El Taco Zamorano Restaurant - disappointing
Stopped off to get some tacos to go on my way back from the airport headed for a 1 P.M. meeting. I was very disappointed.
The last time I was at this spot, International Blvd was still E. 14th St and I recall going to a taco truck that was on the High St. side of the lot. At first I wasn't even sure if I was at the right place.
I ordered three tacos: carnitas, carne asada, pollo. What I got was al pastor (meat/pork? in a heavy bbq sauce), ground beef, pollo. The mediocre ground beef one was the best, picking up the flavors of the green salsa nicely. The chicken was OK. The al pastor vaguely unpleasant.
About the only noteworthy part of the meal was that the pickled vegetables were lighter than what I've had from other trucks. The truck west of the Fruitvale BART station is so much better than ETZ.
After this unsatisfactory snack, I resorted to a bag of beef jerky and a blood orange that I had in my office.
By chocolatetartguy
on Apr 14, 2006 06:38 PM
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Hi, could you clarify for me whether you ate from the restaurant as it says in your header or the truck, as you implied when you said "other trucks"?
The El Taco Zamorano taco truck is no longer in that parking lot. The truck in that lot is called Tacos del Sol (or something similar), and is nothing to write home about. The actual Taco Zamorano truck is parked farther east on International (so confusing!). It's good to keep these things straight.
There are a couple of good taco trucks west of the Fruitvale BART station. The one in the parking lot of the Guadalajara restaurant (I guess you could call this the southwest corner of Fruitvale and E 12th) is called El Novillo, and has some of the best carnitas tacos around, as well as truly excellent tripas tacos (just about the only tripas/tripe dish I've ever liked). On what I'd call the northwest corner of Fruitvale and E. 12th is the famed El Ojo de Agua truck. The al pastor there is excellent, but the real specialities are their drinks -- in particular whatever atole they have that day. I'm also a huge (and if I let myself eat them more often, I'd be huger) fan of their breakfast burritos (I like the "American" version with potatoes) with chorizo.
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I got my tacos to go from the restaurant at the south end of the parking lot. There were no taco trucks in the lot at all. I got a set for my mother, who gets to eat what I eat, and neither one of us was at all impressed with ETZ.
Thanks, for identifying El Novillo. That is the truck where I have been going for many years during the month of The Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale but never paid attention to the name. I love the carne asada tacos and the chicharrones. The carnitas are usually good too. The only other truck I think of in the same breath, was one that used to sell a little gem of a taco at the Alemany Flea Market.
My sister returns east on Wednesday and I'm planning to stop at El Novillo for lunch on my way into work.
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The truck in the parking lot has been MIA the last couple of times
I've gone by there. The "Tacos al Vapor" truck, I mean. I never
worked out what a steam taco was, they seemed pretty regular
to me. I actually liked this truck a lot. The carnitas, in particular
was nice and the quesadilla suiza with said carnitas was two,
possibly three meals in one. A few months ago they got rid of
the picnic table beside the truck which made it impossible to
eat there so maybe all their business went away?
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If you like carnitas, eat at the restaurant (it's in the lot, has El Taco Zamarano Taqueria painted across the top) and order the carnitas plate. Request the corn tortillas (thick and homemade, you can watch them make it if you get up and go to the glassed in kitchen area). Heaven...... =-D
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Ditto. That order is my personal crack.
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Just went by EL Taco Zamorano Taqueria at the corner of International Blvd and High St. Security gates are locked up all around it, lights weren't on and the phone number is no longer a working number. I did notice someone was sitting by the window when they turned their head to look out. There was a notice posted in the window about their beer/wine license being suspended by the ABC, but that had been in the window when I ate there last month.
I am crushed, to say the least. My wife, who was with me and normally abhors fatty foods, even admitted their carnitas are too good to resist.
I expect they'll reopen, and I can only hope the new operators will offer the carnitas.
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Eugene, I go regularly to the El Taco Zamorano location on Foothill. It is most definitely still open, as I just had lunch there on Sunday. I can speak for my favorite green enchiladas, as well as their whole fried fish. On Sunday several tables were eating shrimp and octopus cocktails and plates of raw oysters, all of which looked fantastic. I encourage you to check it out!
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El Taco Zamorano Restaurant
4032 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601
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The first sentence of my post made it pretty clear that I'm talking about ETZT on the corner of High & International.
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Eugene, I must have been unclear. I understood that you were speaking of a specific place. I was suggesting what I think is a decent alternative, one that is "most definitely still open" (which I hoped would be encouraging.) However, I saw in another of your posts that you specifically loved ETZT's carnitas. I did not have any way to know that in reading this post, which is what I came to first. I would not particularly say that El Taco Zam. on Foothill has great carnitas, so I don't recommend it for that.
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Was there any connection between the two places?
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Taqueria Zamorano - CLOSED
4345 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601
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