
The most exciting street food in the Bay Area is on this one block
Over the past three years, I've witnessed a single stretch of Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood transform into a bustling street food hub unlike any other in the Bay Area.
In 2021, the options here on Foothill Boulevard were slim, with only a pair of Guatemalan stands. Now, depending on the day and time, there are between 10 and 20 different stalls selling Mexican huaraches, Guatemalan sandwiches, Salvadoran hen soup and Honduran baleadas, a folded-over flour tortilla stuffed with beans and more.
The layout is like a corridor, with stands starting at Fruitvale Avenue and extending to 35th Avenue. It doesn't have an official name but many refer to the area as 'Walgreens' — alluding to the pharmacy where most stands congregate. These vendors effectively function as informal sidewalk restaurants — their rapid growth a reflection of a recent wave of immigrants seeking community, sustenance and sanctuary in an increasingly hostile new land.
Foothill Boulevard stirs to life early. In the brisk morning, day laborers keep warm with cups of atole, a thick beverage made with corn masa or rice flour, while lining their bellies with tamales steamed in banana leaves. By lunch time, the options double. Savory aromas beckon noses and the hum of woodwind music spills out of speakers. A stand's most effective marketing tactic? Cooking in front of its clientele. Even a brief stroll down the corridor is met with a visual parade of comforts: wood-brown fried chicken zig-zagged with condiments, fluffy pupupas oozing with cheese and hand-stretched flour tortillas the size of a shield.
During the evening, especially on weekends, the street teems with hungry denizens. Blue collar workers find sustenance in juicy steak plates. Families snack on cups of roasted corn, fruit-filled crepes and Guatemalan-style tostadas topped with beets or chow mein (a legacy of Chinese immigrants in Guatemala). A handful of taquerias advertise spinning al pastor trompos, quesabirria tacos and huaraches.
In the last decade, Fruitvale has seen an increase of Central Americans immigrants; Oakland is home to roughly 18,500 foreign-born Central Americans, or about 4% of the city's population, according to the 2023 American Community Survey — an increase of more than 60% over a decade prior.
These changes are palpable on Foothill Boulevard. Street food is the pulse of the neighborhood. The format thrives on this sense of immediacy, so much so that certain businesses have found more success on the sidewalk than with formalized food trucks. 'It's a place to socialize,' said Henry Sales, a community leader and translator for the neighborhood's Mam people, an indigenous group from Guatemala. He compares the corridor to La Terminal in Guatemala, a popular market in the capital city.
Fatima Nuñez, the chef behind the exceptional Pupuseria Fatima, said the scene reminds her of her home in El Salvador. 'Where we're from, we're accustomed to seeing stands,' she told me in Spanish. The model, she argues, makes 'you feel like family.'
What I see in Frutivale's street food scene is raw talent — a preview of future Bay Area restaurants. But I've often worried about the future of this corridor. While many of these vendors operate out of necessity, they do so outside the law. During the height of the pandemic, this part of Oakland developed a reputation for lax enforcement by local officials, but some stands have been shut down in the past.
'Our need (to work) is much greater than the risk,' said Nuñez. Last year, her business was shut down by health officials; undeterred, she returned a few weeks later.
And then there is the Trump administration's animosity toward immigrants. 'I'm scared they're going to deport me and ruin my children's future,' Nuñez said.
'People's fears are definitely heightened,' said Andrew Park, executive director of Trybe, a nonprofit organization that provides food and various programs for the community. Those moments of anxiety, like false rumors of ICE raids in Oakland, can negatively impact business.
'Sales go down for a bit,' said Cynthia Solorsano of Shucos Magi, a Guatemalan stand that's been on the strip since 2021. 'But, thankfully, after a few days, fear starts to go down, and we continue to sell.'
Despite their vulnerable position, Fruitvale's street vendors are out in the open, confronting peril head-on. 'We want people to see that we're just fighting to survive too,' said Darwin Fuentes Lara, who runs Honduran stand El Sazon K-Tracho.
But these businesses aren't just surviving. Of the now thriving corridor, these three vendors stand out as the strongest talents, providing a thrilling window into Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Shucos Magi
When the Solorsanso family began their Guatemalan stand Shucos Magi in 2021, it was one of two vendors on the Walgreens circuit. Searching for opportunity, the Solorsanos left Guatemala a decade ago and landed in Houston. They moved to Oakland in 2017 and launched Shucos Magi as a food truck two years later. During the pandemic, they relocated the lonchera to Fruitvale, where they encountered parking issues as the vendor count ballooned, so they moved to the sidewalk.
With their food out in the open, sales boomed. 'People seek what they can see,' said Cynthia Solorsano.
The most common sight at Shucos Magi is brawny churasco ($15), a fixed plate of juicy, grilled beef splashed with chimichurri; and longaniza, a pale, house-made sausage mottled with fresh mint. Charred green onions, smooth black beans, creamy pasta salad and thick Guatemalan tortillas round out the meal.
Chapines (as Guatemalans are nicknamed) regard churasco as a symbol of festivity; for those untethered from home, the dish provides a semblance of familiarity. Cynthia sees a restaurant in the Shucos Magi's future, but she wants to stay nearby, because now, it's a Guatemalan hangout.
What's the secret to the masterful pupusas at Pupuseria Fatima, run by wife-and-husband team Fatima Nuñez and Francisco Catacho?
'I think the flavor is in the hands,' said Nuñez.
Those appendages are quick, seasoned tools that she uses to conjure up pupusas in seconds. Francisco swears his wife is the fastest pupusa-maker this side of El Salvador.
The key difference in Fatima's pupusas is the beans, specifically pinto beans, instead of traditional red beans, that are whipped smooth. In the revuelta, the frijoles become a creamy binder for chicharron and cheese. Tear it open and behold a glorious sheen of savory richness.
The pupuseria adapts to its clientele, evidenced by its green salsa, a spicy variant of the traditional, mild tomato salsa. Nuñez noticed her patron's penchant for spice, so she made a condiment that blends Mexican and Salvi flavor.
'A Salvadoran doesn't eat much chile, but I try to find what my clients like,' she told me.
The couple moved to Oakland in 2019, after escaping the threat of gang violence in El Salvador. After Nuñez worked at her sister's pupusa cart, she knew Fruitvale would be a prime location for a stand of her own. She has diabetes, so she has difficulty keeping employment, but operating her own business, as she has since 2022, gives her more control.
Pupuseria Fatima has been shut down as recently as last year. However, Nuñez has a backup plan in place: a mobile cart that she hopes to get permitted.
For now, she's grown indifferent to the risk. 'This is how we live. We have to pay rent too, we have to take care of our kids,' she said.
She has three. The middle child — Saul Catacho — can be spotted at the stand, doing homework, staring at his phone. I asked him: Who makes the best food here? He chuckled, as if there could be any other answer: 'My mom,' he said.
El Sazon K-Tracho
Honduran Baleadas have become a hot commodity in Fruitvale, with four separate stands offering the quesadilla-like dish. But no one makes it better than El Sazon K-Tracho, one of the newer additions to the line-up.
El Sazon K-Tracho has already become a hit with the neighborhood's Catrachos, the colloquial term for Honduran people. 'There are a lot of Hondurans here,' said Darwin Fuetes Lara, who founded the stand with his wife and chef Carolina Vasquez.
Much of El Sazon K-Tracho's success has to do with the excellence of Vasquez's tortillas, which are made a la minute. The recipe, which includes a bit of baking powder, and the hand-stretching gives her tortillas a pleasant chewiness.
Vasquez can turn a wad of wheat into a 12-inch vinyl. With dough between her hands, she begins stretching it with a clap, which whips the flowy ends across her wrists. She gauges thickness and tugs at the ends as necessary. This dexterity brings vigor to her tortillas, which can so often-be lifeless when mass produced. For the sencilla, or plain, baleada ($6), she smears the tortilla with refried red beans, a handful of crumbled stinky cheese and a squirt of sour cream. For a more filling meal, add scrambled eggs ($7), chorizo ($9) or shredded chicken ($9).
There are two approaches to eating a baleada: you can tear off pieces or gnaw on it like a caterpillar does a delicious leaf. Folding is also acceptable, but remember: 'It's not eaten with a fork,' said Vasquez.
Before opening El Sazon K-Tracho in summer 2024, Lara had trouble finding a job. Today, the stand has become the couple's main source of income. He acknowledges the current temperature surrounding immigrants, but it does not deter him, he told me.
'In truth, we don't pay much attention,' he said, surrounded on all sides by industrious immigrants like him, 'because we're in a state where there's more opportunity to live here.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Cleveland-Cliffs Stock Just Dropped
The Trump administration may have reached a deal to lower tariffs on imported Mexican steel. The lowered (or eliminated) tariffs would not affect 50% tariffs on steel sourced from other countries. Cleveland-Cliffs stock also faces the prospect of stiffer competition from U.S. Steel. 10 stocks we like better than Cleveland-Cliffs › Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) stock fell 8.5% through 2:10 p.m. ET Tuesday after Reuters reported on new trade negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico that could significantly roll back 50% tariffs on steel imports -- which had themselves been announced only last week. The negotiations would not affect all steel imports -- only those from Mexico, and only to an extent. While details haven't yet been made public, Reuters reports the idea will be to permit a certain quota or specified volume of steel to come into the U.S. from Mexico duty free, or at a reduced tariffs rate. Imports in excess of that quota or volume limit would still pay the 50% tariff. And of course, the 50% tariff will remain in place for imported steel from other countries. Just the rumor of the creation of this single Mexican loophole, though, seems to have shaken investors' confidence that Cleveland-Cliffs stock is a sure thing -- and no wonder. After all, if tariffs can be renegotiated lower with one country, they can be renegotiated lower with other countries as well -- or even lowered back down to previous levels with entire regions (such as the E.U. or North America), or with the world as a whole. That would be bad news for Cleveland-Cliffs investors, who've been counting on tariff policy to help turn their company profitable again, after losing $754 million a year. At the same time, the company has to worry about domestic competition from a U.S. Steel that will soon be backed by money from Japan's . It's a good reminder for investors: If you're counting on a change in government policy to save your stock, you may be setting yourself up for a fall. Before you buy stock in Cleveland-Cliffs, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Cleveland-Cliffs wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $649,102!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $882,344!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 996% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 174% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Cleveland-Cliffs Stock Just Dropped was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Can Mission Produce Stay Ripe Amid Avocado Price Volatility?
Mission Produce, Inc. AVO, one of the world's leading avocado suppliers, has developed a resilient strategy to navigate the ongoing volatility in avocado pricing. Central to its approach is vertical integration — owning or controlling multiple stages of the supply chain from sourcing to ripening and distribution. This model allows the company to adapt quickly to market fluctuations, manage costs more effectively and ensure consistent supply to key retail and foodservice partners. Mission Produce also emphasizes geographic diversification in sourcing avocados. Apart from its key Mexico market, the company also sources avocados from Peru, Colombia and Guatemala, which helps in mitigating region-specific risks and stabilizing demand remains strong globally, with consumption still growing in North America and increasing rapidly in markets like Europe and Asia. Mission Produce is capitalizing on this trend by strengthening its global distribution network and expanding its presence in high-growth international markets. Operationally, the company has focused on enhancing productivity across its packing and ripening facilities, optimizing logistics and leveraging data analytics to manage inventory and forecast demand more accurately. These operational efficiencies are essential, especially in seasons with tight supply or shifting trade dynamics, such as disruptions in the Mexican supply chain or currency ahead, Mission Produce is investing in innovation to stay ahead of market challenges. The company continues to advance its proprietary ripening technology, aiming to deliver consistent, ready-to-eat avocados with minimal waste. It is also exploring value-added products and sustainable packaging solutions to meet evolving consumer preferences. While price volatility will remain a concern, Mission Produce's diversified sourcing, innovation focus and commitment to efficiency position it well to maintain its leadership in the global avocado market. Calavo Growers, Inc. CVGW has sharpened its focus on agile pricing and supply-chain strength to compete closely with Mission Produce in navigating avocado price swings. Calavo Growers has intensified its focus on vertically integrating operations and enhancing its procurement flexibility by expanding sourcing beyond Mexico into California and other Latin American regions. This helps Calavo Growers stabilize supply and manage input costs more effectively amid fluctuating market conditions. As a direct competitor to Mission Produce, Calavo Growers' blend of pricing discipline, diversified sourcing, operational control and strategic capital deployment positions it to capture consistent value in fluctuating avocado markets, making it a neighbor to Del Monte Produce Inc. FDP is a major global player in fresh and fresh-cut produce, including avocados. Its strategy hinges on a vertically integrated supply chain and diversification across a wide range of fruit categories. Fresh Del Monte sources avocados from multiple countries (Mexico, Peru, Colombia) and distributes them globally, leveraging advanced ripening facilities and logistics networks. The company is also investing in agri-tech, such as AI-driven crop forecasting and sustainable farming practices. With its scale, global footprint and brand recognition, Fresh Del Monte poses a competitive threat to Mission Produce, particularly in international markets and foodservice channels. Shares of Mission Produce have lost around 20% year to date against the industry's growth of 7.6%. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchFrom a valuation standpoint, AVO trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88X, significantly above the industry's average of 16.07X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AVO's fiscal 2025 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 32.4%, whereas its fiscal 2026 earnings estimate suggests a year-over-year decline of 6%. The estimates for fiscal 2025 and 2026 have been unchanged in the past 30 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AVO stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. (FDP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Calavo Growers, Inc. (CVGW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Mission Produce, Inc. (AVO) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
GM's $4B Bet: Why Trump's Tariffs Just Rewired U.S. Auto Manufacturing
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is pulling a hard left on its decades-long offshore strategy. The automaker just unveiled a $4 billion investment plan to boost U.S. production over the next two yearsreshuffling factory lines in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee. Why now? Trump's tariffs. After years of defending its Mexico-heavy footprint, GM is betting that protectionist trade policies aren't going away. CFO Paul Jacobson told investors the changes will raise U.S. vehicle output by 300,000 units a year, with pickups like the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra coming back stateside. That shift alone could reduce GM's estimated $5 billion tariff exposureone reason shares popped 2.4% at 12.54pm after the news. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with GM. It's a rare reversal. For decades, GM offshored to cut costs and sidestep ballooning retiree liabilities. But now, political risk has become just as costly. CEO Mary Barra, once criticized by Trump for closing an Ohio plant, has recalibrated. After several meetings with the president, Barra appears convinced: Mexican-made cars may face long-term penalties. The new plan brings production of the Equinox SUV to Kansas by 2027, along with the revamped Chevy Bolt EV. Meanwhile, Tennessee will assemble gas-powered Chevy Blazers, and Michigan's Orion plantoriginally meant for electric pickupswill shift gears to build gasoline versions starting 2027. The pivot isn't just logisticalit's strategic. By adding 3,000 to 4,000 U.S. jobs, GM could quiet critics and hedge political risk ahead of another turbulent election cycle. The company still plans to make some vehicles in Mexico, just at lower volumes. But the message is clear: GM is building againat home. With EV demand cooling and tariffs heating up, this could be the kind of long-game play investors shouldn't ignore. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio