I was here last night(Thursday night) for the Comedy show! The comedy, the crowd, the cocktails, and 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. read more

Finally made it here after driving by for months! The restaurant is charming and despite it being packed on a Sunday night, service was pretty attentive. The food was great, but the real highlight for me was the mole sauce. I'm pretty particular about it, and it did not disappoint! I think I'll order something that comes with that on all future visits. read more

Mesa Maguey - Enmoladas - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

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On the surface, this place seems like a 'step above' type of place with fancier than normal Mexican food and good cocktails, etc. BUT, I came here last week and that night after dining here, I had severe stomach illness for about 48 hours to the point that I could not leave the house (use your imagination, or don't). They served me something here that was tainted... read more

Go-to place for happy hours! I love their prices for margaritas (tamarind, passion fruit flavors) and other yummy happy hour drinks. The interior is also cozy and colorful. Friendly staff and quick service as well. Was a big fan of their happy hour tacos and nachos. They also have a a house tequila brand that they gave out free samples for during one happy hour visit. Love the hospitality and happy hour, will definitely be back! read more

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What a treat..was in the area midweek, saw they have a happy hour, and stopped in. Received a warm welcome and joined a few folks at the bar. The place was wide open otherwise and they have lots of seating. Feels like you're in a cantina in Mexico - Very festive! Had a delicious tamarind marg. Ordered the carnitas memelas and was planning on ordering more but dayum those memelas were big and filling and delicious! My bill came out to under $25 (pre tip)! Will be back :) read more

Mesa Maguey - carnitas memelas; tamarind mexcalarita in the back - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

It may be in a forgotten part of Oakland but don't sleep on this spot! I'm always looking a good taco Tuesday spot and this place checks all the boxes! $10 for 3 tacos on Tuesdays and they were more elevated than you taco truck tacos. We had that as an appetizer, cuz I'm a sucker for mole, so I had to get the chicken mole plate. It was smackin! Rich, sweet, savory and tingling all my senses. Had to wash all that down with a pitcher of mezcal margs, get the passion fruit! Prices were very reasonable for a nice sit down Mexican joint with quality. If you're looking for a good taco Tuesday spot, this is it. Go go go! Adele! read more

Mesa Maguey - Chicken mole - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

Delicious authentic Mexican food! Vibe was intimate and colorful with cool local art. We were greeted warmly by our server and got seated by the window. Menu looked yummy! We got the memelitas with chorizo and carnitas, the beef soup special, and the 2 taco seafood plate with tempura fish and grilled shrimp, rice and refried black beans The food arrived beautifully made and all of it was flavorful and delicious. Homemade corn tortillas, freshly made meats, colorful veggies and creamy flavorful sauces. Lovely addition to Broadway. Service was great, prices were decent and there's street parking. I'd love to try the chilaquiles next! read more

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With the amount of taquerias and Mexican restaurants in the area, it's often difficult to find the motivation to visit a new one. I am glad I took a chance and paid them a visit this past weekend. Nestled in the former Copper Spoon space, Mesa Maguey specializes in Oaxacan cuisine, so some dishes are familiar, while others are a bit more uncommon at other local eateries. Their salsas and chips were excellent, the tlayuda we shared was like a top notch Mexican pizza, and the memelitas were super flavorful, and like sopes but softer. The service was a tad on the slow side, but the food will definitely bring me back to this place. read more

Mesa Maguey - Memelitas - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

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Good food and happy hour. Great Mezcalritas. Friendly team. Nice neighborhood atmosphere read more

Mesa Maguey - Mezcalrita - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

Love the food This place has been booked marked for a while My friends and I came as a group to celebrate a birthday they have extra seating in the back of thw restaurant a good mezcal selection and the food was really good and large portions Their staff were attentive and provided food service They have events and spirit tasting sessions read more

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Finally, a really good Mexican restaurant (actually, Oahacan. Everything was fresh, and uniquely prepared.

So much potential ruined by some of the slowest service I've had in recent memory. The food was solid. Not gonna lie, taste wise, their Mole was well executed. Their cocktails lacked complexity but we're serviceable. The flip side thought, the service was glacial in pace. It took over 15 minutes to go from ordering a cocktail to getting it on our table. The restaurant was not full. The food itself took roughly 30 minutes and it took ten minutes to get my credit card back after giving it up for the check. So much potential, just ruined by the pace. read more

This place is really great. I must commend the staff. All the way around. From greeter, to waiter to bartender. Welcoming, friendly, funny. Just awesome. The food is fresh. Im guessing made to order bc ther was a little bit of a wait. And when the food came out it was hot. Both our meals were great, but I have to shed the spotlight on the fresh guacamole. Fantástico!! read more

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I recently stopped by for brunch and here's what we got: -Flautas (chicken & potato) -Ceviche -Tacos de asada -Nachos -Nicuatole -Mezcal cocktails I'd definitely order the flautas, ceviche, and tacos again -- the gelatin dessert wasn't really my thing; it was a bit too sweet for me. The cocktails were well-balanced. Our server Jerson was awesome. We happened to be there during a Dia de los Muertos cocktail contest, which made the vibe even more fun. They also offer mezcal tastings throughout the year. I'll definitely be back to try more of their menu. read more

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Service, Ambiance & food definitely pass the vibe check. My significant other & i visited for authentic Oaxaca food & were so blessed by the atmosphere & mezcal open house. Smiles everywhere, friends, family & music in the background made me feel right at home. I can rant on & on about the food so i'll let the pictures do the talking. Ie: the aqua fresca cantaloupe was so refreshing i didn't know if i needed water lol read more

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I can't like. This has been a red letter day in big-backtivity! I had a nice healthy lunch. Then I was watching videos about Oaxaca and remembering my time there. Then, I needed the food! Where was the nearest place? Mesa Maguey!!! I ordered: Jamaica Nicuatole Tlayuda I am stuffed but based off the Jamaica alone I will fiend for this place. I have literally not had better. The service is amazing and attentive even when short staffed. Gerson helped me. He shared that the jamaica is homemade!!! Allegedly they host live entertainment occasionally. I'm definitely coming back. BTW If you'renin read more

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Oh Oaxaca... How I miss you so. Grateful there's a wealth of cuisine diversity in the bay. My partner and I were craving some traditional Mexican fare. Stopped by for a light dinner. Staff were so welcoming and cared for us with incredible hospitality. FLAUTAS (potato, chicken): Standard, no notes. Crispy, flavorful, and filling. MAMELITAS: Staff kindly made these for us without meat! Amazing. QQ, flavorful corn patties and fresh toppings. I'm impressed ^_^ First time trying Oaxacan food in Oakland. Mesa Maguey took me back! read more

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great happy hour spot in oakland. the cocktails here are great, and they have a wide variety of mezcals to choose from. my favorite item from the HH menu is the chips and guac, as the chips are fresh and not hard to crunch. it's the perfect balance of flakey and crunchy. it can get quite noisy as it is a very small restaurant with tight seating. they have live music occasionally and it varies how well it meshes with the ambience. service is usually good and i can tell the owner works very hard to keep the spirits high of the patrons. i will definitely return. read more

Mesa Maguey - Plato De Tasajo - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

Spectacular Oaxacan restaurant in Oakland!!! We tried the taquitos and queso fundido with chorizo for appetizers. Both were fresh and delicious. For main entrees we had the carnitas, mole rojo and enmoladas. Both moles were so flavorful perfectly savory and authentic Oaxacan flavors. The cocktails were also really well balanced so much that I ordered two haha highly recommend Mesa Maguey when craving Oaxacan food and also for your catering needs!!! read more

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Spanglish review!!! Absolutely Delicioso... la comida estuvo very tasty! Disfrutamos much del mole, we loved the tlayuda. It was warm. One mild suggestion : necesita queso Oaxaca desmenuzado too make it bomb! But overall it was delicious. Also the drinks were incredible. We enjoyed the Huatulco bay, La mezcalrita de tamarindo was a favorite. The mezcal Negroni!!! Great drink. También disfrutamos mucho de los appetizers Memelitas y Empanadas. Takeaway : after going many Oaxaca's restaurants... some in San Jose, one Santa Cruz called Copan . This was the very best! Authentic flavors . Gerson took amazing care of us! Absolutely great Servicio al cliente! read more

Mesa Maguey - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

If you're looking for a Mexican spot that gets everything right -- vibes, food, and drinks -- this is it. From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere pulled us in -- fun, welcoming, and filled with cool art that really adds to the whole experience. The place has personality in the best way. Service was top-notch. Ruben checked in on us throughout the night and made sure we were always taken care of without ever feeling rushed. We ordered tacos, memelitas, and the margarita flights -- all so good. The tacos were flavorful, the memelitas were perfectly crispy and fresh, and the margarita flight was delicious and super fun to try. Honestly, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Highly recommend! read more

Mesa Maguey - Drink menu - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

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The food was very delicious rich with melted cheese,. My appetizer was queso fundido I couldn't even finish 1/3 of it. It is very very filling. Then my entrée was Tlayuda. I barely touched it and packed the rest to go. Service was excellent. Ambience is great as well. The only thing is, it was too fatty, felt very heavy afterwards. read more

Such a fun, welcoming spot in the Temescal neighborhood! The staff are really friendly. The decor is vibrant and inviting, and the large bar makes it a great place to hang out. The fresh watermelon margaritas were amazing so refreshing and perfectly balanced. The fish and shrimp tacos were packed with flavor and definitely a must try. I also had the ceviche, which I'd highly recommend. The only downside is that parking in the area can be tricky, so plan ahead. read more

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Our family popped in on a lively and busy Saturday evening to enjoy dinner. The live music and buzzy crowd made for nice ambiance. Our server stated the kitchen was busy and service would be slower as a result. We expected this given the lack of empty tables. We ordered guacamole and empanadas to start. The empanadas tasted somewhat bland but we enjoyed the different drinks and guacamole. When orders arrived a few items were incorrect - three of us requested no beans and one of those specific orders was without extra rice. It didn't ruin the meal, but we noticed. I had the enmoladas and eagerly anticipated tasting the mole - it was sweeter than anticipated, which felt somewhat disappointing. We each had enough to eat and service was initially attentive but became slower despite the thinning crowd. Maybe it was an off night? Perhaps another visit at another time, because I adore Oaxacan food! read more

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We had a wonderful date here! Every item of food ordered was delicious. Here's what we ordered: Flautas (with potatoes) as an appetizer. They came out crispy and light. My boyfriend who always ordered the meat option was impressed by the vegetarian version despite himself. Chochinita Pibil: this was ordered at the server's recommendation. And it was a great recommendation! This was the boyfriend's entree. He wouldn't have ordered it on his own but was really glad that he chose something outside his comfort zone. The pork was super tender and delicious. It was a much more exciting dinner than enchiladas would have been. Chef's special; seared albacore and potatoes: once again, our server made an excellent recommendation. This item wasn't on the menu, but it was on the restaurants instagram story. The potatoes were sort of like a gratin and the seared albacore reminded me a lot of seared ahi. Which in hindsight is sort of obvious, as I subsequently learned that albacore is a type of tuna. The light fish and heavy potatoes paired really well together, every bite was perfect. I loved the lime crema because it cure through the heaviness of the potatoes and tied them well together with the albacore. Drinks: did you know this restaurant has a house made ginger beer? I'm really glad I ordered it because it was much less sweet than your typical grocery store ginger beer and it was a perfect refreshing compliment to my entree. Boyfriend ordered the hibiscus agua fresca and it was also delicious. His drink was sweet and super flavorful read more

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I had this restaurant bookmarked for some time and I finally made it here !! I really, REALLY wanted to like this place but ummmm It's a no for me Mainly cus the drinks were not too good and the service was super slow Inside is nicely decorated They have happy hour There is a full bar A back room with more seating Parking is street parking only and kind of hard to come by Menu has lots of options Drinks have a cute name Iykyk Food was good My friends did not complain about the food Quality is good Price is good and ingredients are fresh It's the service and the drinks TBH NO ONE WANTS TO RETURN A DRINK so you just suck it up for the team Initially service was decent but as more patrons arrived the service was non existent We came to scout this venue for our upcoming Galentines event and we collectively agreed to pass read more

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Eh. Food was okay, every dish arrived at the table as if it had sitting under a heat lamp for 10 minutes. The presentation definitely put did the taste of each dish. Atmosphere was fun, I appreciate the live music, and drunken regulars. However, the acoustics are not good so everything sounds a lot louder than it is making it hard to hear the person across from you. It was the end of the night so floors, tables, bathroom handles were sticky. The cocktails were decent I can see this more as a happy hour/ drinks with co-workers kinda spot. Paid on street parking, do read signs carefully. read more

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Pretty good food, I liked the shrimp (2 seafood taco plate) tacos the most, they were really good The place is nice and the service is great too The other tacos, burritos, and guacamole were alright read more

We have passed this spot a bunch of times and finally tried it today. Definitely worth checking out if you have never been! It is a really nice space on the inside and we had a great meal. The burrito was awesome, I don't usually love carrots in the burrito but it wasn't too much. The margaritas were also delicious! Service was super fast and the waiters/bartenders are all very friendly! We will be back! read more

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Probably my favorite Mexican food in the East Bay right now. Great service and great food. Habanero salsa is good. Happy Hour is where it's at. Tacos, Flautas, Nachos. Love the think crunchy tortilla on the tacos. I think the Nachos are probably the best deal. I did like carnitas on the tacos and chicken on the tacos. I would personally pass on the queso fundido. But everything else was so good it didn't matter. read more

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This is a delicious and wonderful restaurant! We went last night for our second visit to celebrate a birthday, and it was just as great as we remembered. Thelma was our excellent server, and the bartender--whose name I unfortunately don't recall--was so friendly and makes incredible cocktails. Each one was delicious. I had the seafood tacos, which I'll absolutely be ordering again. The guacamole and chips were fresh and flavorful. The other three in our group ordered mole dishes, and they all loved them. Thank you for a fun and delicious dinner. We'll be back again and again. read more

Showed up to the neighborhood looking for some dinner. Stumbled on this place, which serves dishes that not every Mexican restaurant offers. Their bar is super well stocked, mainly regarding mezcal and tequila. They offer tastings ask when . I ordered the tlayuda, it is not common to find it in Oakland it was wonderful. The enchiladas were very good too. The queso fundido was pretty good. Staff is great, the ambiance is amazing. I would visit again 5/5 read more

Mesa Maguey - Tlayuda con tasajo - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

¡Hola Mesa Maguey! Thanks for coming out of the gate fast when I dropped by for a late lunch, which happened to fall during your happy hour. I usually won't give out five stars on my first date with a restaurant, but you earned it. $10 for two tacos and the Carnitas was slamming? Done! I'm completely impressed with the happy hour here, in part because they have an excellent selection of tequilas and mezcal. Here's the deal. Happy hour 2-6pm Mon-Sun $9-11 drinks $9-11 for apps like queso fundido, 3 flautas, or 2 tacos. The bartender, Leo, was really cool too. I had the house mezcal, Amateco, for the mezcalina and it was completely tasty. Lots of seating, all indoors. There's a space in the back too. Not much as change from the Copper Spoon. But there's definitely a really nice Mexican vibe now, and the salsa tunes were awesome, super-fun mix. read more

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Food unfortunately wasn't great and I had high hopes for this place. I ordered a vegetarian large taco and it had absolutely no flavor at all and the restaurant said they didn't know how to make it more flavorful which seemed odd in a Mexican restaurant. I ended up squeezing loads of lime and adding lots of salsa but even that wasn't very good and I endee up leaving half of it. The best part of the meal was the churros, but I probably wouldn't go back again read more

My chicken enmoladas with black beans and rice were delicious. And I also enjoyed my refreshing red sangria. And the best was my chocoflan dessert! The chocolate cake had a non-cakey or dense texture. read more

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Cochinita pibil was amazing! it was juicy and flavorful and nuanced. Ambiance and service were also great.

Very fresh, traditional, authentic Mexican some of which are hard to find elsewhere. Very welcoming warm service. Love the local art and the festive atmosphere. Great place for groups, families, happy hour etc. read more

We had a great time here. Quick and efficient service with a very attentive and friendly server. Delicious food and drinks. There was live music all the while, and apparently they do comedy and dance sessions! Highly recommend! read more

Mesa Maguey - 2 Tacos plate - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

I hate giving 2 stars, I do. And let me say I'd come back and try again if a friend wanted to meetup or I had a reason to return. However... a recent lunch left something to be desired. By no means was it bad, it just was not good. We left not feeling any sort of value for the money. The space is lovely. We went mid week lunch, later in the afternoon, and it was empty and service was fine. We went with the queso (on a happy hour menu), shrimp tacos and the steak plate. The shrimp taco was the best out of the three, but had its own flaws, and the other items were just a let down. The queso: not the Tex mex kind, let's get that out there. It was a stringy cheese that wasn't necessarily served warm topped with room temp, crumbled charred chorizo and a side of generic corn tortillas. Nothing about this was good and it wasn't cheap, even at happy hour prices. It mostly went untouched after initial bites. The steak plate, which I've had iterations of this at other Mexican spots, was also a let down. The steak was pounded so thin resulting in a terrible consistency and it lacked any sort of flavor. It came with vegetables, also bland, a little side of rice and beans and a grilled halloumi style Oaxacan cheese. Again, not a a cheap dish and did not live up to the price tag. My dining partner and I just were not fans. The shrimp tacos were solid. Messy, as it was almost more like a tostada. Shrimp atop a thicker grilled corn tortilla (this one seemingly better quality than the ones served with the queso). It was topped with the aioli and slaw (and cheese, which I asked for without) and it was fine. It was a large taco, a light meal in itself, but also priced at $7+. Overall, prices were higher than quality of food and preparation warranted. A pass for me. Margs and chips and guac may be the move here. read more

Mesa Maguey - Queso with chorizo - not creamy, but more of a stringy cheese - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

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Tried two tacos and the tamarind margarita. Very refreshing and tasty drink! The tacos were good too, but this is a great place for a date night or for mezcal aficionados. read more

Mesa Maguey - Tacos Near Me - Oakland, California

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