Mestiza

"After closing in 2020, Mestiza reemerged in another SoMa location, shedding its Filipino taqueria-esque menu to focus on vegan dishes. It’s a welcome addition to SF’s growing plant-based dining scene. Extra long lumpia filled with sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and water chestnut hold their own against tradition, and the mushroom sisig has enough umami to make you forget about the dish’s classic use of pork and offal. You’ll still find glimmers of the restaurant’s former self in dishes like delicious vinegary pork adobo and crispy lechon bites. The combo of vegan dishes and meaty options makes Mestiza especially useful when you’re planning a meal with a few friends who all have different dietary needs. If you happen to wrangle a group of four or more, Mestiza also offers a kamayan option with the requisite banana leaves draped over a picnic table. The restaurant may not be entirely vegan, but it is entirely outdoors. Take a quick, pineapple-lined stroll straight back through a narrow hallway right next to the open-air kitchen—while spying on what’s on the grill—and you’ll arrive at the renovated back patio. Reservations are usually easy to come by, so remember Mestiza as a reliable last-minute pick for a date night or large group dinner (you can make a reservation for up to 12 people). Sure, the patio doesn't have any blankets, but there’s no shortage of heat lamps and toasty champorado with berries to keep you warm. Food Rundown photo credit: Patrick Wong Mestiza Lumpia Looks are deceiving with these. They’re about nine inches long, but the filling—which is excellent—only covers the center, leaving the ends hollow. The accompanying “island sauce” thankfully makes even shards of empty lumpia wrapper tasty. Worth ordering, just remember size isn’t everything. photo credit: Patrick Wong Inisal Skewers That island sauce we were just talking about? There’s no shortage of it on these barbecued shrimps on a stick. Charred, spicy, and tangy, we’d order this app as an entree. Sometimes these come with chicken rather than shrimp. photo credit: Patrick Wong Mushroom Sisig These mushrooms have seemingly taken acting lessons from pork, because we didn’t miss the meat at all. The hefty bowl of fungus is so savory and rich that we were digging around just to make sure pork hadn’t snuck its way in. Order a side of atchara to balance the heaviness. photo credit: Patrick Wong Braised Pork Adobo Sour and pungent, just how we like adobo, and served with potatoes that are soft rather than mealy. The cook on the pork shoulder can be a bit inconsistent, though, with some tender chunks mixed in with tougher ones. Eat this with plenty of rice on the side to dull any overly salty punch. photo credit: Patrick Wong Champorado The only dessert on the menu, this chocolatey bowl of rice porridge makes us feel like a kid eating breakfast cereal. We could skip the macerated berries on top, but we’d order this again regardless. One portion is easily shareable among two to three people." - Patrick Wong