On the road with the Tour de Taco: Visiting Oakland’s taquerias by bike
on February 22, 2010
The cold, gray skies and wind didn’t deter people from riding out to Fruitvale to sample some of the East Bay’s finest tacos on Saturday. Yes, it was the official Tour de Taco. Hosted by Cyrus Farivar (who has an awesome taco truck blog), Oaklandish and the East Bay Bike Coalition, this event was all about satiating taco cravings via bicycle.
As smells of frying onions and carne asada wafted out of the trucks, we rode through the Fruitvale sampling tacos, tortas, tamales and even some pupusas. Most folks ended the tour at Nieves Cinco de Mayo, an amazing ice cream parlor that has crazy flavors like corn, cheese, curdled milk, and cinnamon.
Before the ride, there was a slight scare among the organizers that too many people would show up and overwhelm the taqueros. The day before, NBC news broadcast a shout-out to the Tour de Taco and the tour’s Facebook invite quickly accumulated 491 confirmed guests. But when all was said and done, probably around 100 people showed up and the taqueros were able to keep the hungry bikers fed (although, at one point in the day, taco truck El Gordo ran out of tortillas and offered people plates of meat instead.)
If you’re sad you missed out on the riding and food, you can gather your friends together and make your own Tour de Taco by following our route:
Meet at the Fruitvale BART:
- El Ojo de Agua – 12th St. and Fruitvale Ave.
- Tamales Mi Lupita – 34th Ave. and Foothill Blvd.
- El Gordo – International and 42nd Ave.
- Tacos Guadalajara – 10th St. and Fruitvale Ave.
- Nieves Cinco de Mayo – 3340 E. 12th St. and 33rd Ave.
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Was a lot of fun! I hope there are more rides to come
I took some pictures and blogged on it as well at http://www.bikemandan.com/blog/uncategorized/tour-de-taco-ride-report