Rooted in honoring ancestry, community, and social justice, a dining experience here feels like slurping up homemade chicken noodle soup on a dreary day: it awakens you. Buzzy and vibrant any day of the week, the energy wafting over the dining room is palpable as friends catch up over playful cocktails and Chef Dominica Rice Cisneros' menu, which honors Mexican heritage cooking and embraces ingredient from California farms. Fire is the central theme at Bombera—not only does the name mean "Fire woman" in Spanish, it's located in an old fire station.

Sipping a margarita under billowing papel picado on the patio at Bombera is how Friday nights should be spent. The upscale Mexican restaurant in the Dimond District makes the most of their ample converted firehouse space, with big umbrellas and heaters. Go all in on anything with their house-nixtamalized masa, especially the tamales and blue corn tetelas.

The local spots that made it in are Singaporean-Chinese vegan standout Lion Dance Cafe; modern Colombian restaurant Parche, which only opened in January inside Brown Sugar Kitchen’s former Uptown dining room at 2295 Broadway; Pomet, a seasonal restaurant opened by K&J Orchards owner Aomboon (“Boonie”) Deasy in the old Homestead dining room on Piedmont Avenue; Snail Bar at 4935 Shattuck Ave., where Andres Giraldo Florez serves up comforting, seasonal small plates and glasses of globally sourced, organic, and biodynamic wines; and Bombera from award-winning chef Dominica Rice-Cisneros, which offers up wood- and mesquite-fired Mexican cuisine inside a former fire station in the Dimond neighborhood.

Housed inside a former fire station, Bombera, Spanish for firewoman, has become one of the Bay Area’s best Mexican restaurants and one of Oakland’s hottest tables. The atmosphere is cheery, especially on the charming front patio, and a soundtrack of cumbias keeps the place in high spirits. Dishes like carrots over a reservoir of brothy beans, spiked with a smoky, fiery almond-chile salsa, and fire-roasted beets paired with a sour, hot pumpkin seed sauce encapsulate what the restaurant does best: contemporary Mexican cuisine that honors its foundations.

You might be inclined to believe that the genius of Bombera’s spicy carrots dish ($15) lies in the layered smokiness, coming from the wood-burning grill or the salsa called "toasted almond misantla" — an aromatic middle ground between salsa macha, chili crunch and romesco. Its deceptive brilliance, however, is the dish’s foundation: brothy, creamy beans. In essence, it is a humble bowl of beans, only with enough juice to crank start four jet engines.

Bombera, “fire woman” in Spanish, is housed in an old fire station in Oakland’s Diamond District. The long-awaited restaurant by Chez Panisse alum Dominica Rice serves regional Mexican food prepared in a wood-fired oven and mesquite grill. The accompanying bar program is run by Jessica Moncada Konte of Alkali Rye and serves one of the best mezcal selections in the Bay.

With its passion for creating an atmosphere where everyone is family and focusing on giving back to the community, Bombera is truly a creative and warm-hearted place. They specialize in making memories as well as Mexican and California food. Their menu is filled with delicious selections like the Blue Corn Vegetarian Taco, the Kids Quesadilla, and more.

Dimond hotspot Bombera offers house-made, zero-proof fermented sodas, while in the Laurel District, Michelin-recommended Jo’s Modern Thai has mocktails, non-alcoholic wine, and many other alcohol-free options. Their newest brunch restaurant, The Peach, also has an extended list of alcohol-free options.

Bombera is a Mexican gem with delicious food and exceptional service. The agua fresca was refreshing, and each dish was flavorful and perfectly cooked. The patio had a charming ambiance, and despite the noise inside, dining outdoors was a lovely experience.

Some like Bombera do in-house nixtamalization, the ancient technique that turns dried corn into masa. Meanwhile artisan tortilla makers like Bolita (corn) and Xulo (flour) are exciting players in the future of the East Bay’s taco scene.