Throw Your Own Cinco de Mayo Taco Party
Fix a festive menu with two types of tacos, a citrusy salad, a creamy cake, and more.
Annabelle Breakey
Of all the restaurants that have come and gone in the Bay Area over the past few years, one that really stings is the loss of Oakland’s Doña Tomás. Run by legendary restaurateurs Dona Savitsky and Thomas Schnetz, the restaurant revolutionized elevated Mexican dining when it opened in 1999, and broke hearts when it closed in 2019.
Fortunately, there are still ways to enjoy the flavors Oakland diners enjoyed for 20 years. Dona Savitsky has two other East-Bay eateries: Berkeley’s Tacubaya and Doña, in Oakland. The pair also wrote a cookbook together, Doña Tomás: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking, which was published by Ten Speed Press in 2006 but you may be able to find a copy out there.
Or you can put together this easy make-ahead buffet menu, inspired by the cookbook. Most of the recipes were specially created by Schnetz for Sunset.
The heart of the spread is a pair of taco recipes, one offering garlicky shrimp, the other chicken in a crisp shell. Scale them up or down depending on how many guests you’re expecting.
Fill your buffet table out with a salad of roasted beets and oranges—that’s a combo unusual enough to make up for the straight-across-the-plate choice of tacos at Cinco de Mayo. Put out a big platter of taquitos and watch them disappear no matter how many you make. End the fiesta with Schnetz’s tres leches cake with raspberries. This versatile dessert, good at just about any occasion, mixes moist cake with cream, caramel, Mexican spices, and fruit for a light-tasting yet incredibly satisfying treat.
Say Salud with These Drinks
Starters and Appetizers
Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Queso Fresco (Ensalada de Betabel)
This beet salad is full of bright colors and flavors, with sweet beets playing off tangy lime and orange.
Bean and Chicken Taquitos
Stick to large quantities of just a few snack items. Trust us: No one’s going to miss a thing once you bring out a platter of taquitos and sides.
Main Courses
Garlicky Shrimp-Cilantro Tacos (Tacos de Camarones al Mojo de Ajo)
Sweet onions and shrimp meet the gentle heat of garlic and chiles.
Crisp Chicken Tacos (Tacos de Pollo)
No need to use stale store-bought shells to make crispy tacos. Our easy method turns fresh corn tortillas into crunchy pockets filled with a simple, savory filling.
Vegetable Enchiladas
Your typical vegetarian enchiladas are mostly cheese. That’s not the case with this version, loaded with fresh spinach, corn, and two types of beans.
Postres
Ice Cream with Cinnamon Sugared Almonds and Cajeta Caramel Sauce
Dress up store-brought vanilla ice cream with these sweet south-of-the-border treats.
Recipes:
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