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    La Vaca Birria

    4.2 (246 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order La Vaca Birria Takeout or Delivery

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    LA VACA BIRRIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Casual
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    Recommended Reviews - La Vaca Birria

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    Dipesh G.

    I ordered a combo with three bluc corn tacos with Chicken, the combo included a drink, chips and salsa, and a churro. The tacos were very good and little bit spicy. The chips, salsa, and churro were also good. The interior of the restaurant is very nicely done. T

    Sign
    Chad M.

    Mesquite smoked carne is where its at. The chicken was fantastic, loved the green sauce. In the group the oyster mushrooms were recommended as was the mesquite smoked steak. I messed up and didn't fit the grilled cheese on the inside of the tortilla. Still a very good burrito. I am assuming they are still finding their way. The prices were as high as 25/26 dollars a burrito previously. On our visit they were around 16. Tacos may be the way to go so you can try more meats, before going all in on a burrito.

    Super burrito
    Allena C.

    Update: It's been a few years since posting a review. We've been wanting some good barria, so we decided to have a late lunch here on a weekday. We were the only customers dining in around 2 pm, but there were a few to-go orders. Surprisingly, they changed their lighting, table layout, and even some of their decor. It felt more intimate with dim lighting and a rose wall behind us. As nice as the new decor was, we came here for the barria. We had an early dinner in a few hours, so this was a snack to hold us off. ***OUR PICKS*** HOUSE MADE BRISKET CHORIZO TACO ~ House made brisket chorizo slow smoked over the mesquite fire wood grill, guacamole purée, salsa roja, rancho gordo California grown Santa Maria pinquito beans, cheese, onions, cilantro. Took my first bite and it was extremely salty! It felt like my blood pressure was gonna go through the roof! My tongue almost felt numb from the meat being overly seasoned. I think there should have been some cabbage or something to lessen the saltiness. The lime didn't help. Glad I only ordered one. 2/5 NIXTAMAL CORN QUESADILLA (barria) ~ Large fresh corn tortilla, whole milk mozzarella cheese, barria, house made curtido, salsa. This was also salty, but not as salty as the chorizo. So this was more palatable. But it felt naked with just meat and cheese. No guacamole or sour cream to dress it up. 3/5 The lady taking our orders didn't seem to know when we were ready to order. My partner came back from using their restroom and she gave him less than a minute after sitting. He needed more time since he didn't even looked at the menu. Then she dropped off the machine for the tab before we were done eating! Was that a hint to leave? She could have waited till we had our last bite of food before interrupting us. That just left a salty, bitterness in our mouths. Ll It seems my taste buds changed or something changed since our last visit. Maybe I prefer a no-frills to a trendy, decorated barria spot. Sadly, we'll need to find a new joint to satisfy our barria cravings cuz this isn't gonna cut it!!

    Guacamole
    Chastity V.

    Visited here with a group of friends in early July, with three goals in mind: have my friends visiting from out of the country try some delicious Mexican food in the Mission; make sure the meat was halal for my other friend; a nice sit-down restaurant to hang out at. La Vaca Birria checked all of the boxes, and we all had a lovely lunch here! We started with the guacamole & chips (4/5) - this gets style points for its elegant presentation! Taste-wise it was good, not great. Minus a point for how expensive it is ($20!) For my entree, most of us ordered the quesabirria tacos (4/5) which were pretty good, but not my favorite. (I prefer the birria at Tacos El Patron). Ambiance was lovely inside, plenty of seating for groups. Service was good. Street parking is difficult, so take ride share or public transit.

    Photo 1: Montage of images from La Vaca Birria
    Ed U.

    Now here's a real knee slapper, pudd'nhead. I was walking on 24th Street trying to avoid shoulder grazes from passersby who choose not to see me coming in the opposite direction. I took a momentary glance at this cafe which I recalled was a roast beef spot during the pandemic. Now it was apparently a rather spacious taqueria. Upon closer look at the menu taped to the window, I noticed the ingredients were not the standard Mission selections. I was seduced by the intrigue of choices like ribeye and lamb chops for taco fillings. I decided on the $7.50 Oyster Mushroom with salsa macha, onion, cilantro, crema, and catua, and the $8.50 Duck Carnitas with charred jalapeño salsa, onion, and cilantro. When my order arrived, the two small tacos looked strikingly similar (Photo 10), so I thought they forgot half my order because surely I would be getting two tacos with each order given how tiny they were. Feeling flustered, I brought my order to the counter and asked where the rest of my order was. I was told with an air of condescension that THIS was my order. I couldn't help myself and said, "Oh, this is what I get for $16?" The server merely shrugged. The tacos themselves were decent enough, nothing that special since the small portions didn't linger in my memory very long. Remind me to go to Pancho Villa for a normal-priced and sized taco. Forget the duck. FOOD - 3 stars...unusual tacos that weren't that distinctive AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...spacious for sure SERVICE - 2 stars...not exactly warm even if i asked a stupid question of them TOTAL - 3 stars...artisan tacos, caveat emptor RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2NHtst6

    Prisc R.

    Esta Vaca lo hace!!! Do you want to know the best part of the mission district? It's that you can walk the entire thing and still find new places to eat every time. The second best thing is the flavors I put into my mouth with such discoveries, and this place was no different. I know the star of the show is the quesabirria and I'll give her her flowers, pero I had 3 tacos (birria, mushroom, chorizo) y hijole they were goooooood. I enjoyed a michelada w negro modelo, which is another sign they know what they're doing. The salsa is pero muy sabrosa too. All I've gotta say is LVB=MVP

    Janice J.

    My bf and I had our first Valentine's Day together here in 2023 so this place has a soft spot for us. We came here after a Michael Jang garage art sale so we were excited to eat here! The place has gone through a remodel and the food tastes a bit differently. The low ranking is due to the customer service that was lacking. Our waitress did not provide us with water, utensils and we had to go ask for this and later on additional napkins. We were not checked on and had to get up again to ask for boxes. * Elote frito for $16 * Fried corn on the cob (4 pieces), kewpie mayo, cotija, chipotle sauce, tapatio, burnt lemon - a bit too much cotija for my taste. * 3 Quesabirrias with consome for $29 - consome didn't taste the same as I remember. * 2 Quesabirrias with rice and beans for $26 * 20 z horchata for $6.00

    3 birra tacos small chip 19$
    Adairell R.

    Decent food but extremely over priced... left a tip a check out, but still had to get up and get my own utensil and food...which came on disposable plate along with disposable utensil.. I would highly recommend if Mexican food is your thing. If not it's worth at least 1 try just don't leave a tip a checkout... other then them cooking your food u get's no service at all...

    Quesadilla quesabirria with side of beans and rice
    Daisy G.

    We weren't planning to stop here but the kiddos wanted to give it a try. The parking of course in the city sucks it was really difficult to find parking that's the downfall of this place. We walked in and were greeted we placed our food order at the kiosk which was nice and easy. We did wait a bit to get our food. The place was not that busy. The decor was cute Latin pop energy while playing bad bunny in the background. The platting of the food was nice and look delicious. I did try the blue tortillas for my three tacos but was not feeling it really bland no flavor I have a shrimp taco which was really good hint of spice I had a birria taco was bland and a carne asada taco flavor tasted too grilled like burnt. The kids got birria fries which became super soggy and birria quesadillas that came with rice and beans for the amount they gave was shady they came in tiny cups. Everyone got a side of chips with there meal which I love tasted homemade all in all nothing special about this place glad we have it a try

    Birria plate
    Susan B.

    A bit chilly inside on a cool San Francisco evening, but super cute interior. Order at the register and they will bring your order to you. Do not skip the corn! So yummy. I got the birria plate with the fresh corn tortillas. For two people it came to almost 100 after tip and tax. Seemed a little high, but it was oh, so yummy. Still I got two meals out of it because I couldn't finish my plate.

    Nacho fries with steak, garnished with steak, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and cheese.
    Antonio A.

    Bring your appetite and bring a big wad of napkins, you'll need them. The burritos here are HUGE. Wveryone talks about the birria but the steak and chicken are such a hit . It has the right balance between juiciness and smokiness that is hard to find. The tortillas are filling and a bit oily, they seem to cooked in beef tallow. Of course the birria here lives up to its reputation and expectations. The tacos are a nice way to enjoy them without worrying of overindulging. If you want to go nuts try the nacho fries, we savored every bite and almost stole the show. Almost. The hot sauces are all solid too - the smoked jalapeño and chipotle are solid, and the creamy green has a bit more kick to it.

    LaRaun C.

    I can't say enough great things about the birria tacos--absolutely incredible. The service was quick, and while the restaurant was relatively empty (it was a weekday near closing time), everything still hit. I also had the nachos with the trio of sauces--cleared the plate. After a full day of walking the city and wandering through Balmy Alley, I spotted the sign and took a chance. So glad I did. This place is an easy 10/10 and one I'd highly recommend.

    Birria taco

    I use to really like this place bc they're halal, buuuuut now it's really degraded in quality. They charge for everything and provide such small quantities. I use to love their chipotle salsa most but the discontinued it. Last time I ordered from DoorDash, there was hair in my birria tacos. Now I ordered 3 taco plate and they did not provide consume. When i asked for it over the phone he said "nope can't send it to you." Before they would provide it with a three taco plate. Even if that's the case, I would think they would send it to make the consumer happy..? Feels like they keep changing their policies and increasing price. I think this is the last time I ever order food from them. Hate to see their quality go down, hygiene of food be concerning, prices get too high for less and bad customer service.... Very disappointed

    Nachos. That is a cheese layer that kinda ruined it.

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    11 days ago

    Best burrito in the bay hands down. The birria is a must try. Churro was pretty good too

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    14 days ago

    This place has pretty good birria!! It was very flavorful and juicy and reminded me of home!

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    3 months ago

    AMAZING FOOD. AMAZING SERVICE. AMAZING VIBES. 100/10. Highly recommend. The food was SO flavorful. Can't say enough good things about it.

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - La Vaca Birria

    I would love if you could post the halal certification please and thanks?

    I agree

    Is the birria beef?

    Yes, it is

    Can you post your halal certificate?

    Is this place really halal?

    Hello, Thanks for reaching out, yes all our food options are halal.

    Do you serve halal meat? If so, what options are halal?

    Hello, All our food options are halalal. We have beef and chicken as our main protein options.

    View All 6 Questions

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    Sisterita

    Sisterita

    4.5(1.1k reviews)
    2.9 miFinancial District
    $$
    Locally sourced ingredients
    Casual dining

    Excellent service! My only advice is to come and see for yourself. When we called to ask about a…read morewait, they mentioned there was not wait... part of the reason they do that is because they don't keep a list. You either have reservations or you're a walk in and you stand in line until a table is available for you. At first this was strange, but I think it makes for a better experience. The team was incredible, they were so kind on a day that can be stressful for a small restaurant. We had incredible food. I was so happy to get my Eggs Royale and my husband said the French toast was the best he's ever had. (Even comparing it to French toast in Paris) No notes. This will be our Mother's Day place going forward next time with reservations.

    My partner and I decided to go to the city one weekend and decided we wanted brunch. After looking…read morethrough some place, we came across Sisterita and it looked very promising. It seems like this place is an asian fusion brunch place incorporating french dishes into thai/asian themed dishes which is up our alley. We made a reservation at 1:45 PM and we had to wait for about an extra 30 minutes before getting seated. Initially, I wanted to try their crab fried rice but unfortunately they were out of crab. We decided to get the Alcatraz Escape and the Brioche french toast which were recommended by the wait staff. The staff was generally friendly and accommodating but I can tell they were swamped and stressed out with all the people they were trying to serve. The food itself tasted decent, the Alcatraz Escape had a tasty flavor which incorporates tom yum paste (sweet, sour, tangy flavor) into their scramble with about 4 shrimps. The side of crispy chicken was good but nothing that stood out to us. The brioche was soft but there wasn't much flavoring besides the fruits and caramelized banana. It was served with evaporated milk which made the brioche soft but not adding much flavor to it. The price however was quite pricey. For two dishes as a side we paid around $78 with tax and tip.

    Photos
    Sisterita
    Sisterita
    Sisterita

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    Brenda's French Soul Food - 3 way beignets- plain, chocolate, apple

    Brenda's French Soul Food

    4.2(12.8k reviews)
    2.1 miTenderloin
    $$$

    I still love Brenda's!!!!!!!…read more I haven't been back in a few years, but I am happy to report: they are still just as great! It was my daughter's first time and she loved it just as much as I did. We came during restaurant week so we decided to get the Creole Sampler so she could try a bunch of different items. (Sampler included red beans and rice, collard greens, fried catfish, hush puppies, plain beignet and gumbo). We also ordered the beignet flight and shrimp and grits. Plenty of food for the 2 of us, plus we had left overs. I can't not order the shrimp and grits. It's just so damn good! It's so rich and flavorful! It came out SUPER hot. Grits and cheese still bubbling. My daughter and I were both surprised she liked the collard greens. She's usually not a fan. She also liked the red beans and rice and she doesn't usually like beans either. That just goes to show how amazing the food is here! We came in around 4something pm on a rainy Sunday. There weren't many people there, but by the time we left it was more than half full. Service was friendly, and there was a band playing, which was a nice touch.

    I am speechless! I saw the rave reviews for Brenda's French Soul Food and had to try them out for…read moremyself. And, my goodness, I was not disappointed. Let me start with the star of the show - the Shrimp & Grits. The flavors blended so well I did a little dance in my seat. Creamy, savory and delicious! I will be dreaming about the Shrimp and Grits from now on. The Bananas Foster French Toast melted in my mouth. So yummy. I wasn't a fan of the Crawfish Beignets. It was something about the flavor of the red powder/ seasoning that left me underwhelmed. All in all, one of my favorite stops while I was in town.

    Photos
    Brenda's French Soul Food - Dining area and entrance

    Dining area and entrance

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Shrimp & Grits

    Shrimp & Grits

    Brenda's French Soul Food - Their dark chicken and shrimp.

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    Their dark chicken and shrimp.

    La Vaca Birria - mexican - Updated May 2026

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