Taqueria El Farolito — Restaurant in Oakland

A Tale of Two Meals – Hits, Misses, and a Must-Try Burrito

Let’s start with the basics: this spot has metered street parking, and while the area seemed alright, there was noticeable broken glass by the meters—a classic Bay Area reminder to never leave anything visible in your car.

Walking into the restaurant, it has an older, no-frills vibe. You head straight to the back where a large menu board hangs on the wall. Pretty straightforward setup.

We ordered at the counter—nachos for me and a vegetarian burrito for my partner. They had two flavors of agua fresca that day: horchata and watermelon. Bonus points for bottled Cokes, Jarritos, and a self-serve water station. For under a dollar, you can also snag chips and salsa. That’s a win in my book.

Now the salsa—usually I’m a red salsa kind of person, and I avoid the green. But not today. The red was more of a chunky pico, and honestly, it didn’t bring much flavor. The green, though? Tart, bright, and absolutely delicious. Total role reversal.

They were pretty slow when we came in, so they brought our food to the table instead of calling out numbers. The staff was warm, helpful, and made us feel genuinely welcome.

Let’s talk food. My partner’s veggie burrito? Incredible. Huge, loaded, and hands down one of the best veggie burritos either of us have had—easily top five territory.

Now... my turn. The nachos. I’m a nacho lover. I try them everywhere. So imagine the heartbreak when I opened my to-go box and saw a sad, soggy mess staring back at me. Unfortunately, they tasted just as lifeless. The refried beans had decent flavor, but tasted like they’d been made a week ago. The cheese? Overcooked and rubbery, likely from being microwaved too long—which also left the beans looking weirdly pitted and dried out. To top it off, the dish was drenched in sour cream, salsa, and what felt like an entire jar of pickled jalapeños. It was all vinegar, no balance. Honestly? Probably the worst nachos I’ve ever had.

So why 4 stars?

Because the burrito saved the day. That, and the green salsa. I won’t drag an entire place for one misfire, especially when everything else hit the mark. I’ll be back for that burrito, no question.

Pro tip: bathrooms are unisex and very clean—but they were out of toilet paper during our visit. Just a heads-up. 😂

Bottom line: Skip the nachos, get the burrito, and enjoy the hospitality. This place has potential, and I’m definitely coming back for another round (of burritos,...

Just ate here for the first time and was really disappointed with my food. I was excited about trying out a new burrito place and the reviews here looked solid, but when I got my food I was not happy. I ordered a super, carnitas burrito. The carnitas meat was overly salty, it did not have the crisp Carnitas meat accompanied by juicy/greasy areas that make carnitas oh-so great. These carnitas were chopped, not shredded and had been fried one too many times, I suspect they were old and this fact was trying to be covered up by over salting. By contrast the whole pinto beans in the burrito were bland, mushy & flavorless-and I love beans! My burrito was small. Mushy, bland, but super salty. This is coming from someone who just ate her first meal of the day at 3pm & I was starving. Usually when you are starving food tastes extra good, but not today folks.

The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one was because my daughter liked her veggie burrito, but she’s a kid and still...

Just OKAY! There was nothing special about this place. The flavor was nothing that wowed me. I got two orders of enchiladas one with meat, one without and a taco salad which I was very puzzled why there seemed to be a problem when I ordered. Seriously I had to explain several times what i was asking for which was strange considering its on the menu. Needless to say, when we got home, NOT what we ordered. A three compartment tray with meat, rice, beans.... REALLY... its a taco salad; the ingredients of a burrito w/o a shell. I will NOT return. Its totally crazy now that Gerrados has closed, I feel like all the good Mexican restaurants are in San Francisco. So sad.... I LOVE MEXICAN and don't even need anything special.... can we start with good rice and beans, that's the base. Overall, not...