Taqueria El Farolito (4817 Mission St)
El Farolito has been grilling Mission-style burritos since 1983, and the order at every door is the carne asada super, in cash. This one is the Excelsior counter at 4817 Mission Street, and no desk has reviewed it.
Why go
The name is an argument. Lauren Saria's Eater map explains that the name nods to El Faro, one of two claimants to having invented the super burrito. El Farolito took the form and grilled it. Her map pins its El Farolito entry to the North Beach counter at 1230 Grant Avenue, and its picks are chain-wide: carnitas and al pastor, and the super for the value.3
Julia Chen rated the Mission flagship at 2779 Mission 9.3 in June 2024. She called the super burrito roughly the size of a newborn baby. Cesar Hernandez, one of the Chronicle's two critics, put the 24th Street original fifth among Mission burritos in November 2023, at $9.50. He praised the asada and wanted more from the salsas.2 None of the three is this counter, and I haven't found anyone who has written about this one.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the carne asada super. Chen and Hernandez land on the same meat at two different doors.1
- Avoid: turning up cardless. Chen files the chain under cash only.
What locals & experts say
- Julia Chen, The Infatuation, June 2024, 9.3, on the Mission flagship:
It's the undisputed champion of the town-wide taqueria show, all thanks to their tender, well-spiced carne asada, carnitas, and al pastor.
1 - Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, November 2023, ranking the 24th Street original fifth: each burrito
is roughly the length of a forearm and as heavy as a chubby puppy.
2 - Lauren Saria, Eater SF, on the neighborhood this door trades in: Taqueria Guadalajara on 24th Street contends
with an El Farolito location across the street (as it also does in the Excelsior, where El Farolito operates, too).
3
Good to know
- Getting in: a counter, so no bookings. Cash.
- Where: 4817 Mission Street, in the Excelsior. The Mission flagship is 2779 Mission and the original is on 24th Street.
Verdict
could-visit — Cash in hand, one super, eaten where you stand. The reviews behind the name belong to three other counters.