EL TONAYENSE TAQUERIA (7.75)
3150 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 550-9192
Measurements: 7.5” circumference, 7” length (smaller than average)
Regular Veggie Burrito $5.43 after tax
Day three: burrito #8. Got this one for the drive back to Los Angeles. Solid burrito, but I’m more impressed by the salsa dome. The spicy red/ green sauce (see middle sauce in photo) is notable as well as the pico de gallo.
Value: slightly worse than others in the area.
WIZARD’S SCORE: 7.75
LA TAQUERIA (8.5)
2889 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 285-7117
Measurements: 7.5” circumference, 8” length (smaller than average)
Regular burrito $3.80 after tax
Burrito Wizard Does San Francisco. Day 3, back to the Mission. Simple no frills burrito: pinto beans, jack cheese, and pico de gallo; similar to Pancho Villa, but a little watery (from pico de gallo) and not quite the consistency. No salsa bar, but they have a killer green hot sauce on the table. They charge $.50 for sour cream or guacamole.
Value: about average
WIZARD’S SCORE: 8.5
GREEN CHILE KITCHEN (7.5)
601 Baker Street San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 614-9411
Dubbed New Mexican (the state) style burritos, the Green Chile Kitchen serves good clean vegan friendly food. Their burritos are served plated with a red or green topping sauce (both have the option of spicy or mild). I ordered both on the side and had my burrito wrapped in foil hand held style. Not a big fan of topping sauces, they are always less flavorful than salsas, but the red is inedible. The green is great (for a topping sauce), it’s what they are known for. Additionally they have a salsa (for the chips), which has a dynamic flavor unlike any I have had before. The burrito is a solid S.F. burrito with clean gringo construction.
Value: about average
Wizard’s Score: 7.5
CUCO’S (9)
488 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 863-8187
Imagine if you could physically step back into your mother’s womb, that’s what a Cuco’s burrito is like. At this point in the burrito quest, my friends are all burrito-ed out. So I double park the car with the flashers on and run inside Cuco’s. I order the Plantain Burrito that I have heard so much about. The woman who I believe to be the creator of Cuco’s smiles and pulls a fresh unpeeled plantain out of the food storage area. Everything is made fresh, to perfection. I opted for black beans. Eating the burrito was something of a blur… the complicated blend of flavors… the sour cream in particular… the clearly Salvadorian hot sauce with the fresh chips… Is this a burrito? I don’t know what to call it, but I will be back, and you should try it. This may have been a dream. But I’m pretty sure it was real. Seems like owner operated burrito joints are less common in S.F., but Cuco’s is a definitive example of one of the great owner operated burrito creations. I was unable to measure or take pictures in my ecstatic burrito haze, so enjoy the sense of mystery.
Value: once in a lifetime culinary opportunity.
WIZARD’S SCORE: 9
TAQUERIA PANCHO VILLA (9)
3071 16th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 864-8840
Measurements: 8” circumference, 7.5” length (about average for S.F. regular burritos)
B: rice, beans, cheese and pico de gallo $5.37 after tax.
Supposedly embracing the revolutionary spirit of the great Mexican commander namesake, Pancho Villa gets my vote for the best burrito in the Mission. Possessing the character of a gallon of bleach, many feel that Pancho Villa is for sell-outs, but few can deny the quality of their food. No love, no heart, no soul, but perfect pico de gallo. Most beautiful salsa bar ever. If you’ve seen the film: Good Burger (1997) this place is the evil competition. And, in this case, the bad guys win.
Value: about average
WIZARD’S SCORE: 9
EL FAROLITO (7.25)
2950 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 641-0758
Measurements: 8” circumference, 8.5” length (longer than average)
Regular Vegetarian Burrito $4.86 after tax
It’s after 10pm on a Monday night in the Mission. With my taxicab driver friend (who just got off work), and my Yellow Dog Taqueria Cancun devotee friend (would rather eat a yellow dog than any other burrtio than Cancun). Most of the burrito shops are closed, so we go to El Farolito. A great example of how you can walk into any burrito shop in S.F. and still get a better than average (nationally) burrito. The pictures make it look better than it tastes but still a fine burrito with a sweet little salsa bar. There are several El Farolito locations in the S.F. area.
Value: Better than average
WIZARD’S SCORE: 7.25
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TAQUERIA CANCUN (8)
2288 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 252-9560
Regular Vegetarian Burrito $5.41 after tax
Measurements: 9” circumference, 7” length (standard size*)
*S.F. style tightly wound burritos are significantly denser than other standards.
I call this place the tourist trap of San Francisco taquerias, but that doesn’t mean that Cancun doesn’t make a better than decent burrito. Textbook tightly wound Mission style burrito with all the bells and whistles for $5 and change. A buttery lardy taste draws some alarm, but their amazing spicy guacamole sauce (with whole avocados) helps to offset my worries. Little too much rice and the flavor is a bit flat. Enjoyed it, but with all the extraordinary options in the Mission I doubt I will return to Cancun anytime soon (actually I will due to the never ending complaints about this review, and the fact that every better than average burrito deserves a second tasting).
Value: About average
WIZARD’S SCORE: 8
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