El Camino
607 N 35th St, 632-7303
Description: A deeply charming bar and eatery in Fremont serving Mexican cuisine.
Decor: Vivid colors (lime green walls!), dangling wood skeletons, mirrors the size of doors.
Namesake happenings: In Spanish, it means the road; in white-trash parlance, it's slang for mullet; for automobile enthusiasts, it's Chevrolet's part-car, part-truck fantasy nightmare.
Famous El Camino owners who are cool: Evel Knievel, whose El Camino was white with red flames and who used it to transport his stunt motorcycles.
Famous El Camino owners who are creepy: Bill Clinton. "It had Astroturf in the back," he told a group of auto factory workers in 1994. "You don't want to know why, but I did." (Apparently, the Astroturf was installed so he could haul his luggage with ease. Which is still weird and vaguely creepy.)
Happy hours: MonâFri 5â6 pm, SatâSun 3â5 pm.
Happy-hour drink specials: $5 margaritas, $3 beer (bottles: Sol; draft: Stella, Dos Equis).
Happy-hour food specials: $5 chicken tostadas, $6 carne asada tacos, more.