Papalote Mexican Grill (24th Street)
Papalote is built on a roasted tomato salsa: roasted tomatoes, onion, whole garlic and robust dry red chiles, blended silky. The meat goes on the grill when you order it and never before. Miguel and Victor Escobedo say they are carrying on what their grand-aunt Celia started in San Francisco in the mid-sixties.
Why go
Order the burrito mojada. It arrives drowned in red or green chile sauce and you eat it with a fork, which turns a portable lunch into a plate.
The grilled veggie burrito is zucchini and eggplant, and the plain one is potato, carrot and mushroom. Both run $12.75.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: the grilled veggie burrito, the cheapest interesting thing on the board.
- Avoid: being in a hurry.
What locals & experts say
- Paolo Bicchieri, in Eater SF's guide to the city's three burrito styles:
Papalote, a mini-taqueria chain founded in 1999 by brothers Miguel and Victor Escobedo in San Francisco, is well-loved for its salsas, making it a fine choice for a wet burrito.
3 - Eater SF's burrito map:
Brothers Miguel and Victor Escobedo opened their first Papalote at 24th and Valencia in 1999 and from it they've built a salsa empire -- their roasted tomato goodness is available by the jar all over the area.
2
Good to know
- Doors: two. This one is 3409 24th Street; the other is 1777 Fulton Street in NoPa.
- Getting in: counter service, no bookings.
Verdict
could-visit — Meat burritos run around $13.75 and the seafood builds go to $16.95.