Those hankering for limey ceviche, shucked oysters with salsa bruja and other delights from coastal Mexico will find it in the newly expanded Las Guerreras in Old Oakland.

Run by the mother-daughter team of Ofelia Barajas and Reyna Maldonado, and previously called La Guerrera’s Kitchen, the restaurant has been a tenant of Oakland’s Swan’s Market for years. But it recently built a 1,400 square-foot cevicheria to prepare a whole menu of seafood under the name Las Guerreras, with a grand opening on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

“We’ve been working on our cevicheria for a year and a half now,” Maldonado announced on Instagram. “This isn’t just any seafood spot. Our ceviche recipes come straight from our Abuelita (great-grandmother) Lala, who owned a cevicheria on the coast of Zihuatanejo. We’re honoring our roots by sharing the flavors that raised us!”

The newly expanded Las Guerreras in Oakland’s Swan’s Market features ceviche and other bites inspired by the coastal cuisine of Guerrero, Mexico. (Jonathan Acosta Rosales) 

Mother and daughter hail from Guerrero, a Mexican state on the Pacific coast between Michoacan and Oaxaca. Barajas was previously a tamale vendor in the Mission District who, after a stint at the nonprofit food incubator La Cocina, opened a brick and mortar in Fruitvale. She and Maldonado later moved to Swan’s Market where they quickly made a name for themselves with Guerrerense dishes using hand-ground corn, which earned them the moniker of “maiz warriors.”

That lovingly made corn will still be on the menu, as will brunch with its popular chilaquiles verdes — but also so much more, with many things sourced from local vendors like Berkeley’s Monterey Fish Market. The cevicheria is planning to serve five varieties of ceviche daily, such as Acapulco-style octopus with pickled chile, poached shrimp-mango with jalapeno sauce, California halibut with coconut milk and East Coast crab with chipotle mayo ($16-$20). There will be vegan options available, and everything is spooned up with housemade plantain chips, flour chicharrones or Saltine crackers.

Fresh oysters come topped with the spicy-vinegar salsa bruja and jalapeno salsa brava, onion and lime ($20 per half-dozen). They’re also plopped into shooters with a “madre miche mix,” to which you can add a shot of agave wine ($10 for two). The aguachiles include Bay scallop and Mexican blue shrimp, mixed with avocado and served with house corn chips. And cocteles, those heavy glass mugs piled high with tomato-cocktail sauce and chilled seafood, can be made with a daunting mix of shrimp, octopus and fresh oysters ($26).

There are a couple of warm plates, like a butterflied and grilled red snapper topped with red and green sauces and accompanied with black beans and arugula salad (market price) and a shrimp stew with chayote squash, epazote and warm tortillas ($19). For dessert, there’s the sweet-and-moist cornbread pan de elote, coyotas (flaky-crust pastry with fruit jelly) and even horchata ice cream from Oakland’s cult-favorite De la Creamery.

The newly expanded Las Guerreras in Oakland’s Swan’s Market features ceviche and other bites inspired by the coastal cuisine of Guerrero, Mexico. (Las Guerreras) 

Details: Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 907 Washington St., Oakland; laguerreraskitchen.com.

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