Carnitas Poblanas El Canelo

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Hidden Gem in Richmond – Carnitas Done the Right Way If you know carnitas, you know there’s a difference between good and Puebla-style done properly — and Carnitas Poblanas El Canelo absolutely delivers. This place started as a humble food truck and has earned its reputation the right way: through flavor, authenticity, and consistency. No gimmicks. Just real-deal Mexican cooking. 🔥 What I Ordered 2 x Large carnitas tacos on handmade blue corn tortillas, piled high with creamy avocado, shredded cabbage, and finished with fresh lime and radish. The meat? Perfectly slow-cooked — tender inside with those crispy caramelized edges that make Puebla-style carnitas legendary. On the side, their salsas: The green salsa brings serious heat (in the best way). The red salsa is deep, smoky, and rich. And the strawberry horchata? Next level. Creamy, refreshing, slightly sweet, and served ice-cold — the perfect contrast to the savory carnitas. 🌮 Why This Spot Stands Out Authentic Puebla-style carnitas — slow-cooked and crisped properly Handmade tortillas (you can taste the difference immediately) Fresh ingredients throughout Quesadilla de chicharrón prensado that locals rave about Fast, friendly, family-run hospitality Casual setup — the focus is 100% on the food It’s not fancy. It’s not polished. It’s not trying to be trendy. It’s authentic, flavorful, and consistent — which is exactly what makes it special. Some of the best carnitas in the Bay Area? Absolutely. If you’re in Richmond and you appreciate traditional Mexican cooking done with pride, this spot deserves your attention. Highly recommended. I’ll be back. 🌮🔥

Food felt so home made and the portions are just like it was home made as well. Such unique flavor and fresh ingredients used!

UPDATE: Tacos Arabes!! So good!! Highly recommended. This review is for their new truck on Roosevelt and 23rd. You gotta get the carnitas with the handmade blue corn tortilla. It’s absolutely ridiculous. So damn good. Unlike anything I’ve ever had. Lots of good fresh avocado in every bite. They also have a delicious pecan agua fresca, which is unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Just wow. Their salsa and their pickles are on point. They also have lots of other fun regional stuff that you don’t find at other taco trucks. Pambazos, cemitas, huaraches, tacos arabes, etc. I can’t wait to try them.

The directions take you to a cul de sack, no restaurant, nor truck here.

It was a great experience for me, I had lunch and the friendly service was fast, clean and got exactly what I ordered. The flavors are of the roof and will blow your mind away, it's like eating at moms kitchen!

This place is kinda hidden in a cul-de-sac but has some of the best carnitas around in a taco the size of most chain restaurant's burritos and five times as good.

THERE IS SO MANY PLATES TO CHOOSE FROM MY FAVE.

I was really excited to try this place since it’s closer to home. I usually go to Oakland for carnitas, but I was hoping to find a solid, authentic spot nearby. Starting with the good: they are using traditional methods. The carnitas are made in a cazo, and they’re making handmade blue corn tortillas, which I appreciated. Now, the confusing part. There are no menu prices. The tacos are also huge. Like, huge. Each one could easily be split into two or three regular-sized tacos, which likely explains the premium pricing. I didn’t get an itemized receipt, but as you can imagine, I was shocked to pay $110 for 8 carnitas tacos, 1 quesadilla, and 1 agua fresca. So just be aware. They also add avocado and cheese to the carnitas, which I’m not used to. Carnitas are already rich and fatty, so this made them feel extra heavy and cloying. Now the biggest issue: the taste. Unfortunately, the carnitas tasted rancid, especially the cueritos. It tasted like the oil had been reused too many times and/or the meat wasn’t freshly cooked. Multiple people in my group noticed the same thing. So while the technique is there, the execution just wasn’t. Between the lack of pricing transparency and the quality of the food, I can’t give this more than 3 stars, and that’s being generous. I had really high hopes. Maybe it was an off day, but for now I’ll keep going to my usual spots in Oakland.