East Bay pork lovers in the know have flocked to the Carnitas Carnitas Zamora food truck’s weekly Sunday appearances for hefty plates of velvety pork since 2022. Soon, its carnitas will be available six days a week at its first brick-and-mortar location.
“They gave us the keys Wednesday,” owner Alejandro Rocha told the Chronicle. “We’re very excited but also nervous.”
At the new space, Rocha and his staff will continue to offer tacos stuffed with maciza (loin), ribs, skin and buche (stomach), which can be ordered as separate cuts or combined. The pork is braised in lard before being chopped with a cleaver and sold by the pound or rolled into handmade corn tortillas for tacos. Customers can dress their orders with salsas and pickled jalapeños from a condiment bar.
New options for tacos will include carne asada and al pastor pork roasted on a vertical spit. And for the first time, Carnitas Carnitas Zamora will offer burritos and tortas.
The restaurant will have space for roughly 30 diners between tables and counter seating indoors, plus a few outdoor tables. Rocha plans to operate Tuesday through Saturday.
Rocha started Carnitas Carnitas Zamora because he missed the confit-style pork from his native Zamora in Michoacán, a state known for its carnitas. Despite his minimal restaurant experience, he began catering parties for family and friends, then expanded to taking orders through social media. In 2022, he launched his food truck in East Oakland and it became an instant hit, selling 120 pounds of pork in just under three hours on its first day.
While word of mouth was key in building a customer base, Rocha said that social media influencers such as Xie also helped expand his reach. Following a 2024 video from New York food influencer Rob Martinez praising Carnitas Carnitas Zamora’s pork, Rocha said wait times at the truck shot up to nearly two hours.
Despite graduating to a fixed location, the carnitas truck will still roll out to its regular spot at 1970 Seminary Ave. on Sundays. “It’s like a weekly ritual,” Rocha said.