After popping up at locations around the East Bay, this technique-driven, vegan Mexican concept has found a home at Korner Kitchen & Bar, just next to the Fruitvale BART station (pro tip: you can park for free in the evening and on weekends, score!). BIPOC biz partners Chase Farmer, Robert January, and Miguel Morillo are from Southern California, and put a great deal of thought and technique into each dish on their menu, sourcing their quality ingredients locally as much as possible. Everything shines with freshness.

Their tacos feature tortillas made from heirloom blue corn, which they hand-mill, press, and cook on a clay comal. They wanted to stay away from soy- and gluten-based products, so their taco fillings include grilled maitake mushrooms, barbacoa marinated mushrooms (these have great flavor and a texture not unlike carne asada—they experimented with a lot of different techniques to get it right), and the brilliant tempura-fried sweet potato, which has the most custardy texture (thanks to some cheffy techniques) inside a crisp exterior. You can also get these as toppings in bowls with Spanish rice, pinto beans, guacamole, roasted peppers, cilantro, pepitas, and radish. Be sure to pour their housemade salsas over everything—their salsa verde has a nice kick. They’re also making specials like taquitos con mole, tetelas, tostadas, and elote (they creatively prepare and serve the corn like it’s ribs), plus there are aguas frescas, like yuzu-mango-charred lemon.

It’s a little tough to find them, but head toward the back of Korner, and you’ll find a spacious and enclosed patio with a full bar, TV screens to watch various games, and music. Cool! You can also order their food for delivery.