Not your traditional take, but still insanely good in its own way. The birria is super tender, rich, and packed with flavor, while the steak stands out with a smoky mesquite taste that hits immediately. They also use halal grass-fed beef, which definitely adds to the overall quality. Service is simple and efficient--you order on a tablet when you walk in, and they call your name when it's ready. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done without any hassle. The space itself is clean, open, and has a good amount of seating, making it easy to dine in comfortably. Definitely worth checking out if you're craving something flavorful read more

Living la Vida Loca... It's always a good day when tacos are involved, and even a better day when they are absolutely delicious! La Vaca Birria is counter service- you order at the counter, you pick up your food at the counter. The menu is fairly simple, and who needs overly extensive when what you're ordering is hitting a 10 out of 10 in taste and flavor ?!? Working backwards, the Horchata is delicious! I often find that when I order Horchata at different restaurants, it's either been watered down, or somethings going on with it where it's locking the fullness in flavor. Chips- house made. Perfectly crunchy, definitely tasty, could have used salt or some seasoning. I still enjoyed them. I ordered three birria tacos with consommé. ( combo #4) with the plan being that I would enjoy one and have the other two later on. These were so good, that I finished all three. The meat is tender, flavorful, and the overall flavor profile super tasty. The consommé did exactly what it was supposed to do and added a layer of flavor to the tacos. I found that that's not always the case, but this was definitely the exception. The tacos were fairly light on the filling, which is why I was able to finish all three. The added bonus is the house made churro that comes in the combo. Who doesn't like a tasty churro? Services nonexistence since it's a counter situation. Are you getting the biggest bang for your buck here? No, not really. It's pretty pricey for the offerings. The meal cost pretty close to $30. Definitely not cheap eats. Go for the deliciousness! read more

See all

Loved the food! I think this restaurant is wildly underrated for the quality of food. Everything is made in house, including the chips and tortillas for the tacos, which really makes a difference. It's a casual restaurant in that you order at a kiosk and serve yourself when food is ready. Inside was clean and I liked the decor. Prices were not cheap, and perhaps higher than some of the nearby taco/burrito joints, however, I feel like the prices reflected the quality of the great food. read more

The birria is soooooooo good. And you MUST have the consumé with it! Super tender, extremely flavourful, and nice amount of spice. The location is also super convenient right on 24th in the heart of things. I think I liked dining inside more when the interior was still the Lotería cards but, it is still cute now. The only real negative is they don't have self serve salsa anymore and asking for extra is a pain because sometimes they give you salsa rather begrudgingly.. But I will definitely enjoy a birria burrito again soon! read more

See all

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. read more

La Vaca Birria - Sign - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

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 read more

See all

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!! read more

See all

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. read more

La Vaca Birria - Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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 read more

See all

Ate out in the mission for the 1st time. My gf wanted to get pancakes and she heard they had a good pancakes so - My gf and I shared the smoked chorizo hash and buttermilk masa pancakes. She had also gotten the horchata while I got the Michelada. My gf was all over the pancakes. It was pretty good; the texture kind of reminded me of cornbread and it wasn't too sweet. I really enjoyed the smoked chorizo hash. I liked how the chorizo wasn't oily and I liked to put it on top of the avocado toast. The Michelada was really good too. My mouth is watering thinking about that spicy tomato with Modelo. I could've gone for another one honestly. My gf would not share her horchata. I had a small sip; and I agree that it was one of the smoothest horchatas I've ever had. The place could hold a lot of people. Luckily it wasn't packed when we went; by the time we left more people were filing in. I liked the art and roses and colors that were splashed onto the walls. I could've went just to see everythi by like it was a museum. This place can be pricey but I think the quality of the food and fast service makes up for it. I recommend this spot to couples and small groups of friends that are willing to spend a little more for good food and drinks. Definitely gonna have to come back and try out their other drinks. I saw a couple margs that looked so good! read more

See all

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 read more

La Vaca Birria - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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 read more

See all

Grilled cheese burrito with wood fire grilled steak is. Ow my favorite burrito in SF. I dream of it. Takes like 15 min. They have lots of seating there. Casual spot nice people. This is now my go to burrito and I will go out of my way to go there. read more

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... read more

La Vaca Birria - 3 birra tacos small chip 19$ - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

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 read more

See all

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

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. read more

See all

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. read more

La Vaca Birria - Nacho fries with steak, garnished with steak, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and cheese. - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

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. read more

See all

This is complicated. I ordered their nachos. Steak. No additions. $26. I said, "what?" The cashier, a very nice calm dude made an apologetic face and asked "is that OK?" I asked what they're known for that's cheaper and he said their steak is what's good. So I went for it and as soon as I did it, I regretted it because how could I possibly give a good review to $26 nachos?! There's no way nachos could possibly live up to a $26 price tag! My first bite, shocked me. Smoky, juicy, fresh tasting Carne Asada. Some of the best I've had from a taqueria in San Francisco! I was shocked! It was absolutely delicious. The chips were clearly homemade and just the right amount of crunch and crisp to them. The guacamole was generous and clean tasting, the whole thing was totally delicious. It was all good until I got to the cheese layer. It was way too much cheese to get through. I've had a lot of nachos in San Francisco and this was just a fail. This place is lucky to get three stars. For $26, I expect perfect execution. Maybe on another visit they would do better and actually distribute the cheese. I'm giving them more than two stars because the meat was spectacular. The chips were wonderful and the ingredients were solid. Surely there's a techie out there with enough disposable income to give this place a try. It's worth it! read more

See all

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

This might be one of my favorite burritos I've tried in SF. We started with the guac, which came with a big pepper on type. Fine, but not my favorite. I got the birria tacos, which was juicy but a tad spicy for me. Instead, what impressed me was the steak burrito my boyfriend got, juicy beef that paired nicely with the beans, onion and guac. The ambiance is actually nicer than it looks from outside. There's plenty of space, and I could see it being a good casual place to catch up with friends. read more

It's decent and different but too smoky, the smoke flavor should be mild esp if the wood is not high quality.

The food is good, but the customer service is terrible. Next time they'll probably tell us to make our own food if we want it. I work in customer service, and it's clear the person there doesn't like their job. read more

I really enjoyed my food at la Vaca Birria. I went with my brother and we both ordered items with the Birria that they are known for. He got to Birria burrito which he loved. I got the regular Birria tacos. The tacos were very delicious and the meat was incredibly flavorful. The restaurant itself was also very cute and spacious, and the service was very quick which was really appreciated. The only think I would mark against it is the price. I didn't get the Quesobirria tacos because of how expensive it was, and even though the food was delicious, it does seem like a lot compared to other places I've gone to. I definitely want to come back and try them, but maybe just plit them with someone else as a snack. read more

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 read more

La Vaca Birria - Birria taco - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came here last minute yesterday with friends and I gotta say we were NOT disappointed! Birria was the best birria I'd had in a long time. Here their birria was tender and juicy and flavorful. My friend and I had already ate a couple hours before but HAD to try something with our other friends, it was THAT good. I ordered the chicken taco which came on a handmade tort which was also delicious. Service was quick and efficient. Food came out super quick and everyone enjoyed their food. Ambiance was definitely a surprise in the best way. From the outside you would have never guessed that the inside is modern style cantina-esk. Lots of seating, clean tables. 10/10 will be back Very sad I only got the picture of my taco read more

La Vaca Birria - Wood fire grilled chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

Margaritas are made with Soju (yes Soju and NOT tequila). The flavor profile has changed even though we were told they've "always used Soju." Ok fine, but I've never ordered a margarita at any other restaurant in San Francisco that did not use tequila or mezcal. Even more disappointing, the flavor of the steak burrito changed DRASTICALLY. There is way less meat (in the steak and chicken burritos) to even taste the "mesquite" flavor anymore. I understand that restaurants have to adjust pricing but what I don't understand, and can't pay for (or afford) is spending more money for less quality! Also, I admit that I drafted the below note several months ago and attached the pictures of the menu after the remodel, but decided to not post to not be negative, but after dining there today it is not about negativity... it's about the experience as a customer. Unfortunately, I don't think we will return. Drafted note from months ago below: Prices have increased and they no longer offer chips and salsa unless you pay an additional $. :( how I feel knowing that I'll likely never go back. read more

See all

I got the chicken burrito with the salsa and chips, which cost $17 excluding tax and tip. I thought it was a great choice given that the other option for a regular chicken burrito was $16. So the salsa and chips added a nice touch for another dollar. There were very few chips actually provided, and I would have wanted more chips. But in general, the burrito tasted really good. They do use a lot of sour cream, so definitely be mindful that if you don't like it, you probably should ask them to remove some of the sauce. There's a ton of seating within the restaurant, which is probably the best part of the location. And when I went on noon on a Sunday, it wasn't packed at all. Service is really quick. You walk in order on the electronic menu, and people within the rush hour will probably get the food within 10 minutes. Depending on where you're coming from, it's located within a relatively safe area in the Mission District. There are a ton of used bookstores nearby that you can walk around. The restaurant doesn't open that early from my recollection, but I genuinely think it was a nice, cute place to be. I think it's one of the few Mexican or burrito restaurants where you can hang out with friends for a really long time and come with groups of people without being worried that they're in the line or it's gonna get super crowded. Definitely bang for your buck. read more

See all

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

Metered parking available, but it may be hard to snag a spot. Super impressed by the food! The menus are available at the front and once you're ready, you'll order with the cashier there. You'll receive a number to place on your table if you are dining in, so that they know where to deliver your order. Water is self serve next to the cashier. From the complimentary homemade chips, chipotle sauce, tajin fries and birria taco tray ($90)...Everything was amazing. I couldn't get enough of the best tortilla chips I've ever had paired with the chipotle sauce. Then the birria tacos came out with the rice, beans, and consomme and I couldn't even finish my second taco. My party of 5 and I were so full as we were pleasantly surprised by the portion sizes. Great music, staff and aesthetics! read more

La Vaca Birria - Quesabirria tray - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

I love the food but the cashier is so rude! Everytime I go there she's rude with me. Not friendly at all. I was there today and she treated us so bad. She's not helpful at all. Such a waste that a good restaurant have someone like that. I usually don't like to talk badly about workers but I been going there for almost a year and everytime I go she has the same energy. read more

This place is getting absolutely out of hand. Been coming here for 2 years. It used to be my favorite burrito in sf, then sf chronicle covered it. Since then they've: - changed the consome (it used to be thicker, like a thin mole but with a unique rich birria flavor), apparently in response to customer complaints. Who changes the recipes that got them notoriety?!? -changed the menu, now multiple times. I can barely figure out my order anymore. It used to just be a super burrito. Then it was a grilled cheese burrito (extra $), now it's a birria burrito and paid $3 to add guacamole and $3 to add grilled cheese. -gotten INSANELY more expensive. My same birria super burrito with grilled cheese used to be $18. Now, 6 months later. it's $31. For two birria tacos and consome it's $28. WHAT?!? That is absolutely absurd. This place legitimately makes the best burrito and salsa in SF, but I cannot support a business that keeps changing it's menu to make things deceptively more expensive and changing their recipes to supposedly appease their new customers. What used to be my favorite burrito in sf has been ruined by a mix of media coverage and clearly awful ownership. The burrito is still damn good don't get me wrong, but nah. This ain't right. read more

Thrrrrr back! We came again and the foos was fantastic! The corns not good to me just tastes like mayo but hubby likes it read more

See all

Supper yummy burritos but the prices are high for the area (2 burritos came out to $46). The super burrito comes with guac and sour cream so opted for that one, the portion sizes are huge! The shrimp burrito is really good, I would say that one is worth it. They also give chips while you wait (and the wait was long) so that was a plus! They have plenty of dipping sauces in the front. read more

La Vaca Birria - Super burrito - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

Unfortunately had a very uncomfortable experience here. As my wife and I are ordering, the gentleman up front rolling tortillas by hand began to engage with us but was completely unintelligible. After trying to clarify with him, he began to just stare at me with a thousand-yard stare. I then ignored him and he then continued to work, and then fell on the ground to immediately get back up. We did order our food and began eating but the gentleman was erratic and somewhat unpredictable. He was clearly intoxicated on drugs and it got uncomfortable enough that my wife and I packed up the food and left. I gave 2 stars because the quality of the food was good but my wife still felt uncomfortable even finishing the food because this man brought it out to us. Really shocked with this experience considering the establishment is very nice. Most likely will never come back here read more

Best burrito I've ever had! Humongous (it fed two of us, and we were VERY full), stuffed to the brim, and incredibly tasty. The birria was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the grilled cheese on the outside of the tortilla just took it to the next level. Service is quick; order at a counter and your food is made fresh and brought out to you. In the meantime you're given complimentary chips, and a have your choice of sauces from a salsa bar. These salsas are amazing, clearly very fresh. Atmosphere is bright, casual and fun. Definitely worth the stop if you live in SF or are visiting like us! read more

La Vaca Birria - Grilled cheese birria burrito (half) - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was starving in my own neighborhood and ended up here. Been here once before and it seemed too expensive. This time I got a steak burrito. More like a charcoal burrito. Guess the meat is suppose to taste that way but it's just wrong in a burrito. The salsa was good along w the chips. The mich was ok. The price was a bit expensive as much is these days for food. I would not go here again unless I was starving w no other food options. Also the cheese wasn't even melted in this charcoal I mean steak burrito. Service was mediocre. read more

The Quesabirria was perfectly crisp and packed with flavor. A little on the pricey side (3 quessabirria for $26) but still worth a try. Wasn't too busy around Sunday 11am, but it was right after the Thanksgiving holiday so maybe most people were not around. read more

La Vaca Birria - Dining area decor - Mexican Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Hands down the best Mexican food I've ever had!!! Mexican food up and down California is different, LAs is different from San Diego's which is different from SF's. As far as Mexican food goes though La Vaca Birria is one of the best under all categories! In the heart of the Mission, it has plenty of seating. We came with a large party of 10 adults and 4 babies on a Saturday and they accommodated us easily and the food was quick! We got a wide variety of foods but our favorites were the quesobirria (get the consume on the side, best I've ever had!). All the tacos were delicious, we tried the chorizo, steak and chicken. Chicken nachos and steak nachos were pheonominal! The elotes were the perfect starter! 10/10 will definitely be back. And the best part is everything is halal! read more