Cactus Taqueria
5642 College Ave.
Oakland, CA 94618
The streets run amok with tacos here in Oakland, but finding one worth its salt (or cheese) for a vegetarian is a harder ask, and one with actual vegetables under $5 a near laugh.
With that in mind, I asked my friend Emily for a rec, and she pointed me to Cactus Taqueria, which she regularly patronized before the pandemic as a mid-week lunch spot, so we set a date to make sure the crunch still counts.
The eatery boasts a medium-sized menu in medium-sized font on the wall leading to the register; I was a bit overwhelmed with decision making. That said, the aforementioned crispy tacos were a no-brainer, and my friend Emily’s go-to there is a bean and cheese burrito, so to round out our tasting sampler we added guacamole with house made chips and a special of corn tamales, because how could we not.
If the anticipated plates of corn and beans and cheese and salsa were not enough, we also got drinks. A small selection of bottled sodas and beers were on offer, but we looked straight to the huge jugs of horchata and agua fresca behind the counter — the former for Emily and watermelon agua fresca for me.
With our numbered receipt in hand we drifted to the back of the space, only slightly raised and removed from the front but offering a markedly quieter and calmer environ, with windows facing the BART plaza and doors to a new-ish patio to the side of the building.
Very quickly our order was called, and while acquiring salsas we were dismayed to learn that their piña, or pineapple, salsa, Emily’s favorite, is no longer on offer. The employee told her to email the restaurant with an inquiry, which she did, but as of yet no word back. I suppose in the meantime we will have to make our own.
The chips were hit or miss for me, the first few and some others tasting and feeling a bit stale. But others were deeply corny and crispy and nutty and flavorful without being greasy. I wished they were much, much saltier though, especially since the rather creamy guacamole was not super seasoned either. I ended up dumping in some salsa verde towards the end and that provided the tart punch I had been missing, but was bummed I needed to work to get there.
The burrito was long and slim and tightly wrapped with a soup of beans and cheese inside, soft flour tortilla not much different in texture. It is the sort that I will always happily eat, and coming in under $7 I would buy it again, but I prefer toasted tortilla to seal it up and some more structural elements inside (firmer rice, more greens, less wet bean) for my burritos. A comforting food but not an innovative one.
The talales, however, were something special: the masa perfectly soft and creamy and salted, complementing the sweet toothy corn kernels and spiced filling. The plate was filled to the brim with pico de gallo, salsa de arbol, sour cream, jalapeños and onions, and these provided more juiciness, crunch, and kick to set off the soft and creamy fillings.
The star of the show, or lunch, was the crispy tacos. The shells were fried firm but not rough enough to cut you up, sturdy enough to hold the large quantity of fillings. They were soft enough to bulge but not break. They were piled high with shredded lettuce and oozing small pools of what I assumed was grease,so I was not sure what to expect, but from the first bite I was sold.
The vegetarian option we’d opted for was filled with roasted vegetables, a choice both Emily and I are often wary of (particularly at Mexican restaurants, where it can be a soupy wet mess of under-cooked zucchini and onion and bell pepper). These were a combination of I’m not sure what; I didn’t bother to check too closely since it did not matter. They were dang good. I noted charred cauliflower and carrots, but again didn’t care to suss it out too deeply. I just knew I wanted more.
And more I got, as we were gifted three tacos in place of the two we ordered, leaving some leftovers for later. I found the agua fresca too sweet for my taste, but that is to be expected, and for $3 a cup it was not hard to leave some behind as well. The food was all fresh and fast. In a post-pandemic post-inflation Oakland, this place offers a hearty but not heavy bevy of choices at affordable prices, and I will be back.
_________
Sit down/table service Y
Outdoor seating Y
Takeout Y
__________
Ready to go options/cafeteria style N
Less than 15 min wait Y
Under $20 w/tax and tip Y
Many options under $20 Y
More than 1 veg option Y
__________
Open weekdays Y
Open weekends Saturday Y/Sunday Y
Open Mondays Y
Bartable Y
