La Esquinita

Off the bat I was impressed by the presentation and flavor of everything I ordered. You can't expect table service from a place whose name can losely equate to "hole-in-wall". There are tons of places like this in Mexico that are tiny, dark, with bad music, but food has to hit right. Today it did. I had not read any reviews before entering. My friend and I were walking by and simply walked in. The meat selection is limited, but I tried two of which to judge the place: Asada and chorizo. If you can't do either justice you may as well be Taco Bell. I also tried the camote (sweet potato) taco. The camote taco gets most of its flavor from the frijoles molidos, which were tasty, very filling if you're on the veggie tip. The asada by itself had lots of flavor and good texture, not too chewy. The chorizo on the menu is presented as a Vampiro, but really what I got was a queso-taco. The vampiro stands out because the tortilla is toasted and crispy (not fried), and a layer of skirt cheese is the base for the meat. Take away the toasted tortilla and... I already told what that makes. It was delicious nonetheless and enough for me to come back for more. The jamaica was refreshing and not too sweet. It seems La Esquinita has been evolving and anyone who hasn't been in months should give them another shot. One note I have is for them to add a salsa bar with roasted chiles.

Perfect spot for #tacotuesday 🌮 Got the al pastor tacos and inhaled them way before it even occurred to me to get photos and post a review. They were delicious, highly recommend! Al pastor burrito was good too. Edit : ordered in a bunch of times and LOVE the Al pastor burrito. This is my go to taco spot and my faves are the fried shrimp, chorizo and Al pastor. They don’t skimp on the filling, so 3 tacos is a hearty meal. Soooo good 10/10

I’ve eaten in and ordered from here a few times now. Unfortunately the food is quite mid. The theme through out the tacos, burritos, and even guacamole is bland. Everything lacks spices, herbs, and acid. I usually douse everything I get from here with lime, salsa, or hot sauce just to get more flavor out of the meal. Maybe the answer is their wet burritos for extra flavor, but you’d assume the meat would be where the flavor is at as it’s the key ingredient in every dish and easy to marinate. Also, I’d stick to pork or chicken as the carne asada was mostly minced up undesirable cuts of unchewable grizzle. The interior can be cold in the winter and leaves much to be desired. But the service is kind and quick with togo orders. Tip: they have more menu options than listed on the online ordering site and everything is cheaper if you order over the phone.

Super chill corner spot with amazing food! The red chilaquiles were flavorful and crispy, one of the best in the area!

Met a few friends at the pink palace; we always love to try new places. We all made takeout orders. The cashier was in training. There is a menu on the wall, but there is also a paper menu if you asked for it or look like you’re straining to read. I enjoyed the mushroom 🍄 and the Carmelo special tacos that I got. I had to borrow my friends fork because the tacos are overflowing with stuffing and very messy. She automatically got a fork spoon and knife with her quesadilla but that was not messy and she did not need it. You will need a lot of napkins. I was a fan of the blue corn tortilla on the Mushroom Taco, but not really the flour tortilla as it was soft and had soaked through on one side by the time I had got into it. Another friend liked his Lengua and crispy beef tacos, but he was not into the chicken because he’s not into chipotle sauce. Another friend was not that enthusiastic about her Carne Asada. We all took our takeout boxes to the bar to eat as there’s more space plus we had dogs with us. There are a few outdoor seats here, but they are against the sidewalk. You get a number after you order and they bring out the food to you. Hopefully they will have compostable or use paper bags to go instead of plastic bags next time. You have to ask for salsa special if you want it. They gave me a little container of a red and a green salsa. Neither of them were spicy, but they were sour. I would’ve preferred more spice, but I do enjoy sour food. Good first experience for me, and we were looking for another place that people can take to go to a McNally’s Bar down the street. I was full after two tacos. One unisex restroom is in the back.

I’ve been eating here at least once a week since I discovered it almost a year ago and it’s just sooooo good! The veggie yam taco is a sleeper hit — a satisfying delicious taco that does not suffer without meat. Also the soups are beyond, maybe the best kept secret on the menu: sopa de lima is so flavorful, tart salty meaty, and the pozole specials are exceptional. I hope they bring back the quesabirria soon, best taco yet.

Thinking we couldn’t go wrong with the rave reviews, we were utterly disappointed in the quality of our food. The only reason this didn’t get a one-star review was due to the only delicious item we had, which was the crispy beef taco. The ‘wet’ burrito was the big disappointment… quite literally drowning in a non-reduced sauce with the only flavor being “hot”. No pico, and/or guacamole/lettuce/tomato left a lot to be desired, and a drizzle of crema did little to add balance. Maybe the kitchen had an off day… but if this is the type of Mexican food that Rockridge thinks is worth a high rating… it might just be because it’s one of the only spots left in Oakland that hasn’t closed due to high crime and everything else you’ve been reading about small business closures in the city lately.

The al pastor burrito was the best burrito I’ve had in a long time. Will definitely be back! The tacos looked good too. Really well flavored. This is my new burrito place.

This is a hidden gem in Rockridge. The food is excellent: my BF gets the yams and poblano burrito and I get the vampiro taco with chorizo. My favorite is their sopas nicely seasoned and large portions. On the weekends they have churros which are delicious. They don't have a ton of seating, and most are outside tables. The service is great. You order at the counter and the young woman will bring it out to you.

Ordered takeout and I liked my tacos but my husbands burrito had a penny inside it which made us a little concerned about the preparation. So I have to dock a star for that. From what I ordered though I liked the chorizo taco best of the pollo and crispy beef tacos. The flavors were good of the food we had just feel conflicted about the penny

We decided to try La Esquinita on a whim. My partner has seen in while passing by before and thought it was cute so he suggested it as lunch today. I was feeling for some tacos so this was perfect. There's not much seating indoors from what I remembered, but plenty of seating outdoors. It can get kind of hot though, so just an heads-up, a cap would be useful, or it would have been nice if they provided umbrellas or something for shade. Food has to be ordered at the counter first, then you're given a table number, and food will be served when they're hot and ready! For myself, I ordered a Carne Asada Taco and one of their Sopes (omitted cheese) that was on their special menu. The rest of my party ordered a Veggie Poblano Taco, two Lengua Taco, a Chorizo Taco, another Sope, and their Horchata. Food came pretty quickly. I like that they have different toppings for all the tacos. I believe my Carne Asada came with just onions, cilantro, and their house made salsa, but I saw diced yams on the Poblano I believe. It's also nice how you get different tortillas for different taco fillings. Mines look similar to maybe a blue corn tortilla, but I'm not entirely sure what made the tortilla brown instead of the usual yellowish color. My taco was pretty darn good though! The meat isn't too fatty, good amount of filling, and flavor was there! I enjoyed it. I sampled a Lengua and that was deliciously tender as well. As for my Sopes, I kind of wish they asked if I wanted to omit sour cream since I asked to omit cheese, but it's okay. The Sopes came loaded with toppings. It's similar size to a taco, but it's almost like a little circular pie crust. It came topped with some of the garnet yams, plenty of meat, beans, cilantro, and sprinkles of other ingredients. I thought it was pretty good. Flavorful and delicious, but I feel the masa base was a little too crunchy/hard. It was a bit difficult to cut through. It's definitely fun, and messy to eat, so do expect to get your hands a little dirty. Aside from that, my partner also loved their house made salsa and their Horchata. All in all, a good Mexican place. Expect the price point to be higher than your normal street taco. All of our tacos was about $5-$6 each, but I suppose in exchange, you get a little more variety and their twist on Mexican food. There isn't much service since it's kind of self serve for water, utensils, etc, but based off of our limited interaction with them, they were friendly people.

This is one of my favorite veggie burritos in Oakland! I feel like a lot of places that are highly rated generally don't have a good veggie option, that is not the case here. The staff is super friendly and it's cute little restaurant with outdoor seating.

After our nearby hike, our group came here for lunch after a group member suggested this newer Mexican restaurant. Arriving around 1:45 and after finding parking in the neighborhood a block away, we arrived at the restaurant at 1:45. I recall this was the former location of the Filippo's restaurant. Inside there is two 4 seat counter seating. Outside, there are about 8 tables of two that can be combined if necessary. Menu consists of tacos, burritos, specials and seasonal items. After ordering at the counter, we got our water and utensils at the station and went outside to combine two tables. The server brought our orders served on round metal pans. I got two tacos: Pescado, with battered and fried fish and salsa veracruzano consisting of tomatoes, capers, olives, parsley and lime on a soft blue corn shell. The fish was moist and the salsa was tasty and complemented the fish well. Crispy beef, which has shredded beef marinated in guajillo puree, lettuce, shredded cheddar with a cucumber and tomato salsa in a crispy shell. This was good but did not wow me as much as the pescado taco. With friendly service, the food here is fresh and tasty. Would like to try other tacos and a burrito in the future.

Love their breakfast burritos they're bomb probably best burritos in the east bay, nice friendly workers too. Great place

Excellent tacos! WOW! I ordered the poblano and it was unique and filling. And fast service order at the counter service. Cute corner stop.

5400 College Ave Oakland, CA 94618 La Esquinita is a small neighborhood restaurant located in Oakland's Rockridge area. I have enjoyed the food here twice now, and have found it to be fresh and delicious. I expected to like the food since I read that the owner of La Esquinita is also the owner of Xolo in downtown Oakland. So far, I have tried the Crispy Taco, Fried Camarones Taco, Carne Asada Taco, Carne Asada Burrito, and Breakfast Burrito. The only complaint I have is the carne asada meat is a bit chewy and fatty.

La Esquinita is unlike any other taqueria I know of. Delicious fresh food!!! Unique menu. Unique fare, nice proportion size (meaning I am satisfied w/ 1 item for lunch), great service and they use real plates, glasses, cutlery - so it seems like they generate very little trash - especially plastic

Ordered Crispy Beef Taco and Pescado (fish) Taco - both were delicious!!!! Ingredients were fresh. Friendly staff! Will be back to try other menu items!

I really like this place! The star items IMO are the poblanos taco which has charred sweet potato and mole and the pozole, which is rich with chili and garlic. Also enjoyed the chicken taco (overflowing with chicken and avocado) and caramelo, as well as the fried shrimp and fish tacos (which do better via delivery than Cholita Linda). The Mexican wedding cookie is tasty. The chips & salsa are solid, so is the salad, but neither can beat the similar items at Comal Next Door. The bean and cheese burrito had way too much cheese and didn't have the creaminess of beans you'd want - would not get it again. Def stick to CND for that. But still really like this place and will be part of the regular rotation now!

We were happy to have this establishment open near us, offering more boutique items than the existing shops that we would order from and take to McNally's bar. You can also order on online and pick it up for an easy transaction. Otherwise, order at the counter, you can pay with Apple Pay, you will get a number and your order will arrive to your table if you are sitting in or bagged if you are taking it to go. Dogs can sit outside, there are a few tables with heat lamps under an awning. A few seats exist at the counter window seats inside. There is a unisex restroom towards the back there is a water station. You can also grab your napkins and utensils here. I always use a fork for their tacos because the stuffing is too much to eat taco style. Be sure to ask for salsa for more flavor!

Solid tacos with good portions, so although they seem expensive it's not unreasonable. Meats were well-made. They had very little indoor seating but pretty expansive outdoor seating on the side walk with heaters, so go take advantage of the good weather! My one complaint is that the shrimp taco had way too much sauce, I will ask for less next time!

This place is so legit! The mushroom and goat cheese taco is like nothing I've ever had. Be aware that it's tiny and doesn't have much seating space, but that's part of the charm.

The crispy tacos here are so satisfying! I've had the chicken and the beef and both were delightful. The staff is always kind and service is usually quick. Take a seat outside on a nice day and people watch while enjoying your meal. Also don't skip the pazole! It's rich and delicious.

Tried this place after my nail technician recommended it and I was craving for some Mexican food so here we go. Parking: Street parking was decent. The time I went there was plenty of space so no issue with that. Food: Chips & Salsa: It was fresh, and the salsa had a little spiciness to it. Camarones Tacos: I wasn't a big fan of this because the shrimp was coated and had a sweet coating sauce on it. I would've preferred for it to be grilled shrimp. Crispy Beef Tacos: really good beef crunchy tacos. If you do order this make sure you eat this first as it makes the shell soggy. Asada Tacos: The best tacos out of all the tacos I ordered. The meat was very tasty and overall this was the best tacos for me. I would definitely come back and try their other tacos and other items in the menu. This is a pretty good new spot that I highly recommend trying.

Stopped in on a Saturday morning for brunch and the food was fantastic. The breakfast burrito with bacon was packed with eggs, rice, beans, cheese, and bacon with a perfect grill. Will be back for brunch with my family

$60 for 2 meh burritos and a salad??? WHY...? The stars are for the service, which was friendly and prompt. Zero stars for the food & cost. :( We decided to try this place out because it's relatively new. Cactus has been a staple and a local favorite for a long time, but always open to try a new Mexican joint. We ordered a rice, bean and cheese burrito; a fish burrito; and a Mexican salad. The steep price point (for a very simple meal) was dealbreaker number one. Dealbreaker number two was that the rice, bean and cheese burrito was MISSING RICE. Dealbreaker number three was that the salad, which boasted a variety of ingredients on the printed menu, was really just lettuce with a couple of tomatoes sprinkled in. The fish burrito was missing half the fixings, and the fish portion was so small we only got to it halfway through the burrito. I could've made a better salad - and burrito - at home for 1/100th of the price. Cactus has better food, and serves more of it, for a lot less. Booooooooo. Won't be back.

I was super excited when this place opened because of the prime location. You order at the counter. They have plenty of outdoor seating though not as much indoors. I got the chicken and mushroom tacos and although I liked the sauce on the chicken, I was looking for a bit more flavor in both the tacos. I've gotten a couple of their other tacos in another visit and feel the same way about them. I did really love the horchata. Overall, I probably wouldn't return for the tacos but may give something else on the menu a shot.

You guys should work on your service. Unpleasant workers in the front. I just spent $110 including a tip (which I didn't have to add because I got no service and it was to go) which included 5 meals and when I asked the unpleasant person on the register for another type of salsa she said she had to charge me for more than 1. I told her that I got 5 meals and I think they should give me some salsa which in any other Mexican restaurant they will not charge you especially for such a large order. She gave me 2 salsas with a face like I'm annoying her. How about some service??? Why is she on the register if she can't act politely?

Amazing food!!! I had the chorizo and lengua tacos very tasty. I definitely recommend this place.

Delicious, go-to neighborhood spot for tacos. I've been here at least 4 or 5 times since it opened and it's always fire! It's a small restaurant with limited indoor seating. There's a number of small tables outside. You order at the counter and they give you a number and you seat yourself. Food always comes out quickly, and is always delicious. I always get the chips and guacamole and usually a few tacos, but I've also tried the salad and the burrito. The meats are super delicious, cooked perfectly & super tender, so it'll taste good no matter what you order! My favorite meat is probably the al pastor, but the pollo and carne asada are delicious as well. The tortillas always taste great & fresh.

Best shrimp tacos ever. Ordered two, and after experiencing those, ordered two more. Shrimp tasted fresh and were NOT over cooked and tough. Batter was light, more like a tempura than fish & chips batter. Sauce was very flavorful with just a little bite and not too much heat. Perfect combination. Staff was very friendly and helpful, so a great meal overall. I'll be back.

First time here. We wanted to try a taco but ended up ordering more. Overall it was a positive experience, limited seating ; we opted for indoors seats by the window. Young women who helped us was kind, pleasant and helpful. My only complaint would be temperature of food, I love hot food. Other than that, I would return. ;)

Had a carne asada burrito from here and it was alright. Nothing life changing and a super burrito should come with guac in it. That's what makes it a super! (well that and some other stuff but you're really paying for the guac). The salsa that came with my burrito was notably good.

5 stars for their breakfast burritos and Horchata! It's been a while since I've had authentic horchata and Mexican style burritos.

Just wanted to say that we continue to love this place, I think it has become a once a week stable. I tried the burrito today and it was equally tasty. The tostada is my all-time favorite.

Ordered delivery. Pollo tacos were soooooo flavorful. Definitely order them again. Tostada came packed weird with all the toppings in a container and tostada shell in foil. I get it, it's so the shell stays crunchy but it was not very appealing. Probably shouldn't have that available for delivery. The little salsa verde that came with order were amazing. So much flavor and perfect amount of heat. I actually ended up drinking any leftover salsa.

Great food!. I had three different tacos, chorizo diablo, asada and pescado, all delicious. Very friendly staff and Mexican coke. What more could you ask for?

The tacos are yummy! I ordered the chicken, al pastor and chorizo. They're street tacos sized but absolutely stuffed with all the yummy goodness! Staff are also super friendly

Delicious, unique menu, authentic flavors, and wonderful staff and service! One of our favorite local spots.

Food is amazing and it comes pretty quick. The portion size seems reasonable with its price. Overall, I'm satisfied and would recommend!

Outstanding tacos. I tried asada and al pastor - both great. If I lived here I'd be back often. Guacamole really tasty too. I liked the staff as well.

On the pricier side ($5 tacos, $16 burritos) but worth it! I am vegetarian, so Mexican food is not always my first choice, but this is not your typical bean and rice affair. The veggie options and interesting and flavorful--mushrooms, rajas, sweet potato and more. I can't help but come back for more.

Was feeling under the weather and stopped by La Esquinita for some sopa de lima. Their soup is always on point. Thank you for the message, it made my day!

Absolutely delicious food! Im from socal and don't get lots of good Mexican food near me but its delicious here. Salsa is rly good too. Love the ambience and window seating. Will definitely be back.

Loved it all, especially the soaps de Lima and the pollo and chorizo vampire tacos. So pleased to see something come into this long vacant corner in Rockridge. Affordable prices, and a kitchen that can keep the line moving too!

Great chorizo breakfast burrito! Loved it! Very nice people on shop makes all the difference

I was soooo excited to try this place. I even followed and liked all their post on Instagram. I was raging about it to my girlfriend so she decided to join me for dinner tonight. We ordered the chips and salsa, guacamole, crispy beef taco, carne asada taco, and chicken taco. Let's start with service. They were nice. For being new I would have expected them to be a bit more friendly and warm but it's fine. The food came out in less than 10 minutes! Not sure if that was a good thing. The crispy beef taco was good. Nothing special. The chips were very stale. And the salsa did not have much flavor. Maybe a bad batch? The chicken taco tasted like Indian butter chicken in a taco. It was okay. The chicken did not taste fresh. Now, the carne asada taco we couldn't even eat. The meat was very chewy and fatty. Huge pieces. We tried we really did but we just couldn't. I asked for a side of spicy salsa. That was very delicious but that was it. So sad, but we won't be returning.

For $52 I got a veggie quesadilla, a veggie burrito and a shrimp burrito. Not only was the price absurd, the portion size nearly made me cry and I can honestly say this was the worst burrito I've had in such a long time. Hardly any cheese, pico de gallo and the rice was overly spiced and salty. And this is coming from a guy that likes salted and spicy food. I give it a 2 stars because it was made to order quickly, but that was the only bright spot. Won't come back.

The food was amazing! We ordered the crispy beef taco, soft carne asada taco, quesadilla and black beans/ rice. I'm a born and raised socal latina whose been living in the bay for awhile but haven't found anything that compares and today, I think I finally found my spot Flavors were great, the tortillas tasted fresh and homemade (just like my nana's) and nothing tasted greasy. Im excited to try more things on the menu!

Went to La Esquinita on a recommendation - a quick local spot with tasty fish tacos and burritos. The one thing I noticed about the fish burrito was that (despite the saltiness) the fish was grilled instead of fried, which was a welcome change of pace. We ordered pescado burrito, chicken quesadilla suiza, and a salad. The salad was much more like side salad compared to what we're used to with Mexican-style toastada salads. The suiza had a protein:cheese ratio that left a lot to be desired. The burrito was probably the best of the order, but salty with a few surprise ingredients like cotija cheese that glommed together and made each ingredient feel indistinct from each other. We'll have to try again and dine in for a better experience.

Been waiting for this spot to open. Was better than expected . Everything was fresh and flavors spot on. The horchata tasted like my mom's agua de arroz, I loved it! Will be back to try the rest of the menu!

Homemade style cooking made each dish taste fresh and whole. Meat was particularly good and well cooked. Avocado was excellent, but too pricey to splurge again. I'll leave this meal not feeling weighed down.

I really, really want to love this place with all my heart but disappointing first time. I ordered a chicken burrito, it was good, a bit on the small side, but nothing special. Asked for no pico/tomatoes and they were in there. I'm not allergic but always feel that pico makes a burrito cold. So that was a bummer. I also ordered the chips and guacamole for $11. Again, pretty basic guacamole - the chips were soggy. Nothing worse than biting into a chip that isn't crisp, you know what I'm saying? I imagine and hope it will get better. Next time I'll try the tacos.

Second time here tonight, a Thursday. Walked up to order take out, and we got our order in about 5 minutes. Perfect. I got the pescado burrito. Flavorful, nice grilled fish, well-cooked. Not like when you sometimes get grilled fish that's wet and/or tastes gray. Really good tortilla, thin but sturdy with a nice bite. My husband got tacos--camarones and al pastor. At other places, he'll often complain about the proportions (too much meat, too much sauce, too many gubbins, etc.), but not tonight. He said it was very tasty. My 10yo got their bean and cheese burrito for the first time. He likes his "usual" bean and cheese from our usual taqueria, and is often complains about his burrito when we try a new place. But not tonight. He liked it and finished it all. Also got chips and salsa. I really liked the salsa--juicy diced tomatoes, a little salt, and with a kick. Our first time here was almost 2 months ago, not long after they first opened. That time, it took a while to get our to-go order, but I chalked it up to opening woes. Definitely much improved now. Food was very tasty, even back then. Always good service. Small, but bustling dine-in area, and some outdoor tables.

I've been waiting on this to open, worth it. Was welcomed at arrival with a smile and very helpful woman who was great in guiding me through the new menu. Always great to see a line and people having fun when you show up. Snagged a seat inside for myself and food came quickly after sitting ! Amazing tacos with that something special inside that just makes me close my eyes with love for taste !!!! Great job all , will become a city favorite in no time . Al Pastor tacos x2 for the victory!

The food tasted good but really salty. The Pollo burrito was pretty small for $15.65. Not worth the price.

Awesome location. Fun crowd and great tacos! We had the quesadilla and the poblano taco which were delicious. Great vegetarian options as well.