El Gusano - Oakland

You order at the counter and they bring your food to you. Traditional Mexican cuisine, very affordable lunch. Great salsa selections for your chips. Popular spot.

Beautiful interior theme. Huge burrito : and delicious meat choices.

This is a disappointment this isn't even close to Mexican food I thought the meats would be like other tipical Mexican restaurants

Pretty good Mexican food. Staff very friendly and service is quick!!!

We went with the signature/seasonal tasting menu which was listed as 7 dishes but we were pleasantly surprised because I swear we ended up with 12 or 13 total courses (there were quite a few amuse bouches at the beginning). Safe to say we left sufficiently full. Three of the courses were also dessert though, which I personally didn't feel was necessary. Overall the dishes seemed very thought-out, unique, and creative. It was a fun little food adventure not knowing what was going to come out next! My favorites were the fume of rockfish, wagyu cigar and black cod. The two dishes I was looking forward to most were the scallop and the A5 wagyu. Unfortunately these ended up being on the bottom of my list but not because they weren't done well. For example, I've had wagyu a handful of times before but this one seemed much more fatty to me. I had a hard time finishing the dish even though it was 4 bites. I realize this is 100% a personal preference though and that other people love it. But if you're someone who doesn't really like fatty meat, I would not advise getting this. I didn't think the ambiance was anything special/memorable but it was more lively than I expected compared to other fine-dining restaurants I've been to.