looking for a great torta

[jeremzzz]

any suggestions on where to get the best torta in the east bay. thanks

[rworange]

What are you looking for in a torta?

Do you want the small type like in Mexico city that are grilled and spread with beans on a special roll?

Or do you want the big cold versions that are usually served in this area?

Tortas Los Picudos has an in-between version - big, but grilled.

The roll is buttered and toasted in a press.

The fillings were not overwhelming, but balanced nicely with the bread and meat … a little mayo, crema, chile, thin tomato slices, restrained use of romaine lettuce, thin red onion slices and avocado.

While cheese can be swiss or American, choose the Mexican cheese (queso fresco) on your sandwich which turns the sandwich into creamy goodness as it heats (think of the texture of ricatta) and blends with the other ingrediants.

Choice of ingrediants include:

Queso de pueroco – head cheese
Salchica – hot dog
Pierna – smoked pork
Carnitas – fried pork
Pescado – fish
Chorizo – Mexican sausage
Chorizo con huevo – sausage with egg
Pollo Milanesa – thin, breaded chicken breast
Res Milanesa - thin, breaded steak
ham
pastrami
roast beef
salami
turkey

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[pm]

This sounds like a great "last lunch" prior to leaving the hood. I just had a torta at Tacubaya last week and was underwhelmed.

[pm]

And so I went there for lunch today. The place was, while not completely packed, was fairly full. I forgot about the Agua Fresca offer from the CC Marketplace (and wouldn't you know, that issue was waiting for me in the office when I got there right after lunch).

I had a Torta de Carnitas. It was a very tasty sandwich. Excellent? No. Very good? Yes. There were a few huge gobs of fat I had to spit out. The meat itself could have tasted better if it was cut into a few smaller pieces and grilled a bit more. There's a chips and salsa bar - the green salsa had an odd sweetness to it, and I wasn't crazy about it. The others were ok. Well worth $5. Still relatively close to my workplace for another month-plus :)

[rworange]

Glad you liked it. I tried the coconut liquado yesterday. It was just in a styrofoam cup rather than a coconut ... oh well.

They also had grilled quail as a special yesterday. However, I already ate, so didn't get a chance to try it.

That's why I thought tacos were not thier thing - the steam table meat I tried seemed average. Anything cooked to order seems the way to go.

I'm probably going to try the fish torta next just to see what I get. Hope it's not tuna.

They didn't have the chips on my first visit. They looked kind of average though. Don't know if that heat lamp did much to keep them warm.

[pm]

The chips were average. The heat lamp ... well, the chips weren't cold. But, they weren't warm. I was tempted to check out the enchiladas on a future visit - I'll ask to see if they use house-made tortillas first.

[ML8000]

I was really hungry and near El Tonayense at the Best Buy so I stopped. Didn't want a taco and don't really like their burritos so I ordered a torta al pastor because it seemed logical...wasn't expecting much but it was great.

The bread was toasted on both sides, seems like it was pressed a bit and looked like a soft roll from San Francisco French Bread (but not sourdough).

ET's al pastor can over-power a tortilla but was perfect on the roll...grilled onions, salsa, a little lettuce and tomato off-set by the bread...near prefect. Had some of the qualities of good meatball sub but much more flavor and of course a small kick from the salsa.

I always liked the tacos at ET but I think it's about the torta now, at least for me. I'm already thinking about when I'll go back.

[wolfe]

Al pastor as a torta, blasphemy.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4223...

[Xiao Yang]

I had a great al pastor Cemita the other day. What do you have against al pastor in a sandwich?

[lmarie]

Xiao Yang - do tell where you got the great pastor Cemita........

[Xiao Yang]

Unfortunately it was in Jackson Heights, NY, not San Francisco. Taqueria Coatzingo, if that helps.

[kc72]

Wolfe didn't have a problem, someone in the other thread said al pastor is only for tacos

[Robert Lauriston]

Mexican sandwich or Italian dessert?

[casalbore spirit]

My thoughts exactly.

[JavaTenor]

If you're looking for Mexico City-style tortas, La Casita Chilanga recently opened a location in Newark at 36601 Newark Blvd. I've never been to that location, but the two Redwood City locations are quite tasty. I've attached a link to their website below, although I'd warn that a) it's in Spanish and b) it plays music.

Link: http://www.lacasitachilanga.com

[Agent 510]

Anyone have any other (or updated) suggestions on where to find a good torta in the East Bay?

I tried La Torta Loca in Fruitvale the other day. I usually think of tortas as these big, vaguely Americanized sandwiches that aren't all that good. But this one seemed much more authentic: round torta roll (instead of regular sandwich bread), queso fresco (instead of sliced cheese), avocado, onion, salsa, hold the lettuce, hold the mayo. Really good.

I'd love to find more like that. Sounds like the Ojo de Agua taco truck in Fruitvale and Los Picudos in San Pablo are worth trying...any others?

[kc72]

had one at Los Picudos in SP this past weekend. first one in months, stll great

[Robert Lauriston]

The taco truck in front of Grocery Outlet on Broadway makes good tortas.

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Grocery Outlet
2900 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

[Glencora]

What kind of bread do they use? The one taco truck torta I've tried was on a regular french roll and I wouldn't get it again.

[foodeye]

Casa Latina Bakery on San Pablo at Delaware in Berkeley makes a very delicious, large, traditional torta. The carnitas is (are?) great. Their bakery items are really good, too.

[Glencora]

I like Casa Latina, too. As far as I can tell the tortas at Talavera on Solano are exactly the same. Same prices. I believe they're owned by the same people.

[pastryqueen]

I like El Ojo de Agua taco truck for Tortas. The beso de novia is a favorite. .. very tasty. They use the freshest teleras and their meats are very delicious. I am also a fan of the licuados. . mamey is a favorite as is guanabana. I don't get tortas anywhere else.

[osc3]

I'm a big fan of Los Picudos' tortas in San Pablo. They use very fresh ingredients, toast them nicely, make a number of refreshing fruit drinks like the vampiro tropical, and are extra friendly. As rworange points out, be sure to get the queso fresco as your cheese selection. They have some tasty salsas to prime your taste buds while you wait. But the wait is usually short. That does it...I'm going back tomorrow.

[Ruth Lafler]

Some locators:

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La Casita Chilanga
2928 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063

El Ojo de Agua Taco Truck
Derby St and International Blvd, Oakland, CA

La Torta Loca
3419 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601

Casa Latina
1805 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA

Tortas Y Taqueria Los Picudos
13830 San Pablo Ave, San Pablo, CA 94806

La Casita Chilanga
761 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA

La Casita Chilanga
36601 Newark Blvd, Newark, CA 94560

La Casita Chilanga
795 5th Ave, Redwood City, CA 94063

[fiddlr40]

El Jarro in Lafayette has very good Oaxacan tortas. So good I almost never get anything else though their seafood preparations are also very good. Here's an old thread:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/316049

Carnitas Tijuana is a new place in Pittsburg with great carnitas. They make a Tijuana style torta. They also make fresh corn tortillas for tacos if you're in the mood.
Cuisine: Mexican
2193 Railroad Ave
Pittsburg, CA 94565
925-439-3663

[rworange]

Thanks for the tip on Tijuana. How is a Tijuana-style torta different. Any other interesting dishes from that area?

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El Jarro
3563 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549

Carnitas Tijuana
2193 Railroad Ave, Pittsburg, CA 94565