Flacos is a quaint vegan Mexican restaurant in Berkeley. I’d like to believe it has a mission similar to Astig Vegan’s: to pay homage to a culture by veganizing its cuisine while preserving its authenticity.
I met up with my friend Clare to have lunch with her and to catch up while she’s visiting the Bay Area. At the time, I hadn’t eaten lunch yet and it was already 2pm so I was ready to order a feast. I was glad that the Berkeley location has its own parking lot because parking in Berkeley could be tough -especially if you’re starving.
The place was not crowded because we arrived after the lunch rush. The service was great. The staff gave us recommendations and answered all of our questions. One of the staff is Filipino! He said he’s vegan during lunch (?) then he suggested the Huarache, one of their best sellers. Clare went with that, a taco, and Horchata. I ordered Tamales and a Taquitos plate.
Full Plate of Vegan Huarache at Flacos, with “large hand-made organic corn tortilla layered with avocado, refried pinto beans, rice, cilantro, onions, cabbage, radish, & salsa”. We added soy protein for $0.50 more. This Vegan Huarache is gluten-free.
Another dish that Clare ordered was the Flacos Tacos. I thought it had the same main ingredients as the Huarache but in smaller serving.
Flacos Taco with “textured soy protein cooked in special mole and served on a hand-made organic corn tortilla with cabbage, radish, cilantro, and onions.
Here’s what I ordered: a full plate of Taquitos and one order of Tamale.
Flacos Taquitos with ” thick textured soy protein rolled in a corn tortilla and fried into a golden crisp”.
Banana Leaf Tamal with “textured soy protein in savory mole, capers, potatoes, a green olive inside organic corn masa, and steamed in a banana leaf”
From what we ordered, it may seem like everything had soy protein. Personally, I don’t mind soy protein every once in a while when eating out. Besides, Flacos balances it out with fresh, organic vegetables. The corn tortillas are not only organic, they’re hand-made too.
Perhaps what I love the most about Flacos is its mission. If you read the “About Us” page on its website, you’ll learn that the founder started Flacos after he couldn’t find anything vegan to order at a Mexican restaurant aside from the plain Vegetarian Burrito. Taking it a step further, he went back to his roots and adopted traditional techniques of Mexican cooking -with proper vegan substitutions. By paying homage to his Mexican heritage, the dish may be without meat but it does tastes authentic.
I think it parallels with my mission of veganizing Filipino Food. I seek to make my vegan creations taste just like how I remembered it growing up in the Philippines. I wanted my Filipino food to have the same nostalgia, nuance, and warmth-without the animal products. Other people question if that’s possible. Judging by how Flacos is doing it, I say very possible!
Flacos Berkeley:
3031 Adeline St. Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 981-8081
Closed Monday
Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-9pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm