If I had an abuelita I feel like this is the type of food she would serve me - assuming of course…read moreshe loves me and wants me to eat her delicious food. It was fresh and delicious and the service was great. The only thing I would have changed is maybe the 80's music haha blasting but it was fine. Will be back for sure.

We shared a fried corn tamale, fried mojarra, and Salvadorian enchiladas. The tamale and enchiladas…read morewere both familiar and simultaneously very different from Mexican cuisine. Given its fried nature, the tamale reminded me a bit of the taste and texture of a Venezuelan empanada. The enchiladas, meanwhile, were more like giant tostadas. The mojarra was quite tasty as well.

Discovered the place last evening, coming back from the ARC gallery show. Amazing food, great…read morestaff, and a nice, quiet respite from the gallery's cacophony. HEARTBREAKING to see their extensive tequila selection, since I stopped drinking years ago. Two thumbs up. Would recommend.

This place is the best! Had dinner here during happy hour on a Friday before going to a show in the…read moreneighborhood. The ambiance is fantastic! There are beautiful decorations and some couches to lounge on in addition to tables. They had a live DJ who was spinning great music, but it was at a low enough volume that it was easy to talk. Jorge was so kind and welcoming and took excellent care of our large party. He was so helpful getting the table set up in a way that would work well for my wheelchair and checked on us regularly to see if we needed anything. The food and drinks were all tasty and the happy hour has some good deals. I tried the vegetarian sopé with soyriso and it was great. It was a small one so I had two of them. I also got a virgin Margherita and it was sooooo good! There is some amazing black salt on the rim and even though it was non-alcoholic it really hit the spot. Other folks got the real deal and there were no complaints. The bathroom is fully ADA compliant, but there is a code so make sure you get that before you go. I don't live in SF, but I will definitely be back when I'm in the area again.

YOU MUST TRY!! This is an absolute gem and now one of my favorite restaurants in SF!!…read more Everything has so much flavor and is gorgeously served. I'm also impressed by the servings at such a great prices. And everyone was so kind -- including the chef, who constantly checked on all the tables to make sure everyone was having a good time. I'll definitely be back and want to bring my family.

Came here and this place is great. The taste is absolutely there. And i'm a huge fan of mole. And…read moreif you like Spice, they got some big hitters in here, they do not play when it comes to their spice.

The food was excellent. I went on the 4th. I am not sure if it was considered brunch; but, I…read morebelieve that it was. Pancakes and the eggs & grits were cooked to perfection. I guess that I keep going back for more. The service was good. My eggs were mixed up but they were immediately switched over The ambiance game changer was when I found out for the first time that there was a bar -- on either side -- of the restaurant seating area. So, if you go for eating, you can go to the bar afterwards. THAT is KOOL. Bathroom is clean. Handicap accessible. There is a step leading to the second bar , so you would need to go outside to enter the second bar.

I prefer the spot on Haight st. However this spot has a lot more space to accommodate more people…read more The menu is posted on the back wall behind the counter as you enter. You can view the menu and order right at the counter and they'll bring the food over to your table. They have quite a few menu options for your classic breakfast items and more. I always go with the chicken fried steak with sausage gravy and a side of biscuits and gravy.

Here's a polite but firm English translation:…read more I would like to express my disappointment with my order. Unfortunately, nothing I ordered was prepared correctly. * My order was incomplete; it was missing a tamale. * I specifically requested no avocado on my torta, but it was added anyway. * The hamburger was undercooked. When I took a bite, the meat was still cold in the middle and clearly had not been cooked properly, which is a serious food safety concern. * The burrito came with cheese, even though the menu only lists rice, beans, meat, and pico de gallo. It does not mention that it includes cheese. I am very disappointed with the number of mistakes in this order. Please pay closer attention when preparing customers' food. Some people have food allergies or dietary restrictions, and mistakes like these can have serious consequences. I hope you take this feedback seriously and improve your service so other customers do not have the same experience. Thank you.

I'm happy to drop 5 stars on this place. I went in for lunch…read moretoday unexpectedly (was looking for something else). Got the poc chuc plate. The pork was really great. Slightly chewy and a little crunchy but moist at the same time and flavored really well. The tortillas were so hot I had to let them cool for a while before I could handle them but scooping up that pork with the nice black beans, rice and veggies had me in foodie nirvana. What really kicked this review into 5 star territory though is that killer salsa they bring out in a squeeze bottle. It's habanero with jalapeño and something else. It's spicy (but not burn your mouth off) and is so packed with flavor. I squeezed a lot of this on to each bite and it was heaven. Staff (owners?) are friendly people and despite the seedy part of 16th near Mission I gladly would and will return again.

Best al pastor tacos in the city, chill vibe and great service…read more Al Pastor, Shrimp, Flank Steak

This place fell off so bad. I don't know what happened…read more My partner and I have been coming to El Rey since they opened, about twice a month since early 2023. We used to love the homemade tortillas, the quality meat, and the tasty salsa bar. A few months ago we noticed things start to change. Smaller portions, days were the meat was a miss. Just not good. One night it took forever for a single taco to come out and it was COLD to the touch. Sadly I had to send it back because it was inedible. Cold food is gross and just gives "it's been sitting there forever". I asked for the same thing and she brought out a hot taco. When we got the bill I noticed she charged me for BOTH tacos, including the uneaten cold one I sent back. I didn't bring it up because everyone makes mistakes. Today was the last straw. Today was counter service so we ordered at the counter with one of the waitresses who's always there. We ordered one regular quesadilla con arrechera, 4 taco traditional with al pastor, 1 chips con molcajete salsa and 2 beers. A standard meal between us. The first thing I noticed immediately is that salsa bar looked...different. Is a nice way of putting it. The onions and cilantro looked like it was there for a couple days (wilted and brown). The radishes were no longer fresh sliced radishes but instead picked radish. There were zero pickled jalapeño. And the salsas looked completely different than normal, just different colors all together. I got one 1 "spicy" (red) salsa and 1 "mild" (green) salsa like I always do. When we tasted them it was clear they changed them completely. The red salsa wasn't spicy at all, it just tasted bitter and processed like it was from a can. Same with the green salsa. It was the same with the salsa molcajete. Suddenly they served it warm and put onions on top, and I think this was to hide that this salsa was no longer home made. It's clear they changed suppliers to cut corners. Everything was bland. Nothing was spicy and barely seasoned. It's so disappointing. This place used to be good, our favorite, but now it's just a bland restaurant (not cheap either!). But that's not the reason I'm writing this horrible review. The reason I'm writing is because after receiving our chips con salsa molcajete, and tacos, time kept ticking by with no quesadilla. Like I said before, we come to El Rey A LOT. Usually the quesadilla comes out first, and if it doesn't it's quick to follow. Not today. We waited and waited and waited. And finally we were done with our bland tacos and bland chips and beer (oh another thing, they no longer have draft Modelo, another penny pinching sign). It's not like the waitress ever came by to check so we had no opportunity to let her know we were missing something. We had things to do and were done with our meal, we decided we didn't need the quesadilla after all. So we went to the register to tell the waitress that we never got it and just wanted a refund for it. No need to make it. She then proceeded to argue with the cooks back and forth about the quesadilla and said they would make it right now. We said no it's ok, we're done, we'll just take a refund. She told us no! She straight up said no. We explained again, no we don't want the quesadilla, we have to go, it's fine we will just take a refund. Again, she told us NO. Then I said, NO WE WANT A REDUND. Then she responded with, she can't give us a refund and said she'd give us a margarita instead. WHAT???? Why would we want a margarita when we need to leave? She continued saying no she can't give us a refund. I was upset at this point because it's not a lot to ask for a refund for a paid service that was not rendered. She kept saying no to the refund and finally when we said it's fine, we'll do a charge back with the credit card (which is REALLY bad for business) suddenly she opened her register and threw dollars at us. The fu? Oh suddenly a refund is ok when a charge back is mentioned? She snickered, rolled her eyes, and shooed us out. A good thing is gone. The food sucks, the owners are cheap, and the service is horrible. It feels terrible to be a loyal customer only for it to end like this. Don't go here. El Rey is terrible now.

A picture is worth a thousand words. But the drinks, food and abundance of options here will leave…read moreyou speechless. Please don't make the mistake I made. I lived in the neighborhood for 5 long years, long before the pandemic and never ventured in this spot. Shame. I now know I had limited my life experiences from the pleasures of The Flying Pig. But that can be and has been corrected. I really appreciate the spaciousness in the place. A variety of seating choices with comfy couches and cafe chairs. Cool for hangin out, chowin down or grinding in on your studying/work stuff. The place is dog friendly and open to kids as well.

My friend and I stumbled upon this spot after we had to think of a Plan B (originally wanted to eat…read moreat Jilli but you needed to make reservations beforehand). This place is very old school sports bar vibe. They have plenty of food and drink options, TVs, and a pool table. Definitely a lively place to be at. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat. I ordered a chicken quesadilla. The portion was nothing what we expected. It came out to be 4 big slices and red salsa. It was alright. Not cheesy enough. I'm not a beer drinker no matter how many times I attempted and tried my friend's beers. I ordered a pear and lime sour cider and it wasn't too bad. It was drinkable for me. Service was decent. I would come back if I was in the area.

My coworker and I were starving and looking for some good food for a late lunch. We walked down the…read morestreet from her program and came across this restaurant. It was almost empty, so we were seated right away. I noticed they had a full bar, which was a nice surprise. Since I was a little skeptical about the food, I decided to play it safe and ordered a burrito. The moment I took that first bite, I got a taste of the flavor and was in heaven! The meat was well-seasoned, and the burrito was a really nice size. Everything came together perfectly. Our waiter also told us about some of the events they host that bring in large crowds. We agreed that we'll definitely have to come back and check it out when we're not at work. Great find for a late lunch!

I enjoyed a nice lunch with friends here recently. It's a cute spot with vibrant decor and they…read moreplay excellent music. We grabbed a booth by the window which was bright and offered a view of the street but there are also interior tables and a bar area if you prefer a darker vibe. I sampled lots of items. I didn't care for the nopales at all and the chips and salsa were rustic but tasty. The mole was ok but I would recommend the Lupe Special because it was filling with a unique flavor. The food was reasonably priced and the portion sizes were good. Service was a bit slow and it took a very long time to get the check despite there only being 3 or 4 tables of patrons while we were there. I eventually had to seek someone out and ask for it. I believe there were only 2 or 3 people working though. I would stop in again if I was in the area but definitely not if I was in a hurry.