Comal Next Door

Had an epic meal at Comal Next Door! We feasted on a remarkable carnitas bowl—though I don’t know the exact name'—seriously, I have no idea what it was called, but it was incredible. My colleague, fluent in Spanish, placed the order, and it was spot on. We also had a Paloma that was so good it almost stole the show. If you’re in Oakland or Berkeley, do yourself a favor and check this place out!

My daughter and I were drawn in by great salsa music and a friendly neighborhood vibe. We split an order of

Excellent salad here. Tacos are so so. Fast turnaround after ordering. Do not get the popsicle here. It was melted and refrozen. The wooden stick was not long enough to comfortably hold.

The carnitas and el pastor were good enough to make me want to try the chicken and beef barbacoa. All four tasted pretty similar. Fresh ingredients and satisfying, but not exciting enough to want to come back for at least a month or two.

A great new locals spot in the old Barlago space on Grand Avenue overlooking Lake Merritt in the Adams Point neighborhood. Outdoor seating for those with dogs and continuing concerns regarding Covid. The Mexican cuisine is excellent as are the specialty cocktails. My favorite beer on tap is the Fuerza Lager. Friday evenings with renown World Music DJ Jose Ruiz is going to create a meetup scene unlike any currently offered on the Lake. I'm a big fan!

Stopped by here to meet friends and really enjoyed ourselves and our food - the chicken burrito was excellent and you can tell the ingredients were fresh. Great indoor and outdoor dining options and a great staff

I was pleasantly surprised by this place across the street from Lake Merritt. Visited on a Sunday afternoon. It was pretty busy, but had sufficient seating indoors and some outdoor seating as well. Dog friendly. The achiote chicken taco was my favorite. Although I wouldn't consider the buttermilk fried chicken torta to be very Mexican, it was freaking delicious, so who cares. Definitely worth trying. Reasonably priced, great service, and yummy food! What's not to love?

I see people love this place… I feel bad disagreeing. My chicken burrito was way too salty and the sauce was super heavy without anything particularly interesting about it. The chicken was not over cooked though, so that’s the second star. With Rico Rico right around the corner, I doubt I’ll be back.

We used them to cater our party...they delivered on time, manager was very helpful leading up to the party. Food was good!! Only thing I would recommend if you are using them for catering... go in to see what "their serving size" is. Unfortunately we ran out of food within the first half hour of party. Not due to their error, but due to a difference of opinion as far as their serving size for 10-12 people vs. what a family of good eaters serving size is. For us...their serving size 10-12, was more like 5-7 people. And... we definitely needed more tortillas, my family understood the assignment... street tacos are double tortillas. After all that, would still recommend!

I was very disappointed. First to realize that Comal and Comal Next door didn't have the same menu or at least over the same signature items that I saw on "ChecksPlease". Second was not a major issue but a small training issue. I walked up to the counter and ask about the connection with the Berkeley location and about the program. The young lady didn't know about either. As I started reviewing the menu a second team member informed me that they were the same. So I asked about the "Big Blue masa quesadilla." She did know what I was talking about. After I started eating my food she returned and told me what it was called. I also heard going back inside and telling the others about it. Lastly I thought the chips were VERY salty. Tacos were just okay. Way too many places have good tacos at a lower price for me to consider returning. Rajas on the "bowl" were more of a suggestion than an item. The bowl only had 4 strips of chili. Corn was not grilled and nor shaved off a cob. They looked like they were either canned or frozen. The orange salsa I saw on the program fall far short of the spice factor I hoped for. Lastly I would say the poblano and canned corn bowl looked so unappealing that I would put a "Chipotle Grill" bowl up against it ANY day.

Great place for lunch. How come we haven't stopped by sooner? We wanted to try something new and somewhere close by. So, we ended up here. We've driven and walked by many times, but it didn't look that great. Today was our chance to check it out. We walked by the outside diners and went inside. There was no line. We were instructed that the specials were on the sign and the other dishes are on the other side. It took us a bit to figure out what the other side meant. It was at the other end of the line. There was a pile of menus. Today's special was a taco salad for $14. It came out huge and delicious. I'd order it again. It was made with butter lettuce, half of an avocado, and a pile of beans and meat. I got the bean and cheese burrito for around $9. It was big and delicious. The tortilla was the perfect texture and size and it was folded perfectly. We ate outside and it was great ambiance due to the great weather. We'll return.

I asked for a guacamole burrito which they agreed to make and they didn't put guacamole inside. They also added spicy sauce in the burrito, which wasn't requested. Plus, I've never seen a burrito which size is 5", come on. Really bad experience even with tipping they didn't prepare me a good burrito. Make your burritos bigger at least.

Comal Next Door is pretty damn delicious. I normally order through DoorDash and almost always order a chicken burrito with no crema. Honestly, the area around the lake is blessed with a lot of great Mexican food. Last night I ordered a vegan burrito bowl and added chicken for $5. Unfortunately for my protein lacking self, the bowl had all of the labels on what should have been inside but they missed adding in the chicken. My heart was instantly struck with grief. Anyway, I reported it to DoorDash and it was taken care of with a credit. I do like that they encourage you to order from them directly on their ad they included in my bag. I may just do that to make sure my food is right next time.

Well, there's no ambience involved with grabbing takeout food. We were excited to hear when Comal opened up a branch business on Grand Avenue close to our home. We previously enjoyed eating at the Berkeley location occasionally. We started ordering takeout from Comal at the beginning of the Covid years when they opened in Oakland. They have some unique menu options such as their tofu vegetarian burrito, which is my husband's favorite. Gringos be advised the food is a bit spicy. Definitely recommend Comal Next Door for quick takeout food options.

I eat at comal almost every time I'm in the Bay Area. I'm writing this today after my 4th or 5th time and it's like it just keeps getting better and better. I've eaten both dine in, and had it delivered. Both ways were delicious and fresh and hot. The chips are SO GOOD. The guacamole is to die for. The elote is life changing, the burritos are huge and mouth watering, the next door salad is unique and yummy. Everything I've tried is so good. I only wish I lived closer and could eat it all the time!

The restaurant may seem small in the front, but there's ample space in the back room. The back room also has the full bar ;) The service was alright considering that you order at the counter and they bring it to your table. A little too casual for me, but our server was super sweet and quick! I had the Tacos Dorados with a margarita. The "rolled tacos" are supposed to be flautas or taquitos (maybe?) but the dough was so thick that there was (way) more crunchy tortilla than filling. The marg was way too strong and had too much salt and spice around the rim. My mom had the shrimp tacos and a lemonade. She said it was just alright, but she finished it. Lemonade and side of beans were the best things we ordered. Would I come back? To give the bar a second try... Would I recommend it? Not quite there yet

Came for brunch. No line, not crowded at all so I was skeptical and worried about how the food might taste. Lots of space and clean tables with outdoor and indoor options. You order up front, take a number, and then sit down. We ordered the chilaquiles and the huevos con chorizo. Huevos con chorizo was like a Mexican scramble with meat, peppers, potatoes, and eggs. Pretty good flavor. It came with rice and your choice of beans. The chilaquiles you can choose roja or verde. I got roja with 2 eggs and it was flavorful. Not the most amazing chilaquiles I've ever had but pretty good. We also had two house spicy sauces they served to us. One was a mango habanero, super tasty and the other was super spicy (too spicy for me but I'd you like spicy go for it)! Overall, good experience and good service. We would come back. However, when you compare to other Mexican spots in the Bay, it's probably somewhere in the middle. Id give a 3.5 stars but it doesn't allow that option on yelp. And, there are other options in the bay that are tastier.

Nice ample place with a friendly staff here. Plates look great but sauces are too sweet for my liking. The drink menu is fantastic showcasing local breweries and the likes.

3.25 stars. Could be a 4, but they're not trying that hard. Lots of pluses and minuses. I like the burritos well enough. They're slightly above average. The fried chicken torta was disappointing though. A good number of beers on tap. But the wines aren't so good. Even being across from the lake, the place is not especially inviting. There's some seats indoors but there's no atmosphere. Yes, it has four tables out front with a view. Not the worst place you can end up in a warm summer day. Especially if there's a long line at Grand Lake Kitchen. I am ambivalent. Don't be surprised to find me here on a warm day having a burrito con cerveza if I don't have time to go someplace else. Frankly, I mostly order delivery from here.

East bay burrito #37 Initial taste 6/7 Meat 6/7 Beans 4/7 Rice 5/7 Cheese 4/7 Tortilla 6/7 Overall 5/7 Really liked the taste of this burrito. A little unbalanced in the ingredients. The cheese was all clumped in one spot at the bottom. Really liked the tortilla. The Al pastor was good and not overly greasy which is hard.

I've been ordering takeout from this location since it opened because it's closer to where I live, and I've noticed the portions have been getting smaller and smaller. The food is good, but not worth the increase in price and shrinking portions. Will be supporting the Berkeley location exclusively from now on.

Best vegi burrito we ever had. Great fresh and well seasoned food. Great service and atmosphere. Everything's good!

Excellent food and fast pickup. Intentionally the menu is not as broad as the sit-down Comal but that allows for quality and speed to both be high. The parking situation can be tricky on Grand so it helps for two people - one to drive and one to do the legwork - but certainly not required. Inside the folks are nice. Delivery of course is always an option too!

My go to for delicious vegetarian burritos for take-out. They have two versions - a spinach & mushroom, or a corn, potato, zucchini and chili. While both are standouts, my preference is the corn and zucchini.

Service could of have been better. I would rate service a 3/10 But the food and drinks 8.5-9 out of 10! Solid food and drinks. Nice view outside.

Came here on a quiet Saturday morning after the farmers market - must have been the first people in since they were still opening and getting the kitchen ready. The food was solid - huevos rancheros and a chorizo burrito. But the standout is the service and the warm welcome you get from the staff here. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. They go out of their way to make you feel special. The morning manager (?) in particular is such a kind and gracious host - he made great recommendations, answered all our questions, and checked on us the perfect amount of times. We'll definitely be back.

I've been ordering from here for months and today I went in an sat at the bar for the first time. Listen, the dine in experience is hands down SO much better than delivery. You have more items to choose from number 1, and 2, the atmosphere and service is amazing. Had a lovely solo early dinner at the bar with Alex as my server. Fantastic wine selection! My nachos were amazing and what was even better (and I'm picky as no other) was the FRESH pico made today. Tomato's are in season and man, it was legit the BEST I've ever had. Chips were a bit salty but that is usually never the case. Tried a new hot sauce with Fresno chilis and oh man, sooooo good. The carrot habanero is my go to. I am hoping they start the other one as bottles to go as well. Do yourself a favor, take the time to dine in. So worth it. Thank you Alex for making my whole day. So lovely to go to a spot alone and be treated so wonderful. Wine, beer, all the food and ingredients have defiantly been carefully thought through. Thanks so much!

Great street tacos! A coworker told me about this spot so gave it a try and the tacos did not disappoint. The salsa was also good (I tried the green salsa). They are a bit pricy though especially for Street size tacos, $4.50 per taco. Overall they're good.

The food was delicious. The service was good. The ambiance was very nice. Will definitely recommend and return.

We come here every couple of months and the food is consistently fresh and delicious, and the service is always friendly. Definitely try their specials - they never disappoint!

This place is a gem! Clean and modern. AMazing food!! We got a little bit of everything and it was all perfection. We got the Baja Fresh taco, chicken super quesadilla, barbacoa torta, a michelada, and, my favorite: potato tacos dorados. *chef's kiss*. The staff is amazing, and very accommodating (we came as a party of 6 adults and 6 kids under 6). We will definitely come back!! No pictures because it was too delicious and pictures became an afterthought.

I'm kind of a burrito snob - if i dont like it, I'm never coming back. I liked this one - they didnt have carne asada so i settled for the chicken black bean guac sour cream The swrvice was fast and i enjoyed sitting at the window watxhing the world go by. I also tried the Taco Truck beer for the first time. Two thumbs up

I couldn't order the specials off the website, so I called in, and they told me that it's not possible to order on the website. So, I tried to put in an order on the phone, but they said they don't take orders on the phone. How do I order specials then? They said I would have to come in and order to go in person, then wait for the food. I asked them to put the order in for me now. They said no. Why? "It's the rules." I asked for a manager, and the person said they were the supervisor there in the restaurant. So I said, if you're manager, and you're there, please put the order in for me and I will come and pick it up. They said no. Not because they couldn't but because it was the rules. ??? Dumbest restaurant interaction I have ever heard of. Do I have to beg you to take my money?

How is something so simple, so amazing! This quesadilla hit the spot and the hibiscus lemonade was super refreshing! Food came out quickly and everyone was nice. Will come back again next time I'm in the area.

Awkward response from Manager/owner? I had asked if the Horchata was While milk or Rice milk and the "manager" - said no we do things our way its our restaurant" You dare insult my Mexican culture by changing original recipes and further than make a back handed comment! Also the chilaquiles traditionally come with eggs, I get that it's more of a vegan option, but I didn't need your attitude.

Delicious and fresh Mexican food! Friend and I came here to catch up and we ordered a variety of items. We ordered the green beans, elote, carnitas tacos and rice and beans we also ordered the guacamole and chips which we totally enjoyed! Everything was so fresh and perfectly spiced! The food was definitely worth it and I would definitely be back for more at any given moment ! We sat outside and the service was totally great and loved hanging out here! Lastly we order a Margarita pitcher which was delicious .. highly recommend Comal!!!

Picked up a fried chicken torta and an al pastor burrito to take over to The Greek for a show. Absolutely loved the torta. Very messy, but DELICIOUS. Crispy and flavourful. The burrito was also quite good. Very tender pork and a juicy interior. The premixed cocktail was about as good as you can expect. A little sweet but that's typical. Had a great experience and made me super excited to try the fancier sit down dinner from Comal when I have more time!

What a great addition to the Lake Merritt scene. In times of Covid, it's just a take out window with some room for standing outside. I ended up with the little gems salad with carnitas which was delicious. Light and refreshing with a great dressing. At $15 it was a nice lunch, not overly filling, but enough! I opted for the hibiscus lemonade and it was surprisingly not sweet, which I was thankful for. Tasty food, reasonablish prices, a great menu and overall a great option to take to the lake and enjoy! Ordering online was super easy. I look forward to coming back for more substantial eats. Takeout margs to boot (during COVID times).

My friends and I were hanging by the lake and craving Mexican food. After our original plan fell through, we decided CND would be a good back-up option. My friend called in and I requested the Al Pastor Burrito. It was a tough decision because the veggie burritos sounded awesome, too. She picked it up and said that they do not request to add tip for workers when you pay the bill, which seems ridiculous to me. No it or anything. I hope there is a miscommunication, because no tips is unacceptable. The burrito was enjoyable. The beans had tasty flavor and the meat was tender. There was a fair amount of rice, but I also like rice. I also appreciated the pineapple and wish there was more. Overall, I enjoyed the food, but I'd really love for folks/yelpers to push management to allow customers to leave tip. Please!?!?

The pork enchiladas special was fantastic! Some of the best enchiladas I've ever had. We also enjoyed the house salad with carnitas. Of course its healthy! Its a salad, right? Haha. The cocktails were great, too. Helpful friendly staff. Great patio.

Bombrrito! Ordered the beef burrito to go still held its delicious flavor after returning to the office, it held its shape, the shell is not too thick It had a generous portion, chucks of beef, tomatoes, onions, cilantros great mix of salad Can definitely define its taste in each bite They gave us a bottle of the home made hot sauce which added top notch, great heat with a citrus notes

I LOVE it here! It's a really chill place to eat at the lake and everything is so good! My favorite picks for food are the nachos and the chilaquiles and my go to drink is the watermelon mint agua fresca but the horchata is a realllllly close second. Everyone that works here is super friendly and welcoming, too! You can eat inside our out on the patio, if it's a nice day I'd definitely opt to eat outside, it's lovely.

Food is good but staff doesn't pay attention. If you do a pick up order make sure you go up to them repeatedly or else you'll be standing there forever.

Salty, careless, expensive. Clearly not food made wish care or thought - expanded commissary mass production just a step up from airport food. You can stomach the cost when you are in downtown berkeley because of the space and the cocktails - but as a to go business you really just feel duped. I did eat it because I was hungry

Mediocre food and unpleasant staff - not what I was expecting from a place affiliated with the restaurant Comal. Lunch was $50. Not going back!

I decided to embark on a top secret mission, the objective: to find the best burrito in town. After receiving a tip about a hidden gem of a taqueria, I made my way there undercover. The place was small and unassuming, but the aroma of sizzling meat and spices was intoxicating. I ordered the carnitas burrito, my mouth watering in anticipation. But as I took my first bite, my heart sank. The burrito was dry and bland, lacking the one essential ingredient that would have brought it to the next level: salsa! I was left feeling like a spy on a failed mission, my cover blown by a subpar burrito. I couldn't help but think about the missed opportunity for flavor and excitement. The taqueria's covert location and lack of salsa made me question the authenticity of my tip-off. It was a shame, as the staff were friendly and the atmosphere was cozy. But in the world of espionage, the details are everything and this place fell short. I'll have to continue my search for the ultimate burrito elsewhere.

Stopped in for a cocktail... However Who is extremely disappointed in the greeting. No welcome from the hostess or from any of the staff. Finally a server approached me and told me the bar open at 5 PM. I had seven minutes. When the bar opened... the host approach the group that had been dining and invited them into the bar area. Glances at me and walks away. Sooo... I invite myself to the Bar. I walked past two servers that do not comment or greet me again. I sit at the bar there's no bartender. ?!?!?! One appeared and is welcoming and eager to please. It's unfortunate this time of Covid when restaurants are already struggling to stay afloat there's no eagerness to invite you in and make you feel welcome. I had the Jack Satan.... Very tasty! Y'all need a team pep talk.

So confused how this place isn't rated higher. It's delicious. Seriously, even (maybe especially) the chicken burrito is so good. The chicken is seasoned and the rice is seasoned and fried - it's all quite flavorful. I'd normally go for the carne asada but their recipe makes me think I am a renewed again chicken burrito person. The bean and cheese burrito (maybe plus crema, though sometimes that is a bit too runny) is a good picky kids meal, but the leftovers like a guilty pleasure for adults too yummmmm. The guac and the grilled mixed veggies are on the spicy side, dependent on each bite, so watch out. But again soooo flavorful. We try to go here or pick up each week - pick up is always ready on time.

Comal sells cocktails to go but there's no bar here. no seating either. couldn't access entire menu on iphone, online ordering was problematic. just ordered the lst item i could.... offerings: burritos, bowls, tacos, tortas, mas, drinks, bottled cocktails eats: al pastor burrito (11.50) -contains "berkshire pork, al pastor, black beans, red rice, pineapple, cheese, crema"... -had lots of grease/chili oil-some leaked onto my map... -pork was crispy, otherwise uneventful, burrito was tasty, expected more. stop eating halfway. went to get something tastier? but it wasn't to be. 3.5 stars. wouldn't re-order online, too much problems with ordering on iphone. phone orders weren't accepted. food didn't equate with price. take outs: -parking would have been an hassle if i didn't find a space out front.

This restaurant is amazing, from the service to the food, to the cleanliness of the whole establishment. We ordered the Chilaquiles with green sauce and eggs, the nachos with no meat and the chicken torta. The food was amazing. This place has broken Chilaquiles for me. The presentation and flavors are perfect. Their nachos are exactly what you would hope they would be, and the torta is amazing. The portions are very generous, you won't leave hungry but if you do have room, the chocolate chip cookies are delicious. The manager, Alex, and his staff were very nice and helpful. I don't leave many reviews, especially if the place was just OK, but I want to be sure everyone knows how great Comal Next Door is.

Today was a miss & I was so excited to grab lunch here. The chicken sandwich was literally "dried pieces" of chicken that were falling out the bread. It was truly a waste today. The server was nice but the Torta just messed it up. We ate some of the salad but the rice was over cooked which was mushy. We will try it again because it's close to the office. Maybe today just wasn't a good day.

Food is too expensive and low quality. I ate here once and would not come back. The Mexican food in the Bay Area is amazing and the tacos are cheap. For $5 per taco, it needs to be well prepared and it just left something to be desired. Bland, not very warm, too mushy. I ate out of hunger, but not pleasure. Nearby Doña, another local restaurant, does a similar style of food/price point and is way better. And any local taco truck will make a tastier taco for a fraction of the price as well. Ordered an agua fresca - again, simply too bland for the price tag.

I always order take-out from here and the burritos are good. I'm vegetarian, so I'm thrilled that they have a few different burrito filling combinations that make it interesting for vegetarians. The salads are pretty yummy too, as are the pre-mixed cocktails and mocktails, but I'm writing this review because hands down... We have not found better tortilla chips in the Bay Area than the homemade tortilla chips at Comal. I dare anybody to challenge this notion. I don't know what magic mystery they are doing to craft their homemade tortilla chips, but my wife, my kids and I are constantly comparing chips from every other taqueria we come across in life to the chips from Comal, and if you find something better, please let us know. So far, nothing compares or even comes close. I would drive there just for the tortilla chips, to be honest. The salsas and guacamole are not bad either...

Phenomenal experience from the food to the service. Amazing drinks (even non-alcoholic) and fantastic brunch. Probably the best Mexican breakfast burritos I've ever had

I was walking by this Saturday morning around the lake area and I was hungry so I decided to try out Comal next door. I didn't know they had brunch I had the huevos con chorizo and they were awful first of all they put mint on top of the eggs, why would you put mint on eggs ?? Why ? Second the flavor was not good the chorizo didn't have any flavor at all.I make better huevos con chorizo at home. Third I had the chips and guacamole I want to say that for 9 dollars it's really expensive for a bag of chips and a small size of guacamole. Overall I wouldn't come back to this place again Overpriced place for a taqueria. Also they don't provide service to tables you have to order at the counter I would understand these prices if they had a server but ordering at a counter it's not definitely not worth it.

So I've been to this location twice in the last month so this review is only on their tacos and burrito. Tacos were good. A friend and I bought every taco flavor. They were all good and had some serious heft to them. I found 3 to be the perfect amount of food. Just what I was looking for in a small lunch which is honestly what salvaged two stars in this review. You also can't beat the location of the place. The todays meal though, chicken burrito and chips and guac. The portion was on the small side for the cost but what hurt this review was how bland the guac is. Wouldn't be surprised to find it's made without jalapeños. Honestly I wouldn't ever order guacamole here again. The burrito is... too clean. With strong flavor of cilantro. Not much spice and their house hot sauce isn't good enough to save it. Apparently there's cheese in their burritos but I barely noticed it. Send out a SOS for cream cause it's non existent. Also paid extra for guacamole on the burrito. Didn't notice at all while eating but that might be because it's sad, bland guac. If you want a burrito head a couple blocks up the street to Los Cantaros.

Tacossss!!! Carnitas and the carrot habanero sauce is where it's at. LOVE their carrot habanero hot sauce $7. It has the right amount of kick (not overpoweringly spicy) and looks to be made by the restaurant. I've been perusing Comal's menu for quite some time, but this didn't stand out until I tried to order on mobile. Tacos are ~$3.75. They're on the more expensive side, but there's a decent amount of meat that covers to the circumference of the tortilla that makes up for it. Carnitas - My favorite taco at Comal. The meat to fat ratio is spot on. The carnitas weren't too dry and had a little bit of fat that made the taco super tasty. I hope this is consistent next time. There was a decent amount of oil at the bottom and my taco got cold when I finally got home, so put it on the stove for a couple minutes. It made for a super yummy taco. A happy accident. Al Pastor - This taco didn't stand out to me too much. These were marinated and cooked, but not crispy by any means. I'm a Tacos El Gordo fan (San Diego), and it's hard to beat al pastor on a spit roast. However, I did appreciate the pineapple on top. Barbacoa - This one was my least favorite. I don't remember much about it, but the meat was more dry than the other two tacos. Parking was a disaster. I parked a couple of blocks away and walked over; the neighborhood behind/surrounding this restaurant is packed with apartments and thus limited parking, so definitely not an easy spot to get to. This is near the SF Fitness and all other crazy traffic in the area. Ordering on the Toast app was pretty easy and contactless -- this might be my new favorite way of ordering food to go. I set the date and time that I wanted to pickup and it was ready to go when I arrived. The only drawback with their Toast setup is that there's no way to customize more than what the check boxes show -- to be fair, the checkboxes cover most things. However, I hate having ice in my horchata because it waters down the drink, but couldn't omit, so didn't order. TLDR; I'll be back for the carrot habanero hot sauce, but parking will be a deterrent otherwise.