CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device
After selling tamales on the streets of San Francisco for 15 years, Ofelia Barajas and her daughter Reyna Maldonado have opened their first restaurant, La Guerrera’s Kitchen, in Oakland’s Fruitvale. It’s another chef-driven project from culinary incubator La Cocina — the neighborhood is already home to their Nyum Bai and Reem’s California, both James Beard-award nominees — and buzzy as heck after only five days in business. Here’s why you should visit:
THE VIBE: What if your favorite taco truck transformed into a sunny patio, complete with turquoise community tables, potted succulents and a very cool mural by local artist DJ Agana? That’s what it feels like. You order inside, snag a table — they need more of those and more umbrellas, too — and sip the day’s seasonal agua fresca ($3.50). It was a tangy hibiscus on our visit.
THE FOOD: Barajas’s food celebrates her native Guerrero, Mexico, and the menu is delightfully simple: Street tacos ($4 each) brimming with fresh cabbage and homemade salsas, tamales made with GMO-free corn masa ($4 each) and build-your-own ceviches ($12).
Barajas’s barbacoa taco arrives hot, the meat off-the-charts juicy and flavorful — highly recommend it. We chose white fish for our ceviche and had it topped with all the good stuff: fresh mango, cucumber, jicama, pico de gallo and a kicky serrano chile and lemon juice number flecked with onions. When our homemade chips ran out, we finished the ceviche with a fork. Yes, it was that good.
There’s no shortage of affordable Mexican food in the area, but La Guerrera’s Kitchen is a stand-out, not only for the fresh options but for the killer ambiance.
DON’T MISS: La Guerrera’s is doing monthly mole and mezcal pairings with neighbor The Aloha Club, and Saturday brunch parties with a DJ, as well.
PERFECT FOR: A weekday lunch or summer dinner alfresco
DETAILS: Open from noon to 9 p.m. daily at 954 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland; www.facebook.com/maizwarrior.
