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Tue-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.
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Absolutely amazing, incredible burritos. Some of the most multifaceted, nuanced salsa I've ever had. Traditional mexican restaurant feel in a world of slick (or boring-looking) taquerias. Fair prices.
AND ALL THIS ON F***ING MISSION ST. IN DALY CITY?!?! How did I not know about this?
Anyway, make a pilgrimage, and unlike me, do not be swayed by the intimidating entrance. Within, you shall find salvation. Definitely right up there with the best of SF mexican, if not better.
Lisa's is a small place with seating for maybe 20 people. For about $30 we had a beer, a huge burrito covered with green sauce, and an enchilada chile relleno combo plate. The burrito was good I was especially enamored with the green sauce. The beans were a little lighter than your standard refried pinto bean and the chips and salsa were spicy.
They have fun decor with old time pictures and paintings up to the celiling. Good food made from scratch not greasy and incredibly nice service. Will definitely come again.
Saturday nights they have a lady singing karaoke which may be a little loud for some people.
Finally after all the reviews and this place being so close to home I decided to try it today. I'm sick of all the other taquerias in the area so why not?
This is not a typical taqueria. This place is real small and cute on the inside. Decorations hanging from the ceiling,etc.
Great service. I got take out but they were quick and very polite. did not rush me to pay. they ACTUALLY let me wait until my order was ready then I gave them my card. I got a Strawberry fresca YAY! And a burrito. both were delish. I told them I will be back and sit down to eat.
Went here last night and ordered two burritos...as you know the mark of any good Mexican restaurant is a burrito and let me tell you this one failed to meet the mark!! The restaurant was empty which may have had something to do with the lackluster quality of the food....we ordered and watched as the woman made the burritos. Nothing was cooking which meant it was all pre-cooked and ready to go. Once we got home and went in for the first bite we were so disappointed.
I ate two bites of this flavorless....unappetizing burrito and decided to eat oatmeal instead of subject my stomach to this crap. My husband decided to suffer through his beef burrito...which was much better tasting than my chicken burrito but all in all Lisa's failed to impress me. Which saddens me because I love to frequent family owned businesses. Oh and any decent restaurant does not have a microwave in it's kitchen...HUGE TURN OFF for me when I spot a microwave in a restaurant's kitchen. The bottom line is go to Taco Bell for more authentic mexican flavor...go to Lisa's if you want some boring assed version of a burrito!!
Seriously, Go To Lisa's Now And Do Not Share Your Burrito!
I had the Lisa's Supreme Burrito with carne asada for the first time on Saturday which my other half and I said we would split. He was watching the baby while I ate my half and if he wasn't right next to me I would've devoured the whole burrito myself. The sauce over the burrito really sold me along with the fresh taste to it. They didn't use real heavy ingredients like what you would get from any other taqueria. It was the lightest, sauciest burrito I've ever had. Next time I'm getting a whole one to myself!
An adorable little place! The service is great! I have never eaten there, but i have ordered to go a few times. And each time we go and pick up the food, the owners and all the staff are so friendly and ready to get you what you want. The food is authentic and good! Made to order! Good flavors, good prices. Definitely my neighborhood spot for mexican!
Sucks they are not open on sunday's! but its all good!
This could be 3.5. It's a good place worthy of your business. The salsa is very good, more complex than most. I ordered a chile relleno and burrito combo. The chili relleno seemed pre-fried so I probably wouldn't order it again, but the burrito, beans and rice were al tasty. Generous portions at reasonable price. And most importantly friendly and appreciative service. Definitely family run. I will be back..
Since we had to be in the area during the evening, my gf looked up this place and we ended up here for dinner.
The place is teeny tiny, and if you drive by too fast you'll totally miss it. The interior is decorated as if every genre of the Mexican culture threw up on it's walls, in a good way. So very colorful and vibrant it makes you want to drink margaritas and sangria. Speaking of sangria, theirs is the best I've had in the city so far. Really fresh and flavorful!
I ordered the Pollo Amor and the gf got the flautas. The chicken was fresh and juicy, covered in a delicious red sauce and accompanied with beans and rice. The flautas were pretty good too, freshly cooked and not left lying around all day as most places do. Chips were homemade and the salsa was really good too with an overall good consistency. You could tell that Lisa took pride in her cooking.
Definately worth your time if you're in the area.
This place is righteous.
Beware they are closed Sundays and Mondays.
Went here for my brother's 30th birthday. Had a great time!
We ordered -
Nachos Supreme - Yum!
Pork Tamale and Chicken Enchilada - I liked the Enchilda better.. Tamale was "okay"
Steak Faijtas - YUM!
Chimichunga - YUMYUM.
Service was great. Always filled my water when it was empty, and smiled. The real test to this place will be my picky husband. Hehe.. until then.. 2 thumbs up!
I do not understand all of the good reviews for this place. I guess to each his own. For dinner I had a taco and an enchilada. I have had better at Taco Bell. All of the food was very bland, except for the spicy salsa. The chips at the table seemed stale. I ordered a combo and they forgot my salad. Not really a big deal, except my boyfriend ordered the same thing and he got his salad.
Whenever the waiter would come to our table he would ignore me and only talk to my boyfriend. It was very odd, even when ordering.
Overall, it was a very disappointing experience.
Do not blink or sneeze. You'll miss the doorway. I normally don't use cute to describe a place, but this is about as cozy as you can get. I tried Lisa's Supreme Chicken Burrito. The chicken was very moist, as they stew it. There were little chunks of tomatoes in it and sauce poured over it. I wasn't sure about the sauce, as I have never had a burrito with sauce on top, but somehow it works. Flan is excellant. The mango agua fresca is wonderful, and not a common drink to find. I just can't understand how this place eluded me for so long. It's been here for 64 years...dang. There's even a guy who plays a synthesizer...just the perfect touch of kitsch!
This is my new favorite Mexican restaurant in SF. The atmosphere is very charming & homey, in an authentic way, as opposed to many of the fancy faux-authentic Mexican joints you see in the city since Tequila became such a big deal.
It's still run by the couple that started it, with Lisa cooking the food and her husband running the front of the house. The service is very attentive -- on our second visit they remembered what we ordered and how they split the portions for us on our first visit!
But really, it's all about the food, and this is excellent. I highly recommend the Steak a la Lisa, the omelet with chicken, and the fresh-made Mango juice.
The only thing that would make it better in my book is real fresh-made tortillas, but no place has everything.
Still
The small restaurant with an even smaller kitchen has a cozy feel. The menu had lots of choices and I went with the Enchilada & Taco combo. Very tasty with fresh ingredients. The service was a little slow, but it was also noon on a Friday afternoon. And, although a bit slow, the staff was still friendly. Lots of fun photos on the wall to check out while you wait. I will definitely go back again for more!
We thought we'd try out Lisa's this weekend and I am happy to report I really enjoyed it. My first time at a new Mexican restaurant I always like to try the basic enchiladas to see if I like the red sauce. It's a basic litmus (sp?) test for me on weather they get there spices right. So, they did a good job and I look forward to trying more items in the future. Oh, and the sangria is yum, although a little cinnimony (never had it that way before).
Also kudos to the staff on being so warm and welcoming. We'll see you again.
Very friendly little restaurant on Mission. It is a tiny place with all of the tables packed together. Wall is covered with pictures and paintings from all over (Kenny Rogers?). There are a dozen sombreros tacked onto the ceiling and a giant blue parrot hanging from the center.
This is a real family-run restaurant and it seems as if the owner knows about 2/3 of the customers there. Red sauce was tasty. Generous combination plates are the highlight of the menu. Good burritos and chile relleno and they serve breakfast food all day long! Combos run about $10-15 but you could get a good meal for under $10.
Service was a bit on the slow side because the kitchen is small. The quality of the food made the wait worthwhile. They have a lady singing at the karaoke machine on Saturdays and it adds to the homeyness of the place. Karaoke machine is a bit loud for this small restaurant and my ears were ringing for days afterward.
With so many (40!) different combo meals available, I hope to try more of them in the future. With this place here, there is no reason to go to Chevy's or Cecelia's ever again! Probably best to find parking on Mission.
Had the Chilaquiles which were good
The Chile Rellenos also looks good cant wait to comeback again!!!
Now I wanna kick myself for not coming here sooner, because I used to live in Santa Barbara St before they raised the rent!!!
Finally a decent Mexican Restaurant that's not a hybrid Mexican-Central American
to all my Central American friends My apologies
If you are good at making Mexican or any other Latin American Cuisine just stick to it and try not combine cuisines or else it comes out weird or one food is given preference over the other and it does no justice to either the Mexican and Central American food enthusiasts.
I am not trying to come off as racist, but I feel we should respect our fine and respected cuisines wither it's Burritos or Popusas.
Once again I offer my apologies if I offended anybody out there.
Ever since I moved out of the Richmond and into Parkmerced, the food choices have been somewhat limited, and not nearly as good. There are some good places to eat around Daly City, but I've been super lazy lately so I just settle for what's out there. I've eaten more fastfood since moving to Norcal in the past month than maybe I've had in the first year I've been in SF.
So when I saw that there was a 4 star Yelped mexican place in daly city, I was pretty stoked. Not in the nicest neighborhood, but the place itself is homey.
I had the Burrito and Enchilada combo. Beef burrito and Pork enchilada. The burrito isn't as big as a burrito ought to be. The combo also came with corn tortilla and tortilla chips. Too much tortilla honestly. The pork was nice and tender, but I prefer my enchiladas with flour tortilla rather than corn. With rice and beans for about 10 dollars, it's a bit overpriced in my opinion.
I've never seen a Mexican restaurant serve milkshakes before. One of the milkshakes that intrigued me was the papaya milkshake. Didn't try it this time, but I'd like to go back and try it sometime.
We just moved into the neighborhood, and I was dying to find a mexican restaurant that would satisfy my overly critical pallate. I was thrilled to find Lisa's on yelp, and I must agree with every great review written. The food was delicious, the service impecable, and the price was right. And by that, I mean super cheap. Love it!
I love this place i have been going to this place since i was a little girl. they have changed owners and the food is so much better. i love there food, there has not been one dish that i have got there yet that has been bad. since the new owners took over the food has much more flavor. they kept the same cook but just added more spices. try this food it is really good. oh yea and the workers there are so friendly and nice. they always welcome you. you feel like your sitting at home getting a meal. if you know what i mean. the place is cute it has a nice setting all types of cool pictures on the wall it is a very clean place
Our family loves this place, they even are thoughtful enough to provide crayons and paper for my kids.
Lisa's Mexican Restaurant looks like a biker bar from the outside, with its microscopic windows, spotlit sign, and daunting burglary bars facing Mission Street.
But when you step inside, you're entering another world. Every surface but the floor is covered with goofy stuff -- photos of old Mexican movie stars, life-size parrots, oversized sombreros, and paintings of big-eyed children. The overall effect is like dining inside some abuela's closet, but somehow it feels cozy, not chaotic. The welcome is friendly, both from the staff and the other patrons. And the food...
Well, honestly, I don't want to oversell it. Lisa's is decidedly -not- gourmet. But if you're a homesick Southern Californian pining for the cheesy combo-plates of your youth, Lisa's will fill your heart and belly in a way that you've never experienced north of the Grapevine.
Their chile relleno sauce is just right (it's the kind with chunks of celery like you see absolutely everywhere in L.A.) and their crispy tacos are dynamite. The best thing we've had at Lisa's -- and I am embarrassed to admit, we've been back almost every week since we discovered it - is their chile verde. Mr C. likes to ask for it in their Lisa's Especial, a football-sized 'wet' burrito stuffed with everything a homesick Angeleño needs to feel right again.
Some of the best service I've ever experienced. Everyone is so friendly, psychicly attentive, and welcoming. The food was great too, and very authentic. My boyfriend is from Texas and has eaten a LOT of Mexican food, and he told them it was the best he'd ever had. Also, the salsa was just fine. Sure it was a bit liquidy. But, um, that's how it'll usually be in Mexico. It was spicy, but just the right amount to heat you up, but wear off quickly enough. You can't beat the prices either - very reasonable. My only qualms were with my margarita. It was much too sweet for my taste, but the boyfriend finished it. Also, I would have liked to maybe have had a choice between corn and flour tortillas. I like my floury carby goodness.
All in all, we'll be going back for sure!
Is there such a thing a thing as 21st Century curbside service? There is at Lisa's Mexican Restaurant.
Long story short: My boyfriend and I read all the positive reviews for this place, so we decided to go. They're open 'til 10pm, which is a plus. We cruised over there and realized that all the tables were full. We got our food to go instead. We ordered, and were told to come back in 20 minutes.
We went to Lucky's down the street to get some beer. We came back about 20 minutes later, and were told it would be about 10 more minutes. We waited in the car out front. A few minutes later, one of the waiters brought our food out to us! We were expecting to have to go back inside, but the curbside service was a plus.
The food was also really, really good. I had the #15 Chile Verde, Taco. I thought it was a chile verde taco, but was pleasantly surprised that it was chile verde AND a crispy taco (your choice of chicken or beef). The chile verde was spicy and flavorful. Big pieces of pork, which I like. The taco was crispy, juicy, and the perfect size.
My man had the #6 Chicken Crispy Tacos. They were delicious. The chicken was a little dry and needed an additional splash of salsa, but all-in-all it was delicious.
I'd definitely come here again.
Living in the outer sunset makes a sit-down mexican restaurant a treat. This place is a very cozy joint frequented by a bunch of actual mexican regulars. The pics might make the place seem sorta gaudy, but i felt right at home. You really can feel the familial vibe amongst the staff and towards the customers. They have a TV that plays mariachi music videos!!
Anyway I ordered my usual dish to try out every mexican restaurant: the chimichange. At EVERY other mexican restaurant this is the typical large burrito that is deep fried. Here the chimichangas are small, like double the volume of a taquito, but you get 2 for a normal dish. So volume wise it was the smallest chimichanga(s) that I've ever had.
That said they tasted great! The beans and rice were up to par, so the meal was definately tasty.
The most intersting thing is their salsa, that they serve with the chips before your meal. It is this pale yellowish color, unlike any salsa i've ever seen, more creamy than liquid/chunk style of most. Honestly I prefer a good traditional style salsa, but this was a nice change.
All in all, I look forward to coming back and trying other dishes and supporting a great joint.
What a fun place. Went here on Valentine's Day. The owner was very friendly and helpful. I loved the salad - it had a great salsa dressing - super yummy. I can't say enough good things about my beef taco - very tasty. Every inch of the wall is covered in photos, painting, and/or artwork and I also enjoyed the entertainment of the ladies singing and dancing. Very enjoyable. Great atmosphere.
Went to Lisa's last night for the first time...I must say I have a new standby Mexican place to go to when I'm feeling the craving. I live In Daly City and it's pretty bleak when it comes to nice places to eat, I'm so glad I found this place!
...the food is no frills but excellent and authentic, the staff is extremely friendly and everything is fairly priced...heck even the imported beers are $3! Pretty freakin' cheap!
I sampled the Chile Relleno, Enchilada and Chimichanga, all were suburb. I also had their Horchata, and it ranks with the best I've ever had!
I dropped my fork on the floor and before I even bent down to pick it up there was a waiter with a fresh one and a napkin! Talk about quick service!
If I do have one gripe, the chips and salsa they bring before the meal were the definition of average. and they don't make maragaritas, they have bottled ones, that don't taste very good.
In short...go eat there!
Came here with a group of friends, one of my friends is a regular.
This tiny and easy to miss spot is great! The food and service are both wonderful! I ordered beef chimichangas and they were yummmy! The guacamole was great- and even their chips are good and addicting.
OMG the flan is amaaaazing- and that says a lot since I've never really liked flan- until now! :)
This authentic spot is the perfect alternative to Chevy's and Celia's (gag)!
A solid 3 stars (I'd give 3.5 if I could). After reading the Yelp reviews for Lisa's I thought I'd give it a try since I work in Daly City and am always looking for a new lunch place.
1 star deduction for the very average salsa (yes, it is watery) but it tastes good. And another 1 star deduction for being a typical Mexican place that doesn't seem to have anything on the menu that stands out.
The service was very friendly and I liked the look of the place with tons of framed pictures of random-Latino-cultural-things on the wall.
I ordered a # 3 combo plate with a chile relleno and a pork chile verde enchilada, certainly a good plate of food but nothing remarkable. My friend had a chicken dish from the Lisa's special section of the menu which was pretty good, but not great.
Since I work in the hood I will probably come back, but this is NOT a destination restaurant. I'll stick with my favorites in the Mission or Bernal Heights in SF.
Lisa's is one of those hole in the wall Niki M. life long institutions.
My parents claim I ate many of my first solid meals at this restaurant located in Daly City, but of course I have no recollection of such.
Owned for years by a local character Mavy, who covered the walls with "witty" bumper stickers, pictures of herself and celebrities autographed and hung in gold leafed frames, and pictures of her children and grandchildren side by side with pictures of famous Mexican actors (the picture of Cantinflas always starred at me). It has been taken over by new owners who've changed some things visually (even adding a gentlemen who plays an electric keyboard in the corner on Friday nights, cheesy but a nice touch, better than a mariachi band for this small place) but not the food.
Great plates of Mexican food, consistent over the years as the chef, and now co-owner makes each in the tiny corner of a kitchen with ease and grace. You'd think she'd loose her mind as she flies from the stove to the ovens but she does it well, always taking the beer my dad will buy for her as a thank you for such good food.
Hole in the wall or not, new charm or old, Lisa's is a true favorite in my family. The chef will come out and hug us as we leave, asking how we all are, where my sister is, if our family friends are my boyfriends parents (absurd to us b/c they don't look anything alike and would have been about 8 or 9 when he was born) and apologizing for the fact that the upstairs neighbor's cat knocked a glass of water near her open window which got on us as we waited to get in. Seriously a nice, off the beaten path restaurant with good, reasonably priced food.
*A warning to you men however, rumor has it (or so say my dad, boyfriend and some family friends) that when using the restroom be prepared for a shock as the positioning of various mirrors allows one to see more of themselves than they bargained for. I think it's just a part of this place's natural quirkiness that is no longer shown on the walls.
Update: Went to Lisa's last evening and they realized we weren't just that family who buys beers for the chef, but they also realized I wrote this review and informed me that the men's room had been changed because of me. The host said to the owners, "You know she's right. Every time I go to the bathroom I get self conscious, we have to do something about that..." His story concluded with the fact that he loved my review and is happy we continue to eat there all the time . The host told me to check it out said they loved the review and proceeded to take our order. However I didn't get away that easy, he escorted me to the men's room at the end of our meal, and opened the door for me. TADAH! he said. I love it.
Delicious! Fresh old style mexican food. Great Service!
My Mom and I hit up this spot when she last came into town. Pretty small restaurant with lots of cool stuff on the walls. I had their enchiladas with rice and beans and I tell you, I think these are the best beans I've ever had. I had to try the beans to see if they had that distinct thick lard taste, and to my pleasant surprise, they didn't! Delish! My Mom ordered a taco and enchilada with the taco on the side so as not to get drenched in sauce, they had no problem with the request and brought the food out quickly.
My Mom ended up accidentally leaving her debit card there. They were closed Sun and Mon, so I picked up on Tues with no problem. The management was so nice about it! Great overall experience, I will be taking more of my out-of-town visitors here!
Lisa's is a friendly neighborhood Mexican food restuarant. The owners, Jose and Mario, can be found greeting customers and helping serve food. Friday nights, a musician comes and plays Mexican music which makes it even more fun to go eat there.
I was pleasantly surprised when we went there and Jose remembered what we ordered to drink! Be prepared to wait a little bit for your food, as the cook who looks like someone's grandma, is making it fresh. I almost always order the chorizo con heuvos as the combo is so tasty.
There's lot of choices, so experiment for yourself and decide what will become your favorite dish.
Awesome Mexican in Daly City? That's right.
I got the Chile Relleno and Chimichanga combo (which is perfect cuz i'm always deciding between the two) - both were delicious.
Staff & owner was friendly and attentive.
Now I know where to go when I get a chile relleno craving.
Will be back soon!
The food is the BEST! The cook has been there forever and she's very consistent. The service is outstanding!
I'm hooked on the Enchilada's, but everything is great. Also they have Mexican Coke with real cane sugar, oh yeah baby!
It's very small, so if you have a large group, call ahead.
Given how nice the folks that run this little joint are, I'm sorry I can't give it more stars.
The salsa provided with the chips was basically spicy water. Nacho appetizer was tasty and full of toppings. The steak for the fajitas was extra tough but seasoned very well. Their papaya milkshake and horchata were both excellent and killed the heat rather of the food well.
Even though the food was a little hit and miss, I'll definitely be back to give them another shot.
I too love this place. The new owners are very friendly. It's a family place where everyone from grandma to toddler is welcome.
I even had dinner there with 12 relatives when they were in town for my wedding.
The food is great. Don't forget to try the sangria.
This place has great food, probably the best Mexican food in Daly City, when put into perspective doesn't really say too much... but it's very delicious and I'll still be glad to make that claim.
This would have been a 5 star review had the service been better. I'm a really patient person and it takes a lot for me to be turned off but our server was not attentive at all and it took a long time for our food to come out. It was good, so in the end, it was worth the wait.
My husband and I were very happy to find this place in Daly City, around the corner from the theaters so we made a very nice Friday out of it.
We loved the atmosphere here, intimate, but casual. Everyone here seemed to be having a good time as there was a birthday complete with cake and singing in both English and Spanish. The food was very solid and inexpensive. The service was personal and quick. The keyboard man was awesome!
It has that LA flavor of the kind of place you would drive by in a minute, but once you enter, you see how great it is.
Great atmosphere and service - pretty good food.
I just went there with my family. The chips and salsa were terrible (stale chips - watery salsa). The food was very good, especially the homemade flan. The banana and papaya milkshakes were not very flavorful. The prawns were great, but the mushrooms were probably dried, and were too hard to eat. The food was nice and hot. The owner/maitre d' was very friendly. And it was great that his wife was at the stove. It felt very homey and neighborly. The service was reasonably fast.
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