I am going to graduate school on the East Coast and leaving my hometown of San Francisco. I hope to write new posts when I go home during school breaks.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Hibernation
The Best Mission Burritos blog is going into hibernation.
I am going to graduate school on the East Coast and leaving my hometown of San Francisco. I hope to write new posts when I go home during school breaks.
I am going to graduate school on the East Coast and leaving my hometown of San Francisco. I hope to write new posts when I go home during school breaks.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
El Metate (Chicken Mole)
EL METATE (con sabor a Mexico)
2406 Bryant Street @ 22nd
PRICE: $5.50 (not including tax)
After watching the 2012 Carnaval Parade, my friend and I decided to avoid the crowd along 24th Street and eat nearby. We went to El Metate.
I conducted this taste test on May 27, 2012.
NOTE: I ordered the chicken mole burrito.
OVERALL RATING: 6
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 6
I am a huge mole fan, and there is nothing better than a restaurant with a fantastic mole recipe. However, it is an odd filling for a burrito. The mole overpowers the burrito and makes it messy. I wish I could have tasted it alone.
Quality of Beans: 5
Average.
Quality of Rice: 5
Average.
Quality of Salsa:8
There is a salsa bar with four different choices. I couldn't stop eating the fruit salsa with mangoes! Plus, I like a place that serves pickled whole jalapenos.
EXTRAS
Free chips? Yes
Free salsa? Yes
FINAL THOUGHTS
The chicken mole burrito is interesting but too messy. Plus the mole overpowers the other ingredients--rice, beans, etc. I would have preferred a plate of chicken mole with rice and beans.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
El Faro
EL FARO
2339 Folsom Street at the corner of 20th Street
PRICE: $6.49 (not including tax)
El Faro is located at the corner of Folsom and 20th streets. The interior walls are decorated with tiles about the taqueria's long history in San Francisco (since 1961). There are a few tables inside. El Faro is the self-proclaimed inventor of the Mission burrito. The menu is basic: quesadillas, burritos, or tacos with choice of meat.
I conducted this taste test on September 18, 2011. I ordered the grilled chicken burrito with whole pinto beans.
OVERALL RATING: 2
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 3
I ordered the grilled chicken burrito. There is the choice of grilled chicken or chicken in red sauce. They skimped on the meat (see photo) and the meat was flavorless.
Quality of Beans: 2
Bland and the beans were swimming in juice.
Quality of Rice: 2
The rice was flavorless. Also, the burrito had too much rice and too little beans or meat.
Quality of Salsa: 2
The salsa is horrible. Basically it was tomato sauce with bits of cilantro. You are given one little cup of salsa for the burrito and chips. I had to add El Tapatio hot sauce to the burrito.
Note: The tortilla was horrible!!! It was very chewy. I left a huge part of the tortilla uneaten. Also the burrito is skinny.
EXTRAS
Free chips? Yes. The chips are boring too. See photo.
Free salsa? Yes. See note above.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think this is the worst burrito I have found in the Mission. Nothing stood out.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
La Taqueria
LA TAQUERIA
2889 Mission Street between 24th and 25th streets
PRICE: $6.50 (not including tax)
La Taqueria is located near the 24th Street BART station. It has a small outdoor space and a few tables inside. The menu is basic: burritos or tacos with choice of meat (or veggie).
I conducted this taste test on January 20, 2011. I ordered the chicken burrito with whole pinto beans.
OVERALL RATING: 5
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 7
I ordered the chicken burrito. The meat was moist with a big chunk of breast meat in the center (see photo above).
Quality of Beans: 4
Boring and bland.
Quality of Rice: 4
I don't think there was rice in the burrito. I couldn't taste any.
Quality of Salsa: 4
Very disappointing. The salsa inside the burrito was weak. The green salsa on the table was watery and boring.
Note: The burrito is skinny. I ate the whole thing easily and did not feel stuffed.
EXTRAS
Free chips? No
Free salsa? Yes (A squeeze bottle of green salsa is on each table.)
FINAL THOUGHTS
The burrito is below average. Nevertheless, I would return to try a taco. The tacos look delicious, overstuffed, unlike the burritos. Also, there are no free chips. :-(
Monday, November 22, 2010
La Corneta Taqueria
LA CORNETA TAQUERIA
2731 Mission @ 23rd Street
lacorneta.com
PRICE: $6.45 (not including tax)
La Corneta Taqueria has 4 locations in the SF Bay Area. This location is near the 24th Street BART station. It has ample seating.
I conducted this taste test on November 22, 2010. My mother ordered the pollo en salsa verde (chicken in green sauce) and my stepdad ordered a super beef burrito. I ordered a regular pollo en salsa roja (chicken in red sauce) burrito.
OVERALL RATING: 6
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 5
I had the pollo en salsa roja (red sauce). The meat was moist but not spicy.
Quality of Beans: 5
Average.
Quality of Rice: 6
There are two rice options: red or green. I had the green rice. It was a nice change.
Quality of Salsa: 7
There are three different types of salsas: pico de gallo, roja, and verde. Also, I received marinated onions with jalapenos. Yum!
Note: I have seen La Corneta get busy. When I went, it was so busy that the owner was taking orders and getting beverages. However, I didn't wait too long to get my burritos.
EXTRAS
Free chips? Yes (average)
Free salsa? Yes (4 types: pico de gallo, salsa verde, salsa roja and marinated onions with jalapenos)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Slightly above average. The burrito is a good size. I liked the choice of rice, green or red. However, I expected the meat to be spicier.
My mother is a big fan of La Corneta. Her favorite dish is the combo plate with grilled salmon and steak.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Taqueria San Jose
TAQUERIA SAN JOSE
2830 Mission @ 24th Street
taqueriasanjose1since1980.com
PRICE: $4.87 (not including tax)
Taqueria San Jose is near the 24th Street BART station. It has ample seating and a salsa bar.
I conducted this taste test on July 8, 2010. My brother joined me but ordered a super al pastor burrito. My mother ate the remaining half of my chicken burrito.
OVERALL RATING: 4 (me), 5 (brother), 3.5 (mother)
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 5
I had the chicken adobado (red sauce). It wasn't that spicy. My brother said his al pastor was "dry and brittle." He prefers it shredded not chopped in cubes.
Quality of Beans: 5
Average.
Quality of Rice: 4
Mushy.
Quality of Salsa: 4
The pico de gallo in the burrito is bland and a scant amount. There is a salsa bar with 4 types of salsa (pico de gallo, salsa verde, chile verde, and salsa rojo) and marinated jalapenos (with carrots and onions) and radishes. The salsas were bland and not spicy at all. I had to eat my burrito with the jalapenos to add some kick.
Note: What?!?! You have to pay for chips ($1). Boo.
EXTRAS
Free chips? No ($1 for a basket and they are mediocre quality.)
Free salsa? Yes (salsa bar)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Below average. The burrito is a good size and reasonably priced. However, it is bland, bland, bland. The salsas weren't spicy. My mother couldn't believe that they charged $1 for chips.
Very strong. I would eat here again. You get a tasty burrito for a reasonable price.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Taqueria Cancun
TAQUERIA CANCUN
2288 Mission Street @ 19th Street
PRICE: $5.46 (including tax)
Taqueria Cancun is colorful: bright yellow walls, papel picado hanging from the ceiling, and wall murals. There are three locations in the City. This location seems to be popular with hipsters.
I conducted this taste test on July 7, 2010. My friend Nadja accompanied me and ordered a super carne asada burrito.
OVERALL RATING: 4 (see note below)
(1= lowest, 10= highest)
CONTENTS
Quality of Meat: 7
The chicken was in a spicy, red sauce--very flavorful. Nadja's carne asada was a little dry and chopped too finely.
Quality of Beans: 6 (me), 7 (Nadja)
Flavorful, smoky.
Quality of Rice: 6 (me), 8 (Nadja)
I got some crunchy rice. However, Nadja really liked the rice. She said it was "yummy" and was cooked in chicken broth.
Quality of Salsa: 8 (me), 7 (Nadja)
The pico de gallo salsa inside the burrito is spicy. You are given a container of pico de gallo and salsa verde with your chips. Both are very spicy. I liked them! They cleared my sinuses.
Note: I saw a cockroach on the wall. Yes, I did. On those bright yellow walls, you can't help but notice a brown cucharacha on it. I had already eaten at this point. I know that cockroaches are found in many restaurants but this is the first time I have seen one at a taqueria.
EXTRAS
Free chips? Yes (too salty)
Free salsa? Yes (2 containers)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Taqueria Cancun serves a good-sized burrito for a reasonable price. I really liked the spices. The burrito and salsas had kick. I really wish that I didn't see that cockroach or I would have given the place a "7."
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