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"WOW! That is what i have to say about this place. I mean i know the mission has the best Mexican food. Popalote is one of my fav and…" read more »
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If you go to this place make sure you take home some of their delicious salsa, you can buy it by the jar and put it on just about anything! My boyfriend and I bought it the last time we went and we went thru that stuff faster than a street hooker will jump into your car.
you can put it on almost anything... burritos, nachos, eggs, steak, the possibilities are endless and DELICIOUS!
I love the taste of their tortilla chips! I also like that the chip isn't too thin which means it's perfect for nachos! I can pick up toppings with the chip!
The meat I prefer is steak.. the nacho was about $9. I bought gucamole for .99 cents and I only recieved a table spoon worth. REALLY?!?! C'mon, don't be stingy on the gucamole, tomatos and cheese. I was left with a bunch of chips and very little topping. The homemade hot sauce is really tasty, definitely has a kick to it. WHAH-POW.
The meat is really good though, I like how the meat is made when you order.
I have to say, I'm quite a fan of the slightly healthier taqueria trend, but I didn't find Papalote to be quite as good as Little Chihuahua or Fillmore Mexican Grill.
Everything is made to order, and the prawns in my burrito were certainly good. Only problem was that most of the flavor in my burrito was the tasteless filler rice/beans as there wasn't enough guacamole, salsa or cheese to even notice. I eventually found the guacamole, but right at the end.
The chips and salsa were also decent, but not necessarily worth putting on a must-do list.
Papalote is a really great burrito place. I have tried all three of their meats: The best is the pollo...which has a nice kick and is very tender. The pork is quite good and actually better than most places...it is not salty and not extra fatty yet with plenty of flavor. The steak is the least of my favorites...it has very little flavor besides that of bbq beef which is still good.
The guacamole here is fresh and mixed with chunks of tomatoe, cilantro and onions and is really good ( alot of place now use crappy frozen guac in a can ala costco....y'all know what I mean). Also their homemade salsa is really great...it is peppery and thick and creamy....so much different than the typical salsa cruda, or the roasted chipotle etc etc.
My only beef with this place is that when I visited it wasnt that clean...there was a plastic pail next to the cashier filled with brown water and a bunch of utensils.....We didnt get sick so this is probably nothing. I highly rate this placed
The best burritos in town! I really can't express how good the burritos are here. The carne asada is flavorful and tender - which is a huge challenge at some mexican restaurants.
We always get the burritos with carne asada - fully loaded! They are just amazing! No matter how many other mexican places we try - we always come back to Papalote!
Try it - its worth it!
I was craving some Mexican food, particulary some chips and salsa. Since this place was on 7x7 magazine's 100 places to eat, particularly for their chips and salsa, I've always wanted to try it. My hubby and I were going to the city anyway, so we decided to make a stop at this place for a quick lunch.
The salsa was admittedly good, but I'm not sure if I would call it "the best ever". The chips were ok, but I prefer superthin chips to the thick ones they serve here. I was here for the chips and salsa (which I can eat all day), but I figure I should at least give their other food a try. I wound up getting the chicken mole tacos, which were pretty good. entree-sized portion. It was a decent-sized portion for lunch, larger than taco-trucks but not ginormous like what you would get as an entree at most mexican restaurants.
It was a good experience overall, but with all the good mexican places in the Mission, I'd probably try a few other restaurants before going back to this one.
Honestly, I think Papalote is a great place! I love their burritos, and definitely LOVED their prawn tacos. They were made fresh (had to wait longer than I would've liked)...and their homemade tortilla chips are really good. They've always been pretty busy when I've gone there...considering I don't usually go when the big lunch/dinner rush is there. I also like Jarritos drinks and any Mexican place that has these are good in my book!
While it's not the best Mexican place I've had in SF, it's good. I'm a big fan of their salsa, I don't know what about it gets me, but I buy them by the jars. Their burritos are alright, a little on the dry side, but with help from that salsa, it doesn't cross my mind again. While the wait time can be a little long, there's a market right across the street with free parking, just buy something and you're set.
Damn good salsa.
A wide variety of options for vegetarians.
However, it is a little more pricy than you expect for a taqueria.
I count myself very fortunate to have Papalote as my neighborhood burrito place.
Definitely a notch above your usual. (Whether it deserves the "Gourmet Burrito Bar" term I've heard bandied around, is a matter of opinion...) What's for sure is that Papalote is a clean, quite hip joint that serves (IMHO) the best Pollo Special Burrito, and also (as an occasional substitute) quite excellent Carne Asada Burritos. I get an odd pleasure out of waiting at the counter as I see the meats being grilled, and the burritos being assembled and packaged up with great efficiency.
Friendly staff and mmmm, very, very tasty food, with an outstanding smoky salsa on the side -- gives me a very good reason not to cook that frozen pizza for dinner tonight!
I'm from LA where Mexican food is abundant and authentic. So when I was up in the Bay, I was feigning for a burrito and asked about a good place where I can get one. Friend said Papalote because it has won awards. A mexican joint winning awards for their burritos?!? OK, I'm game...
I was gonna get the carne asada, but friend told me to get the SOY RIZO. A vegan burrito??? I put a 'super' order on it and this burrito BEATS all the late night taco trucks in LA - HANDS DOWN! I love me some Sunset & Alvarado taco trucks, but Papalote puts them all to shame. Seriously.
So the next night, I told my fellow LA buddies to go and try it. We had dinner at another restaurant beforehand, went to Papalote to get burritos to eat for later, but it smelled so good, that we ate the burritos on top of being full! And their reaction was the same as mine.
SUPER FANTASTIC BURRITOS!!!!!!
Never heard of this place until one day someone from work said 'were ordering from Papalote, what do you want'. I ordered their carne asada burrito and I thought that they were okay. I'm Mexican so I am super critical about mexican food and I was just not too impressed with this burrito that I ordered. It was not bad but it was not great, it was just good.
I recommend trying them out if you are debating going here because, like I said, they were not bad.
Maybe I'll take my bf and actually eat in the restaurant, sometimes that makes a difference. ??
Good veggie options.
Minus - I ordered and paid for the "super" burrito, however, I was given the regular burrito. But, since I got it to-go, I did not learn this until I got home.
Moral of the story: Be sure to ask the server what burrito is in your bag before you leave.
Delicious burritos. Forget about chipotle(mcdonalds). Papalote has good quality ingredients and fast service.
If you're looking for greasy authentic mexican food, this is not the place.
Burritos come with free chips and special orange salsa. Very Addicting spot...
I have take it upon myself to become an expert on San Francisco's Super Quesadillas. In my quest, I happened upon this restaurant. I want to give this place 5 stars. The first time I had a super quesadilla (to go), it was awesome. There salsa is good. And they have a large menu of other items as well. My last two visits have completely turned me off to them, though.
For the uninitiated, a super quesadilla is a quesadilla with guacamole and sour cream INSIDE. Please note that the word "inside" are in capital letters and bold on their menu, when describing it.
Apparently the cooks and staff have not read there menu because they refuse to put it inside. They put it on the plate, instead. Which makes a big difference. I then got in an argument with the wait staff about this.
Girl: No, it does not come inside. It is served on the plate!
Me (with dumbfounded looks): *points to menu*
Girl: No!
Figure your damn menu out. Until you can serve stuff the way it says on your menu, I refuse to come back. I tried once more, and you did it again. I give up.
I'm constantly on the search for the "perfect" burrito. I'm vegetarian so it gets kinda limited. I recently moved to NOPA and quickly became a fan of Papalote. The SOY RIZO burrito is freaking AMAZING! It is, in my opinion, the "perfect" burrito. Make it a super and you're in heaven!
On top of great food I LOVE the service. They always come right out and give their salsa (YUM) and chips. It's mellow, cheap dining that hits the spot in the best of ways!
Is a burrito better if the ingredients are fresh? I'm not so sure the answer is yes. But in San Francisco, it seems fresh ingredients a good burrito does make. Hailing from San Diego, I cry foul.
Twas Halloween 2009 and we happened to be riding BART due to the fourth consecutive day of bay bridge closure. "Why not get a burrito in the Mission?" my girlfriend did ask. Sounds great... as a burrito almost always does.
So we embark to order our food. Granted, it is Halloween, I understand that. I understand it's going to be busy. But when you say the wait is going to be half an hour, it had damn well better be less than a 30 minute wait. This is called the C. Montgomery Scott school of expectations management.
-- Scene
"The dilitheium chambers have ruptured captain! It'll take at least 2 days" - Scotty
"You've got to work quicker Mr. Scott! We haven't got two days, we've got two hours!" - Kirk
"Aye sir. I'll give it all she's got." - Scotty
[Scotty sits back in his chair knowing full well he has an hour and fifty minutes to enjoy his twelve year single malt in piece before he actually has to do any work]
/ Scene
In other words, you give yourself some wiggle room. There's absolutely no excuse to tell me my shredded chicken burrito is going to be ready in half an hour (a travesty in and of itself, but again, this was Halloween) and let me wait a full hour to deliver said burrito. There are levels of savagery that are acceptable, but making a man wait 100% longer for his burrito is not amongst those acceptable levels.
All that being said, the burrito wasn't bad. It was a decent burrito, but the fresh ingredients did make me think I was eating at Baja Fresh for a couple of bites. And no one should ever have to eat at Baja Fresh. I think it was just the salsa fresco.
All in all, I'd recommend the place, but you had better be prepared for a wait. I just wanted a burrito... it didn't have to be made to order.
I ate here after running the San Fran half marathon, and I was so ravenous probably anything would have tasted awesome, but I was pretty happy with my burrito.
I had the rice and bean super burrito with the refried black beans. They were a little too runny for my refried bean taste, so next time I would stick with the regular black beans. But overall it was tasty and very filling.
The burrito included chips and 'salsa' which wasn't like any other salsa I have had... kind of creamy and spicy and oh-so yummy. Perfect post-race meal!
Bumping them down to one star would be kind of harsh, and the place isn't THAT bad. But what restaurant that has a breakfast menu doesn't open 'til 11? Really!?!
I know this place caters to the college crowd, which typically doesn't roll out of bed 'til the afternoon on the weekends, but us old farts who know how to drink the night before AND wake up the next morning to start day drinking (it was for a football game) would prefer sustenance sooner rather than later...
BTW...I know I dissed there crappy breakfast burritos in my last review. The only reason I went back was because I was across the street getting my haircut so it was convenient, and I just needed something to serve the dual purpose of soaking up the alcohol from the previous night and providing some sort of foundation for the marathon drinking session that was about to take place that day...
I'm assuming the reason this place has mostly positive reviews is because compared to a lot of… Read more »
Simply Amazing.
Constantly Reviewed as one of the best burritos the city has to offer.
This isnt a lie
The house salsa is oh so good. I wish they sold it separately.
Carne Asada Super Burrito w double meat = Crack.
5stars. Nasafast
it was everything i ever dreamed of in a burrito. I had the carne asada and now i'm screwed - I can't stop craving it. Damn this places is AMAAAAAZING.
Pretty over-rated mexican place. I had heard really good things, but it just didn't deliver on them. On the plus side, it's cheap. On the minus side, there's about 10 better taquerias 5 blocks away in the Mission, like Pancho Villa or La Corneta.
I got my usual, a burrito, and found it relatively small compared to burritos from other SF taqueries. The flavor was decent enough, but nothing special. My girlfriend got her usual, nachos. They have refried black beans, which is nice, but there was very little salsa or cheese. Also, the chunks of carne asada were way too big. The chips themselves also aren't good, mostly because they're thin.
With so many better options, I don't see why I'd ever go back.
Rita C. mentioned the delicious shrimp burrito from Papalote the other day and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. When the burrito desire finally outweighed the lying in my bed desire, off I went.
I noticed both a shrimp and prawn burrito on the menu. Call me a simpleton, but I never knew there was a difference. Based on my Chowhound research I learned that "the shell formation differs ever so slightly. The shrimp have all the segments overlapped and going the same direction while the prawn has one segment of shell that is reversed."
No clue what any of that means...so I went with the prawn. Overall it was good. The prawns themselves were cooked well and flavored with lime juice, though I wish there were more of them. There were times I went 3 bites without a prawn, that should never happen in a prawn burrito. There was also way too much rice and beans. Next time I'll tell them to go light. You can make it a super burrito for only 99 cents -- which adds cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. I only wanted the guacamole, and somehow that was like $1.50 to add??
And lucky me, my burrito craving led me to another item on the Big Eat SF List.
#46: Chips and salsa with Papalote.
So I was thinking, I like chips and salsa but are there really any chips and salsa I HAVE to eat before I die? As I was licking the salsa ramekin clean a few minutes later I realized that apparently there are. This isn't your typical chunks of tomato salsa, it's more of a paste. Flavorful, spicy, delicious. You only get a small little container, though, and extra salsa is 50 cents. I don't like this salsa tease.
All in all, a big satisfying delicious meal.
Just as good as the Mission location with a couple added advantages. Most notably it's cleaner and more organized than the Valencia location. While you can find a better burrito in SF this place takes the cake if your looking for non-meat filled options (IE shrimp, fish, soyrizo, etc.). My favorite by far are the fish and shrimp burritos, they're really flavorful and I think more enjoyable than the chicken or vegetable options available here. It goes with out saying that the salsa here is addictive like crack (is there olive oil in it or is it just me?). Try the spinach tortilla, it's delicious and nutritious!
Chile Verde burrito was great, except I wanted more chile verde and wasn't that impressed with the tortilla, so next time I come I will get the chile verde plate instead. The house salsa was awesome. Came here on a Saturday night with a group which wasn't the best idea since there isn't much seating, but we were able to squeeze in at the counter and sit down. A bottle of Mexican coca cola topped off the meal. I'll be back for that chile verde.
Everyone has to try the mole chicken taco here. I like this place because the food is healthy, reasonably priced, and delicious. The atmosphere is light and clean, with a few tables at the window and a long counter to eat at. The menu offers a variety of dishes to try, as well as beer and aqua frescas.
Everyone gets a bowl of nachos with a yummy spicy sauce. My mole chicken taco was delicious. I recommend ordering the tacos with two shells because they can fall apart and feel flimsy with the standard tortilla. Each taco comes topped with fresh lettuce and tomato. I might add a condiment bar because I like loading toppings on my taco.
WHAT KIND OF PLACE DOES NOT HAVE CARNITAS??!!!???!!!???!!!???!
I was waiting for the 5 bus and got hunger pains for some mexican food. I walk in and before I was able to even look at the menu the service people asked what i wanted. Okay thanks for acknowledging my presence, but a simple "hi" would of been better instead of rushing me for my order I mean comeon i was the only one in the restaurant so why the rush??
So in a panic i order my favorite carnitas burrito, service girl looked at me like i was dumb and said we dont have carnitas here....DONT HAVE CARNITAS HERE WTF!!! okay i'm calm now. so i order their dry chicken burrito.
Spotlight was their salsa and chips really good!! BUT and I say BUT with annoyance i asked for a second cup of salsa cause it was that good and the guy informed me i would be charged fifty cents...............yeah angry and displease.....again WHAT KIND OF PLACE DOESNT HAVE CARNITAS!!!
I've been here 3 times since moving to this neighborhood last weekend and this location is far superior to the crowded mission location. Sure its smaller and has less seating but the whole arrangement feels less.. hectic.
Still a huge fan of the guacamole with salsa and chips and mexican cola. The rice and bean burrito has been my go-to item but I wish they infused more flavor into the burrito.
For some reason they always play popeye on the TV o_O
After getting some experience at court on Tuesday, I had to go straight to class and didn't have time to stop at the school cafeteria for lunch so one of my classmates suggested we grab something to go from this place. So we did.
I have a hard time deciding on what I want usually but I thought I did pretty good while I was standing there reading their menu. Until the cashier b*&@h kept asking me every 30 seconds if I was "ready yet" in this boring monotone of hers. No, dammit! If I was, I would've come up to you! Bad start. Anyways, I decided on a Carne Asada Quesadilla. When she was ringing me up, she charged me for guacemole I never even asked for. Whatever. I didn't have time to complain so I let it go.
While waiting for my food, I watched the guys behind the counter do their thing. And then, one of them took a towel that looked like it's been used all day without a wash, wipe the counters, and then wipe the knife he was using to cut up the meat. Barf. I couldn't bear to look anymore, especially when my quesadilla came up next so I just stared at the walls. When my number came up, I just took my bag and ran. If I wasn't hungry, I would've just tossed it. But I threw caution to the wind, opened my bag, and started chomping down. Then I noticed they left out the guacemole I was charged but never asked for. Sad day, sad day.
About $8 for a Carne Asada Quesadilla (who knows what else was in it), chips and salsa. Don't think I'll come back here again unless I have to. When that time comes, hopefully they can redeem themselves. Until then, for Mexican food, I think I will stick to El Farolito in Mission which is awesome and has the best salsa ever.
At first I was surprised to see such great reviews on this place. Considering the location about 2 blocks from my school I came here today for lunch. Ordered Super Chicken Nachos-was not too fond of the chicken at all. I liked it without it so I just moved it to the side. I liked the chips though yummy & they gave me an extra bag of chips even though I ordered nachos so that's nice. Inside was clean and service was fast.
I wouldn't make it a regular stop but I could see how they get a lot of business. Only "mexican" place in the area. Total $9.60 with NO drink seemed like a whole lot. but that's just me,i guess. Go figure.
Papalote's ingredients bumped up the quality of their overall menu, but the flavor was completely lackluster. One thing that I was hoping to be the saving grace, their "acclaimed" chips and salsa, were bagged tortilla chips and a super salty, somewhat spicy tomato paste. The Mexican restaurants in the bay need to learn that fresh tortilla chips make all the difference, as does fresh salsa. When all other flavor is lacking, this might be the one saving entity. Unfortunately, there was nothing that would bring me back to Papalote.
A friend casually mentioned this place to me since I'm a vegetarian he thought I would appreciate their food there. I looked up their menu online and 5 minutes later I was out the door and on my way to get a Soyrizo burrito!!
The food was great, they make the food right in front of you and it was extremely filling and cheap as well!
Can't wait to go back!
I like the concept - clean, healthier, cooked to order Mexican food, open kitchen, reasonable prices - but flavor tends to be lacking from the burritos and tacos. I've been here a couple of times and they never give you enough salsa (and there's no salsa bar). I need much more of that house chipotle salsa (which I do like - it's smoky, spicy and thick), especially since the food is not that flavorful.
I've never eaten at the actual location (I take it to go) because the space is so small and cramped (it's uncomfortable to even wait for your order inside) but I usually do my grocery shopping across the street at Lucky's and then pick up my order when I'm done. It's usually pretty busy, especially in the evenings, so it takes a long time (20 minutes or more) to get your order. I'm not sure why it's THAT slow every time I go there.
I don't experience the same burrito coma that I get at other places which is probably a good thing. The food isn't super salty either. The main drawbacks are stinginess with salsa and being the slowest place in SF and possibly the entire world, to get a burrito.
I go to Papalote after Pilates class. Theoretically this means that, after working my booty off, I counteract my efforts with fast food. Or is this an unjust observation? Sure, it's possible to cram way too many of your daily calories into a single meal there, but you can also make healthy choices. My favorite meal is the tofu quesadilla, with a (specially requested) whole wheat tortilla. Not sure where this falls as far as the US RDA of whatever, but it's gotta be healthier than the average restaurant meal, right?
More importantly, it's tasty, tasty stuff. I don't know what they use to marinate the tofu, but the result is excellent. Not only this, the also fantastic salsa has a bit of a kick. It's not spicy-spicy - I can't handle anything definable as HOT - but it's enough to make things interesting.
In conclusion: Papalote is yummy enough to lure me in 2-3 times a week, and it is not counteracting my grand plan of Getting In Shape. In fact, I think the salsa may be encouraging those sculpty Pilates muscles. Win-win!
Dear Papalote: I was so hungry, and so tired, and had been cooking all day and was not in the mood to make food decisions. Your lovely cashier asked me so nicely, "what kind of burrito would you like?" Upon seeing my distressed and indecisive face, she calmly recommended the grilled veggie burrito with guac on the side and spicy sauce inside. Oh, and a watermelon agua fresca (be still my heart!) to wash it all down. I. Am. Still. Full.
Love,
Adri's Tummy
A-mazing!!! I L-O-V-E love this place. I crave this place on a weekly basis. Everything is great and moderately priced. The people there are nice and friendly and there is always a large crowd there. Very lively and energetic place. The food is so tasty and delicious!
I had a bad taste in my mouth about them after they didn't let us in one night when we finished dinner at Poleng and we were still hungry. But I was determined to come back and eat a burrito. Because sometimes I just have strange burrito cravings.
The carne asada burrito was nothing special, but I devoured it nonetheless. Worth my extra dollar to make it super, aka drown it in sour cream and guac. Chips and salsa were worth it as well (aka free). If you don't make it your main meal, this is a good place to stop by to hold you over until the next meal.
I like the other location 'cause there is more sitting room.
This place made a very delicious carne asada burrito.
And made my phattyself very happy as I sat on the beach and ate a yummy phatty burrito.
I approve!
The salsa is excellent. My carne asada burrito was super tasty, I dig the toasted flour tortillas on them. Next time I need to try the Triple Threat foreeaal.
:)
Great food here!!!!! I got an extra large 15 dollar burrito that was about 5 times better than any thing I have ever had. Great salsa too...arguably the best place in SF.
We got so much free stuff!
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