Restaurants

The East Bay is packed with good, cheap Mexican food options, and small treatises have been written on the taco trucks lining International Boulevard. Increasingly in recent years, it also boasts a large selection of more modern, upscale Mexican eateries with places like Nido, Calavera, and Comal. But there are fewer middle options, the kind of places that dish made-from-scratch Mexican staples in an environment more attractive than a street taco truck or hole-in-the-wall burrito joint but more casual and affordable than the likes of sit-down spots like Doña Tomás and Comal. La Capilla fills this niche quite snugly, serving some pretty killer tacos, in addition to burritos, torta sandwiches, and some more ambitious and substantial platos like carne asada, chile verde, and chicken mole. There is a legit healthy and fresh bent with free-range chicken, hormone-free grass-fed beef, lovely salads, and a full-on raw/juice bar on tap. And it’s cheap. Not taco truck cheap, but reasonable, given the portions and quality—entrees are below $14 and all other items under $9, including some brick-sized burritos. Even better, try the Cubano, which is really something. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.