This week marks the beginning of our new weekly series, East Bay Bites, focused on bringing you our favorite edible discoveries from just over the bridge.
Flacos is a quaint spot, a tiny brick joint with mismatched tablecloths and outdoor seats, serving old family recipes from Mexico. Think taquitos, pozole, and banana leaf tamals. But here's the catch: everything is vegan (this is Berkeley, after all). The idea of making and selling his own vegan Mexican food came out of owner and chef Antonio Magana's boredom with standard vegetarian burritos, sparking a decision to retrofit his grandmother's recipes as vegan dishes. Unless you were told, you probably wouldn't know the difference. It helps that Flacos had 10 years' practice as a farmer's market stand to hone its textural mastery and meatless recipes before opening a brick-and-mortar in 2011.
See also: Oakland's New Marrow Does the Locavore Thing Right
Did you say you're still feeling full from a full weekend under the big tent at SF Chefs and another spent eating at Outside Lands? We'll break out the "comfortable" pair of pants and start the diet and renewed enthusiasm for the gym next week, right after this weekend's fifth annual Street Food Fest.
See also: 7 Tips for Making the Most of the S.F. Street Food Festival
Eat Wax Moth Larvae Tacos, Vegan Doughnut Burgers, and More at La Cocina's Street Food Festival
