Cenaduria Elvira is a lively restaurant serving homemade dishes from Jalisco in Mexico. The menu here looks big but really just consists of about five main dishes using the same few ingredients (with variations on the protein and carb). One iconic dish was the Tostada Raspada, a large crispy tostada made of "scraped" masa (hence the name of the dish), and the tostada had a uniquely bubbly appearance and crunchy texture. The La Original tostada was topped with shredded pork, mashed beans, cabbage, queso fresco, and salsa, making for a flavorful combination of crunchy and soft textures. Next, the Pozole de Maiz Morado was a soup made of a rich, red-colored broth, huge kernels of hominy corn, and shredded pork (or other choice of meat), topped with shredded cabbage. The Enchiladas were rolled tortillas filled with chicken, topped with a generous portion of sauce, shredded cabbage, and queso fresco. Finally, my favorite dish was the Sopes, chewy fried rounds of masa topped with ground beef & pork, cabbage, queso, salsa, and a red chili crisp, giving the dish a flavorful spicy kick. At every table was a set of condiments including chopped onions, pickled onions, radishes, lime, salsa, and crema, so you could customize the flavors of every bite. Overall, the food here was on point, and the service was super friendly. The portion sizes were generous, and everything came at a good value too! read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Cenaduria Elvira is such a fun and unique addition to Oakland. The Tostada Raspada alone is worth coming for. It's unlike any tostada I've ever had. At this point, I've tried both the original and the chicken, and while both were great, the original was definitely my favorite. The tostada itself is incredibly light and crispy, and the combination of toppings, textures, and flavors makes the whole thing really interesting to eat. And these things are HUGE. One tostada is easily enough for dinner. I left absolutely stuffed both times. Service has also been excellent: attentive, helpful, and genuinely friendly. The location is really convenient. There's plenty of indoor seating as well as a nice outdoor patio on a nice night. Parking is easy either on the street or in one of the nearby garages, and BART and the ferry are both just a couple of blocks away. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Tostada pollo - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Ok last time I must have been in a daze because this place is ALL about the tostadas raspadas. It might look overwhelming and formidable on the picture but trust me it is delightful to eat. This time we came straight here after finishing Spider Man at Jack London Regal. Let me tell you, I was beyond famished by the time we got out. I didn't realize the movie was going to take this long. We hobbled over here and each got a tostada raspada - husband got the shredded chicken while I went with the original with pork. The tortilla shell was so light, airy and delicately crunchy. I immediately started tearing them into bite size pieces. Their red sauce was just as scrumptious and flavorful as I remembered! With the thin layer of frijole spread, shredded cabbage, and pork shreds, each bite was more addicting than the next. I especially enjoyed having my tostadas with pickled onions and crema on top. Alas I forgot to take a photo before eating so only got the picture of the aftermath. I sent them back a very cleanly licked empty plate. Next time, I think I'll try their pozole! read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Crispy taco with beef and pork - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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I was on a walking tour and this place caught my eye. Our tour guide said they were recognized by the NY Times for their tostadas. I immediately went there after the tour. I was seated right away. My server was friendly and it didn't take long for my food to arrive. I didn't know what to expect but the tostada was massive. The shell was the same as the complimentary chips. They had a puff texture which was unique. Overall they're definitely worth checking out. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Tostada Raspada - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Cenaduria Elvira moved here from their home kitchen 5ish months ago. Years ago a Mediterranean Kabob House was here. Similar infrastructure with an upgrade in lighting and some decor. Outside seating similar. Quick service soon after entering. Food came 5-15 minutes later. Offerings (Jalisco, Mexico): tostada raspados, torta ahogadas, pozole, enchilada, tacos dorado, sopes, drinks. Tacos, burritos not on menu, was in home kitchen. Garnishes: raw onions, lime squeeze, tart pickled onions, chili oil, radish slices, jalepeno slices. Sips: hisbicus Aqua Fresca (5) -refreshing floral based drink with minimum sugar. Bites: tacos dorado (mini 3.50) -fried tacos with requeson ( ricotta cheese). Deliz! Cueritos tostada raspado (19) 14" x 7" -tortilla bottom initially crunchy, could break off and eat small pieces, got soggy later, had to use knife. -looks similar to Turkish Pide (pizza). -toppings of cabbage, beans, lotsa cueritos (pig snout), cheese. Snout very tender, good source of collagen. 4.5 stars service: very good, quality: made to order, fresh ingredients Quantiy: reasonable. read more

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TikTok led me here and it did not disappoint! What a lovely lunch over at Cenaduria Elvira! Arrived around 11:30am on a Sunday and the place was happening! So many folks were dining there and I had to wait about 10 min to be sat (well worth it). For drinks, I needed a Jamaica and it was exactly what I wanted. Sweet and refreshing! For food, of course I had the magic that was the tostada. So yummy,so airy, so crunchy. They sent over a bunch of toppings to enjoy it with. It was absolutely perfect! Very nice lunch at Cenaduria Elvira! I can't wait to come back and try some other goodies in their menu. read more

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This is the standard Mexican grub in the East bay. Love it. The refried beans, the rice cooked to perfection. Authentic food, tremendous sabor. Great service at Elvira. I think I will get me some more in the next few days. The diet is already ruined at this point. Thank you staff for the good experience read more

4.25 STARS If sloppy was a person.... *Raises hand* If you're coming for Cenaduria Elvira's specialty: tostadas raspadas and you're sloppy like me... Come prepared with a hair clip, gloves, and bib...crab boil attire. Cuz it gets messy with enough bewbie crumbs for a snack later. A pandemic baby, Cenaduria Elvira started in the owner's parents' backyard before opening her first brick and mortar in February 2026. Walk-ins only, no rezzies. On Sunday, we arrived a little before 11 am opening and was promptly seated. By 12 pm noon, it was packed with a wait. M E N U Jalisco Cuisine with hearty stews, torta ahogada, enchiladas, tacos dorado, sopes, pozole, and their specialty: tostadas raspadas. Beer and sangria available. 3% CC surcharge. F O O D * Trompa en Salsa: Pig Snout in tomato sauce ($14): https://tinyurl.com/bddbf7ab Ok, before you yuck someone's yum, you can't let anything go to waste in this economy! Plus, pig snout is not as uncommon as people think, making appearances in nose-to-tail cooking and haute cuisine. Shoot, celebrity chef Chris Cosentino used to serve an entire pig's head at his SF resto that often sold out. The pig snout was slowly cooked and chopped into rich, meltingly soft gelatinous pieces. Satisfyingly delicious, homey, and collagen-rich, put it on top of the broken pieces of tostada "chips" and dress it with pickled onions and their smoky, spicy salsa macha. Bomb. * La Original Tostada Raspada w/ shredded pork, beans. cabbage, queso ($19): https://tinyurl.com/4rjujyad THE dish that landed Cenaduria Elvira in the NYT for "One of the Best Dishes" in 2023, a paper thin corn tortilla is sundried then freshly fried before serving. Shatteringly crispy with rough edges, it low key reminds me of flat unsalted bugles. It's topped with watery refried beans, shredded pork, queso fresco, lettuce, and a mild salsa. It's quite plain and the pork was dry so you gotta dress it with pickled onions, crema, hot sauce, and a squeeze of lime. It gets soggy fast and is messy to eat. * BYO Pozole (Large-$17): https://tinyurl.com/8mez3p86 - Add pata: pig's feet ($4) - Meltingly tender with a chewy gelatinous chew. - Add lengua: pork tongue ($4) - Soft, tender slices. * BYO Pozole (Large-$17) - Add espinazo: spine ($4) - Rich, meaty flavor but you only get two bones so not the best value. - Add oreja: pig ears ($4) - Soft and chewy with a slight crunch from the cartilage. The broth is mild and savory with chewy, bloomed hominy. Doctor it to your liking with diced/pickled onions, squeeze of lime and salsa macha. The finely shredded cabbage and sliced radish provided a welcome fresh crunch. They accidentally brought a pozole which we thought had the offal we ordered underneath. It turned out to be the pozole con carne (boneless pork), the same pork from the la original tostada raspada - very lean and dry so don't recommend this. Fyi, large size seemed more like medium and the small size is smaaaalll. S E R V I C E Warm, friendly service. It feels like the team is still finding its footing as they transition from a small home-based operation to a full-scale resto. Our order took a while and we received the wrong order but the mistakes were quickly fixed. The staff seemed stretched thin so we had to ask a few times for certain items (i.e. water). A M B I A N C E Modern, airy dining room with woven bamboo pendant lighting, greenery, and an open kitchen. There's about 10-12 tables inside and seven tables in the front patio with umbrellas. P A R K I N G Street parking, no lot. Overall, I came for the tostadas raspadas but what really shined was their homestyle stewed offal. Gotta eat my collagen to keep them ostrich tracks at bay! read more

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Cenaduria Elvira at Jack London Square, started as a backyard operation in East Oakland and grew into a brick and mortar after the New York Times named the tostada raspada one of the best dishes in the country. Elvira makes monthly 1,500 mile trips to Zapotlanejo to source the tostadas from her family, and you can taste why the effort is worth it. Thin fried corn base, shredded meat, cabbage, crumbled cheese, tomato sauce, salsa roja on top. The crunch holds up to the weight of the toppings in a way that sounds obvious until you realize how rarely it actually happens. read more

An amazing find and gem! This place tastes so authentic and is exactly the flavor and type of meals you'd get a a small mom and pop cenaduria in Mexico. We tried a variety of things and none of the dishes disappointed. We ordered a half order of chicken enchiladas (6), half order of picadillo sopes (6), half order of chicken tacos dorados (6), pozole, and a tostada raspada. All of these dishes were so delicious but if I had to rank them, it would be enchiladas, tacos dorados, sopes, pozole, and lastly the raspada. We also tried the horchata and the jericalla, which if you've never had it before is kind of reminiscent of flan but more aromatic. There's outdoor and indoor seating and the servers are so kind, welcoming and attentive. The food comes out quickly and I really liked the vibe. We left just as the rush started around 6pm so if you can come early you don't have to wait. By the time we left around 6pm there was a wait time (I'd say it's definitely worth it to wait if you have to). This place is great for family and friends. read more

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Delicious place to try, esp if you like pork. I'm vegetarian so I took advantage of the crispy vegetarian taco options. I got the bean, potato and poblano pepper tacos. So delicious. I also got the Michelada and it was pretty decent, too. W I went with a friend around 7:30 which turned out to be perfect because a line was forming around 8 and up until we left. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Chicken tostada (across the table) 1/2 dozen tacos (bean, potato, poblano pepper) - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

We went Friday night with our toddler, it was busy but we got a table relatively quickly! I love that the family is all hands on deck here, such a cute spot with delicious food. We got a table around 8:30 and they had already sold out of lots of the meats and pork parts (I didn't mind because I don't eat beef or pork). The food! My son's quesadillas were so flavorful, the tacos dorados and tostada raspado were delightfully crispy with excellent portion sizes. My only qualm is it was freezing outside and they were so busy that it seems we were a bit overlooked and at one point we were asked if we'd received all the food we ordered. Still, service was warm, friendly, welcoming and attentive. I cannot wait to get around to trying more of the menu. read more

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Upscale-ish Mexican spot serving regional cuisine. Every dish is put together thoughtfully -- and delicious. The menu has a small range but plays to the chef's strengths. We ordered the original Tostada Raspada, the pozole sensillo , two different tacos dorados, two other sopes, and the kids' quesadilla. I will highlight a few items. The tostada is clearly the star of the show -- light, course, and crispy. It makes the Original into a play of contrasting textures, and the same is true of the pozole where it comes on the side. The same textural play comes in the tacos as well which come out of the fryer with a similar consistency as the tostada. As for the choice of meats/veggies, the shredded pork was fine but not necessary on the tostada. Rather the dish was built up with layers of beans, meat, cabbage, farmers cheese, and a sweet salsa -- and it can stand on its own sensillo. In fact, most other dishes are topped with a small dash of cabbage/cheese/salsa that lend elegance to each one. But the tacos and sopes live or die on the fixings -- definitely try the potatoes and roasted peppers. I do not think I have ever had potatoes as creamy as the ones in the taco. The presentation of the food is upscale but so many families filtered in as we ate that the place feels more like a family restaurant. The servers were very friendly and welcoming with added to the charm. This is a place manages to be comforting yet sophisticated at the same time, with the best of both worlds. read more

This is definitely a new spot to check out! The food is not only good but massive! I mean the chicken tostada alone was big enough to feed 3 whole people 4 if you just wanna taste! I almost ordered two thinking it was going to be your normal tostada size. The tacos and enchiladas are normal size so fee free to order extras! We orders the cheeses enchilada, tacos de papa, pollo and also the carne which is shredded pork! All were delicious! Honestly my only con is that I didn't order more tacos! All the tacos we ordered were dorado which means deep golden fried and laid to the side if you know then you know! Let's just say they were Fire and leave it at that! This place is so cute and a great little hidden gem in jack london! So excited to come back and get more yumminess! read more

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Walked in around 6pm on a Saturday, there was a wait for 2 for about 25 mins but we were text in 11 mins that our table was ready. They are every efficient so serve is good and fast. We were asked if we wanted chips and beans (thinking it was on the house- it is not) but was asked in a way where it was interpreted that way so just fyi. It was tostada and beans which were good. We also ordered one raspada de pollo and 6 sopes to share. Everything was really good and flavorful. Next time I would pick and choose different sopes and tacos dorados to get more variety. Everything takes super fresh and homey. I saw other people eating tortas so I would want to try that and their pozole next time as well. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - 6 sopes and one raspada de pollo - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Here goes... THE TOSTADAS RASPADAS ORIGINAL absolutely delicious!!! Tostada had a wonderful toasted flavor (imported from Jalisco), the beans were good, cheese was rich & not too salty, cabbage added a nice texture & crunch, & the toppings provided--pickles red onion (literally ate them before food came), sliced radishes, lime wedges, diced onion were all great additions to tostada. The chile de aceite/salsa macha was perfectly spicy. They also bring you salsa & sour cream. And finally the shredded pork was really flavorful! When you see it it looks massive & you'd think you can't finish it...you can. We also ordered a couple tacos dorados and yes, they were good but very small. Ordered the Jericalla--it was ok. Trust me: Stick to the tostada raspada. Service was great! We signed up & were told 30-45 min but were seated much sooner. It's not a place you sit & eat for a few hours, it's a quick meal kind of place. How long does it take you to eat a tostada? Friend & I did sit a while but only because we like the chisme with our beer. Ambiance: Decor is simple & the lighting is really what makes a statement. Later in our meal they turned on some classic Mexican music which really added to the vibe--loved. read more

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Very delicious food! Food is authentic and clean! I will come back again! Support this business

The Teen and I decided to stop for dinner before heading back through that tunnel to avoid the dreaded traffic and it worked! We both ordered 3 tacos and a adobo beans with pedacera to share since they don't serve chips and salsa. She: three chicken tacos . Me: a bean taco, chicken taco and a potato taco. Wow, everything tasted good, I just wish there was more inside the taco shell without having to pay for extra, stuffings and I could've used a couple more chip thingy's to finish off the bean dip. Service was good we were greeted upon entering the door and seated immediately. Even with other staff being trained things went well. Ambience was chill on a First Friday in Jack London, but that's because I believe we beat the crowd. I would definitely go back and check out the outside seating so I could people watch a little more and because there's a few more things I like to taste from the menu. I'm giving this place 3 yumms up and I see you next time. read more

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Soft opening 1/30. Amazing service, very kind and run like a family. Very nice and clean, love the decorations and the finishing of the place. Food was 10/10 will definitely come back. The tomato sauce base for the sopes and torta ahogada is luck your fingers good. We got picadillo y papa sopes, tostada, and torta ahogada. Ended up getting more Jamaica and more sopes! The sauces at the table as spicy but very goood. You can combine with the crema if too spicy. read more

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Amazing & Authentic! The food was delicious, the service was friendly and attentive. Cozy lil restaurant by Jack London square. We there on a Wednesday evening...we were able to be seated quickly. They have indoor and patio seating available. We tried a little bit of everything and were so pleased with all the dishes! Can't wait to come back! read more

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Delicious and authentic. They specialize in pork, and have excellent carnitas, and my Muslim friend enjoyed the chicken options as well. The crispy tacos are flavorful and not greasy and come with a fresh tomato salsa. The enchiladas are tender (homemade tortillas) with a luscious sauce. Everything comes with a side of pickled onions and things. Each of these items are $3.50, so decently priced in my opinion. It gets busy in there at night, so there may be a wait, but it's for a reason, the food is excellent and affordable. Only thing to note--I came in with a larger party and they offered tostadas and refried beans for the table. It was not clear that these were appetizers and not just on the house, like chips and salsa. They were delicious and we ended up being glad to have them, but would've appreciated if they made it clear we were actually ordering appetizers. They kept asking if we wanted more too haha. Also be aware there is an automatic service fee for larger parties, which was also not explicitly stated, so my mom ended up tipping 20% on top of this, which led to a 40% tip! So be aware! Regardless of those mix ups, the food is very delicious and I'll absolutely be back. read more

Extremely friendly staff. Delicious food and nice ambiance. Ordered torta hogada and pozole. Really good. Apparently there famous dish are tortas razpadas read more

This review is mainly for the AMAZING service from Joaquin! From the recommendations, to the friendliness, the professionalism, and just the energy! This is my second time back and it was even better than the first! The Tostada Raspada (5/5) Joaquin recommended this one to share and it was sooo good! We got it with Carnitas and Cueritos. Enchiladas con Carnitas (5/5) I came back for these bc of my last experience. They're super dog friendly and have outside seating which is a huge +! Being from Jalisco I 100000% recommend this place! read more

A fresh and tasty take on tostadas respadas. Friend and I went and had their tacos and enchiladas because we both have small appetites. Although my friend said her enchilada was cold, she ate it and said it was tasty. And our tacos were as well. Nice, thin tortilla shells with tender crunch. They were delicious. read more

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If you're looking for a local gem in Jack London Square, Oakland, this authentic Mexican restaurant is an absolute must-try. They specialize in Jalisco-style food, and when I say you'll be licking your fingers, I truly mean it. Every dish is made with so much attention to detail, and you can genuinely taste the love in the food. The flavors are always consistent, which is something I really appreciate. Everyone here, from the wait staff, cooks, dish washers to the servers, is friendly, attentive, and kind. I've also had the pleasure of speaking with the owner on a few occasions. She's a young woman who turned her dream into a reality, and it's inspiring to see. I truly wish her continued success because she's truly built something special. Every time I've dined here, the restaurant has been full, and for good reason. I've brought my mom, my children, and other family members, and we all absolutely love it. I've also taken food to go for my dad and as lucky as he always is, he's had outstanding reviews about this beloved gem! My family is from a small town in Jalisco called Ameca, so we know authentic Jalisco flavors very well, especially tostadas, or what we call "raspadas." We've tried just about everything on the menu, and honestly, there has been nothing disappointed. We truly love the entire menu. My personal favorites are the tacos dorados, especially the potato ones. They are incredibly delicious, crispy, flavorful, and comforting. We're also huge fans of their pozole. The hominy is authentic and clearly made from scratch, not canned, and you can absolutely taste the difference. Another thing we love is being able to load up on the sour cream at the table along with their homemade salsa picante. And let me tell you, the salsa picante deserves an extra A+ from me. I grew up eating spicy food naturally because I'm Mexican, but this salsa is no joke! It'll have you tearing up in the best way possible while still reaching for another bite. We were there again yesterday, and I had another opportunity to speak with the owner. She was so kind and humble, taking a brief moment from working hard in the kitchen to sit down and enjoy a meal herself. That simple moment really showed how genuine and hardworking she is. You can feel the heart behind this restaurant, and that's what keeps us coming back. This place truly feels like home and is easily one of the best spots for authentic Jalisco-style Mexican food in the Bay Area. read more

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Went for lunch the other day and ordered the torta ahogada. There was lots of indoor and outdoor seating which was nice. Parking was a bit of a hassle. Food was alright, the salsa they used was a bit on the saltier side. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Torta Ahogada - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

Delish "tostada" (what the waiter said when they brought my order) but will overwrite what you think of tostadas. choice of meat toppings on top of a craggy landscape of fried shatteringly crisp corn-y goodness. the whole ones get made into the raspadas and the broken ones are served like chips for appetizers with various pork parts. there's a vegan version without cheese, just a smear of tasty beans, thin shredded cabbage, and mild thin tomato salsa. vegetarian version adds sprinkles of crumbled cotija cheese. def add the diced white onion, sliced radishes, pickled onions, and squeezes of lime from the ceramic bowls. and also add some of the thin but tasty vinegar based salsa from the squeeze bottle. big but i managed to finish one. barely. by adding the smokey chili oil. dang that is good. everything house made including jamaica sweet but not overly. bil had a very rich pozole, "small" was pretty sizeable. nibling had the 2 quesadillas and enjoyed the cheese pulls and dips in the same tasty beans on the side. will come again and already rec'd to others. also, the folks there are lovely. busy but helpful and caring. we got the tip that if you like pozole thick, you should come later in the day when the corn grains have really popped. and how the family has ingredients sourced from Jalisco still. so can taste the care put into the food here. read more

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This was our first visit to the Cenaduria Elvira Restaurant in Oakland and looking forward to returning again to try more menu offerings. During our lunch visit today, we enjoyed staring off with a couple beers, tostada chips & beans, followed by a variety of crispy tacos and a torta ahogada. Everything arrived to the table fast and was delicious! Our Server and wait staff were very friendly, engaging, and helpful answering our menu questions. The restaurant had both indoor and outdoor patio seating. The restaurant was nicely decorated and loved the feel with the open kitchen. We will be back soon! read more

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Up and coming restaurant that adds some great diversity to the area. Despite newish to the neighborhood, they've become quite popular already. Food comes fast, service faster, and you should be able to snag a table with minimal wait. Here are my thoughts on my experience: - kids menu (4/5): love the kid options and portions, incredibly family friendly - vibe (4/5): super fun with great music and service, they also have an outside patio. They are off of broadway so easy to get to, but not right where traffic is - food (4/5): their tostada was great, potato tacos even better. I love the initial set of "plate" of veggies and lime for the table. I know other people highlighted the "large" tostada, while the tostada was big, it was not heavy, and I ate it by myself (I'm a small lady) read more

first time to cenaduria elvira! it was exactly not what I was expecting. The food here was great and made to order. I love how they tell the story on how they import the corn to make the tortillas here. It's a different style of having tacos. Their jamaica is really good also The service here was awesome and the ambience had indoor / outdoor seating read more

Cenaduria Elvira - carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

3.5/5. i've been wanting to try this jalisco-style mexican food for a while. went on a weekend afternoon, there was no wait to sit outside. jamaica was fresh, pickles and other housemade condiments were excellent. my favorite thing we tried was the adobo beans w/ pedacera appetizer. i also enjoyed the tacos dorado. everything was quite similar flavor-wise. read more

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In love with this place! The tostada raspada was so good - the base/masa was super fragrant with corn and super light and crispy. The pozole had lots of flavor and was filled with ingredients. Our server was super sweet, and we had a nice time dining outside. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Lengua pozole - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

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Worst meal I've had all year. Every item I tried was some combination of air puffed corn fluff, liquefied beans, cheese, and an ungodly amount of oil. And it was insanely expensive with bad service. read more

Kind of a minimalist place. We were greeted by a girl to take our information and surprisingly she did a bang up job. On a Sunday late afternoon we had about a five minute wait. The woman who same by was an absolute friendly delight. We went for the Tostada Raspada and a couple of beers and it was a nice combination. The tostadas were very light and crispy and self serving with the condiments on the table like the chili sauce, radishes and pickled onion was good. I can't speak to how authentic it is since I would not know, bet we really enjoyed the casual experience. read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

I'm so happy this opened up in jack london! Came here on a weekday and there was no line. Love that they give you all the toppings (salsa, radish, onion, red pickled onion, etc) Ordered the potato taco, ricotta cheese, and chicken tacos, and a chicken enchilada. My favorite is still the potato taco! When I went they were out of the tostada, but I'll come back again. Great quality, everything is so delicious! read more

We thought this place was OK. I tried the tostada raspada, a new thing i've never seen, even in Mexico. It was really big, huge, enough to have leftovers for days. That's good. The price is also reasonable for the amount of food. The flavor? Well, it was OK. They bring out really cute round Mexican ceramic dishes full of radishes, onions, purple onion, etc., a very Mexican touch you don't usaully get at local Mexican joints. That was good. Unfortunately our server neglected to give us a spoon to scoop it up so we had to ask for it. The main problem was being neglected, or worse, kicked off the waiting list. You give the host your cell phone # so they can text you when they're ready to seat you. We did, then went to wait in the car, as it was too freezing to stand out there in the cold. I looked over and saw no one was waiting anymore, and we'd been waiting half an hour, so i went to ask the host. We noticed we had been kicked off (removed) from the wait list. Yes indeed, they had free tables, but had simply kicked us off the list without bothering to ask. We had wasted valuable time, when we could have been seated. Also i asked the host if i could take the menu to the car to look at it. He said, no, can't do that. It turns out it's just a paper menu, the kind restaurants use so you'll take them home to use Door Dash or whatever they call it and order food. They lost one star for that. Our server was very nice, big smile and friendly attitude. They get good review on that aspect of service. Agua fresca was pretty good. It wasn't too watery, as it usually is. We thought it was OK but due to the problems, we won't be back. read more

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First time- came here for lunch with my boys. We absolutely loved it here! From the ambience, service and food were amazing. We will be coming back :) read more

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Food is amazing! Tostada raspada with pork was the highlight, pozole was on point love the homemade table hot sauce & salsa macha, tacos dorados with picadillo were bathed with a mild tomato's sauce cheese and lettuce, the enchiladas are made to order. Can't wait to comeback. Bottle beer selection and horchata. Go try it. Service is very casual, patio service is available read more

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Came on Sunday and there was a slight wait but not too bad. I ordered one taco dorado de papa, one enchilada con queso y cebolla & a raspada original (pictured below). The food felt like home! It was extremely authentic, I highly recommend! 10/10 read more

Cenaduria Elvira - Raspada - Mexican Near Me - Oakland, California

We went for dinner during their soft opening and had a really enjoyable experience! We are sorry that we missed the experience of the "backyard cenaduria" when they were in their old location, but the new space creates a cozy ambiance that suits the location in Jack London Square. It's both modern, but also comfortable and warm. We ate indoors and are looking forward to dining in their cute patio area in warmer weather! Service was friendly and prompt, and the food was a good bargain for the amount and quality. The menu had a solid selection of Mexican and domestic beers on draft and in bottles, micheladas, and agua frescas/mexican soft drinks. For dinner, we shared several dishes: their famous tostadas raspadas with the "original meat" toppings, the torta ahogada (a torta served on a specific type of sourdough roll and smothered in sauce), and a potato taco dorado. We tried all of these dishes in backyard cenadurias on a food tour in Jalisco, and Cenaduria Elvira really brought us back there, especially the special masa tostada and the bread on the torta. Everything was flavorful and well-seasoned, but my favorite component was the beans, which had a hit of epazote and Mexican oregano that elevated them from the ordinary ones. I can't wait to go back and try other menu items, like the sopes and pozole. Wishing these guys the best of luck in the new location! We're excited to have a new restaurant to add to our regular rotation in Jack London Square. read more