About El Farolito
The Taqueria on Mission Street
El Farolito started on Mission Street in the early 1980s. One counter, one grill, one menu. The neighborhood was different back then, but the food was the same food people line up for today. That consistency is the whole point. Four decades later, there are 10 locations across the Bay Area, and every one of them runs the same menu from the same recipes.
The Super Burrito
The super burrito is the reason most people walk in the door. It's a stuffed flour tortilla packed with your choice of meat, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, and thick slices of fresh avocado. Not guacamole. Actual avocado slices. The thing weighs close to two pounds and costs less than $10.
Carne asada is the most popular, grilled over an open flame until it picks up a char. Al pastor comes off the vertical spit. Pollo asado, chorizo, carnitas, lengua, and cabeza round out the options. The meat goes on the grill all day, from open to close.
The Rest of the Menu
The super burrito gets all the attention, but the rest of the menu holds up. The quesadilla suiza is a large flour tortilla with cheese and steak, and the super version adds sour cream and avocado. Crispy flautas come with guacamole and sour cream on top. The enchilada plate is two large enchiladas with cheese, avocado, and lettuce, served with rice, beans, and tortillas.
Loaded nachos, tostadas, tortas, and tacos on corn or flour. Shrimp shows up in the super shrimp burrito and the camarones plates. The Bosses Burrito is shrimp and al pastor together with refried beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo, and salsa tomatillo.
The Salsa Bar
The salsa bar is half the experience. Three options: salsa verde, salsa roja, and pico de gallo. The verde is lighter and herb-forward, good for cutting through the richness of the meat. The roja has more heat. Pico is fresh. Regulars will tell you to load up on the verde. It goes fast.
Open Late
The Mission Street flagship stays open past 3:00 AM most nights. After concerts, club nights, and Giants games, this is where San Francisco ends up. The 24th Street location runs until 1:30 AM on weeknights and 2:30 AM on weekends. The 4817 Mission spot keeps similar hours. Even the Oakland and South San Francisco locations stay open past 10 PM most nights.
This isn't a recent thing. El Farolito has been feeding the late-night crowd since the '80s.
All 10 Locations
The original Mission District flagship at 2779 Mission Street. The 24th Street location near the BART station. A third spot further south on Mission at 4817. North Beach on Grant Avenue. East Bay in Oakland on International Blvd. South San Francisco on Grand Avenue. San Jose on Senter Road. Concord on Grant Street. Santa Rosa on Sebastopol Road. Rohnert Park on Redwood Drive.
Same food at every one.
What People Are Saying
"El Farolito in the Mission makes the best burritos in San Francisco... approximately the size of a newborn baby, stuffed with flavorful meat and ideal ratios of sour cream, guacamole, and cheese." Read the full review at The Infatuation
"The carne asada super burrito features a tender, pleasant char that melds beautifully with the sour cream, cheese and avocado toppings." Read the full review at Time Out, #1 Best Burrito in San Francisco
"At a time when $15 burritos have become commonplace, El Farolito still sells a forearm-sized burrito for only $8.25." Read more at SFGATE
In 2013, Esquire Magazine crowned El Farolito's burrito "The Most Life-Changing Burrito in America." ABC7 and Stacker named El Farolito the best Mexican restaurant in California in 2020.
Good to Know
- Cash only at all locations
- No reservations, just walk in
- Big portions, small prices