La Taqueria
No rice in the burrito, so the carne asada and the pinto beans and the guacamole have to do the work. Ask for it dorado and the whole bundle goes back on the plancha until the wheat casing crisps.
Why go
Ricky Rodriguez scored it 8.6 for the Infatuation in February 2025 and explained the build rather than the reputation: Without rice, the meat, pinto beans, guacamole, and cheese really get to show off, which makes for fantastic (if a little messy) last few bites.
1 The MICHELIN inspector agrees on the order and adds a second dorado, this one for the taco: It may not be on the menu, but order your taco 'Dorado-style,' which begins as a corn tortilla crisped on the plancha, layered with cheese and another tortilla, before getting loaded with toppings.
2 The same page names Miguel Jara, who takes the money at the counter and hands out roses. The shop has been on Mission Street since 1973. Jeff gave it five stars in December 2016 and left no text.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the carne asada super burrito. Then the free green salsa on the table, or ask for the red or for blistered serranos if you want it hotter.
- Or the tacos. Eater rates the super-sized ones above the burrito.5
- Avoid: turning up on a whim late in the day. Rodriguez notes the hours are "inconveniently shorter than almost any other taqueria in the city," and there is nearly always a line.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation SF (Ricky Rodriguez, 20 February 2025), 8.6:
Everyone in San Francisco has an opinion on La Taqueria. This Mission taqueria has been serving riceless burritos since opening in 1973. Are they Mission-style? It's up for debate, but we will say that they're excellent.
1 - MICHELIN Guide California: in the guide with no distinction printed as at 16 August 2026.
This local favorite always has a queue, and for good reason.
2 - James Beard Foundation: the room is a 2017 America's Classics honoree, listed on the Foundation's own winners page under Miguel Jara's name. That award goes to a restaurant, not a chef.4
- Jeff (first-hand), 5 stars, December 2016: a rating with no text.
- Cesar Hernandez, the San Francisco Chronicle's associate restaurant critic, ran the region's burritos in November 2025 and gave this one the plainest reason to come: it is historic, it is riceless, it is consistent, and it is cheap. His order is carne asada,
smoky and tender with a little chew,
and dorado, which sears the whole bundleuntil the wheat casing becomes dappled and crisp.
6 - MacKenzie Chung Fegan and Cesar Hernandez gave it 50th place on the San Francisco Chronicle's 2026 Top 100 and printed the one rule the counter has never broken: Miguel Jara grew up in Tijuana,
hasn't served rice in his restaurant since day one, and he never will.
7
Good to know
- Timing: lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday as the Chronicle recorded it in November 2025, and the hours are short by taqueria standards.6
- Booking: counter service, no reservations. The line is close to guaranteed in the evening.6
- Getting there: Mission at 25th, two blocks from 24th Street Mission BART.
Jeff's take (his words)
- His review (Jeff, first-hand, 5 stars, 13 December 2016): No words with it.
Verdict
must-visit — Go at lunch and take the line. It is a counter, it is cheap, and its burrito has never needed changing.