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"After trying the steak torta, carnitas burrito, and giving the steak burrito another try I had to raise the rating to 4. Awesome stuff."
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Halloween 2009 @ 1PM
Before the cute little fairies and mini-Mike Myers come knocking on our door tonight, BF and I decided to hangout in the City to watch people in cool costumes and grab a Cubana Torta from "That's It" (as featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.) This was put away for BF's dinner tonight after he saw the dishes at Chava's.
As tempting as the Cubana Torta was, I didn't want to tempt fate since I value my life. :) BF and I stopped by at Chavas so I could eat something less artery clogging.
We started drooling when we saw other diners' platter of yummy Mexican food and we decided to stay for lunch.
DRINKS:
MIMOSA: (3 Stars) Check out how ginormous this thing was!!! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
It's okay for a mimosa, It was strong enough that it got me tipsy plus I can't complain. This giant was only $4!http://www.yelp.com/bi...
FOOD:
QUESO FUNDIDO W/ CHORIZO: (5 Stars) Super-hot in a heavy-cast skillet. Gooey, oily, cheezy and delish! This load of melted cheese was bad enough but with chorizo--it's double bad but sooo good! I had to take bites with Lactaid but I wish I could have more. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Me: FRIED TILAPIA W/ MEXICAN RICE: (2.5 Stars) A disappointment! The whole platter was flavorless. Just salty and nothing else!
http://www.yelp.com/bi... http://www.yelp.com/bi...
BF: CHILE RELLENO W/ RICE & BEANS: (4.5 Stars) YUMM-O!!!! Eventhough I didn't order this this time, I've had Chile Relleno at Chava's before and it was delicous! BF reported that he could feel the tang and kick in his chile which complimented the rice and beans. BF was happy with his meal. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
FREE HOT FRESH CORN TORTILLA: (6 Stars) We enjoyed watching the woman at the counter flattening fresh balls of masa in the wooden tortilla maker then grilling them. The result: DELICIOUS, PIPING-HOT, FRESH CORN TORTILLAS. BF and I were like circus performers juggling the hot tortillas and made a meal out of them!
FREE CHIPS AND SALSA: (4.5 Stars) Fried chip and fresh spicy salsa. Addicting!
OVERALL: (4.5 Stars)
Chavas is a great place to experience the authentic Mexican food and what the Mission has to offer. The staff were friendly in this hole in the wall. We had fun watching them dance to Latin music in their cat outfit during Halloween.
FINAL TAB: $38 including 2 Diet Cokes, Mimosa, tax before tip.
I am a big fan of the Mish and so fortunate that I'm just a BART-ride away from this food heaven!
Perhaps my number one go-to for brunch in the Mission.
Cheap: hard to spend over $10. Do *not* order anything beyond your main dish, as it will be much more than you'll be able to finish. Plus, they even give free guac and salsa with the chips.
Never a wait. In fact, I've never seen it close to crowded.
Easy to sit outside, right on the sidewalk! If you don't see chairs, just ask, they'll set them up.
Friendly service, with lots of smiles and liberal use of "amigo" and "honey."
And damn solid food. It won't win awards, but when you just need a big mess of rice, beans, and something smothered in sauce and cheese, this is exactly what you wanted.
Pozole de Puerco, hand made tortillas, mixed fruit agua fresca! Today I enjoyed my 2nd visit to Chavas even more than my 1st visit just last week.
When I saw that they serve poloze, I knew I had to come back to try it. I have eaten pozole only once before so I am no expert, but today's pozole at Chavas was the most delightful, delicious, "tastes like Mama made it" brew of chunks of tender pork, hominy and pigs feet that I could imagine. Please don't fear pigs feet. They are quite delicious.
The restaurant was a bit busy today but the service was excellent and my waitress coached me on how to use the dish of garnishes that came with the pozole. She also seemed delighted that I was so happy with my meal.
The bowl is huge! I brought a good bit home with me and just now enjoyed a 2nd bowl and have enough for one more bowl (breakfast tomorrow morning!).
Next time I go I would like to try the caldo de pollo if I can stop myself from ordering pozole again.
Their chicken soup helped me get over the swine flu and best yet, it also reminded me of a combination of Mexican and Pho - Pho because they gave you onions, cilantro and lime to put in the soup. I can't wait to check out what else they have.
Mmmmmm, love the weekend soups in the Mish. Anthony got the birria, I got the posole (pork, of course), and I couldn't decide which one was better. They are both fabulous... and HUGE... and the yelpers don't lie when they rave about the home-made, hand-shaped corn tortillas. Hangover, be gone - Chava's has the cure!
So? How do you say "handi-wipe in Spanish?
LOL Contrary to what the media will tell you, the best Mexican restaurants in the Mission are the ones with dirty tables and flies.
What Chavas lacks in upscale (think: Marina) yuppy plastic decor, it makes up in excellent food and a true Mexican eating experience. Hell, everytime I go to Chavas, the place is always packed with locals drinking their Coronas and eating their tostadas.
Chavas is well worth the $$$ when you're looking to satisfy the hunger monster.
RIP the old Chava's.
I have only returned to the new location several times, but the food even just isn't the same. So much of the charm of Chava's was the seediness of the place and how when you went in hungover on Sunday mornings (well, for me sober since I was a kid tagging along with my hungover parents), the whole place felt like family.
That all disappeared in the fire :(
Fortunately we've found a new home in Los Jarritos.
Nothing helps warm the soul from this recent apocalyptic cold weather better than some great soup. And pozole is just one of those soups that do the job. So, I headed to Chava's on a very brisk and nippy Sunday night for their popular pozole. I wasn't the only one with this brilliant idea, as all of Chava's patrons were also slurping on bowls of pozole.
I have been in love with pozole ever since my Tijuanian ex-coworker brought me in some of her mom's homemade pozole a couple years ago. For those who don't know, pozole is a chile-based soup with pork and hominy. Add tons of chopped onions, cilantro and lime to enhance the hearty soup. Typically, pig's feet are also used in pozole, which can deter some people from eating it, but growing up in a very Chinese household, pig's feet are no foreign object to me.
Chava's $8.25 bowl of pozole is gigantic and can leave your bladder on the verge of bursting. It's chock full of meat, pig's feet, and hominy. Every spoonful is loaded with goodies. Although the soup is a bright hue of red, it's not too spicy either.
We also tried their carnitas platter, which didn't do it for us. The meat was bland and not crispy, the way carnitas should be. Their homemade tortillas were good and we also liked the complimentary chips with salsa and guacamole.
Note: Just come here for the soup. Pozole, menudo, birria, caldo de pollo, oh my!
It has a modest atmosphere, but who cares, the food was amazing and cheap!! Plus we're talking about the Mission district on Mission street, any more upscale and it'll be filled with douche bags.
Service was great too considering they seemed a bit under staffed, but everything was served quickly and steaming hot!
I got the pork in Chile Verde sauce which came with rice, beans and 2 steaming hot corn tortillas. It's was perfection! The meat just melted in my mouth, the sauce tasted like it was slow simmered with love for a couple of days.
My BF, got the chicken in mole sauce which was also cooked to perfection! the mole sauce was just savory and delicious!
Also, the Agua fresca were just so fresh and tasty!
Must try this place!
Anyone who knows me well knows that there is nothing I like better for breakfast than fresh tortillas with beans and fried eggs. Unfortunately, not every Mexican place in town has fresh tortillas. Chavas does. YUM!
My friend and I ordered two huge plates of food. I had the Huevos Rancheros and a Carrot Juice which came in a huge glass with a side class full of Ice. my friend ordered an American Coke, and by the end of the meal we had both ordered a couple of Mexican Cokes as well... The entire bill for breakfast, including tip was under thirty dollars. Very reasonably priced and good food served in HUGE portions. This is my new favorite local place for tortillas and eggs because it is just steps away from the BART station.
I was craving a Mexican breakfast and Chavas's seemed like the go to place for this. You are started off with crisp chips and a small side of salsa (could have been fresher) and guacamole (a bit watery). The huevos rancheros plate is huge...3 eggs...My only complaint is that everything was smothered in cheese. The handmade corn tortillas arrive in a basket and they are wonderful. One thing I have never seen..there is a bowl filled with long dried red chilies and long fresh green chilies on the table. Love the music and felt like I was in Mexico.
I really like Mexican food. Being from the south, it's kind of a requirement! I really have yet to find Mexican food here that I love (I grew up on TexMex Y'all, so I realize I won't find the same thing here), but the pozole here at Chava's is amazing! I don't really like pork that much, so I opt for the Chicken Pozole whenever I go and it's just wonderful everytime. They don't go cheap on the hominy either!
The only downfall in it would be the price. It's not expensive, but $10 for soup is a bit much, especially from a hole-in-the-wall mexican restaurant, but it's not going to stop me from going there anytime I need my fix!
Ooohhhhh - YUM!
I didn't want a big lunch - so I had a chicken enchilada (home made tortilla and shredded chicken breast), refried beans, Spanish rice and salad. It was sooo good, I ate the whole thing and nearly licked the plate clean.
Oh yes, I was a little piggy and I'll do it again.
I remember going to Chavas 30 years ago. I loved it. I recently returned to find a very smelly bathroom. I walked past the kitchen and something smelled real bad. I know that all places have a bad night so I hope I have the wrong impression. I did not finish my meal.
Note : this review is for the chava's directly across the street from the BART station on Mission street. Travelled out here for lunch and back to Montgomery/Sutter in one hour.
Excellent Birria de Chivo soup today! the grande bowl was loaded with earthy goat meat stewed in red chile. Yummy. Came with a 3 home made corn tortilla's. I could not finish all of the food.
Enough food for two light eaters. Comes with a big bowl of non greasy corn chips, with a bowl of red chile salsa AND some home made salsa fresca and a small side of chunky fresh guacamole. I washed this meal down with a large glass of Jimaica. $11.65 w/o tip.
Muy Bueno.
The menu is pretty large, so I'll for sure be returning.
Decor: Clean , nice airy well lit place, 100 ft from the BART station.
Musica : Mex bolero's pumpin' softly.
Customer service: friendly and excellent.
It was Friday the weather was close to perfect and I wanted a Burrito Damn it!
I snatched up one of m friends at work and we vented a whole weeks worth crap in the 2 block walk. We needed beers.
I walked up and there was plenty of outdoor seating and the line was moving quickly, and from what I could see the beer was ice cold.
The food smelled and looked amazing! I got the chicken burrito with hot salsa and all the fixin's and one of the beers I was eyeing.
My first bite was heaven! I was in love.
So after a bomb burrito, beer, yummy corn chips and an extended bitch session I was happy as a clam. I will definatley be back!
Everything satisfies here. The service is friendly and attentive. Even to gringos like me.
I've not had a dish here that wasn't huge, delicious, and cheap. The birria is a rare treat of tender mutton in a spicy broth. The quesadilla appetizer is as big as a meal for two. The chilaquiles are an excellent Mexican breakfast/ brunch food.
If you like authentic Mexican food and you want to leave with both a full belly AND a full wallet, this is the place to be.
Closer to a 2.5 on the food alone. I was expecting a hearty chicken noodle soup to help with this annoying summer cold, and what I got was some broth with good veggies, but whole chicken pieces. There was more skin and bone than actual meat. I picked off the best chunks of meat I could, but it ended up being much less than I was expecting. You do get a decent amount of tortillas and rice on the side, but I was looking for soup, not make your own burritos.
Extra 0.5 star because I do feel better today. Not 100%, but getting there.
I've always passed Chava's while on my way to feed my taco cravings (which usually sound like "tacostacostacostacos!!!"). I finally went in with my dad, and I have to say it was one of the better meals I've had in a long time.
This is not a taqueria, as Rob B. has said. And even though they are a Mexican restaurant, you will not find taqueria type food on their menu. Please don't come to Chava's expecting the best burrito in the world, because you will not find it and you will begin to cry, and no one wants that.
The reason to come to Chava's is their soups. They are simply amazing. All the other dishes are very good too, but there's something about the soups. They give you giant handmade tortillas, which come in handy with all the meals. Also, this is one of the very few (or maybe the only) places that give you salsa AND guacamole with your complimentary chips.
Chava's is cash only, so leave your plastic at home.
Back when Chava's was still on Shotwell, I was a very regular patron. Newly arrived in San Francisco, I was wowed by the exotic (goat, tripe and pig's feet in the various soups? amazing!), romanced by the vibrant execution of old standards (all the breakfast-y huevos dishes with the delicious dial turned to 11) and in awe of the tortilla-maker and the older patrons who tipped her on their way out.
Then, the fire wiped out this location, and Chava's was closed for so, so long.
When it reopened in its current location, something was missing. The food was uninspired and bland. We all joked that they lost their seasoned pots in the fire; whatever it was, I missed my old haunt, but eventually became an El Metate loyal instead.
With friends in town, we decided to do a birria run. While still not an 11, I am once again happy to recommend Chava's to the community of foodies.
The food is decent. The chips, salsa and guac are so good that I get full before my actual meal arrives. I'm taking away a star and a half for the god awful louder than hell music in there. I had to repeat my order 3 x
because the waitress couldn't hear me, and believe it when I say that
I don't have a soft voice. There is no possibility of a conversation when you eat here. Order take out and you'll be happy.
great service, great food , the chicken milanese is really good they have the best rice in the world, on top of that free dessert on the house, try it people dont stay home get out plenty of goo underated places of mission
Tortillas tortillas tortillas! Even if their other food wasn't good, you'd go here for the heavenly tortillas. The good news is the other food is quite good. Delicious huevos scrambles are my favorite for breakfast (screw toast, fresh tortillas rule any day). The soups are great, the pork dishes are solid, the staff is friendly and the place isn't too busy. Bring your appetite here whenever you're in the mood for some good Mexican food, especially fresh tortillas.
FYI, cash only place!
First off, the food is good, I LOVE that they use traditional quesadilla cheese for the quesadilla's, SO good! The rest of the menu is equally great! Guacamole is on the weak side as are the chips. The ladies TOTALLY remind me of members of my family and our SUPER sweet, nice and funny as hell!! LOVE this place and the staff!!!
Every time I or my brothers go up to visit the Familia up in the Bay Area, its a must that we go have our breakfast at Chava's.
I've had several great dishes there but I pretty much stick to 2 of them when I visit...
1) the Machaca breakfast
2) the Birria
but man, I love their HUGE Tortillas too, & they come very handy when I'm having my Birria Soup.
I too still remember the OG Chava's on 18th st. & yes there is something missing from the current Chava's location that the OG location had, but the food is still great.
BTW, I leave L.A. at 4am soo I can get there & meet my cousins there for breakfast, kinda crazy don't y'all think, lol...=-D
I go in search of heuvos rancheros.
I've been seeking the best heuvos rancheros on Saturday monings. There are dozens of restaurants within walking distance of my home that have some variation on what can be the perfect hearty breakfast and Chavas is among the ones I'll return to.
They start every diner off with the expected tortilla chips and fresh salsa but they also bring complimentary guacamole - nicely made and great to nibble on as I tell waitress I already know what I want: huevos rancheros.
I often bring a book or paper to breakfast but it isn't a good idea here. The jukebox is loud and the conversation louder. So I usually practice my miserable Spanish which everyone but me is natively speaking. This is a good sign - I lke it when I go to a Mexican joint and everyone but me is latino - same for other ethnic restaurants - like when I go to Yummy Yummy and I' the only non-Vietnamese there.
The heuvos come out with more cheese than I generally like on this dish but the eggs are just right - runny yolks but whites that are set but not overcooked. The sides of refried beans, rice and e nicely made ranchero sauce is very good though. There is a steaming plate of tortillas to help scoop up the goods. The coffee is hot and strong.
While it still isn't the best huevos rancheros I've had it is still very good and I'll be back to this comfy Mission family restaurant.
(It's NOT a taqueria! If you want a burrito go to a taqueria!)
1. Machaca con Huevos!
2. Birria
3. home made tortillas
4. Caldo de Res
The taco/enchilada/chili relleno part of the menu is good, but nothing to dance on the table about. Order any of the egg dishes (I just love the machaca) or the big bowls of soup, and a giant glass of carrot or orange juice, and you'll be a happy, stuffed muchacho. And their corn tortillas are the real thing.
I used to eat at Chava's all the time when they were on 18th street., but got out of the habit when that location closed.
I've had many very good items on the menu over the years: carne asada, a spare rib stew (can't remember the name and is usually mostly bones), lengua en salsa, chile verde, and chilaquiles. I love their homeade corn tortillas too.
This place represents a typical good Mexican restaurant in the Mission, give it a try. Now I'm getting hungry.
Two words-- Nash Bridges. Yup, the Don Johnson SF crime show. I first found out about Chavas from a little bio on Cheech Marin. He said Chava's is where he goes for authentico mexican food while filming in The City.
That was a long time ago when Chava's was at it's 18th street location. Everything was so good-- just like Nana used to make-- crispy shredded beef tacos, enchiladas, mole, good chips & salsa. aye dios! mexican comfort food at its best.
Unforch, there was a fire, and so went Chava's until this location opened. Sadly, *something* was lost. It's something that made Chava's special wasn't at the new location. The food was lacking. I was sad.
The last time the mrs & I ate there, she didn't want to finish her meal. She took one bite of her taco and grease poured from the meat. Not dripped-- POURED. Not meat juice--Grease. We tried to pat the meat dry, but as napkins piled up, the gross factor climbed.
3 stars because the type of Mexican food still matters. It's the real deal.
Chava's is wonderful. The food portions are gigante! And I enjoy the little salsita tray they bring to your table when you order your food. I love the feel and the clientele--I only hear my native Espanol-- a que bueno!
Buen Provecho!
Maybe it was because I was drunk. Maybe it's because I think the level of grease is proportional to my tastebuds' enjoyment. Either way, the cheese quesadilla is phenomenal and worth the long wait in line. This place seems extremely popular late at night. If there are a lot of locals willing to wait, I take it as a good sign.
Oh, good prices too!
I thought this place keeps moving and I keep thinking Oh it's closed down and then I'll be randomly wandering around and suddenly I find it's most recent incarnation! (And now I read from these reviews it's cuz the one on 18th St. by my old house BURNED DOWN in a FIRE! I had no idea. I'm so lame. anyways)
it's all about the soup! soup! soup! and the little bowls of self-spicing provided.
And the fresh handmade tortillas! tortillas! tortillas!
And all for breakfast! breakfast! breakfast!
Good stuff. Go eat. Be happy.
The first time I went to Chava's was after a trip to a cheap fabric outlet next door. It was the weekend before el dia de los muertos, and I had a hankering for some mole. I had only had mole once before almost ten years ago, but even w/out a recent basis for comparison, I must say that I was pleased.
The next time I had the fried tilapia, and was not put off by the grease. Yesterday I took my parents there, and my dad had this wonderful plate of fajitas, and my mom had some yummy beef tacos. I had the grilled fish which was also good. This is not the best food I have ever had, but it may be the best Mexican food I've ever had in a restaurant.
A note on the atmosphere: Whenever I go there alone I like to sit at the counter and watch the ladies behind the glass make some of their fabulous tortillas. Otherwise you can sit at the tables and take in the Diego Rivera-style murals. Oh, and I love to stare at the waitresses. A couple of them favor bizarrely frosted hair and jeans so tight you wonder how they keep up their bumble-bee bustle when it's really busy. If you hear a loud rip, someone's jeans may have busted (given the enormity of the portions, it may just be your pair).
Everyone here is very friendly, food is good, and the place is clean.
This is the best place to squelch a massive hangover. There are two categories of dishes that take care of that job:
Soups: birria, caldo de res, caldo de pollo, menudo. When your mouth is dry and needs meat flavored moisture, this is it.
Eggs: chilaquiles, machaca, huevos rancheros, huevos a la mexicana, it's all pretty fucking good.
Extra points for the complimentary guacamole that they give you with the chips (not a ton of it, but something is better than nothing), and the fresh tortillas, which I always feel bad about wasting (seriously, who can eat all of the tortillas and all of a dish? That's a lot of grub).
Back when I lived in Los Angeles, my father had an amazing knack for finding little hole-in-the-wall's that looked like there was no way you'd want to go inside, but once you had a taste of their food, you'd be constantly looking forward to going back. Chava's is just that sort of place.
Considering that it is completely off the beaten trail, it is a testament to the food that there is always a LONG line at lunch. They do your standard burrito fare, but also have wide-range of tasty Mexican dishes including a few out of the ordinary choices. The food here reminds me of being a kid and living in Mexico, and the restaurant looks like it was literally lifted up in a twister in Jalisco and dropped down here.
The only question is why are tamales the special every single day? I guess some questions there are just no answers to.
First of all, the hand made tortillas (come with everything) are SO FREAKIN good I crave them. (You can even buy them "to go" in the morning).
Machaca and eggs (shredded beef and eggs, with peppers, onions and mushrooms) a great break from typical breakfast fare.
Menudo is great and this place is SO authentic, even for the Mission. No burritos that I'm aware of.
Just mentioning those tortillas gives my Mexican huz a big fat stiffy. I think we're going again today.
This has quickly become one of my favorite spots in the Mission and probably my favorite breakfast spot in the city. They have a wide assortment of traditional authentic Mexican dishes on their menu including Caldos de Albondigas (vegetable soup with meatballs) , birria (beef soup) , pozele ( chicken or pork soup with hominy) , mole (chicken with sweat mole sauce) and more!
The staff is also very friendly and they make everyone feel at home. If you want to fill your stomach on a Sunday morning after a long night of partying this is definitely the place.
Huevos Rancheros. Go Hungry, or be sensible and split a HUGE plate of huevos rancheros with a buddy. It will still be plenty of food. The amount of food served is completely over the top.
After reading all these reviews below, I decided to go with my food partner to sample both the chilaquales and huevos rancheros. They were both really good, although it was true the huevos were a little heavy on the cheese. If you don't like your huevos messy and a little soupy, then these are not for you. The chilaquales got good reports, but I was too busy with my own food to even go there.
I concluded that they have the best tortillas that I have tasted in the Mission. We sat at the bar and watched someone with a huge bucket of masa freshly prepare tortilla after tortilla. All of which puffed up to fluffy heights and were whisked away into to tortilla baskets. Yum.
The amazing value at this place was for the gigantic bowl of freshly squeeze, incredibly yummy orange juice they brought us for a mere $3.50. Again, big enough for two people with straws.
The soups looked very well done. I will be back to maybe add another star to this review. It was a little loud, but fun and the waitress was sweet.
The service is terrible. It takes forever to get a glass of water, the food is not what I expected since it closed on 18th Street. So you get chips and salsa....for a family of 6 they give a tiny one and when you try to order more, they take another 15 minutes to bring them. The flavor of the food...well its no longer there. I used to love going there for the birria...had it the other day. Did not like it. It was salty and the flavor was just not the same. The posole which I love...was bland. The color was too clear and it just wasnt for me. Not a place I would ever go to for some real good mexican food. Not at all. I'd rather eat at home.
My roommate has been talking this place up. He said it's better than Olivo's in Nob Hill. So i took the pepsi challenge. I ordered the exact same combo as i did at Olivo's. It was a close one. Chava's gets the edge on chips and salsa, but overall I have to give the nod to Olivo's. It just seems like Olivo's is a little more homecooked, while Chava's has a more mass appeal taste. Don't get me wrong Chava's was excellent, but it was just missing that little extra that Olivo's has.
We got so much free stuff!
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Neighborhood: Mission
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