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