- So if I lay down a beat,
will you rap on top of it?
- Cardi B style, okurrr?
- Okee, okurrr, okurrr?
I'm Nicole Wilhelm your Bay Area host
for "5 Buck Lunch."
Having lived in the Bay Area my whole life,
some would call me a unicorn.
As a real native should,
I've got all the Bay Area spots for cheap eats.
Let me take you on a magical journey
from hangry to happy for five bucks or less.
I am hungry for some tacos!
Taco Tuesday?
No, what about taco everyday.
Lucky for you, we are in the Fruitvale neighborhood
of East Oakland.
What I love about this neighborhood is
that you can find everything from colorful murals,
to jeggings, and fresh fruit.
So if you're looking for something for five bucks or less,
the Fruitvale is where it's at.
We're at La Casita in East Oakland.
Now, before it was La Casita, it was Taqueria Campos.
And although the name has changed,
the food is still the same,
delicious Mexican soul food.
But first, let's see what people are craving in Fruitvale.
Are you hungry right now?
- I just finished eating, I had to spoil myself,
I think food is self-care.
- OK!
- So I came and got myself albondiga soup
and for me it's like soul food.
- What brought you to La Casita?
- They got soups, they got warm items,
it makes my belly happy.
- Oh, what is the thing that makes your belly the happiest?
- Cheap food, today I got the fried quesadilla
and didn't even know it existed, hello, blessing
of my life, #blessed.
- I really like his deep-fried quesadillas.
- OK. - Yeah, they're real good.
- OK, I noticed that it wasn't on the menu,
how'd you know to order it?
- Because he brought it to my attention.
Basically everything on there is good.
- Everything that they make here is homemade.
It's like literally eating at home.
If you got a hangover, the menudo is off the hook,
you gotta, that'll pick you up.
- OK, but they're cash only, right?
So you gotta come with some cash!
- Come with some cash or, don't come.
- It feels really good to support businesses
that are supporting the community, right?
If you don't know La Casita,
you're not from the town.
- You know, a little bird told me that you can rap.
Is that true?
- Wrap presents, rap songs, I rap a lot of things.
- If I lay down a beat will you rap on top of it?
- Cardi B style.
- OK, okurrr, okurrr, OK let's go.
- Tacos and burritos I went here today.
I ate all the food, oh man my worries go away.
I ate it yo, heavenly blessed,
this is what I do as I cannot contest.
I'm gonna eat all the food, five bucks or less,
'cause this is what I do,
'cause I didn't make a mess.
I'll be here tomorrow, it ain't sorrow,
this is what I do, drop the mic, I'll be back tomorrow, ohh!
- OK Fruitvale, obviously you don't play around
when it comes to your tacos.
Now let's go into La Casita
and see what all the fuss is about.
- Thank you for coming!
- So how did La Casita come about?
- So my aunt took over 17 years ago,
she opened this little area up here,
and then she hit it off.
But after so many years, she was tired.
I heard she wanted to retire and decided to jump in.
So I decided to bring local artists in here,
make it a community thing.
They came and put their beautiful touch on it,
not only is the food good
but now it feels like some Oakland (beep) in here.
You know what I mean?
- I do.
- Excuse me, sorry about that.
We're still making everything from scratch,
you can taste the difference, guys.
A heavy dish here is birria, pozole, and the menudo.
- Now I only have five bucks,
so I don't know if I can afford all of that.
How is your carne asada taco?
Is that good?
- The carne asada taco's amazing.
With the handmade tortilla,
you know, we're pretty generous with the meat.
- OK yeah, for sure.
- Maybe some chicharrons on the side,
we make our chicarrones here, you wanna do that?
- Yes, please!
Now let's check this carne asada taco out.
I don't know about you, but this is great value.
I love to put lime on my taco
and a little bit of the red salsa
'cause it has a little bit of bite.
And then I like to mix the green salsa as well,
I mean why not let's keep it saucy, right?
Damn, Tito!
It's hella good.
The onion gives it a little bit of bite,
you can tell how well-seasoned the meat is,
and he is super generous with the amount of meat
that he gives you in the tacos.
You can also tell the difference between a homemade tortilla
versus one that's store bought.
And one of the ways is that it's fluffy,
it has that little bit of tan
as if it was pressed to order on the pan.
Mmmm.
Without further ado, I'm gonna need you to salida.
Hey, it's Nicole, your Bay Area host for "5 Buck Lunch,"
and if you have a little extra coins,
I would highly recommend getting the quesadilla fritas,
it's about six dollars and some change, super delicious.
As always, thank you for watching
and don't forget to subscribe, comment, like, and share.
Rock, paper, deuces.