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    Carnitas El Canelo

    4.4 (29 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 1 month ago

    Carnitas El Canelo Photos

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    Maian T.

    A place that is easy to instantly fall in love with. Dad's on meat braising duty, mom's on tortillas, and the son was a wonderful host who explained the menu items, the care they put into sourcing ingredients, and made me feel at home. They take a lot of pride in where they get their cemita bread, cheese (Los Angeles) and Pulque (Mexico!) This carnitas taco is the best I've had in Oakland. I ordered it with the braised carnitas and chicharron. Soft, blue corn tortilla. Salty sweet sweet. Delicious braised meats. Vibrant and tasty salsa. They serve from here on weekends only but they have a truck nearby that's open during the weekdays - you can check their instagram for hours and exact location.

    Tru P.

    Their food is delicious. The quesadilla with carnitas are on point and the salsas are amazing. Everything is fresh and authentic. Aguas frescas are very good as well. The service is great.

    A torta de al pastor
    Emilio R.

    The food is very yummy and the people here are really nice, came after my practice and was full after, they even gave us a free agua fresca. The location is really convenient.

    Menu as of 5/11/24
    Winston L.

    Great small family-run business! Their setup is across the street from the address that is listed, I almost missed it haha. I appreciated their helpful breakdown of the menu. The cemita was so good, very flavorful and quite huge. They gave red and green salsas on the side, both pack a punch (especially the green one)! As of now they're only open on the weekend unfortunately. Will be coming back to try out more of their dishes for sure!

    a couple of drinks on a table
    Anthony H.

    We read about this home based taqueria in the SF Chronicle and it took us awhile before we made it here. Wish we had done so earlier. The food here is the bomb. Better than many of the regular Mexican restaurants we have been to. Because this is a home based business, extra love and care is paid to the food and it shows. We ordered two carnitas tacos (one with regular pork, the other pork rinds), Cemitas (mexican sandwich) with breaded pork and ham, quesabirra tacos (4 to an order) with consomme, and a cucumber/lime aqua frescas and a corn/strawberry horchata. The carnitas taco here is huge, about the size of a regular paper plate, and the blue corn tortilla they used was fresh made. They don't skimp on the meat. Portion was very generous. Toppings include avocado, chopped slaw, and cilantro. Red onion slices were on the slide, and we asked for the red and green sauces on the side as well. Both the regular pork and pork rinds tacos were delicious. The carnitas were well marinated and tender. Watch out for the red and green salsas cuz both are spicy! It was a good thing they cut the Cemitas in half, cuz it was also huge, like the size of a person's face. The breaded chicken was perfectly fried and the thin cut ham added to the taste. The proteins were complemented with some kind of red BBQ sauce. The quesabirra tacos were cheesy and the consomme broth was rich and aromatic. The drinks were refreshing and they were served in large beer mugs, and they kindly refill them for us. You can't expect much ambience in a home based restaurant. It is basically few tables (with table cloth) under a covered awning erected in someone's front yard, but it was still charming with some tasteful decor, and a large screen TV in a corner with salsa dancing playing on the screen. The great food more than make up for the lack of ambience. Servers were really nice. Parking is on nearby streets.

    Cemita!!!!!
    Norma M.

    I ordered a cemita and honestly I wasn't expecting much. To my surprise this made me feel like when I was little, eating cemitas in Puebla at our favorite restaurant by the ADO bus terminal. It doesn't get more authentic than this! Congratulations to this business and bless the hands that made this cemita. Can't wait to tell all my friends and family about this jewel I've found.

    Aqua fresca del dios!! Yum!!
    Noel S.

    Just serving on the weekends. Very friendly - excellent food. I could eat here everyday!!

    a plate of food
    Greg V.

    Went here after reading the review in the SF Chronicle food section --and are we glad we did! The food was amazing, and the people & service were wonderful. It is setup literally in front of someone's home in Richmond and so seating & parking can be a challenge, but if you're looking for delicious and authentic comida Puebla then do not let that deter you!

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    23 days ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Great food and carnitas are the right texture not greasy at all. Would eat here again.

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good spot for carnitas. Guac was spot on also with a little salsa. Parking is a little tough in that area.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Very nice customer service! Food was good and I enjoyed how they accommodated a kids plate for my children!

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    3 years ago

    Food is very delicious. Everyone there is also very nice. I would recommend this place to anyone.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    one of the best carnitas I've ever had. The micheladas are so tasty and refreshing. the hend maid tortillas are fresh.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    One of the best restaurants in Richmond everyone is so friendly and helpful 5 out of 5 stars hood real Mexican food

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    3 years ago

    Great tacos but. .2 tacos,1 cheese quesadilla and soup for $57....crazy price. Be sure to check before you order.

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    Carnitas El Canelo - mexican - Updated May 2026

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