The Best Mexican Restaurants in San Francisco

Two Michelin-starred, Californian-Mexican cuisine by talented chef Val Cantú.A chic restaurant in SoMa, Californios is where I send diners looking for a memorable, high-end dining experience in SF (it’s strangely not on everyone’s radar). It's all about the patio that makes you feel like you’re in the Condesa in Mexico City (chef-owner Val says it’s like Tulum meets Inverness). The tasting menu is an exploration of Californian and Mexican cuisines, with everything made in house. You’ll taste some of the best tortillas and masa here—just wait until you try their fish taco. The dish with grilled baby banana with savory caramel and cold-smoked caviar sounds so strange, but is deliciously unique. It’s a high-end tasting experience here but still playful, relaxed, and full of surprises (and a fun soundtrack). I love how much you eat with your hands at Californios—it gets you closer to your food, and keeps things from ever feeling stuffy. The beverage pairings from Charlotte Randolph are also very inventive and engaging.

Whenever people visiting San Francisco ask me for my list, one thing I always recommend no matter where they’re from is to visit the Ferry Building Saturday farmers market for this soulful, satisfying plate of chilaquiles at Primavera Tamales —there’s nothing quite like eating this with your hands waterfront staring at the bay bridge listening to the saxophone/percussionist in one amongst the hum of everyone; Alice waters is literally behind you admiring and examining produce. So so so special.

Big bowls of brothy birria. Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Long before the quesabirria craze, Juan Gallardo has been doing weekend-only big bowls of brothy birria at his restaurant Gallardo’s in the mission. Gallardo hails from Jalisco, Mexico, aka the birthplace of birria, and has had his restaurant for 25years (!)—the og location was on 14th and Folsom, not too far away from its current corner spot on Shotwell Steet.I like to get the birria seca (dry), in where the meat (gallardo uses lamb), is seared on the plancha until nice and crispy. It’s served on the side so you can make your own tacos with their fresh tortillas made in house - use the broth as a sipper or a dipper or both — the choice is yours and you won’t be judged.Really love this spot so much, been coming here for years. Everything is excellent—the rice, the beans, the chilaquiles. Just don’t ask for quesabirria—they don’t have it.

Mexican like your mom makes you. Homey like the home you wish you had. Kindness like all restaurants should offer. And that mole verde!

A family-run Mission restaurant known for chilaquiles and true home cooking.This special place offers a real taste of delicious, homemade Mexican food. My longtime Mission fave for chilaquiles (try the Chilaquiles Veronica) with housemade chips, and I keep coming back for their weekly specials: pozole verde on Thursday, and my absolute favorite, the barbecue goat birria en caldo (soup) on Friday-weekends. Love the colorful interior and family-run hospitality, and it’s full of locals and regulars enjoying brunch, lunch, and dinner. It’s fun, casual, and priced really well. I adore this truly Mission spot, which started with the Padilla family in the 1950s.