Yeah actually, there the Mexican population is growing by leaps and bounds its weird because the Puerto Rican and Dominican kids routinely pick on them, making "Speedy Gonzalez" voices etc. The "Mexican" neighborhoods here in NYC are pretty far out in Brooklyn. I have seen signs en Espanol for Taquerias that had Sesos and Lengua so I know they're out here. Just a super trek.

Last night Joe Bunny and I went out to Vogalonga Trattoria e Caffe on 22nd Street near Mission. Great service, good house wine, and oh yeah, awesome gut-filling food although the halibut+crab special he ordered was definitely pricey. The atmosphere was completely intimate yet unpretentious which is super hard to find in this damn city filled to the brim with the nouveau riche.


Hell yes. I have burrito nostalgia--the liquor store at Naples and Edinburgh and the La Cumbre of my youth. It pains me that La Cumbre is horrendous now. :/

The samusa soup at Burma Superstar- yum!

To this date, I have never had a good Mexican meal in SF, but I still have hope..... xoconostle-name a place and I'll give it a try. And why do so many people eat at Chipotle?!! Just thinking about that place makes me ill

I love indian food.

to redeem myself for the FF posts, I will say that if anyone is ever in Philly and wants to try the best indian food in the city, go to New Delhi on 40th and Chestnut. awesome buffet. great service. the best indian food I've ever had. love it.

It's the starbucks of Mexican food that's why,

It's owned by McDonalds isn't it? My wife loves it, though she admits it's totally "white" when it comes to Mexican food, just a sick desire of hers though.

I think so many people eat at Chipotle because they think it's actually good. The one I'm thinking of ... I think it's on New Montgomery. There aren't a lot of choices in that area for a quick cheap lunch. There are lots of different perceptions about Mexican food ... most people in the USA still think that taqueria food is Mexican food, which would probably sound crazy to most people in Mexico. A business district perception that I've encountered is that Mexican food is unhealthy and that the restaurants are dirty. OK, so many are dives, but if you want intense flavor, you have to get over that. I think some of these people just haven't been to other countries ... I don't know. Chipotle is owned by McDonald's, isn't it? That can't be good LOL.



¡Yo tambien! I know man ... that used to be THE carne asada palacio. Now it's an embarassment by comparison. Sad, but then, Valencia St. has long since been taken over by Yuppiedom for the most part. Not that that's all bad. I like Dosa, the trendy/yuppie Indian place. Still, it kills me to see valet parking for that overrated joke Foreign Cinema on that block, and that my former favorite Salvadoran tienda is now a nightclub.

Well since this is rolling, I love:

Taqueria Vallerta for their street barbacoa ... lengua y asada tacos, mmm. One of the best Mission burritos, too. They're closed temporarily but there's a big banner saying that they'll open soon with a new barbacoa.

El Farolito for their alambres and carne asada.

Taqueria La Corneta for their super quesedilla con camarones. I know ... not very traditional, but dang good. They also use salmon for their fish tacos which is different. Sometimes there are nice Serenata Trios there on Sunday mornings playing old Los Panchos boleros and rancheras.

Taqueria Can-Cun ... not the famous one on "the mile" part of Mission, definitely not the one on Market, but the one on upper Mission near the Excelsior. You can skip the stale chips but everything else is delicious.

La Taqueria for their soft tacos. It's too popular and all that ... probably because they're always winning all those food magazine awards, but there's nothing quite like those tacos with the fresh tortillas ... something about the way they marinate their meats keeps them very tasty and soft.

Tortas Los Picudos - okay, so it's not a taqueria technically, but they make the best tortas I've had outside of Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. I usually get coconut juice with my sandwiches there ... which is basically a coconut with a hole punched in it and a straw. Real gem of a place.

I can't stand Papalote. Vegan taqueria food? Hm. I'm glad it's there for the vegans and vegetarians I guess, but as politically incorrect as this is to say, I can't hang at a taqueria where the majority of the customers are white hippies with dreadlocks who complain about the food being too spicey. Nothing against hippy, but ... bring on the lard and meat! I like mi comida autentico, not wimp-ized. Sorry if I just offended anyone. To each their own.

Last time I went out with the family there I was finally able to prove to my NYC wife the superiority of SF mexican food... Unfortunately I went to Pancho Villa. It was fine but she was all "so THATS it huh? Not impressed..."

xoconostle- thanks for the list!

The always busy Chipotle on New Montgomery was the one I went to(first and last time). Ordered carnitas- both my boyfriend and I agreed that the cold, slimy meat tasted like it was simmered in soapy water. Blech.

And yes, La Cumbre is horrendous.

I don't mind dives, but can only take them in small doses. I love TuLan, and some of their dishes are every bit as good as Slanted Door, but when I slip on grease, sit on food, and see them scoop rice out of the pot in the stairwell, it's a little off-putting!

I stepped into Papalote once and promptly stepped on out to go to Chava's for a plate of nopales. I don't eat the meat but I appreciate good food and restaurants that prepare and present their meals without pretension or pandering to the fear/excitement/exploitation of the culinary foreign. Plus, this is such a veggie-friendly city that I can avoid all the watered-down places as long as I communicate with the staff about my meaty restrictions. The day I eat a chard and chevre enchilada is the day I sand off my xicana tat and replace it with, like, some fake tribal stuff and matlocks!


No one would ever believe this except for those of us who waited patiently, but the line for La Cumbre burritos used to be out the door when the grandma was in charge of the kitchen. Of course that was long long ago in a San Francisco far far away...