Tacos Mi Rancho – Nasty Taco Truck By Lake Merritt

Photo by me of Tacos Mi Rancho in 2005

If you live in Oakland chances are you have visited Tacos Mi Rancho, the “taco truck by the Lake” some late evening after going to a local bar.
You probably swear by this truck and love it and go there often. Many newcomers would call it the “Best Taco Truck in Oakland”. In fact, I myself used to call it the best, but that was before it fell apart.

I was going there since the beginning, 2003. It all went downhill around 2012 or so.

Quick Facts

The hard truth.

• Only open until Midnight, used to be 2am, sometimes later
• Address: 1434 1st Ave Oakland, CA 94606
• Phone: (510) 395-1403 Call and order ahead, skip the line(if they even answer)
• $15 for a weak burrito
• $4.95 for a single taco
• not good

Well, I used to love Tacos Mi Rancho. I can say that I have eaten way over a thousand burritos from Tacos Mi Rancho. I’ve lived 6 blocks away for over 10 years and went there even before I lived in this part of Oakland. Over the years there were periods when I ate there twice and even sometimes 3 times a day. I’m not kidding. It was on my walk to and from work and being the lazy bachelor I was, I would walk there again for a 3rd burrito.

I have turned so many people onto this truck for the first time over the decades.
When I first wrote this article it was praising Tacos Mi Rancho.

So I have seen the rise and fall of Tacos Mi Rancho. It has gone way downhill, the prices have gone way uphill and the lines are ridiculous now anyways. In the end, I was seriously almost always grossed out when I got a burrito from there. So much in fact, I refused to keep going after thousands of burritos. And it’s not just me, many of the people I got going there felt the same way. We’re not sure what the hype is to the newcomers and why they think it is so great. Maybe they just don’t know what it once was or what a good burrito even tastes like. We have to remember most of them are transplants from middle America.

Now, the burritos drip grease, the meat is often hard and full of gristle, and they skimp on good parts and go hard on rice and undercooked beans. It’s just all-around nasty. And the chicken burrito is like 15% pure oils of some sort. Eat that thing over a bowl and collect it all.

And now, even worse, it’s $15.00 for a single burrito? They were like $3.50 when I started going there in 2003. The Super Burrito is now $23.50? This is insane it was $9 the last time I bought it and that was a lot for any burrito. So as you can see they did not “rise with inflation”, they just started ripping people off as they bought cheaper and cheaper ingredients and made lousier food. It’s puzzling that anyone still eats there.

$4.05 for a normal taco and $4.95 for a super taco? They were $1.25 and $1.75 not too long ago.
This is actual greed. These prices are out of control for such subpar food with low-quality GMO ingredients.

Speaking of, your GMO Veggie Burrito will run you $13.50.

Try $4.15 for a bottle of Coke or Gatorade. LOL

I’m baffled that people still say it’s quality. There are so many better options, but you have to drive down East 14th into East Oakland a little.
Such as Tacos Sinaloa.

So much better! I am serious when I say the quality is better. The cheese and rice alone actually have flavor that Tacos Mi Rancho lost a long time ago. The al pastor burrito is the best, it is so mouth-watering.
Or try a chicken quesadilla, oh my damn. So good.
Tacos, yes please! They hook you up. But I do prefer burritos.
More fixings! They give you red or green salsa, jalapenos, carrots, radishes, and limes. You have to beg for this stuff at Tacos Mi Rancho.

Tacos Sinaloa Location

Yes, it is about 8 more minutes down International Blvd, but isn’t your burrito worth it?

The only reason no one goes there is because the mass majority of people who go to Tacos Mi Rancho live in nicer parts of Oakland up and on the other side of Lake Merritt. So they never go down International Blvd or anywhere into East Oakland because they have no reason to. Here is this amazing burrito truck not very far past East Lake and it’s undiscovered by most of you.
Please go try it out! Do yourselves and them a favor.

They are also open late, pretty much the same hours as Tacos Mi Rancho.

Here is a collection of old photos from my phone. When I started going there camera phones weren’t even a thing. In fact, the main photo was taken with a Sony floppy-disc camera in 2005 or so.

The old mural on the truck.

Back when they really raised the price of their burritos to $6. Currently, they are $15.

They raised the “Mexican Cooke” bottles to $1.75. Now they are $4.

This was long ago, but it sure was nice to look at while you wasted 20 minutes in line.

It changed every few months or so.

And in the end, so did Tacos Mi Rancho.
It changed so much that we highly recommend you find better and stop supporting these nasty $15 burritos.