Xolo has always been a great staple to downtown Oakland, and on a recent visit, so happy they're still 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. read more

Xolo - Pollo Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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The place looks small on the outside but it's pretty big on the inside. You order first and they'll give you a stick with a number on it and you choose whichever table you want and they'll bring out the food to you. I ordered the Vampiro & Pollo tacos and the horchata drink. Their horchata drink was good! Both tacos were delicious but I think I like the vampiro one better. Both tacos were flavorful and it was crunchy. It was a good portion! They have indoor and outdoor seating. Once you're done, you'll put your plates by the bin/trash area. Street parking. It's easy to take bart and walk over to Xolo. I would come back here again! read more

Xolo - Vampiro Taco & Pollo Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

The pollo burrito was very flavorful and it came out within a few minutes. I would say the restaurant is like a fast casual restaurant where you order at the register and if you're eating there, you get a table number and they bring your food to your table. I recommend going here if you're in the area and need a quick bite to eat. I came 5 minutes before 12 pm on a Tuesday and right around 12 is when it started to get busy (understandably for lunch), but there are lots of tables and service was fast. I would come back to eat here again and so thankful this restaurant is in the area. read more

Xolo - Pollo Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Tried the crispy beef tacos, carne asada tacos and the big ranch burrito. Everything was on the pricey side and not worth the price in my opinion. The best thing was the crispy taco but it was nothing special. The burrito was very one dimensional in texture and taste and kind of small for the price. The al pastor tasted like stewed pork with pineapple and was very soft along with everything else in the burrito. Didn't get the chips and guac but it looked pretty good. Definitely can find better Mexican food in the east bay. read more

Xolo - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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We needed a quick bite to eat before a comedy show at the Paramount, and this fit the bill. You order at the register, and take a seat. The place has an industrial feel with very high ceilings and an open kitchen. All the tacos were the same price, which was a bit strange, but easy. However, they are above $5, so a bit on the high size. At least they came with two tortillas each and a decent amount of filling. I ordered one Camarones and one al pastor. My husband got carne asada I think and Chile verde. I ate my shrimp one first and then noticed that my other taco was not al pastor. I showed the woman behind the register, but she said to show the chef in the kitchen, which was a little strange. Then he came to survey our table. It appears that the tacos were plated incorrectly. My husband had a tiny bit left of an al pastor taco, but he didn't notice that ours were switched. I hadn't either because I didn't hear him order so I didn't know what he ordered. I thought they would have been like too bad, we brought your table four tacos; you should have figured it out despite the plating error. My husband offered me his last bite or the Chile verde. I don't really care for that meat so it was fine. However, I was surprised when the cook appeared again with a new al pastor taco for me. That's was nice since although my order was incorrect, the 4 correct tacos were in fact delivered to the table. I really enjoyed the shrimp taco and felt that it was a better bang for your buck than some of the other varieties. The al pastor was pretty good, but not as good as I've had at other places. I thought our tacos were fine, and this certainly ticked what we needed before the show, but I would not come out of my way to go here. It's a very convenient location though if you are going to a venue nearby. Ps: Would have appreciated free chips, but you won't find that here. read more

Xolo - Al Pastor and Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Maybe the best salad I've had? The ingredients complement each other so well. Filling but not heavy. Tortillas were great. Enjoyed the salad too much - looks much better when first served. Sitting in the courtyard is a must. Thank you read more

Xolo - Ensalada de Tacubaya - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

I used to love this place, but they gave me a machaca burrito when I ordered a green bean burrito with no cheese. I'm vegan. How they fuck do they want me to eat beef. It's bullshit. read more

Tasty, affordable food. I had a fish taco and one with mushrooms. Both were overstuffed, with fresh tortillas. My friend had a burrito as a bowl. We shared a plate of plantains. Service was friendly, and the ambiance was quiet early on a weekday night. I might not have gone here because the reviews seemed sort of mixed, but I don't know why. This place is a gem. read more

Was visiting from LA looking for good tacos and I LOVED it! Super authentic, amazing flavors, great staff. Definitely a staple! 10/10 read more

Xolo - Hongos Taco Chile Verde Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Xolo is a great place for some authentic Mexican food! They have great tacos, burritos and chips. You order your food at the counter and they give you a number. Once your food is ready they bring it to your table! The inside is large with plenty of seating. read more

Xolo - Asada Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

The beans and rice have been a staple for me for years. When I don't feel like eating much else, I can always come back to this. But recently they added a "smoky" flavor that just tastes like yuck. Hoping they'll go back to the original. My husband likes the veggie burritos and tacos. read more

A casual and laid back taqueria, with inviting decor and plenty of seating inside. We ordered online in advance (for dine-in) and it only took about 8 minutes for our food to be ready, with helpful notifications via text. Got the chile relleno and surf n turf burrito minus the beans, and the latter was a flimsy burrito, scarce with the toppings. On top of that, everything tasted a bit dry even with the oils of the ingredients inside, my bf couldn't even finish the chile relleno. So, it wasn't exactly our favorite meal, but at least the service and atmosphere were great. read more

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Surprised with the low rating because I really enjoyed it! The beyond meat tacos were packed with flavor and well balanced seasoning wise. Their tacos are stuffed to the brim so they're a bit messy to eat but totally worth it. The only caveat I can think of is the price to size ratio for the tacos is not that great - having a full meal means having at least three tacos so ~$16+. Also appreciated how many vegetarian options they had - the beyond meat tacos, mushroom tacos, and the vegeteriano. There's tons of indoor seating with a nice casual vibe so this is a perfect spot to drop by for lunch if you're in the area. read more

Xolo - Beyond taco and mushroom (hongo) taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Tasty, generous portions, high quality food. Their chicken is so juicy and well seasoned. Their carne asada tacos are just wonderful. I love their mango agua fresca too. Friendly staff read more

Xolo - Pollo Burrito with extra avocado Spicy salsa & chips on the side - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Food was yummy, we had a variety of items between burritos, tacos and quesadillas. The mushroom option is really good. However I would caution not to tip much at the register (you pay first then wait for your food). The guy who was bringing the food to the tables and clearing was extremely rude and asked us to bus our own table after we had tipped. He was also scowling and yelling at people. It was disturbing. I'm usually a fan of tipping well for service but even if you are busy, you don't treat people rudely read more

Solid spot for Mexican food right across from Fox Theater! On my most recent visit, my party of 3 came by for dinner around 6:30 pm on Friday and it was half full. The tables slowly all filled up over the next hour as we were eating. You order at the front, get a number, and they'll bring your order to you. I shared the chips and salsa ($3.75) with my friends and got the surf and turf burrito for $13.95 as my entree. I was starving, so I was really happy they're so quick with bringing the food out to you. All of us had our food within minutes of ordering! The burrito was a bit on the smaller side but was more than enough to fill me up. You really can't beat the combination of carne asada + shrimp, especially when it's nice and buttery and served wrapped in a burrito with rice and beans. It was a very satisfying meal and really hit the spot for me! read more

Xolo - surf and turf burrito for $13.95 - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Supposedly they only have seasonal pozole but I've ordered pozole from here 4 times since June (twice on DoorDash, two over the phone)..... whoever answered the phone, scoffed when I said that I ordered it two weeks ago...... interesting. read more

Xolo - My DoorDash orders of their "only in the winter" season pozole - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

It's a favorite for me. Xolo's gets it right every time. The chicken is marinated to perfection. The mushroom tacos are excellent. I love the gooey black beans that they fill their burritos with mmmm. I feel like I'm in a family kitchen, I literally feel right at home. The service is excellent. Salsas are sooooo good. I can always count on a cold beer to pair with my tacos. I love Xolo!! read more

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Greatest tacos in all of Oakland Anything less than 5 stars is someone upset about price (they are worth well over $5 each) or bought the wrong thing Get the beef and vampiro tacos, you won't regret it. Been the same for 15 years and I will never stop coming here. Great people, fun vibe, and a relaxing atmosphere. Service is A-1 read more

I ordered the chorizo breakfast burrito and wow! 10/10. The staff were all very friendly and they had our order ready as soon as I arrived. Cute inside as well, but I placed a to go order. Also, they had clean restrooms which is also nice. read more

Xolo - Breakfast Chorizo Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

The food is very home cooked authentic and delicious. Husband has the chili verde burrito and he could not eat it fast enough. read more

Xolo - Vampiro Taco & Crispy Beef Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Best burritos in the world! Great tacos too in a sweet little location in uptown Oaktown read more

Xolo - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

**Pleasantly surprised -- fantastic food and friendly service!** I'll admit, I was skeptical about trying Xolo after seeing the poor Yelp reviews. If it hadn't been for a work lunch, I probably wouldn't have gone. But I'm so glad I did--this place exceeded expectations. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. They brought us extra salsas with our chips without us even asking, and they happily offered to take group photos for our team. It made the whole experience feel really welcoming. Food-wise, everything I had was excellent. The chips were crisp and perfectly salty, and the pico de gallo was fresh and flavorful. I ordered the quesadillas suizas with pollo, and they were amazing--crispy tortillas, melty cheese, and great flavor and texture all around. Would definitely go back. Don't let the Yelp rating deter you--Xolo is worth a try. read more

I'm a bit shocked at the low reviews. I come here frequently for their Pozole Rojo, fried plátanos and crispy beef tacos. All are very good! I've always had quick service and I love the colorful decor. Must try! read more

The institutional green walls remind me of a prison , the service is bland , unfriendly, the food is way overpriced and it isn't good . Flat flavorless refried beans made up eighty five percent of a $15.00 Burrito. A table spoon of flavorless chorizo and two tablespoons of soggy eggs that seemed like they were powdered matched the San Quentin theme walls in taste. A few limp chunks of slimey green peppers could not balance the pint of burned tasting bean paste on what thankfully was a medium sized tortilla. I should have known better . After eating hundreds of Burritos at dozens of restaurants in the Bay Area mostly in the Mission I can honestly say that it was not just the worse Burrito I ever ate it may have been the worse restaurant food I have eaten in a long time. read more

Xolo is a solid spot for tacos. It's more expensive that the taco truck but the ingredients they use are really high quality. I love their Vampiro taco (if you eat meat) it's Al pastor (pork), salsa ranchera, red onions, cilantro, fried cheese tortilla. The fried cheese is a nice touch. I also love their Shrimp taco. Batter fried shrimp, arbol aioli, cilantro, cabbage, lime. It's crispy and spicy and crunchy. Super tasty. I have not dined at the restaurant I have only gotten takeout so I'm not sure what the service or ambiance is like at their brick and mortar. I highly recommend this spot if you're looking for quality tacos with the freshest ingredients. read more

Xolo - Vampiro Taco - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Haven't gone back recently as I live in New York but reacting to the "Oh no!" reaction from an angry young local woman who probably has zero friends of Asian descent. Someone else on here wrote that it was their "second time coming here and it's really delicious. They have one of the best carne asada tacos and burritos in Oakland" and that's a BIPOC local who also wrote "We will be back again soon when I need a authentic socal tasting burrito!!" Sigh. read more

Terrible rip off , dont get the beef tacos its literraly nothing but cheese, cheap as hell read more

Xolo - Paying for taco shells and cheese when i asked for cheese on the side. This is how they stretch the meat "el cheapo" - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

I'm broken hearted I ordered my usual - a crispy beef taco and a battered fish taco. The good news is that I received my tacos in about 2 minutes. The bad news is that my tacos were cold to tepid at best. I'm not paranoid, but they were not edible. Matt says that Xolo taqueria is getting a bit lazy. I'll try again though. I love this place. read more

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Somewhat of a hole in the wall, but not that small and has a vibrant exterior. So maybe more like a door in the wall. Came here for a group lunch on a weekday and we all left satisfied. Our group of 8 ordered and sat in the spacious backroom, they have a picnic table that is perfect for groups. Plus a TV that was playing the World Cup so bonus points. But back to the food. I got the beef taco and chile verde taco. I almost ordered 3 cause I am used to tiny street food tacos, but these were sizable and filled to the gill with meat! So 2 is perfect unless you are just plain starving. The beef taco was different, with a fried shell, so the texture was on point, and the filling was fine just not as flavorful as the chile verde which was the star of the show. I would get two of those next time. Succulent, flavorful, drippy with every bite! $5 per taco that eats like 2 street tacos is just right. Service was super friendly and really accommodating for our large group, putting everything on one bill. And we all got our food within 10 minutes so their timing is on point. A couple of orders of guac and chips was perfect, so 3-4 people per order is good. I also got an horchata and it was well blended and sweet till the last drop. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Xolo - Chile Verde and Beef tacos - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Stopped in recently for lunch, old school feel taco house with walk up counter service. Order off the board overhead, pay, grab your number and a seat. First, these are really good street tacos. There are other options too, but the tacos are very tasty. I went for the Pollo (2) and Chile Verde(1), three tacos with a side of chips and salsa. Someone will bring you your food when its ready, all in all about 10 minutes. The pollo was good, nicely seasoned and a good portion but a little on the dry side okay but not great. The chili verde was exceptional, tender succulent pork with a tangy verde sauce that was really good and wish I had gotten two of those. Of the two options I went with, the Chile Verde was the winner. The chips and salsa were also good, both housemade chips and salsa was flavorful with some heat, the chips fresh made and crispy crunchy. Along with a pineapple Jaritos it was a very good meal. 4 Stars - the food is good, and the service friendly worth a visit 00821 read more

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I went to Xolo after not going there for over ten years. It was no surprise that there burritos remain great. I bought 2 vegetatiano burritos and 2 chips with salsa. The burritos were well packed with no leakage when I arrived home and opened one. The salsa and the burrito sauce were fresh. My husband swallowed it up. But I could only eat half. I highly recommend Xolo. read more

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Went downhill since my last visit 2 years ago. Meats and other fillings were flavorless. My burrito (chile verde) was a goopy brown unappetizing mess. The place was hopping and crowded two years ago. Tonight it had few customers, on a Friday night. And no sense of cool anymore at all. Too bad. read more

So this is my husband and my second time coming here and it's really delicious. They have one of the best carne asada tacos and burritos in Oakland. I like to get the carne asada burrito because they have a choice of getting retired beans, pinto or black beans where many places don't have all 3 options! My husband likes the surf and turf burrito which is full of shrimp and asada! The chips and guacamole is good too! Give it a try. We will be back again soon when I need a authentic socal tasting burrito!! read more

Xolo - Posters on the walls - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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This place filled my taco craving. Plentiful menu options including tacos, burritos, soups and salads with some daily specials (like beef tongue). Order at the front counter and take your number and they will deliver the food hot to your table. There is plenty of seating inside but tone down the tunes a bit and head to the back where there are a couple tables of outdoor seating under what appears to be a grapevine. I stuck with the fish tacos this first time and the arbol aioli was craveable. I can't wait to return to try the burritos and maybe the crunchy taco. read more

Let me tell you, they put crack in their crunchy beef tacos. That's the only way to explain hoe good they are. They see me at least 2x a week, and I do mean at LEAST! Fresh veggies, yummy salsa. I want to try the burritos but can't let go of the tacos. The employees are so sweet & I feel like I see them so much, they're my friends. Super cute setting on the inside and located right across from the Fox Theatre. IF YOURR THINKING OF COMING HERE, DO IT! read more

Had a nice casual dinner here with friends earlier this month. The prices are affordable for Oakland with each taco being priced at about five dollars with multiple options including vegetarian and pescatarian options. I was tempted to get a burrito which goes for about $13 but went for tacos instead. I really enjoyed my carne asada and fish taco with a Mexican Coke. Unfortunately, they didn't have churros on the day we went so we did not try dessert. My friend got the elote which looked decent, but I'm not sure I would get it personally. The interior of the restaurant is simple, casual, and fun. It's self service, but the ambience is good. read more

Xolo - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Have you tried the pozole? Aaaaammaaazziing. Hands down probably the best thing on their menu. I also tried the shrimp and fish tacos. The shrimp was good, however I got 2 shrimp and the rest fish in my shrimp tacos. And the fish taco was ok. I got sick for the rest of the day which wasn't exciting for me. But I would def go again and try something else... just maybe not the seafood. read more

Xolo - Pozole - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

I love the hibiscus tea and the crispy tacos and beans. It's a great spot for meeting up with friends! Food is quick and you can watch them make the food! Never disappointed but my friends who don't like cheese as much take issue but still my go to spot! read more

Quick stop before we head into the city and it did not disappoint! Oh man these shrimp tacos just brought me back to life. Creamy sauce with just the right amount of crunchy cabbage. Great customer service and the food was on the table within 5 minutes of sitting down! I'll be back later this week to try the Chile relleno burrito! Thanks Xolo! read more

Xolo - Shrimp tacos! Bomb! - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California