specials

Obelisco has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants. We've probably been four times in just…read morethe last two months, and I honestly haven't had a single thing here that I didn't absolutely love. The Chile Verde is outstanding, and on our most recent visit I had the Camarones a la Diabla, which was fantastic. We've also had the carnitas, cheese enchiladas, and potato flautas, and everything has been consistently excellent. Our daughter is vegetarian and loved the cheese enchiladas. The margaritas are excellent as well. I had the spicy margarita on our last visit and it was absolutely delicious. As good as the food is, what really makes Obelisco special is the hospitality. You can tell this is truly a family-run restaurant. The brother and sister who are often out front are incredibly friendly and welcoming, always taking the time to stop by our table, chat with us, and tell us about upcoming events. The entire staff has been phenomenal every time we've been there. A special shout-out to Zachary, who has taken care of us on several visits and has always been fantastic--friendly, attentive, and genuinely great at what he does. We were sad to hear that he'll be leaving, but happy for him as he moves on to the next chapter in his life. We wish him all the best. Great food, great margaritas, wonderful people, and the kind of warm, family-run atmosphere that keeps bringing us back. Four visits in the last couple of months probably says it better than anything else can. We'll definitely be back!

I was walking along Lakeshore when I had the urge to get tacos. I came across Obelisco restaurant…read morefor a night out and it was a great experience. I was solo and was offered a seat by the windows which they opened at my request. The bar is beautiful and the entire restaurant is very spacious. I enjoyed shrimp tacos, rice, and the El Gitano cocktail. The service was pretty good as was the food and drinks. This is a more elevated restaurant that I'd go to for a treat or maybe before a concert or another event. See more: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTSwMu8Uf/

Ohhh baby we got a winner!!!…read more I had high expectations when I saw the Michilin Bib hanging over the kitchen, and boy did it live up to it. Not only was the food great but it also has a very cozy and unique vibe inside (well I guess technically it's outside.) there was no line and we got our food quick, I can't think of one thing to complain about. I got three tacos, all costing a mere 5$; Pork: absolutely blew me away. The first taco I started with and set the bar very high. I tried the first bite with all my friends and we instantly locked eyes because we knew we found something special 9.7/10 Pollo: nearly on the same level as the pork. The red onions on top gave it great texture and a unique flavor profile 9.2/10 Barbacoa: on its own it was solid! But when compared to its counterparts it wasn't quite as jaw dropping. 8.1/10 Overall: 9.4/10

Decent tacos with original and fun takes on classics and vegan friendly options. But it left me…read morewanting more in terms of genuine flavor, textura and coziness that I would get from other taco spots in Oakland. It's a fun space to hang out and I admire their contribution to the community, but I'd still recommend folks to go to Fruitvale for more diversity and genuine flavors. The presentation and hand made tortillas were great though

One of the best Mexican places in The Town - and it's a fiercely competitive landscape too! We've…read morebeen coming for a while now and this place never disappoints. The menu does change up seasonally. I've had countless mouth watering chile rellenos with their ever changing sauce and filling. And my to go to nowadays to ensure I get plenty of protein is ordering one of their bowls, usually with pescado frito (fried fish) with black beans. My husband enjoys their barbacoa shredded meat. The bowls are filling, nutritious and flavor bombs. I also love indulging in their agua frescas. Our personal favorites are the strawberry horchata (a MUST if it's available) and their coconut ice coffee. Refreshing beverages to help soothe your tongue because the sliced fresh chiles on fried fish bowl are indeed lethal. Overall consistently delicious. It does get packed but if you come early around 4-5pm you will beat the crowd.

Double dated with my friend and her partner. It was my partner's and my first time visiting Dona…read more Ambiance coming in was welcoming and well decorated. They welcomed dogs on their patio, loved seeing all of the pups. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Food promptly came out and was delicious. We'd definitely come back in the future! We got the nachos and french toast....delicious

I ordered the Surf and Turf Taco expecting it to look like what they had online but it didn't look…read morelike it at all. The taco had like 80% cheese. Also it was $8 which is crazy. I thought it would be bigger or have more meat. Overall disappointing

El Barrio is the latest sports bar in Old Oakland taking over the former Xingones location…read morepreviously Fort Green. Note: Xingones moved to Jackson and 4th Street offering a more expansive menu Fortunately, the corner restaurant is the same owners serving equally delicious Mexican fare - tacos, burritos, nachos done well. They offer 3 different sauces: thick avocado crema, salsa verde, and a red - each complimented the food perfectly and range from mild to medium heat. Interior set up the same as Xingones with a full bar and sports playing. Order at the counter, take a number and food delivered to your table with a self serve water station. Definitely a spot to keep in the happy hour and lunch rotation as food well seasoned, perfectly cooked, with no complaints except to expand their menu to include wiings like their sister restaurant. Pricing: Fish taco and carne asada taco were filling and cost $13 incl tax without tip. Staff friendly and welcoming. Street parking but Washington closer to the Oakland Police station (between 3rd/4th is not recommended.