No-frills Mexican Taqueria & late-night haunt serving comfort food like tacos & burritos.
Visit us at a location near you.
El Farolito is located in the Mission on Mission by 24th St and Bart. There is no parking lot but plenty of metered street parking in the area.
This is CASH ONLY. Limited and tight seating inside. There’s a few tables along the wall by the front entrance but more towards the back. The interior is narrow and can get cramped. There is a limited salsa bar with Medium, Mild and Hot Sauces with to go containers at the end of the register area.
If you order burritos there are 3 tortilla options of flour, wheat, or spinach. I usually get the Pollo Asado Super Burrito (Rice, Beans, Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Salsa and Cilantro). If you don’t pick any particular beans they will give you regular whole beans. The Burritos are pretty big. All items in the burrito are evenly distributed and they are not skimpy with the meat unlike other spots. What sticks out about El Farolitos too is that oppose to Guacamole they actually put slices of Avocados in the Super Burritos. All items in the burrito were fresh and tasty. The interior was not soaked and wet or mushy. Another go to item is their Quesadilla Suiza (Cheese & Steak). Can’t go wrong with either choice.
There is usually a line but don’t let the line detour you. The line moves along and they are efficient and fast. During peak hours during the week dinner time might wait 10-15 minutes for your one item order or just call in your order to go to avoid the wait. Make sure to hang on to your ticket order and listen for your number to be called then pick up the order by the cash register.
I definitely recommend El Farlito if you’re in the area looking for a good burrito or quesadilla. This is my go to spot whenever I am in the area. Easily one of my favorite burrito spots in San Francisco.
El Farlito does have other locations in San Francisco and around the Bay Area in case you cannot make it to this location.
-Paul
Alright so I drank the SF kool aid and let me tell u it looks a lot like drunken mistakes and el Farolito. It’s actually super good (drunk me and sober me agrees). Now, you may be thinking, isn’t that judge mental about being drunk? Well I can only speak to my experience and yes, I was inebriated.
Ok onto the food. I loved the quesadilla. Loved. It. It is HUGE. Just in general, the portions at el farolito are absolutely massive. You will not be disappointed with alllll that cheesy rice carne asada goodness. We also ordered the burrito and it wasn’t nearly as good. some of the steak tasted a bit too chewy, meaning that the meat is over cooked.
This is a SF must. You will be super impressed by the quesadilla !!
-Amanda
I came here with my local friend who said that El Farolito has the best burritos ever. She had hyped up the restaurant so much that I was afraid that I would be disappointed. After all, it’s just a burrito, right?
First off, the staff is so nice! The man taking my order seemed to genuinely care about me, and had such great manners. Second, the burritos are AMAZING!!!! My friend was so right, and even with the overhype, I was beyond satisfied. I got the marinated pork (al pastor) super burrito and some chips, which came out to be less than $10! Needless to say, that burrito can easily last two meals.
This was one of the BEST burritos that I have ever had, and I would definitely come back before I leave SF. I highly recommend it for both its quality and quantity!
-Will
How can I properly give credit to this gem of a restaurant? I dream of the burritos here and hope to someday be close enough so that I can order one every single day.
I ordered the supreme chorizo burrito and it made all of my dreams come true. The 5 others I was with ordered different things and all were super happy.
Come here for kick ass food. If any of my friends told me they didn’t like this place, I would need to re-evaluate who I’m spending my time with.
-Maia
Absolutely go to this legendary place! It’s crowded and cramped but these features just add to its charm. I had a vegetarian burrito, and in all it’s glory it was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Nicely pressed tortilla, delicious mixture of beans and Mexican rice, avocado, the best balance of cheese. And don’t forget to load up on ALL the salsas at the salsa area. My personal favorite is the verde sauce but they are all really delicious.
Prices are totally worth it, given the amount of food you get. I saved half my burrito for later and it was still just as scrumptious. I highly recommend that you visit here, even just to see it.
-Caroline
I had the chance to try El Farolito after several friends recommended it to me as a MUST while visiting the Mission District in SF. The neighborhood and subsequently the city is known for it’s rich history of Mexican cuisine dating back all the way to the Mexican-American war. This specific area of SF is known for the different restaurants that serve up the classics (i.e. burritos, quesadillas, etc.). However, El Farolito is apparently is THE PLACE for amazing Mexican cuisine in the Bay Area so I know I had to try it.
We walked in around 5:30 on a Thursday evening. The second we walked in their was already a line the length of the ordering station to the front door (about 6 people). My friend stayed in line while I scoped out a table where we’d be able to sit.
The restaurant itself isn’t decorated in any special way. Kind of a hole in the wall spot that has a ton of people working within an open kitchen, others taking and yelling out order numbers, and customers coming and going to either dine in or to take out. When it came time to choose I went with the Super Burrito with chicken ($8.25). Stuffed with rice, beans, salsa, avocado, and a host of other ingredients this burrito really packed a punch. It’s definitely recommended if you’re really hungry and looking for something that won’t only leave you satisfied, but may actually have you needing to take a nap after finishing.
Because of the high volume of people going in and out at any given time I completely understand the rush they have with their service. Not saying it was bad in any sense, but when you order is called they literally fast-walk it to your table, placed it down, and then go back to deliver the next order in the queue. I actually like this though because it means that they’re efficient. They don’t waste time bringing you your delicious meal.
Just so you know this location is a cash only spot. They’re also open super late from what I’ve heard so if you’re visiting the Mission District it seems like a good option after a long night out.
Visit if you get the chance and I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
-Nicholaus
I first heard about this place because it showed up on some list of best burritos in the Bay. After that I mentally had it bookmarked and thought I should check this place out one day! Years passed and never went until I realized it’s actually quite close to a club that I frequent. Once this connection was made my mind was blown and I immediately went to go check this place out after a night of dancing.
We got there around 2am and there was a line. Some in the line were drunk (expected, given the time) and some were arguing with each other (I guess, also expected given the time) but I think deep down we were all excited to get our eats on!
This place definitely lives up to its hype. Everything we had was delicious! (And I’ve been back several times since, and everything I order is still always delicious). The burrito is good, nice chunky meat, good ratio of sauce, and it has a nice kick to it. But my favorite thing here are the nachos or their flautas because I LOVE flautas to begin with and the nachos are more fun to eat with a group. So, really, just go and order whatever you’re in the mood for at the time because the quality of ingredients they use is the same regardless of what you order and they know how to give their food flavor!
Aaannddd I have made myself hungry just thinking and writing about the food here…strongly recommend checking this place out, if you haven’t already!
-Taline