El Pipila
Mexican restaurant · Showplace Square ·
Authentic Guanajuatan dishes, acclaimed design, and homemade tortillas
Authentic Guanajuatan dishes, acclaimed design, and homemade tortillas
"This Design District restaurant earned a reputation for its excellent Guanajuatan cuisine and its rich pozole verde. But it’s also a great spot for carnitas tacos: slow-roasted local pork shoulder piled onto tortillas made with fresh masa from Oakland’s La Finca Tortilleria." - Paolo Bicchieri
"El Pipila is one of the city’s few restaurants specializing in the cuisine of chef Guadalupe Guerrero’s home region of Guanajuato, known for dishes such as red sauce-soaked enchiladas mineras (a traditional lunch for miners) and rich, spicy stewed nopales. The pozole verde, served with thick handmade tortillas, is one of the best versions in the city. The restaurant even began selling burritos for the first time in 2020. Online orders are accepted." - Paolo Bicchieri
"A San Francisco dining project recognized in the design awards for its concept and built environment as an ‘other eating and drinking place’ contributing a distinct cultural and architectural presence." - Monica Burton
"At 879 Brannan Street, chef Guadalupe Guerrero—along with her two daughters, Brenda and Alejandra—has opened El Pípila to serve the cuisine of Guanajuato, Mexico. Guerrero, who came to the U.S. in 1998, worked for years in the Bay Area (including at a Berkeley taqueria) and developed her business through La Cocina; after six years vending at pop-ups like Off the Grid and Picnic at the Presidio, she launched her first permanent restaurant in the ground floor of a condo in San Francisco’s Design District. The menu centers on larger plates—most notably Guerrero’s extremely popular pozole verde—along with enchiladas, carnitas, chile rellenos, tacos, salads, and sides; there’s no alcohol at the moment, but agua frescas are recommended. Despite community support, it took five years to open, and the physical restaurant was realized through a collaboration with La Cocina, developer Equity Residential, various contractors, pro bono services from Schwartz and Architecture, and donations from suppliers such as Fox Marble, Ceramic Tile Design, Ann Sachs, One Workplace, Delta Millworks, The Culinary Edge, Design is Play and Pritchard Peck Lighting. El Pípila is now open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours planned in 2019 to operate seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m." - Ellen Fort
"Expanding from a food stand at Bay Area street fairs and a catering business operating out of La Cocina, Guadalupe Guerrero’s El Pípila will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant on the ground floor of an upcoming SoMa condo; Guerrero specializes in the cuisine of Guanajuato, Mexico." - Janelle Bitker
