El Huarache Azteca

in Restaurants

Fruitvale District

Authentic homemade cuisine from Mexico City and surrounding states in Mexico its a slice of Mexico at your reach. Colorful cantina known for its homestyle Mexican fare, including lamb barbacoa on weekends.

Our History

El Huarache Azteca began long before it became a restaurant. In 1997, Eva Saavedra and her husband, Juan Chavez, started selling food from their home garage in Oakland. Friends, neighbors, and community members would gather to enjoy Eva’s cooking, often joking that she should open a restaurant since everyone was always eating at their home. What began as a small family side business, and a running joke, soon grew into something bigger. In 2001, that dream became reality when Eva and Juan opened El Huarache Azteca in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, where it still stands today.

Eva, born in the State of Mexico near Mexico City, is a completely self-taught chef. Though she never received formal culinary training, she carries a deep respect and love for the family recipes passed down from her mother. Those traditional dishes, rooted in memory and heritage, became the heart of our menu.

Juan Chavez passed away in 2017, leaving behind a legacy of love, humor, and hard work that lives on within the restaurant’s walls. Today, El Huarache Azteca continues under the leadership of Eva and her brother, Adrian Saavedra, who proudly carry forward the family’s recipes, traditions, and commitment to serving the Oakland community.

Eva’s perseverance and leadership have earned regional recognition, including being named Woman of the Year twice by Women’s Initiative (2007 and 2011), honors from the Oakland Latino Chamber of Commerce and the Latin Business Awards of Hayward (2019), and the official declaration of August 20th as “El Huarache Azteca Day” by former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan.

For over 25 years and since those first humble garage meals in 1997, El Huarache Azteca has remained a place where food nourishes both body and soul. Our doors are open to all, and every meal is served with the warmth, spirit, and traditions of Mexico.