La Parrilla Loca in Oakland makes Tijuana-style tacos that rival the best in Los Angeles.
On the corner sits a small trailer where you place your order. Then you get into the longer line, which turns the corner of the old Fandango Latino nightclub, where you’ll eventually see an assembly line of taco greatness. The carne asada al carbon, marinated chicken and traditional chorizo all cook over intense flames from the charcoal grill. At the center of the operation, you’ll hand the taquero your order stub and watch the magic show firsthand.
The meat of your choice is chopped with a long, thin saber on a weathered tree-trunk-like slice of wood that acts as a chopping block. Then it’s scooped into a handmade tortilla, smeared with a generous dollop of guacamole, doused with your choice of a silky red salsa or a chunky green salsa and smothered in a healthy handful of chopped onions and cilantro. Finally, it is wrapped and cradled in a piece of butcher paper, a defining characteristic of Tijuana-style tacos.
When I visited La Parrilla Loca last Sunday with a friend, we ordered five different options so we could try as much of the menu as possible. First up was the carne asada al carbon, which is grilled over charcoal. It had an intense smoky flavor, which is part of the allure of meats al carbon. The meat was still tender and elicited memories of the carne asada atNext up: al pastor, which many people know as the meat on the spit.
The chorizo taco was definitely the favorite of the bunch. Typically, the Mexican sausage is decased and cooked on a plancha, giving it a coarse texture. But at La Parrilla Loca, they cook the sausage in full over the charcoal as they do with the chicken and carne asada. When it was cooked like this, there were nice little plumps of porky pop with each bite and a medium amount of spice.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two killed in Oakland shooting, stabbing early SaturdayA shooting and stabbing in Oakland early Saturday left two men dead.
Read more »
Pedestrian killed in East Oakland hit-and-run, driver soughtPolice are searching for a driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in East Oakland on Friday night.
Read more »
Police: Street racer flees in Mercedes after fatally striking pedestrian in OaklandThe fatal collision happened about 7:05 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue.
Read more »
6-year-old boy wounded in Oakland shooting crossfire at gas stationA 6-year-old boy was shot at a gas station and a man was shot at a street memorial for a homicide victim within two hours Friday night in Oakland.
Read more »