Mesa Maguey - Oakland (CA)

5 /5 David Smith: Exceptional experience at Mesa Maguey. The chips and salsa for a few choices were solid, personally not my style of salsa but still enjoyable. The salsa verde in the top right felt the most mild, the salsa rojo left was slight more heat, and the verde on the bottom I think would be the highest. I could be wrong on those, none of them were really “hot” but felt mild to moderate for the average person. If you’re someone who hates heat, this is very different than the standard expected chunky non-spicy salsa and I would probably stay away. The tacos, especially being 2 for $9 during the happy hour are exceptional, so far being the best tacos I’ve had in Oakland. The corn and flour shell mix is strong and holds up beautifully with great texture, flavor and bite. This is a great solution to the issue of having to double up on store bought corn tacos due to them tearing I see a lot of restaurants use. I tried the Barbacoa, Asada, and Carnitas tacos of the three I would rank them from best to great Barbacoa, Asada, and Carnitas. All of them were great and honestly the Barbacoa and Asada could be tied for best. I would recommend 2-3 tacos for the average person, 2 is good, 3 (if they allow it) would be great. I eat a lot and was very hungry so I went with 4 and stuffed myself and do not regret it. The vibe is fun and relaxing, I will absolutely be back for more tacos and to likely try a drink next time. This is a must stop for tacos in Oakland

5 /5 Christopher Beaty: With the amount of taquerias and Mexican restaurants in the area, its often difficult to find the motivation to visit a new one. I am glad I took a chance and paid them a visit this past weekend. Nestled in the former Copper Spoon space, Mesa Maguey specializes in Oaxacan cuisine, so some dishes are familiar, while others are a bit more uncommon at other local eateries. Their salsas and chips were excellent, the tlayuda we shared was like a top notch Mexican pizza, and the memelitas were super flavorful, and like sopes but softer. The service was a tad on the slow side, but the food will definitely bring me back to this place.

5 /5 Andrew Schneider: The cocktails are top notch and so strong it almost had me understanding the Spanish on the menu. The sautéed shrimp dish I had was incredibly tasty and couldn’t get enough of the sauce it was laying in. Beware though that they do not take the tails off the shrimp in that dish, but it is so worth the little bit of extra work. The enchiladas my partner had were average, so I would not necessarily recommend those, but the menu is full of seemingly great dishes.

5 /5 Deb Smith: The food is 100% on point. Even the beans were delicious, really delicious. Beet starter was great and photo worthy. Drinks were superb, not watered down. Wait staff A+++. We will return!