Oakland Taquerias recs for catering

[sheriff]

Hi Team - I'm looking for a taqueria to cater a large (75 people) party this weekend. I live in Oakland and would like to keep it to that area. I'm just looking for standard taqueria fare, carnitas, beans, rice, etc. Does anyone have good experiences they would like to share?

[escargot3]

Picante in Berkeley does an excellent job at catering parties in the East Bay.

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Picante
1328 6th St, Berkeley, CA 94710

[skwid]

Get yourself a Taco truck to come by. With 75 people they may well be interested (although this is a bit late notice). We used the El Ojo de Agua taco truck. See this thread for more information.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5043...

The best part about this is when they leave all the mess is gone (you just need a trash can or two nearby and you are done).

[sheriff]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I would prefer to go with catering though so guests can eat as they choose and not have a stampede when the food truck shows up. Any one have any ideas?

[Melanie Wong]

A truck is a mobile kitchen and can set up how ever you like at your place. It doesn't have to serve out of a truck window since it's not a vending situation. You're in charge of the schedule. The taste will be better than having a restaurant bring aluminum trays of food to reheat in your kitchen. I've seen trucks set up a buffet line for service or take orders from a set menu. And you can have a party supply place deliver tables and chairs if you want a sit-down affair.

Still, are there Oakland taquerias that have portable comals and grills that they take to catered parties? They're quite common in Salinas with minimums around $200 to $300 per event. I'm curious about any in the Bay Area.

[skwid]

The easy solution to the stampede is to have the Truck arrive before the guests do so they are all setup and ready to go (which is what your caterer should do too).