Flacos
Categories: Vegan, Food Stands, Mexican [Edit]
Center Street and M. L. King, Jr. WayBerkeley, CA 94708 (510) 541-1459
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: None
184 reviews
Neighborhood: Old Oakland
"We're really lucky in the Bay Area, that excellent Mexican food doesn't have to be expensive, the complete opposite in fact. This place is…" read more »
22 Reviews for Flacos
I come to farmer's market sometimes just to get the taquito. it is delicious. my boyfriend and i once got six. and ate them all. the tacos were delicious! in a mole sauce. my bf looked me in the eye and said, "i would eat wheat gluten every day, if it came in this form. i will KNOW this recipe."
and its not too much to say i feel the same way. EAT IT. its delicious.
We went to the Flacos booth at the Thursday Farmers Market in Berkeley. We got 12 taquitos (6 for $10) with 6 little containers of yummy mild and hot avocado sauce, 2 orders of rice and 2 orders of black beans. We thought this would be the best deal for us 3 hearty (aka piggy) eaters rather than the $9 "dinner" plates which only comes with 2 taquitos (plus rice, beans and salad).
We took our feast home and happily chowed down on this very tasty meal. We were completely stuffed and happy.
Can't wait to get our next "fix" from Flacos!
fyi They also sell fresh organic masa. Time for me to try making tamales !
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I am not overrating Flaco's when I give it five stars. It is really good. Like...really, really good. Being only quarter mexican, I haven't been totally immersed in the Mexican culture, but thanks to my father's family, I know good Mexican cuisine when I taste it.
Every Christmas all of my father's family (the mexican side) would come to my abuelita's house and eat a box of tamales from a tamaleria in the Mission District. These were authentic, warm, delicious tamales.
When I became a vegan I had come to terms with the fact that I would probably be waiting a while until someone came around with vegan tamales. Lo' and behold, FLACOS! Their tamales and other items taste just as I remember them. Their aquas frescas are great also. For those not familiar with them, they are like fruity drinks with the exception of horchata which is a sweet, rice drink.
For the non spanish speakers, "flacos" means "skinny" or "skinny people".
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Mucho delicioso!!
So, I went to the Berkeley farmer's market and it was lunch time, so I thought I would try some taquitos from Flacos. I ordered just two taquitos a la carte, but the guy made a plate and then realized that I didn't order a plate. He was sweet and gave it to me anyway. Score!! It was delicious and not greasy. You would never know you were not eating real meat. The beans and rice were tasty as well.
I keep thinking about the taquitos...you know that's a good sign.
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The best vegan food, the best taquito, and the best green salsa for dipping taquitos, or pouring over your tamal. The taquito is perfectly deep fried, the veggie chicken interior is crispy outside and tender and almost sweet on the inside. The platos are generous, perfectly cooked black beans, rice and organic greens.
There is true genius here in the mole salsas in the two tamal choices and in the green salsa, made with avocado and chiles. The green salsa comes hot or mild: the hot is muy picanteand delicious.
There are agua frescas - usually strawberry, sometimes a comforting canela tea (on those cold winter market days) and new dishes from time to time. Mmmmm!!!
The taquitos plate is simply fantastic. The soy chicken is crispy and tender and the avocado salsa is fantastic. Be warned, it's hot! The rice and beans are perfect. I also recommend the agua fresca de fresa (strawberry.) So yummy!
I've eaten the tacquitoes at Flacos every week for 22 of the last 23 weeks. I may have a problem.
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I had the pleasure of trying the taquitos with kick-ass green salsa at the Farmer's Market yesterday. Ah, yeeeeeeah! Fried tortilla with fake meat!!!! This is one of my most favorite meal combinations. I usually make this at home but now I know I can get it at a Berkeley Farmer's Market. Oh, the ooze-green salsa IS "smack-my-ass-and-call-me-Sally" spicy, so enjoy!
Flacos, please lease/buy a taco truck and drive around honking your musical horn! We'll all follow.
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Oh my goodness the delicious hot green salsa and the crispy taquitos . mmmmmm. oh yeah and their beans and rice are excellent too. the only complaint is that i have to wait to go to the farmers markets to get the goods. no permanent location as of yet. oh and by the way, you can bring your own jar and they will fill it up (for around $6 for a pint) with the spicy salsa. Save your peanut butter jars!
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Flacos is so good I can't get enough of it. The taquitos are out of this world. And the soft taco mole. Yum. Yum. Yum. Everything else is stellar here so I won't even bother listing them. You just have to come out and try everything. But be forewarned: It is so addictive. You might just not be able to stop coming once you try. The avocado salsa is a killer. You won't be able to get enough of it.
Worried about spending money? No problem. One platter serves two people easy. You'll be really stuffed after. And it's all healthy cooking. Antonio and his staff are really friendly and they go out of their way to please you.
P.S. If you like lard and transfat in your food, plus tons of salt, you probably won't like Flacos.
Dear Flacos,
Please get storefront/shack/permanent residence of any sort anywhere in Berkeley so I can loveyoulongtime and eat taquitos everyday.
nomnomnom,
Scout
Flacos posts up regularly at the Berkeley Farmers Markets throughout the week. They were back again this year for the World Veg Day festival in SF selling their all vegan Mexican food.
I liked their nice, crispy fried taquitos, but their hot salsa was no joke. They also serve some killer agua fresca and horchata. Judging from the other reviews, it sounds like the tamale is nothing short of excellent. I'll have to try it out myself, but if it's anything like the rest of their offerings, I doubt I'll be disappointed.
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EDIT 09/30/07: The tamales are amazing.
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Soy gorda con flacos! Everything was fabulous, and I really love the twist on the tamale with a banana leaf instead of corn husk. He makes them both ways I believe, but only had the banana leaf today. The agua frescas are just right. Subtly sweet with fresh bits of fruit.
My coworkers and I were excited and looking forward to this all day. One had just returned from the east coast and we made quite an outing out of our lunch break. First we arrived too early (2:30pm is TOO early?) at the Farmer's Market down at Rose and Shattuck, so we went to Vintage instead and bought some wine. Then we rolled on over to the market again only to find a fabulous homemade tofu booth, where the guy promptly proceeded to open up every container to give us samples upon samples! A fine and tasty appetizer, I'd say. It inspired me to buy some spicy tofu croquettes, but more on that in a different review. Finally, Flacos was ready, and Antonio, the owner, had watched us hover for so long, he called us over to the booth so we could order first. And good thing too! After we had our food there was a line of half a dozen peeps!
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i get up on saturday mornings thinking of you. and my sister and i walk really really fast, just to come and see you, so we can taste you. we always get the same thing: taquitos with spicy green salsa. my sister drinks the leftover salsa out of the cup the taquitos are served in, which i think is strange but also proof of how delicious you are... i wish you were around more often, and i wish i could come see you whenever i wanted...
Truly addictive.
Flacos at the Berkeley Farmers Market is some of the best food ever. Who knew that soy taquitos would be so good? The tamales? Don't even get me started...truly amazing. Oh and I'm a meat eater.
Salads, black beans and agua fresca are fresh. Rice is fluffy.
I really wish he'd start a restaurant. Unfortunately I can only get my fix during the Farmers Market.
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my friend and i stopped by the farmers' market today just for flacos. it was delicious. the very crispy tequito was filled with this chickeny stuff that was a little fishy (in a good way, seriously). i got the plate, so it came with tasty beans and rice, a salad, all of which was covered by their homemade very spicy green sauce.
the owner is really nice. he kindly gave me a bunch of extra sauce near the end of my bean and rice-eating. and it was sooo spicy...and perfect....and i want more....noooow. i can't wait to go back for a tamale.
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Totally fabulous. All of it. Vegan, fresh Mexican food served up at the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Farmers Markets in Berkeley. This is a family-run business and it is quite clear they really care about the quality of the food they offer.
They have kickass avocado salsa and excellent agua frescas. They also offer grilled corn on the cob when it's in season. I have tricked carnivores with their taquitos on multiple occasions (ha ha suckers!). And the tamales ... totally drool-worthy. Like so many other Flaco superfans, I wish they would open up a restaurant.
so so dissapointed! the taquitos were tasteless fried fake meat things. the posole was aweful and all i could taste was oregano. also, its really expensive for what you get. i'm surprised at all the good reviews its recieved.
I got the tamale plate and a taquito. I thought everything was pretty good. It wasn't the best thing I had ever eaten, but it was good and I appreciate the fact they are specialty items. I may stop by again if I'm at the farmer's market. I recommend it for veggie tamale fans.
I hate to say it because I love nothing more than to give my vegan peeps mad props . . . yes, I have become a rapper/homeboy . . . but I wasn't really down w/ Flaco's.
I got the tamale plate w/ rice, beans, salad, and guac. It was decent but not really worth the $8. The guac was friggin' delicious, though, and so if I got food from Flaco's again I would just get some sides and the guac.
I appreciate the fact that I have become spoiled with all the vegan offerings in the bay area and am now getting choosy, but dammit, this Asian is a quarter Mexican and wants some spice to make her Abuela proud!!!
For a better bet, I would get Donna's Tamales - always good w/ interesting, seasonal ingredients! Although, watch out because some have cheese and cheese is bad. Repeat after me: Cheese is bad.
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amazing vegan tamales with a rotating list of fillers. worth a trip to a berkeley farmers markets to get them. i know i am kinda loose with the 5 star rating but this dude deserves it. thinking about the tamales right now. and tomorrow is tuesday. hmmm...
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Vegan mexican food! He has a stand at all three Berkeley Farmer's Markets (Sat, Tue, Thur). He also caters. He has great taquitos, tamales (bannana leaf and corn husk), salads and the most amazing avocado salsa! Alot of his food is even organic and all is GMO free.
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