Taco Zamorano

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in all of East Oakland, the food is superb, the service is top notch, and the prices are very affordable. I’ll eat anything on their menu, but I always return for their super burrito, it always stretches for at least two meals.

I’ve only done take out with these guys. Burrito was almost $ 12…but it was MASSIVE… and delicious. My wife and I split it and even a half is almost too much… almost.

you know those traumatizing experiences that stay with you forever? the ones that aren’t just bad for you but everyone around you and you all bond over them?
oakland maker’s faire food court. lunch time. every place had a line that stretched to who knows because the stands were so close together, it was just a huge traffic jam in every direction. so i had to pick one. i chose tacos because it seemed to me they would come out fastest. faster than gourmet burgers being grilled to order or pizza being baked in a tent. a taco truck — right?
how does it happen? what is the cut off time for things? when you wait in a line and all these people get behind you but no one is moving forward and you think «i’ve put in this much time, i can’t quit now and start all over again in another line» but then twenty minutes later, you try to find that tall guy in the stripped shirt in the other line to gauge how fast his line is moving and he’s already gone. but then suddenly your line lurches forward and — screw it — i’m staying.
an HOUR later, i get to the window and they are out of pork. i change my frigging order to chicken. in the TWENTY MINUTES after i’ve placed my order but am still waiting for my THREE TACOS, they run out of chicken and pork comes back online.
couldn’t tell you how it tasted, because i was hungry when i got in the motherfucking line so an hour and a half later, all i did was burn my mouth shoving the fucking things down my throat so i could get on with the faire.
never again.

Taco Zamorano used to be a fav of mine. they used to be across the street in the same lot of the restaurant with the same name. they disappeared for a while and now this truck is back. the food is not the same. burrito prices have also gone up.
sampling: beef regular burritos: (5)
–had chewy beef with white onions, rice, and beans in a small wrap. two sauces, jalenpenos, and sour carrots provided. quacamole and cheese also said to be in the mix. salsas were nice, burrito not.
frijoles refritos:
–fast, friendly service
–not a lot of people in line early morn.

I have yet to find a taco al pastor sureno, like we eat at home in Puebla but the Zamorano tacos are pretty damn good. They moved from the big lot on High and International to just kitty corner from it. My sister and I drive all the way from Berkeley just to eat their al pastor. But then one day, I took my bf there and he ordered the fish tacos. Let me tell you: these were the best damn fish tacos I have ever eaten. To tell you that for the next 5 days we ate fish tacos from el Zamorano. And then one day we wanted fish tacos but el Zamorano didn’t have any more. So we hit up Sinaloa and El Grullense and I have to say they were such a huge disappointment. The thing with the fish tacos at el Zamorano (as well as all their other meats) is that it is flavorful. Those tacos are soft, salty, perfect balance of meat to grease, they don’t cover it all up with tomatoes and salsa so you can’t taste anything like Sinaloa. I’ve tried all of el Zamorano meats, including the lengua y tripas (and I HATE tripas) and I actually really liked the taste. We love these ladies and they make tacos worth the drive.

Taco Zamorano is located in the All Mufflers Discounted Lot, easily accessible from the surrounding streets, with plenty of parking close by.
Passerbyers can spot the broad side of the truck which reads «The First in Oakland Since 1984.» This is what actually caught my attention and brought me to TZ for the first time in a long time.

My first order consisted of the Al Pastor and Carne Asada Tacos ($ 1.25). I’m more impressed with their carne asada, it was moist, flavorful and filling, but so far I haven’t found any trucks in Oakland that match the Al Pastor of Sinaloa or Tacos El Gordo.
I’ll be frequenting this location for my carne asada cravings in the form of tacos and super burritos.