La Taqueria

MacKenzie Chung Fegan

“2889 Mission St., San Francisco https://s.hdnux.com/photos/0/0/0/21360103/1/175x0.jpg As soon as you bite into a crisp burrito at La Taqueria, surviving the evening rush is suddenly worth it. Open since the 1970s, this one-of-a-kind taqueria still impresses with succulent asada, which is grilled over flame and chopped to strips. La Taqueria is notorious in the Mission burrito scene for its omission of rice, but the scant elements allow the flavors of the filling and soft pinto beans to shine brighter. Don’t forget to ask for your burrito “dorado,” which means it is seared on the plancha until crisp. Only indoor seating is available, and it can fill up quickly during peak hours — part of the ”

MacKenzie Chung Fegan

“See on map #59 in 2025 San Francisco GenreMexican Price$ Now more than 50 years old, La Taqueria is a defining Mexican restaurant in San Francisco and home to perhaps [the Bay Area’s most celebrated burrito](https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/best-burrito-sf-bay-area/), with lines of customers regularly curving around the block. Owner Miguel Jara, who grew up in Tijuana, hasn’t served rice in his restaurant since day one, and he never will. Address 2889 Mission St., San Francisco Have you been? 49.”

Paolo Bicchieri

“A [2017 James Beard America’s Classics honoree](/2017/1/25/14384764/la-taqueria-james-beard-good-food-awards-2017-san-francisco#:~:text=Today%20comes%20the%202017%20America’s,right%20when%20thinking%20about%20the), La Taqueria offers its meaty, [famously rice-free](https://www.eater.com/2015/12/4/9835360/la-taqueria-mission-style-burrito-san-francisco) burritos (griddled on the plancha until the outside is brown and crisp if you order it “dorado”) and super-sized tacos, which, quite frankly, might be even better. The restaurant is basically [burrito](https://www.eater.com/2023/4/11/23673189/golden-state-burritos) royalty, making Miguel Jara, as Eater’s Hillary Dixler Canavan put it, the rule”

Lauren Saria

“Mission locals could have told you in a heartbeat what it took FiveThirtyEight’s intensive [burrito bracket](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americas-best-burrito/#lataqueria) months to discover: La Taqueria, as its own sign claims, is “home to the best tacos and burritos in the world,” as it has been [since 1973](https://www.eater.com/2015/12/4/9835360/la-taqueria-mission-style-burrito-san-francisco). (Though that honor was clouded some years later, as repeated allegations of wage theft [prompted $600,000 in city-mandated fines](/2018/7/2/17524590/la-taqueria-labor-violations-fines-sf-burrito-workers-rights).) Also of note: La Taq’s burritos are rice-free, leaving more room for perfect”

Paolo Bicchieri

“La Taq is nationally famous for its [meaty, rice-free burritos](https://www.eater.com/2015/12/4/9835360/la-taqueria-mission-style-burrito-san-francisco), and rightfully so. But if you talk to the restaurant’s legion of dedicated fans, many of them will tell you that it’s La Taqueria’s tacos, and not its burritos, that are its most delicious offerings. The carnitas and carne asada are both uncommonly juicy and flavorful, and the tacos come loaded with so much meat (and guacamole, sour cream, and cheese if you opt for the “super” version) that just one or two makes for a filling meal. Go for the dorado style, with a crispy corn tortilla folded inside a soft one, for a taco with more crunch and”