5 things to try from the Coliseum Way food vendors

"On a muggy Saturday in August, along Coliseum Way a block away from the Oakland flea market, the weekday smells of diesel exhaust and the rumble of construction crews have been replaced with aromas from clay pots bubbling with a variety of delectable dishes, competing scents of lengua, and al pastor meats, and cheese oozing from quesadillas and searing itself on the griddle while salsa and Nortena rhythms pulse from a wall-mounted speaker."

"For at least 10 years, the collection of food vendors has produced some of the best Mexican and Latin American food in Oakland. The informal food market survived the pandemic shutdowns and social distancing of 2020, and was thriving again, but in 2025 business has dipped. A Mariscos Poblano worker takes customers' orders. Sept. 7, 2025. Sunday mornings are the busiest days for the dozens of food vendors that occupy the sidewalks and otherwise empty plots on the intersection of Coliseum Way and 50th Ave."

An informal cluster of Mexican and Latin American food vendors lines Coliseum Way and 50th Avenue near the Oakland flea market in an East Oakland industrial area. Stalls include makeshift stands, modified storage containers, and tarps with picnic-style seating that accommodate weekend crowds, especially Sundays. The site offers aromas from clay pots, lengua and al pastor meats, oozing quesadilla cheese, and Nortena rhythms. Vendors sustained operations through the 2020 pandemic shutdowns and social distancing and later thrived, but by 2025 business declined. Vendors reported a significant dip in foot traffic and fewer sales since President Donald Trump took office in January.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org