Been here a couple times for lunch the Baja Burrito is pretty good something different from normal steak or chicken burritos hot sauce is damm hot if you love spicy read more

Yyou have to pay extra for chips and salsa. Chips and salsa should be provided gratis at any place that serves Mexican food. The Chilaquiles are scrumptious and the prices are reasonable. read more

I would like to give this place 4 stars because the food CAN be really tasty and the prices are reasonable. Unfortunately, the reality is that my orders are messed up regularly. I live down the street and have eaten here quite a few times and I'm finally to the point where I'm fed up with messed up food while hoping that next time they get it right. Meh, not any more. read more

Only reason it gets two stars is because my kid liked the quesadilla- I asked them to make it on a corn tortilla . It's chipotle style - I didn't want chipotle I wanted real Mexican tacos . The habanero salsa is not spicy at all - just go with the green salsa . $4.50 for a grilled fish taco ! Not worth it . The tacos have beans in them - not authentic Mexican . We got 4 tacos, one quesadilla and on horchata- all $25. I'll stick with the taco trucks . read more

Always thrilled to go here - the food is great and they're really nice. The chicken quesadilla is amaaaaazing and I also love the Chile Verde and the Baja Pescado burrito but really everything is good. I usually call my order in, pick up groceries at the shop across the lot, and then my food is ready by the time I'm done shopping. read more

I love this place. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area. read more

Best tacos in Oakland! I'm a Mexican food snob being from Southern California and growing up with the best. I can't get enough of the taco especial! We've also used them to cater several events and always get rave reviews from our guests. read more

I call this place Waka Waka Waka, because I was convinced that that was what my roommate was saying when she was telling me about it. I used to be strictly a Cactus girl (I mean "strictly" in the sense of "I want a burrito post haste and this is the obvious choice", not "strictly" like, "I refuse to eat burritos anywhere but here" because that would be insane because I LOVE burritos), but decided to give Waka Waka Waka a try because it's closer to my house, and my roommate spoke so highly of it. Anyway, it's good stuff. And I sort of harshly judge burrito establishments that don't provide me with free chips. Whatever, I didn't really need those chips, and if I really wanted them, I could totally shell out a dollar. I'm very picky about carnitas, and they have delicious carnitas (Niman Ranch!). They have little squirty bottles of salsa that they bring to your table so that you can inject your burrito with as much spice as you want. Oh, and good salads too. I also really want to try the pomegranate margarita; it sounds awesome. read more

Dig-dig-dig-dig this man! First time run through La Calaca Loca, with the kids and I have good news to share. Fish taco - get it - really good. A couple of nice pieces of fish, perfectly fried and laid to rest on a bed of cabbage with a fat lime wedge. Gone in under two minutes. Too good to put down so I'm writin' it up. Carnitas taco - also a welcome addition to my Friday night - healthy portion of the fine swine and dang it went down smooth with a Dos Equis! Yummy! Final note - great decor - the kids were totally thrilled to be in a place that had some character and the visit (food, service, experience) was worth adding them to my "go" list. read more

Delicious, fresh Mexican food. Very friendly service. The guacamole is amazing. If you get a burrito, I recommend adding rice and sour cream. It makes it so delicious and is totally worth the extra cost. The location is also really interesting - a great place to eat in or take your food to go. read more

I've been eying this place since I moved to Temescal, so I finally ate lunch there this weekend. I was impressed by the decor and the atmosphere, and marginally impressed by the food -- I had a fish burrito, which subbed a lime-and-garlic cabbage mix for the rice and beans. It tasted great, but I'm used to saving half of my burrito for later; without the added heft I ate the whole thing. The real reason this place gets only 3 stars may be rectified after I get over a minor annoyance. They got my order really wrong, which is normally no big deal, right? They gave me a fish taco instead, and I would have just taken it except that they slopped guacamole all over it, which, if consumed, will make me puke (I'm allergic). So I repeated, "fish burrito, NO guacamole please, thanks." Waitress nods, goes back to fix the order. A moment later, the manager emerges with a bill for $4.95, the difference between my burrito and the taco. If this were a three-meal burrito, maybe I wouldn't have minded paying almost $9 for it, but as I mentioned, it wasn't. And call me old-fashioned, but I think the mistake-maker gets to foot the bill for an order gone wrong. At least, they do if they want a good review on Yelp :) read more

So OK, so far. You need to be in the neighborhood and wanting something a bit cheaper than Dona Tomas for lunch. If you've got the car, you're either over to Los Cantaros on Grand, or Cactus on College. Taking those two into account, what Calaca Loca does best is take advantage of its location. This is no knock you out of your seat kind of neo-Mexican (for crissakes the margaritas are made with that crap soju! Don't call it a margarita if it doesn't have the cactus, if you know what I mean). As has been noted before, chips come with pico de gallo already all slobbered all over them. Not good. Horchata was OK, carnitas pretty tasty, and enchiladas decent. Still no great shakes. Pleasing Dia de Los Muertos decor to distract you from the fact that you are across from a check cashing establishment. Mostly proved to me and my fair wife how truly food snobby we've become. I'd still take the ghettolicious Zamorano or the haute Berkeley Picante over this. But if you're in the neighborhood and you don't have a car... read more

The "super nachos with carne asada" are the bomb. I've gone back and made a lunch of them. The chicken soup is the kind my grandmother would make, had I a Mexican grandmother. Casual dining (order at the counter and take your number to your table). read more

Decent burrito joint located in what appears to be an old firehouse. Be warned, the salsas are very hot!

They raised the price of their fish tacos to $4. While they are delicious, it's a bit too expensive for me. :-(

When nursing hangovers we ventured into La Calaca Loca seeking carbs and caffeine to fight the previous night's booze-belly...And carbs and caffeine we did find. We each ordered a Carne Asada wet-burrito...but there was only enough sauce for one wet burrito, so the luckiest of our group got the wet burrito, sharing bites, and the rest of us settled for super burritos. Sipping Mexican coca-colas (ahhh caffeine & sugar) and gnoshing on burritos we all began to feel human again. This may become the regular next-stop after a tipsy night out. read more

Before La Calaca came to town, I was a Cactus girl all the way. I don't cook all that much and I'm not independently wealthy, so I was eating at Cactus way too much; nine to fifteen times per month, maybe? Anyway, I live so close to La Calaca, and now eat there about four to five times a week, maybe more. (Cactus who?) La Calaca is cheap, delicious, and they use high quality meat. [To those who have been grousing about the prices: why don't you just go stand/sit at a picnic table in a parking lot in the heat/cold and eat a smaller, albeit delicious, taco truck taco that was made with less expensive meat and stop bitching already.] I usually get the carne asada taco especial, just one if I'm being sensible, two if I'm hungry but even so I can't finish two and end up taking the other home (or eating it later if I've gotten it to go.) Oh, "especial" means fried & crispy with guac and cheese, by the way. Mmmmmn, "especial". I like the carnitas, too. I used to prefer the crispier style, but the soft, comforting carnitas at La Calaca have totally grown on me. I've also tried the aquas frescas; they had blood orange the other day and it was SO yummy. Yes, as mentioned by others, the red, sort of grilled style salsa is just about the best around. They fry their own chips. And, yes, brunch is delicious and shockingly cheap. Oooh, and I almost forgot the delicious butternut squash soup sprinkled with roasted pumpkin (or maybe they were from the b. squash?) seeds! It's a seasonal thing, I'm sure, but if you see it on the menu, try it. I'm not a squash soup person really and I love it. I also found the Jicama and grapefruit salad to be quite refreshing, if a bit lacking in cohesiveness. You know, the truth is that I just like the whole vibe (yep, I said "vibe," wanna fighdt aboudt idt?) at "LaCa." It's always quite clean in there, they do not let the tables sit empty and dirty for more than a minute! Christina and all of the other gals at the register are sweet and welcoming. I've even gotten friendly smiles from the guys on the line as they call my name and hand me my bag o' tacos. Being surrounded by cheerful Dia de los Muertos skeletons while eating is oddly homey and comforting. And how nice to get table service and not have to self-bus at an order-at-the-counter type of place? read more

Losely translated "La Calaca Loca" means "Disgusting Nachos." Beware: their nachos are a complete misnomer. Perhaps they should be called "Ceasar Tortilla Chip Salad" or "Cold Nacho Themed Food Thing" or maybe "Ceasar Salad Dressing Drenched Tortilla Chips with Pico de Gallo and a hint of unmelted Queso Fresca." How can they get away with this? Except for the mention of "Baja sauce" (which is apparently Ceasar salad dressing) they don't give any indication that what you have just ordered is not actually nachos. Allow me to use the burger analagy: What would you do if you ordered a hamburger and was instead presented with a ground beef patty under a bed of pickled beets? Yes their meat is decent. Yes they use fairly fresh ingredients. However, I have had their soup, their Carne Asada burrito, their veggie burrito, several versions of their fish tacos and their queso and chorizo appetizer and have determined after much reluctance (reluctance because the place is so conveniently located) that I find their food bland and occasionally misrepresented. It'll work in a pinch, but I am way under - impressed. It's a shame; I had such high hopes. read more

When I first moved to Oakland, I lived in Fruitvale. I spent a whole year eating "super burritos" that were literally larger than my forearm and cost about $7. I got used to delicious tacos that cost me about $1.50 a piece. I got used to heading out at all hours of the night to stand in line on a shady street corner to purchase delicious (if questionably-sanitary) food from grimy taco trucks. Then I moved to Temescal. Despite the south-of-the-border-sounding name of this neighborhood, it's considerably lacking in Mexican eateries. La Calaca Loca is one of the few entries in the area, and that is just too bad because frankly, it doesn't cut the crema. I give them points for decor, location, and delicious tacos, but their prices are atrocious (I spent over $30 on lunch with the girlfriend, for a burrito, three tacos, and two drinks...in Fruitvale, I would have spent HALF that), their service is "meh" (I am always disturbed by the woman working the counter who refuses to look anyone in the eye, looking unsettlingly about 6 inches to the left of my face every time I go in so I'm never sure if she's addressing me), and they served me the WORST nachos I've ever had--so bad they get their own paragraph! Let me describe this nacho nightmare. NO MELTED CHEESE for starters, just crumbled queso fresco and some mysterious "baja sauce" that looked like diluted sour cream mixed with a little vinegar. Served not in a plate or a bowl but a wax-paper-lined plastic basket, so VERY messy (and not in the usual nacho way). And...the nachos were served COLD. A cold soggy mess of sour sauce, dry cheese, and bland salsa, with barely enough meat to make it edible...and they cost me almost $10! Unacceptable. I'd recommend the tacos, but honestly, for $3.50 per taco, it's just not worth it. The burritos here are equally over-priced at $8, which wouldn't be bad if they could compare in size or quality to a Guadalajara truck super burrito, but these don't even come close. I'd advise the business owners to sell off their fancy decor and invest in better staff and ingredients. I will not be going back. read more

There are evenings when I don't want to cook. I'm not ashamed. We all have them. When they strike, La Calaca Loca hits the spot. Only three stars because it is a tad pricey; sometimes I think, "why am I paying like $9 for a burrito again?" ..and then I remember. It's because I didn't want to cook that night. Busted. read more

I found the double decker taco of my dreams here...in the fish variety and the carnitas variety and the carne asada variety and I haven't even tried the chicken variety. Yummy fillings in a crispy taco stuck together with a soft shell by molten cheese. This is taco heaven for sure. Then there is the grilled corn with sauce and cojito cheese with limes. You WILL get it all over your face and you will like it. If you can waddle out all you have to do is go across the street to Bakesale Betty's for dessert and you will be happy, very happy indeed. read more

I have to say when my co-worker tried to pronounce the name I was like WHAT??? So I was somewhat iffy on how the food would be, so I played it safe. We went to pick the food up and the lady knew my co-worker because she was a regular. The atmosphere was welcoming even if there were skeletons. Menu was simple but to me but was missing a couple of things. The staff are nice, the facilities are always clean and love the little patio area if you want to sit outside and eat. WOW!, what a salad, I loved every last piece of lettuce. I especially loved the dressing, the roasted corn and strips of fried tortilla chips on top. I could eat one of these every day. My next adventure was to have a salad but this time with the chicken and I got an extra one for home. I did not enjoy the chicken so much, I thought it would have been shredded chicken and it was shredded but mixed with some type of sauce or something so I felt it ruined the salad. I did enjoy the one I took home but next time ask for the chip strips on the side. So I have been to this place numerous times and every time I enjoy the food. I love their chips and tomatillo salsa, their churros and ensaladas (plain),and their quesadillas. There was one occasion I had fish on my ensalada and it was not fresh or something, but other than that I love it. They even serve Margaritas!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ayeyiiiiiiiiiiiii read more

Watched the cook come from outside and immediately start touching my food with his bare hands. Didn't wash his hands at all. This place is really expensive to begin with...$13 for a quesadilla with guacamole and sour cream. I couldn't bring myself to eat it and had to give it to the dogs. $13 is an expensive treat once and awhile for lunch. But a $13 dog lunch? read more

Neighborhood standby. Well seasoned cheesy chicken quesadillas. Comforting chicken tortilla soup. Sweet agua frescas. Glad it's there.

Great food and aguas frescas love there nachos and salads, can get pretty packed during lunch time week days so come with time to spare.

Friendly environment, and very tasty mexican food with fresh ingredients. Try the elote, corn on a stick with some queso fresca (that mexican cheese, maybe i have the name wrong), tasty sauce and some chili powder sprinkled on top. Their fish burritos are also a nicely wrapped package of delicious beans fish and salsa. The sauces on the tables in the squeeze bottles are also wonderful--sometimes i feel i order the food just to eat the green salsa... read more

So we flew back into SFO yesterday around lunchtime from a weeklong trip back East. Both my wife and I were famished but our toddler only wanted to get out and explore, having been trapped in an airplane seat for 6 hours. I checked Yelp and this place came up pretty much right on our way home. I figured that with 3.5 stars and 200+ reviews, we should be good to go, right? I'm starting to think that Yelpers tend to inflate the star ratings by at least a full star, at least as far as it compares to me. The food was just ok, the fish taco was decent but I have honestly had better at Rubio's. The service sucked and the staff was full of attitude. The only thing that was seriously off the hook were the chips & guacamole. Still, you won't find me back here ever again. read more

We decided to try this place upon seeing so many reviews on yelp. We were in the mood for some good fish tacos so this place was definitely on our radar for the evening. It's a casual place where you order at the counter and then they bring the food to you when it's ready. We ordered the fish tacos, shared a bowl of soup with chips and salsa. Everything was pretty good! The fish tacos are definitely worth trying if you decide to come here. The size of the piece of fish is generous and was cooked perfectly. Other places where I've had fish tacos, the pieces of fish were so small, but here it's a good size. We'll be back again when we're in a fish taco mood! read more

Best Fish Taco Ever! (Besides Nick's). Man, the fish is fresh, tender and covered in a nice light crisp batter, with cabbage, and the BAJA sauce is to die for!!! It makes the taco, I mean, I would sit there and drink it with the taco if they let me! Also the atmosphere is very rich & unique. Feels like Mexico meets Oakland meets fine dinning. The walls are a rustic tan color, very good paint job. There's an awesome fountain of a skeleton drinking some whisky and it pours through his rib cage, I've never seen anything like it! There is another corner with a beautifully detailed wooden partition and I think more skeletons behind it. Eat in, try the fish taco. I think the beers cost too much & parking is tight there! But definitely a must if you're in the area. read more

Surfing skeleton painting, spongebob pinata and MONSTROUSLY HUGE CRUNCHY TACOS that first confused but then later satisfied me. Twice. At a little over $3 it comes with your choice of meat (carne asada, pollo, carnitas, baja pescado or grilled pescado), melted queso, guacamole, beans and a useful wedge of lime. Sorry taco bell, I will be coming here to satisfy my crunchy taco cravings from now on. I also got their soup to nurse a head cold I got from partying too hard in the cold the night before. my head still hurts, but it will soon fade as I drift into food coma. read more

Four stars? Por que? Because this place SAVED my ass and the asses of 4 of my other mild-to-moderately hungover friends who were trying to function after a late night of drinking and dancing in the city. The chilequiles were fantastic! Not oily and great chips. Unfortunately, the churro was less than fantastic, kind of hard, really. But churro-schmurro, nothing better than warm mexican food to cure hangovers and hunger, and allowing my vivacious friends and I to shine like we always do!!!!!! read more

Let me make it simple: GET THE ELOTE! It's really, really good, cheap, and unique (or at least I've never seen it anywhere else). I live nearby, and plan to come back regularly just for the elote. We also got the mexican salad, which my GF quite liked, the guacamole and chips, which was good, and the chicken and fish tacos. I really liked the fish tacos -- highly recommended. The chicken tacos didn't do it for me -- something about the sauce, or lack thereof -- they were okay, but nothing special. Overall, highly recommended as a cheap, delicious mexican place -- get the elote to begin, some guac, and a fish taco or two and you're off to a good start. read more

Went here tonight because I read that they offered margaritas and pretty good food. Welp, it was worth the visit and I won't be going back for the following reasons: 5) Bland. 4) The fact that you have to pay for chips and salsa. And when you order them, they're drowned in pico de gallo so they're really soggy paid-for chips. 3) The margaritas are very, very sweet. I thought it was a lemon drop for a second... I couldn't even finish mine, so sad. 2) Had I known the pescado burrito was going to be made of soup, I would have tried the enchiladas. The fish was cooked appropriately, but the rest of the burrito was drowned in... wetness. Beans were okay. 1) This place mixes their guacamole with sour cream. I have many issues with this, primarily out of principle. Because it's gross, and why on earth would you do that. Outrageous! read more

This place is pretty good for "Tex-Mex", but not a real Taqueria. They finally started serving black beans, which is cool. The service is really hit or miss. It can take up to 20 minutes to get your food even when there are only a handful of people in the joint. What really gets me is that they start cleaning up 1/2 hour before closing, and they go nuts with the simple green or whatever it is they use. I've seen lots of people get up and leave because of that. Also, the tables have a really metallic smell to them that gets in your food. They charge for chips, too, which is a drag, and though the burritos are fairly priced, they really ding you on the drinks (even the sodas!). In all honesty, if this place weren't right around the corner I wouldn't eat there. read more

I love this place! I had passed by the neon scrolling sign that advertises for the ghetto complex La Calaca Loca is in on my way home from getting bomb ass Pho in Oakland. My car mate said that it was supposed to be good Mexican food, which I didn't really have a hard time believing as the best places I have been are usually small tiny taco places (better if its a stand). When we got home I yelped it and discovered the veggie burritos with cabbage and not rice and as a cabbage fan I decided I had to try it. It was all I imagined and more! The veggie burrito was amazing! The cabbage provides just the right amount of crunch like having tortilla chips in your burrito. The strips of cabbage stayed crunchy until the last bite and the guacamole was good too. My two dinning mates had Carne Asada burritos and were happy as well. Even after reading the other reviews I forgot to order the salsa on the side of the chips and agree that its kinda odd and ruins the end chips in the basket (soggy is no good). My only complaint is that none of the salsa's were very hot. I love hot verde and while theirs has good flavor, it doesn't have that extra kick I like. I do love the squeezable bottles tho! I had a Pina Aqua Fresca which was really yummy, but next time I wan to try their margaritas! Update: 06/11/08 I have tried the margaritas and they are tasty but weak. Also, on my most recent visit, I was pleased to find out that they had pulled all the pico de gayo from their dishes because of the salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes. read more

3 words. Baja Pescado Taco. Sooooo good! I thought I didn't like fish taco's but LCL has some tasty ones that changed my mind. A large portion of beer battered and perfectly fried fish with baja sauce and cabbage. Awesome! I've also tried the elote(too much mayo) , the soup(too many chips in the broth), and the taquitos. They were all decent but not destination location worthy. But those tacos....mmmm.... those tacos.... You should try them... read more

The salad is the best salad in the universe. Yes. It is huge and delightful. I get it with carnitas or just veggies. Both ways will fill you up. Mexican coke or agua fresca to go with it! Good atmosphere, cheap, love this place. read more

I enjoyed the vibe of this place right when I walked in. It sort of has a Dia de los Muertos theme, and has plently of space to sit and eat. The lady at the register wasn't very friendly but I chalk it up to it still being morning, I dunno. I ordered a beer battered fish burrito with the fixins, and it turned out to be pretty decent. Even if I had found it lacking in flavor, they offer a few different sauces to spice things up a bit. I'd say I honestly rate this place a 3.5 but I'll go with a 4 and give the lady at the register a break, as she seemed to be very friendly with the kids who came up a bit after we ordered. read more

The Habenero Hot sauce? Not hot at all. 2/10 Decent shrimp burrito, but nothing to write home about. Wish I'd had some Dave's Insanity Sauce with me. The decorations on the other hand were awesome. Seriously. What a wonderful collection of weird Mexican Day of the Dead flim-flam. read more

Yet another 3 1/2 bumped up for the copious amounts of guacamole and the $1 chips and salsa that might be the best thing about the place. I might have been a little disappointed because I'd heard Nick's comparisons. The special tacos were good but they weren't wow. The metallic smell from the decor was also getting to me. I know it sounds like a negative review, but it's still a good place, and one I'd consider going to regularly. read more