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Mon. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"BEST ceviche ever!!! No SERIOUSLY EVER! For the past year I have been subjected to hearing my Man talk about how amazing Orale, Orale's…" read more »
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Great happy hour specials and that's all I know. Drinks for 5 bucks, fresh and luscious guacamole for 5 bucks, incredible tacos for 5 bucks. The pork tacos are fantastic. They've got some good stuff cooking behind the counter.
Only drawback, none of us liked the ceviche the first time we tried it and never ordered it again.
Nice little joint on Embarcadero. I didn't really try the food since I came mainly for drinks. From what I recall, the little food I did have was pretty good. Another thing that I can remember about this place is that the drinks were damn expensive.
I wouldn't come here again although it was an alright experience.
Lastly, the crowd seemed older. I wouldn't expect any younger people to hang out around here.
Parking: Street parking only, a little hard but walking a few blocks won't hurt anyone.
Seating: A little hard to get a "good" table without a reservation. I came with a friend and they sat us at the bar in front of the "open kitchen" area they have. Not bad.
Drinks: The white sangria was deelish!
Food: The mango guac was sooo good. The chicken toastadas, 2 small toastadas but they were so good and they had so much chicken on them, a little spicy but made just right. And the pork tacos..... served with 2 different salsas and guac.... It was amazing!! And for desert, the flan.
It was very good here, I'd def come back.
Delightful email from Mexico DF staff member, which I have chosen not to respond, despite my numerous issues with the communication. I do, however, think it would be interesting for potential patrons to assess the restaurant's attitude...
Braden R. has sent you a message on Yelp:
RE: Mexico DF
"Hey just read your review, and was surprised that you were so upset over the happy hour rule. You do realize that 90% of the restaurants here in the city have that rule... walk to Chaya on the Embarcadero, or Perry's, or Ozumo, or Palomino, or Gordon Biersch, or how about One Market or Cosmopolitan... they all have the same rule. It's standard everywhere, and to rate a restaurant low because of such a rule is not what Yelp is about. Especially considering your previous review of the place was positive and you like the food... I don't understand you."
Edit: the dish I loved previously is no longer. I didn't enjoy my last dinners here.
I think it's…
Read more »
I had a good time here and it was alright but nothing that really impressed me. The guac was just ok but the salsas were good. I had the tacos and I expected more. I can find better tasting food for a fraction of the price but this might be a good spot for a group outing.
3.5 stars
Eats: Guacamole with chips, duck fluata, mahi mahi ceviche, quesidillas, Camarones a la Diabla, and all three of their desserts!
Verdict:
guac was yum
duck fluatas i think overrated
mahi mahi ceviche was yum
quesidillas (fried) was yum
camarones had a good taste but not devishly spicy so a bit disapointing
Overall I think this place doesnt pack the punch when it comes to hotspice ouch-in-my-mouth! so I was a little let down.
BUT!!!!! Then the desserts came and they were THE BEST!!!! Totally a 5 star dessert experience. YUMMMMMMM!
My tummy hurts but its a good kind of hurtin':
Tres Leche Cake- YESSSSS!!!!!! I decided this would be my wedding cake today, zomg the most delicious cake ever. I happily devoured every calorie-laden buttery milky bite. YUMMMMMM!!!!!!
Burnt Caramel Flan- Very good contrast between sweet and bitter. yummmmm
Goat Cheese Cheesecake- NAY on this, I wasnt a fan and neither was the rest of my party.
+ How did i only recent discover mexican hot chocolate!!!? Its sooo good- like warm chocolate horchata.
Service was good except they forgot the black beans I ordered. Boo for having to order all your sides (beans, rice, etc)
This place reminds me of a VERY upscale and trendy Mexican restaurant. If you're looking for big portions and cheap food, you're better off going to a regular taqueria. Don't even bother. No seriously. Before entering this establishment, ask yourself "Do I really want to spend $9 on guacamole and chips?" Hate to break it to you, but that's how much it cost. And it wasn't that great.
I ordered their: Camarones a la Diabla - Sauteed prawns with Chile de Arbol Salsa ($12).
Good thing they have an online menu cause I forgot what it was called! I would have just described it as the "Shrimp Dish w/salsa." Anyway, it was very good and flavorful. I would definitely order it again. My only complaint is that It only came with tortillas (OMG! Soooo good!). And the sauce, was super delicious! If you want rice, beans, guacamole, and all that other good stuff, you have to order it separately.
Most of the sides we ordered ranged from $3-$5. And yes, they were pretty small. Like I said earlier, if you're looking for cheap food and bigger portions, you're better off going to a taqueria!
Oh and just an FYI, they have a couple flat screens by the bar. As for service, eh, it was okay.
Mexico DF is definitely a hidden pearl. I love SOMA and usually go to the Americano for happy hour then head to Ozumo for dinner walking right by this incredible spot! Finally I had the opportunity to try it. A good friend of mine was having dinner with the owner and invited me to join. We tasted many of the dishes that night along with martinis and glasses of wine.
This is the BEST Mexican food and margaritas in SF! Try the mango guacamole!!
LOVE IT!
Went there recently on my Open Table account, seeing how they were offering 1,000 points to get you to try them. Made a reservation, rounded up the 3 others and headed out to dinner.
The guacamole - you gotta try it. Decent chips, too. I ordered the carnitas dish, and my first reaction when I looked at the serving was "how tiny" the serving looked. I was deceived! The crispiness of the pork told me that I was in for a treat! Some great corn tortillas made it to the table, Huzband handed me a chicken dish to try. Amazing. This is cuisine in the full sense of the word. You would not find this style of food on the streets of Mexico. This is obviously a creative effort on the chef's part.
Costly? Yes.
But definitely worth going back to.
I'm starting with 4 stars, if my next experience here is as good as the first, it'll be bumped to 5.
So it took a while to make it here, but here i am and i am excited! The menu is simple, but full of fun sounding food. Obviously a more posh style mexican restaurant but still inviting. It reminds me of the mid to upper scale restaurants in mexico city. The staff is all mexican from what i could tell and the hostess spoke english well. She immediately picked up on my accent when ordering food and spoke to me in spanish from then on.
I ordered a frozen margarita, it wasnt on the menu but i asked about it. She shyed me away from it, they dont use a mix, just pure juice so your standard margarita would be very tart. I thanked her for the input and asked for a frozen TAMARIND margarita! Awesome, a traditional mexican drink! Thats what i came here for, to feel like i was in mexico city for the evening! =)
So i just got my drink...excellent! Will say though, normally you serve a frozen margarita in a different type of glass, but whatever. It was rimmed with something that had an interesting spice to it. It complemented the drink well. The drink was much less strong or tart than i make them at home but very well made nonetheless.
Hopefully my baby goat (cabrito) tacos will feel like a taste of mexico too!
I should mention the chargers. Hand painted, pretty things. Now my tacos are here, ill report back soon.
Tender soft, not chewy not gamey, a little darker than im used to seeing my cabrito but it is much darker here than it was in the places in mexico that ive had it. The meat was just a little pink here and there, exactly as it should be.
The waitress was great too. She was understanding, suggested things, offered desert and then when i declined coffee. I know thats not a big deal and should be expected at any place in the financial district but ive gotten used to eating at asian restaurants where service is a thing of the past!
I dont think ive ever ordered coffee at a restaurant but she was so inviting that i had to, i ordered an espresso, lets see how it compares to starbucks =)
Not bad. This place is kind of a fancy Mexican place. Normally when I want Mexican I hit up a taqueria. Went to Mexico DF for something a little different over lunch one day.
I got the duck flautas, which came with a cottage cheese and white cream on top. They were a pleasant surprise and I recommend them.
My only real complaints are about the price (slightly pricey for what you get) and about the service. The restaurant was only about 1/4 full but the service was really slow.
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 for bell curve reasons.
I went to Mexico DF for the 5th time. In the past I have had good food (standard fare) and good service. This time I was taking someone from out of town to dinner. Service was OK: too much attention at moments - not enough at others. The food was so bad that we did not finish a single thing brought to us. The Guacamole was so hot it was hard to eat. The Pollo en Salsa Verde tacos were bland and unattractive. The Chile Relleno was tolerable and the Grilled Beef Short Ribs were inedible. By their appearance, I was shocked that some items were brought to the table without adjustment. Go to this restaurant at your own risk.
Best lengua tacos in SF, exquisite margaritas, nopalitos that almost melt in your mouth, and great service on a Saturday night.
Environment was attractive. Friendly people. Valet parking to midnight. We'll be back!
I thought the food was either too salty or just avg. Expensive, small portions...and all I could do was think about EL FARALITO.....
oh wait, their guacamole WAS good.....
but that was about it.
I've visited Mexico DF several times, they have amazing carnitas and good drinks. When you order the carnitas plate they give you these soft tacos and typical mexican condiments so you can make your own mini tacos!
When someone clearly has been trying to flag you down for quite some time for the check, you should actually make an effort to go retrieve it afterward. It's not going to pay itself. When we flagged down someone else (possibly the manager), we had an unpleasant miscommunication that could be easily forgivable were it not for the unnecessarily hostile tone.
My drinks were good while my friend's was okay, food was a lot less tasty than last time and made my GI tract pretty unhappy afterward. And this is from someone who lived on El Farolito burritos for a year.
My boss loves this place for its guacamole so one day we finally convinced her to take us out to lunch here. I agree with her that the guacamole is incredible. That's where it ends for me.
I agree with Anna H about the more for less at other Mexican restaurants. I defintely got Less for More at this place. It was quite expensive and I was still hungry after getting my teeny tiny tacos with just a tiny bit of taste to them. To top it off, the server totally spilled salsa on my jacket which was hanging off my chair. Way to go.
All I can say is, thank you that the boss paid for the meal.
This is one of my favorite happy hour spots in SF! Why you ask? Because it's 1) cheap and 2) good! Happy hour I believe runs from 4-7 and for $5, you can get sangria, mojitos, chips with gaucomole, tacos and other items. Not bad at all! Ambiance is cute and comfy, too. Drop by with a group of friends one of these days!
Love this place! The food, the service, the atmosphere. Besides the fact that it was crowded, and we had to wait in the lounge. The host and bartender were very friendly. The food was excellent! Cant wait to go back again. Fantastic!
Upscale Mexican place. Ambiance is nice and the decor is sophisticated.
We ordered mango guacamole. It came with a ton of chips, sufficient guacamole, but only very little mango. You can taste the freshness of the guacamole though.
Duck Flautas - good, has a nice spicy kick, a little dry on the inside
Camarones a la Diablo - SPICY! the sauce is good
Everything was spicy and that masked the flavors of the food, so I don't know if my review is accurate. I tried my friends' tacos and those were spicy too, but I like spicy food so it works for me! The strawberry mojito was made with fresh mashed strawberries, the way I like it. Prices were cheap considering location and atmosphere. The service was friendly.
This place is the epitome of hit and miss.
The hits, including the margaritas, guacamole, carnitas, and chilequiles really sing here.
The true travesty are the misses, that really pull everything else down. My girlfriend tonight ordered the carne asada tacos and they just looked awful. We are talking sad, dry, chewy meat. The same goes for many other items on the menu. I just have a really hard time lauding a place that can take you from the best to the worst on one menu.
Mexico DF may be working out the kinks, and I will patronize it given the amazing happy hour and proximity to work, but I am becoming more and more wary to try anything new here.
Yay! I'm a fan.
$5 margaritas on the rocks with a twist of orange & lime. ;p wooooohooo.
yes that's right $5 margaritas, mojitos, palomas, cuba libres... and apps for ONLY $5 each.
Weekdays from 4-7pm
I was on my way to my usual Friday happy hour spot, when my friend mentioned Mexico DF.
I was in the mood for chips, guac & margs ;p Recessionista Budget!
my glass was always full. YES guacamole was great. I'm Mexican and know what good Mexican food is and that guac was fresh and delish the salsas are OLE! the red was my favorita... ;p
The waiters are very nice and friendly the only thing they needed was some Mariachi or Rock en Espanol? to give it a GOOD MEXICO DF VIBE.
This is my official summer happy hour top 5 spot.
SALUD!
Definitely a cut above most Mexican restaurants in the city in my opinion. Not a burrito joint, it's a full-fledged restaurant experience -- very trendy and delicious with an upscale and flavorful twist, incorporating the wonderful flavors of Mexico combined with a lot of the fresh and innovative underpinnings of California cuisine. Good service plus pleasant surroundings plus yummy food plus great location = four stars! Check it out!
Probably the freshest Mexican I've had in a long time. The place gets packed for lunch and dinner (at both times on a recent trip here), however the food and the service are good. In you're in the area, I recommend a visit. Excellent margaritas. The bar is small and can get busy especially after work.
This is an upscale Mexican restaurant so you should automatically know this golden rule about upscale Mexican restaurants: you can probably get more for less elsewhere (and most times, even tastier). However, if there is cause for celebration or you want the sophisticated dining experience of Mexican food, this will be a great restaurant for that. It all depends on what YOU want and are ok with.
Food: I got the "Al Pastor - Marinated Pork Chop With Grilled Pineapple Salsa And Salsa De Molcajete." I was feeling adventurous and wanted to try something new. It was pretty good, but not memorable for what we paid for. They do have a variety of dishes for different palettes. If I am ever in the city again and do come back, I'll have to try the Duck Flautas.
Ambiance: It's dark inside but you can expect that from most modern, upscale restaurants. Mexico DF also has a sleek cavelike dining room and makes it worth a visit if you're ok with shelling out some money for complex Mexican food.
Location: Parking is a pain. It's in the Embarcadero, what do you expect?!
My go to spot for a sit down lunch (which happens every 6 months or so). Cool decor, quick service and yummy food. Love the guacamole and chips starter followed by a taco plate. Pollo asado and the carne asada are my favs and the cod is quite good.
Head here if you have a good 45 minutes for lunch, have $15 to spare and want to feel like you had something more substantial and tasty than whats in your plastic container post-salad bar run.
I'd love to lunch it here on a day when work isn't so busy and margaritas are flowing...
Had a great time here during Happy Hour last Friday.... the guacamole and chips at $4 was plentiful, tasty and they offered us more chips. We loved our margaritas at $5.00 a pop. Also tried the cactus salad which was also yummy! Loved this place, I just wish I lived closer!
beautiful spacious resto. Easy to get to from BART.
Lamb tacos..superb
Marinated chilis,carrots and onions best I've ever had
Refried beans..bland,dry needed a bit more white cheese...the flavor full salsa helped it out .
Tres leche cake..yum..very good
Excellent coffee
we went to this place for the frist time right around 4:00 in the afternoon. We got right in. Sat down right away and ordered. We then waited...and waited some more to get our drinks. Finally, after flagging down someone who didnt even take our order we finally got them. I didnt particularly like the fact that they charge for chips and salsa being a mexican restaurant. The guacamole was great indeed. The chips were very crispy. The drinks were great. The quesadillas do in fact look exactly like empanadas. Only thing is that we had to pretty much flag down people in order to get service. At one point, i almost got out of my seat to walk up to someone to ask for something because no one had come over and we just wanted the check by that time. Seemed very strange for a new restaurant to have such bad service.
Mexico DF was suggested by some friends for dinner, and having been out of town for several month, far, far away from anything that could be called Mexican I was happy to go. The restaurant is in the financial/Embarcadero area and so it seems to get more of a happy hour crowd than real dinner, a Thursday night was hardly full at 8. The decor was elegant and hip, though I don't get the strange electronic "painting" reproductions hanging on the walls (complete with Microsoft label where the artists signature should be).
Our server was knowledgeable, helping to navigate the extensive "margarita" drink list. We ordered the guacamole to start, they have a variety including bacon and shrimp, etc., but we stuck with the standard. Our appetizer came quickly, but we waited almost half an hour for our drink order. With drinks finally at hand, I ordered the Chili Relleno. This was a definite winner, stuffed with corn, summer squash, and cheese, friend perfectly and sitting in a bowl of delicious, soulful, but not spicy sauce. Friends had lamb tacos (if it's Mexican shouldn't they be goat?), and the carnitas (delicious, but more like chunks of pork than the crispy, chipped pork one might imagine). After our server recited the dessert menu she disappeared, and we had to track down someone to give us a check. Also, when we got the check we noticed my friend who had ordered "just a regular margarita" was given the $10 one, not the $8, which is a sneaky server trick. Other reviews have been more harsh about the service, and while ours wasn't spot on, it didn't much detract from the good food.
This place was super cute inside and they have a cute little bar area up front.
However, by the time I had dinner (couldn't decide on where to eat), I was not hungry anymore b/c I stuffed my face from hummus from hayes & kebab.
This place is not bad and the food is pretty typical Mexican food. Nothing too crazy or super delicious. I had tacos - I think they were appetizer ones and something else - probably a meat dish. Both were good, but the tacos were just like eating from any SF taqueria.
Ok, so fine, the food was not that great, but I really liked the interior and drinks, hence the many stars. The service wasn't bad, but wasn't modern. It seems like a cool place to go w/your girls and have some food before going out.
Came here with my gf and her mom after a long day at the ballpark. I was ready to eat!
The interior was dimly lit and had interesting LCD wall art that changed images. The kitchen was interesting in that it opened up into the dining room.
I started with a margarita tepito and helped eat the shrimp and bacon guacamole. For my main plate I went for the carne asada tacos w/the poblano rajas. The meat was well marinated and cooked to juicy perfection. Not a whole lot of food, but just the right amount to balance out a medium meal. I'll have to come back and get a fuerte sized plate next time and see what transpires.
Worth a try if you're in the area.
Check your credit card statements at the end of the month to make sure this place did not overcharge you. I went with a group of 8 people and we each put our share on a credit card. Because we were more than 6 people, they included the service charge on each persons bill. They gave me a receipt for the food and service. I signed it, took the copy and left. Well a month later, I noticed that my monthly credit card statement says that Mexico DF charged me $20 more than what I remembered paying. I fished out my receipt and yes, they added $20 to the receipt that already included a service charge and that I signed off on, after I signed it.. I made a special trip to the restaurant, showed them their restaurant receipt and my monthly statement and they said that they would credit me back $20. I offered them my credit card right there to credit my $20 and they said that they would take care of it later. They never credited me back my $20 and I have to now write a letter to my credit card company.
Mike S wrote that they kept asking his group how many credit cards they were using, before they even ordered drinks. Maybe they just decided to be blatant about ripping people off.
I had a problem with the descriptions of the food vs. what you actually get. The mushroom and chard "quesadillas" sounded great but when arrived realized they are fried, moreso resembling an empanada than a quesadilla. if the menu had explained that it was fried, I would've gone with something else. I ate half of one and felt plain gross.
The guacomole is good.
We waited an inordinate amount of time for someone to come to the table after we had finished our meals. Asked twice for the check and finally carried my credit card to the front.
I may return if I'm in the area but will be sure to ask the waiter as to the real preparation.
With the demise years ago of Cafe Marimba on Chestnut, it's pretty hard to find decent upscale Mexican fare. Your range of choices is limited to Mamacita (which replaced Cafe Marimba), Tres Agaves, Maya, and Mexico DF. None of them really stand out for me. I just went back to Mexico DF, and while it still didn't knock my socks off, I had a good time.
The guacamole was chunky and excellently seasoned. The flavored margaritas were all really interesting (my favorite was the Xochimilco, but I also liked the Tamarindo with chile on the rim). I had the goat tacos for my entree, but was too stuffed already to really enjoy them and I would have loved a squeeze of lime somewhere on the plate. I also tried the Salmon Pipian, which was clearly a top-notch dish. The other tacos on the table looked good, though nothing I wouldn't expect to see elsewhere.
Service was attentive and the space is nice. It doesn't have the best of vibes since it's not really in a neighborhood location, but I'm not really sure what to do about that. I'd go back again.
Let's start with the service. The waiter arrived at our table, expressed his excitement about how… Read more »
This is fa sho the Mamacita of the Fin'l District. Steuart Street is now filled with a ton of cute places, between Shanghai 1930, Ozumo, Perry's and of course, Mexico DF.
Hit up the spot last night with my three good girlfriends, for some chit-chat, food and margs, of course. I had one of the specialty margaritas with muddled pineapple & strawberry - SO SO SO good... I felt like I was actually in Mexico, no joke.
Our waitress was so fun, funny & cool... and despite the questionable service at the beginning of the evening, she brought us a free chips & guac (SO GOOD) and free pomegranate margarita shots... ai yi yi!
I love this place. It's def my new go-to with the girls... or you know... whomever.... ;)
While the guacamole at this place was delicious and the portion generous, the service is terrible. Not to mention their chips are hard. I felt like I was biting bricks. Maybe I'm used to oily Chevy's chips, lol
We had to ask the waiter twice for a Diet Coke and more guacamole. When he never came, we asked the manager. The manager then talked to the waiter and he came back to take our order. Didn't we just ask you twice for our order and you come back the third time?!?!
We ate here on a Saturday night -- we wanted a good margarita, and some good Mexican food, and we decided to drive downtown from Bernal Heights. It was well worth it! The margaritas are the real kind -- you know, none of that neon green mix that is full of corn syrup and food coloring, just fresh lime juice, sugar, Grand Marnier, and Don Julio tequila. Simple and delicious.
Overall, the food was delicious and perfectly spiced. The guacamole was seasoned well and obviously very fresh. The only problem with the guacamole was the chips -- they were thick, long, hard, and although those are adjectives that usually inspire me, not so much when we're talking tortilla chips. They are a danger to your teeth and roof of your mouth. The camarones a la diabla (shrimp in a super spicy ancho chile sauce) was perfection on a plate. If you like little fried pieces of pork heaven, please do yourself a favor and order the carnitas. They were perfectly cooked (not too dry, still moist, but crispy on the outside), and they come with two homemade salsas that are excellent.
We sat at the chef's counter and watched the kitchen work. It was impressive to watch -- it was obvious everyone really cared about the food they were making. One chef did nothing but stuff and hand-roll homemade quesadillas (which were more like empanadas) for the two hours we were there. She treated each little one so carefully and with so much pride. It was clear they take their food very seriously.
Other than the chips being dangerous, the reason I can't give this place 5 stars is the cleanliness. We looked up at one point and saw fuzzy dust-bunnies on the light fixtures and ceiling panels above us...which also happened to be right above the chef making the quesadillas! Once we noticed that, we noticed a lot of other dirt and fuzz and dust on other surfaces. It's not a huge problem in my mind, but it tells me that management isn't focusing on cleanliness the same way it's focusing on its food. That's the only reason I can't give this place an enthusiastic 5-star review. But I'll definitely be going back...again and again...and hopefully they'll get a new cleaning service!
Yumm! The food was great here. Though I felt like I gained a couple of pounds after devouring everthing, it was well worth it. Our waitress was super cute and provided great service!!
Had a great time and will definitely return!
I heard this was the Mamacita of the Financial District so I had to check it out. I was really worried about driving and finding parking but they had Valet service for $10. Which was great. I made reservations on Open Table and we walked right in and sat down.
I recently started eating Mexican food so I really had no idea what to order. The waitress was so helpful giving me suggestions of what to order. We started off with the strawberry muddled Margaritas which was amazing. Then we order the Guacamole!! OMG it was amazing. SOOO good. Then I had Chicken Tacos that were so spicy!!!
I really enjoyed my dinner at Mexico DF and am looking forward to coming back.
New Happy Hour
Neighborhood: Financial District
Happy Hour
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Union Square
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Mexican
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