Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Man vs Fries

    3.4 (230 reviews)
    Closed 12:30 pm - 8:00 PM

    Order Man vs Fries Delivery

    Man vs Fries Photos

    MAN VS FRIES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Casual
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Man vs Fries

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Deep fried Oreos
    Mark A.

    Was in Oaktown again so had to try another unusual spot. Been seeing things in the internet about Man vs Fries so had to try it. They don't seem to be very busy being a pop up restaurant. Place was empty and only a couple people working there but it looked clean so decided to give it a try. We got the Nor Cal burrito, So Cal burrito, Asada fries and deep fried Oreos. We split everything that way we could all try the different items. Nor Cal and Do Cal burrito were just ok. Too much filler in both and not enough meat. Also the Asada fries seemed very short on the meat too. Everything was made fresh so that was good , but all were lacking flavor. The best thing we had were the deep fried Oreos. They tasted just like the ones you would get at the county fair with a little less grease.

    Pollo Fries (NorCal style)
    Mel S.

    Was excited to try this place based off a post I saw on the Yelp East Bay Instagram page. Menu: When ordering from here, you'll have a good laugh at the menu from their options like "I HELLA Love a Side is Queso!" You also have options to add various toppings like hot Cheetos, bacon, onion rings, etc. It's not the healthiest menu, but the flavors make it worth the cheat meal, or regular meal. Food: If you're looking for a large meal for yourself, or a meal to share with someone else, this is your place. This meal lasted me through lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. I originally wanted to order the Asada fries, but was given the option of pollo, so went with that. This to-go container was healing with fries, the toppings, and then even more fries. The fries alone were very flavorful ("seasoned straight fries"), but were made even better with the guacamole, other toppings, and the extra queso. Excited to try more items from this place like the NorCal Burrito or the Cali Crunch - all of the food looks so good!

    Lots of foil, made the burrito look bigger than it actually was.

    What made the experience was the customer service. Yeser was on point with everything. Even brought the food out while I was waiting outside. 5 stars to Yeser. Food itself needs improvements, but not bad. It was $15.72 for 1 NorCal burrito. More like fast food rather than good quality food. It was about the same amount in foil and tortilla as it was in filling, but the fillings themselves were well seasoned. Could've had more guac, sour cream, and secret sauce, but the side of cheese sauce was alright. If anything, I would try the fries next time and avoid the extra foil and tortilla clumps. Overall, decent.

    FLAMIN' CALI CRUNCH
    Morgan Z.

    We were so excited to order from here finally because we have been wanting to try it for so long! Who doesn't want fries, hot Cheetos, secret sauce, quest, etc? We decided to order the Cali Crunch and the NorCal Asada fries. I really was hoping I would love the Cali Crunch but it had too many onions for my liking and that overpowered everything else. It also was not able to be picked up because it was so loosely put together - I'm not sure if that's how it is supposed to be but that made it a little hard to eat. I'm sure the NorCal fries that we ordered were good but they had actually made us the SoCal fries on accident. We weren't complaining too much though because those were definitely the highlight of our order. I'm not sure we'll be back here but I'm glad we got to try this place out! If we do go back, I think I'd try the Hella Dilla.

    Front view
    Ferrari C.

    I hate to give Man vs. fries a 3!! Me and my little sister was excited to finally try the place . Come on now the reviews are basically outstanding !! Plus I love hot Cheetos .. Im damn near slobbering over myself looking at the menu y'all . So boom I order the asada fries w/hot Cheetos ( popular item) and my sister ordered the norcal burrito. We decided to dine in since it was empty (surprised) . Everything looking good y'all!!! Boom I'm like okay the guac is good, the steak is hot & Cheetos are fresh,not stale (better not be). Pauseeee here is the dilema, the fries are cold and not cooked fully !!! That just killed it Yelpers !! The shredded cheese didn't melt due to the fries being cold !! Same problem with my sisters burrito . I basically ate the carne, guac & hot Cheetos and left. I'm sure they would have fixed the problem but my patience decided to stay home yesterday. ‍ Look I'm not giving up though, I will be back to try a different item. Btw the servings are big enough for 2/3 people

    Deep Fried Oreos
    Elesia S.

    If I had to sum this place up in one word, it'd be "foodgasm!" I got the burrito and the fried Oreos and they did NOT disappoint!!! People usually skimp on the fries when it comes to California burritos, but not Man vs Fries. I'm talking fries in every bite!!! Joselyn was the sweetest, she brought my food to my table and even kept the salsa coming. It's safe to say Ive found my weekly cheat meal

    10 pieces of steak and so many fries and hot Cheetos.
    Nini H.

    I ordered a SoCal burrito and it was so dry! barely any steak mainly french fries and the hot Cheetos were sooooo stale. I also ordered the bacon chicken ranch fries and they were smackin with queso yellow cheese.

    Socal Burrito and Beer Battered Onion Rings
    Liz B.

    I love Man vs Fries, I've ordered delivery from here twice so far and counting! Usually uber eats discounts the delivery fee and convinces you to go get more of a good thing. The NorCal style burrito was calling me, something about putting fries into anything makes it a delicious masterpiece to me. And you get a huge serving of food goodness that'll last you another day or two. I've gotten it each time and never been unsatisfied with the hot crispy fries, loads of chicken and tasty toppings of sour cream, cheese, guacamole. I'm drooling about it just remembering and writing this review! And I had to get some good ole onion rings. They're huge, crispy, crunchy and juicy. Oh man, you have got to try them and then thank me for the rec! Another order that lasted a while was the asada fries which is heaven in its purest form. I chose curly fries with NorCal style with chicken, sour cream, guacamole and secret sauce. It came fresh out the bag and was so so filling and delicious! Definitely went into a happy food coma with that one. Highly recommend the whole menu, because I'm working my way through it! Also follow them on social, they do a great job with that and making you hungry any time of day.

    Socal Burrito (Angus Beef aka Ground Beef)
    Mai N.

    I was so excited to try the SoCal burrito but I was so disappointed. The Hot Cheetos disintegrated in the burrito leaving it to be just MUSH. $17 for an angus beef SoCal burrito was really just ground beef. In all, it felt like I was eating a potato burrito because the fries made up most of the burrito.

    CBR Burrito
    Kijana Q.

    When they say HELLA big, they are not lying! I tried the CBR burrito and FryedCheesecake and it was a 10/10!

    a piece of food left on a paper plate
    Roseanna J.

    So this is so sad... almost chipped my tooth on a so cal burrito. I am so unhappy about this and to top off cant even get someone on the phone regarding this. This is my second time (only to give it the benefit of the doubt) the first time we also had a bad experience. Dear management team, What are we going to do about this? How can you do better? Customer service was bad. I h ad made special requests on what I did not want on our meals - which was still added. Then the So Cal burrito had this black rectangular cube plastic thing that hurt. I will love to hear what you have to say. Thanks,

    Texas Cowgirl Helladilla
    Ace P.

    This place honestly should be illegal. They are not counting calories. They are counting flavor. and wow - there's alot of it! I thought I'd be cute and watch my figure, so I ordered the Texas Cowgirl Helladilla and ensured no meat was on it. This was by far probably the heaviest quesadilla I've ever had in my entire life. So much leftover I had it 3x. Each time....was better than the last. I'm still waiting to build up my tolerance. I thought I could take the challenge, but right now the score is: 0 Man. 1 Fries. Til we meet again.

    Flaming crunch wrap vegetarian but has meat in it!

    Bad customer service ordered two crunch wraps with out meat. I get the order back to my hotel excited to try it. And notice one of them says asada. We call and they offer to fix it. I bring both orders back they see the box says asada. They take that box. Remake my order with out meat. I wait she says it's ready. I asked her if she was sure that the other one did not have meat. She says yes I am sure. I take both orders drive back to my hotel. Sit down to eat with my wife. She takes a bite and THERE IS MEAT IN IT. CURRENTLY DRIVING BACK FOR REFUND!

    Menu

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nini H.
    81
    10
    16

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz B.
    227
    610
    1608

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mai N.
    136
    411
    1116

    6 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Ordered food here waited 2 hours for it and it was burnt and cold how does that even happen?! And thing we're missing too.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Maddie L.
    75
    151
    42

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    i ordered food on grub hub and 2 hours later never arrived you should definitely not use this service

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Venessa D.
    91
    107
    58

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of roy c.
    22
    51
    31

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 2

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Man vs Fries

    Is this business black owned?

    Proudly. Yes Indeed it is.

    Do they have vegetarian options?

    I don't think their normal menu lists any clear vegetarian entrees. However, there's a 'build your own fries' option, and it's a small joint and I wouldn't be surprised if you could simply ask them to forgo meat in any other meal choice (but… 

    Are the fries and sauces gluten free?

    They said, "we think the seasoning on our fries is gluten-free." The fries come to them seasoned so it's not something that you could order without. They also use the same fryer for onion rings and other dessert items with gluten. The possibility… 

    View All 4 Questions

    You might also consider

    Molcajete Cocina Mexicana

    Molcajete Cocina Mexicana

    3.8
    (762 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    I've been here a few times now and have tried the shrimp and steak burrito as well as the chicken…read moreburrito. Both were really good, with generous portions and great flavor. The staff has always been friendly, and the food has been consistently enjoyable. One suggestion I'd offer is to consider adding a happy hour or Taco Tuesday special. There are several Mexican restaurants nearby that offer deals like those, and I think it could help bring in more customers during slower times. The food is definitely good enough to attract people--I just think a few specials would give more people a reason to stop in and give the restaurant a try. Overall, I'd definitely come back and would recommend it if you're looking for a solid burrito.

    I'm honestly annoyed I spent money here. Molcajete Cocina Mexicana was a huge letdown from start to…read morefinish. The menudo was completely bland and tasted like it came straight out of a can definitely not fresh and absolutely not worth ordering. The chips and guacamole were just "okay," but even that's being generous since the chips were clearly old and stale. The steak nachos were the final straw. They were straight-up gross. I ordered steak nachos and somehow got nachos covered in rice, barely any meat (if any at all), and a laughably small portion for the price. On top of that, they were made with the same stale chips. For what they charge, this level of food quality is unacceptable. I won't be coming back. The server was rude and short didn't care to answer any questions. Sinceramente me molesta haber gastado dinero aquí. Molcajete Cocina Mexicana fue una gran decepción de principio a fin. El menudo estaba totalmente desabrido y sabía como si saliera directo de una lata, nada fresco y definitivamente no valía la pena. Las papas fritas con el guacamole estaban "más o menos", y eso siendo generoso, porque las totopos estaban viejas y rancias. Los nachos de carne fueron la gota que colmó el vaso. Estaban horribles. Pedí nachos de asada y me los sirvieron llenos de arroz, casi sin carne (si es que tenía algo), y con una porción ridículamente pequeña para el precio. Para colmo, los hicieron con los mismos totopos viejos. Por lo que cobran, la calidad de la comida es inaceptable. No regresaré.

    Photos
    Love the vibe of the bar area.
    Love the vibe of the bar area.
    Guacamole, chips & salsa trio
    Guacamole, chips & salsa trio
    Sopes Plate

    See all

    Sopes Plate
    Doña

    Doña

    3.9
    (614 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    One of the best Mexican places in The Town - and it's a fiercely competitive landscape too! We've…read morebeen coming for a while now and this place never disappoints. The menu does change up seasonally. I've had countless mouth watering chile rellenos with their ever changing sauce and filling. And my to go to nowadays to ensure I get plenty of protein is ordering one of their bowls, usually with pescado frito (fried fish) with black beans. My husband enjoys their barbacoa shredded meat. The bowls are filling, nutritious and flavor bombs. I also love indulging in their agua frescas. Our personal favorites are the strawberry horchata (a MUST if it's available) and their coconut ice coffee. Refreshing beverages to help soothe your tongue because the sliced fresh chiles on fried fish bowl are indeed lethal. Overall consistently delicious. It does get packed but if you come early around 4-5pm you will beat the crowd.

    Double dated with my friend and her partner. It was my partner's and my first time visiting Dona…read more Ambiance coming in was welcoming and well decorated. They welcomed dogs on their patio, loved seeing all of the pups. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Food promptly came out and was delicious. We'd definitely come back in the future! We got the nachos and french toast....delicious

    Photos
    Outside. Dona is located in a two-story building with a cool outdoor deck. Restrooms are located upstairs (code required).
    Outside. Dona is located in a two-story building with a cool outdoor deck. Restrooms are located upstairs (code required).
    Pescado Frito Bowl. The cod was perfectly fried and tasty!b
    Pescado Frito Bowl. The cod was perfectly fried and tasty!b
    Margaritas for 2. This one is their passion fruit one. It's tasty!

    See all

    Margaritas for 2. This one is their passion fruit one. It's tasty!
    Taqueria El Paisa

    Taqueria El Paisa

    4.4
    (559 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    Came here for lunch on a Tuesday around noon and it was pretty busy. We finally lucked out and got…read morea parking spot in the parking lot. We tried coming here on a Sunday and couldn't find parking for 15+ minutes so we ended up leaving. There is some street parking but we prefer to park in the lot. Once you get inside you order at the counter. If you're getting tacos they're all the same price so the cashier will write the number of tacos you bought and you take that receipt and get in the line. Once you get called up you put your receipt in the basket that the worker hands you and tell them what kind of meat you want in your tacos. Today I tried the asada, carnitas, Al pastor, and tripa. They all were delicious, my favorite was the tripa. Portions are good ($4.50/taco) and they have a variety of salsas, jalapeños, limes, etc in the seating area once you exit. I also got a hibiscus (Jamaica) agua fresca that was good. They do accept credit card but they'll charge a $1 fee so try to bring cash if you can. Definitely recommend, this is now one of my top taco spots in Oakland.

    This is certainly one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. Each taco is $4.50 and…read morethey load each up with meat. The meats are all juicy and cooked perfectly. The pina colada drink was perfect to balance out the salty/savory flavor of the tacos. You self serve cucumbers, carrots, and radishes which is always cool. Finally, there's live Mexican music playing and the overall vibes are fantastic. 4.9/5

    Photos
    Taqueria El Paisa
    Torta de asada!
    Torta de asada!
    Tacos de Cabeza y Campechana (Carne Asada y Chorizo)

    See all

    Tacos de Cabeza y Campechana (Carne Asada y Chorizo)
    Agave Uptown

    Agave Uptown

    3.9
    (785 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    We went to Agave Uptown for a dinner before seeing Poppy at the Fox Theater. When we arrived, we…read morewere pleasantly greeted by the host and sat at a table for two. Very quickly someone came to give us water. We looked over the menu and were able to decide what we wanted pretty quickly so with in a couple minutes our server came to take our drink order. Since we were decided, we ordered everything at that time since we were on a schedule for the concert. My wife ordered the Chef Salad and I ordered the two tacos plate. We also ordered shrimp ceviche to share. With in a few minutes, our server brought our drinks to us. A couple minutes later, the ceviche was brought to the table and it was absolutely delicious. Just about the time we finished off the ceviche, our meals were brought out. They visually looked stunning and smelled wonderful. The first bite of a taco was so good. The chicken seasoned perfectly, the ratio of onion with cilantro was spot on and the salsa was delicious. The plate included Mexican rice and black beans, both of which were excellent pairings with the tacos. My wife's chef salad was outstanding as well. We determined that if ever in Oakland, this is our go to place to grab a meal

    Update: I came here about twice after last time and thought "Okay, even the lady who was hostile…read morelast time is now cloyingly sweet, even if just to mock me, but its still good food and a nice time, I'll update the review" and enjoyed myself here on a date recently.... Until tonight. I came tonight with my autistic friend for their birthday and the staff kept giving me mocking eyes, as if he thought I was on another date, (and of course mere seconds after approaching me, talks of "puta" and overtly derogatory slutshaming terms all while still glancing at me with a smirk as he talked to his friend at the bar was quite irritating,) and the evening continued with a pretty heavy tone of dude giving me a mocking look, as if barely able to hold onto his laughter seeing me with a more poindexter looking openly autistic looking friend of mine, assuming I was just some hoe having hella dates, I get it, I was here a few days ago for an actual date. God forbid I think "What a pleasant spot, and I like their agua frescas, let me take my autistic friend who doesn't drink for a little bite since it's their first night in Oakland after an hour long drive, after a nice outing today, and to end an evening on a high note." And the mockery didn't help set a tone for a fun evening at all, we left pretty fast from the discomfort and bro triggered my migraines with the passive aggressiveness. Delicious food, and the woman server was pleasant, the guy? Not exactly. And its a shame, I liked the pork loin and agua frescas here a lot, not the ableism and weird commentary and vibes.

    Photos
    Bar Area
    Bar Area
    Tostadita de chile ajo - potato tostada
    Tostadita de chile ajo - potato tostada
    Molotes|Masa|papas
choriso|Epazote
black bean paste|cabbage|queso|
tomatillo salsa

    See all

    Molotes|Masa|papas choriso|Epazote black bean paste|cabbage|queso| tomatillo salsa
    Mesa Maguey

    Mesa Maguey

    4.5
    (210 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    I was here last night(Thursday night) for the Comedy show! The comedy, the crowd, the cocktails,…read moreand the host made the drive worth it! Order dinner 30 minutes before the show starts and get their margarita flight; that should last you the entire show. The comedy happens in the very back of the restaurant.

    Came here for dinner and a comedy show Monday night. First impression, it's a really cute spot. I…read morelove the decor, the colors, the ambiance, and the artwork in the back where the comedy show was held. Even the bathroom is so cute!! And that is saying something because I never take pictures of bathrooms for reviews lol. The food is just as pretty as the decor. Every plate we ordered came out looking beautiful. The 4 stars is really because although the food looks pretty, I would say everything tastes okay, nothing really stood out particularly in taste. If this review was based on food tastes alone, and not looks, vibes, and the great show, it would've been 3 stars. The flautas were a bit too hard for me. Ive had way better flautas at El Torito's in San Leandro. Although there were only like 6 of us total in the audience for the show, it was still really enjoyable. The host, Tony Parker has great energy, and a lot of the comics (I think were like 5 or 6) had us laughing throughout. No one was safe lol. All in all, a really cute place for date night and comedy show. Apparently they have them Sunday-Thursday nights, and they're free!

    Photos
    Got mezcal?
    Got mezcal?
    Chicken Mole
    Chicken Mole
    Flautas

    See all

    Flautas
    Tacos Oscar

    Tacos Oscar

    4.4
    (309 reviews)
    3.4 mi

    Tacos Oscar, Temescal, shipping container taco spot with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and zero…read morepretension about it. Menu changes constantly, written in chalk on the container door, you get what they feel like making that night and thats actually fine because its always good. Charred broccoli taco sounds like a prank until you eat it. The handmade tortillas are the real thing, fresh pressed, you can smell them from the sidewalk. Got the pork chile verde too, braised and saucy, didnt last long. Order at the window, grab the back patio, dont skip the salsa macha. 5 stars, the taco truck ordering skills ive been cultivating for years finally got tested and this place passed

    Tacos Oscar is relatively unassuming when you view the restaurant from the street. Oscar is a small…read morestand with a relatively clean menu that doles out tacos, beverages, and a a few more bites. Tacos Oscar offers up slightly more upscale Tacos with nuanced ingredients and intense flavors. During my latest outing I went with the mushroom, barbacoa, and chile verde tacos. Each of my tacos was great, but the mushroom one stood out. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly and had a slight crunch which gave them an excellent texture. They were also incredibly well seasoned. My barbacoa and Chile verde tacos were also solid with some nice topping variation that helped mix up the flavors and texture. Oscar's service is good and straightforward. Place your order up front and either grab a table there or walk to their back patio. I LOVE the back area on a sunny day and would highly recommend it. Each taco here will run you about 5-6 bucks so don't be too suprised by the sticker shock. I would say 3-4 tacos is the ideal range depending on how hungry you are. Give them a try if you're ever in the Mosswood/Temescal area.

    Photos
    Side seating entrance
    Side seating entrance
    Don't be like me. provide your tostada with a strong support system
    Don't be like me. provide your tostada with a strong support system
    Outdoor seating

    See all

    Outdoor seating
    Bombera

    Bombera

    4.1
    (546 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$$

    Upscale Mexican-by-way-of-California restaurant with rich and inventive flavors. There are three…read morelegs that hold up the stool here; the masa, the mole, and the celebration of each dish's main ingredient. We ordered the duck carnitas, summer tamales, and kids' quesadilla, along with the roasted beats and a strawberry agua fresca and horchata. I cannot enumerate all of the amazing elements and flavors in this meal, but I can say that the crispy outside of the duck and the ease with which it fell apart drew a connection between duck confit and carnitas that changed the way I will think about both. The hearty masa in the tamales had a the texture of hand ground corn and was substantial enough to warrant chewing though. The beet -- tender and flavorful in itself -- was paired with a nutty, spicy mole like a thick paste, bright with its herbs. The agua fresca was a summertime blast of fruit. Yes, yes. All of the food is delicious and amazing. But what takes the restaurant over the top is that the food is comforting and familiar in equal measure to its inventiveness and flawless execution. This is not just food for the tongue and stomach but food for the soul.

    Arrived to no host so another worker had to assist and kept looking around for the hostess. We made…read morea reservation a month prior, the table wasn't ready, but we managed to get seated at a table with other diners. The woman who brought water was very welcoming. The prices on the menu are $5-10 more than the menu on their website. It's a nice dining room, but very loud and the piped-in music makes it worse: I couldn't hear what my date was saying across the table. We started with the smoked trout tostadas. This is kind of ceviche style, and they were delicious. These are "street taco" sized tostadas by the way. The portion was OK but for $20 it could've been a bit more substantial. The duck mole: the duck was nicely unctuous and cooked amazingly, but very salty. The mole had the consistency and taste of hummus. Needless to say it was thick, gloopy and tasted only of cumin. The little salad on the plate was plastered in it. The grilled swordfish Valencia style was just an overly sour salsa verde with a couple chopped green olives with the fish sitting in the watery liquid. The salsa had a kick, but tasted mostly of lime, it was also cold. The swordfish however was grilled perfectly and the portion was great--for $35 I'm glad it was. Beans and rice seemed an overly salty afterthought, and if you don't want beans, too bad, it's served in the same bowl as the rice. The service was almost non-existent--no one checked in on us or asked how things were; there seemed to be only one person taking orders in the dining room and three-four people running around. Our appetizer plates sat in front of us for 15 mins, so when the entrees arrived the runner had a hard time clearing the table and simultaneously putting down the entrees. We didn't see our server again until the end when she gave us the check. Suddenly the charm came on when the tip came up. I appreciate what they're doing, but for that price point there are far better options.

    Photos
    Inside main room
    Inside main room
    Carnitas: tender flavorful, added spicy carrots secret sauce made it even better
    Carnitas: tender flavorful, added spicy carrots secret sauce made it even better
    Interior looking out

    See all

    Interior looking out

    Man vs Fries - popuprestaurants - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...