Las Tinajas

I'm sad to know this place will be closing its doors after 39 years being open and serving the community with authentic Nicaraguan dishes. Sept 27th is there last day. This place has been here in SF for so long and their dishes are so awesome. So please come and get these foods before they are gone for good.

Food soo flavorful the only thing is with this Cali heat there was no fan or AC in the resturant and it was hot... you were still able to eat its just would have been better if this place was cooler inside. Otherwise price fair service great ..

Well i am not the expert but so far that’s the best Sopa de res i got in Sf. Good price, restaurant was clean and stuff was nice.

Absolutely delicious! My daughter loved the fish with ripe plantain and rice (the tomatoe soup was tasty and fresh!). My husband and I had the churrasco: I must say, he’s used to of cooking meat in various ways so he found this to “be the best steak I’ve had in along time” -made him wonder about the prep process while his mouth was watering again!- and couldn’t help to continue paying praises while devouring it! Typically, I like my meat well done and this one was tender to cut and chew, juicy, flavorful; the chimichurri only accentuated its delectable flavor (I should have taken a pic when I cut it, but I was busy enjoying it!). We had soft, fresh Picos for dessert to top it all off . Both the pitaya and Cacao were tasty and sugar wise were just right! This will be a must for us in our future visits to SFO. Smiley and super friendly as well as accommodating staff!

I enjoyed this authentic food from nicaragua a lot! The meat was very well done, the portion was huge and it was very tasty. Inside it does not look fancy, but if you come for the food, then you are at the right place. The process to order ist a bit different then usually. You order your food at the counter and pay food and drink and afterwards you get served on your chosen seat. I will come back for sure.

Food and atmosphere is just like Nicaragua! They have vegetarian/vegan options, and the portions are huge so you will definitely be full. Plus the pitaya juice was super refreshing.

I returned to Las tinajas after 3 years of not having been there. I was sooooo disappointed in the food, & the service. It was dead it wasn’t that same thriving busy place it use to be. The cabbage salad was awful it had no taste, the carrots tasted old & dusty. I will not be going back, I wouldn’t of minded paying $77 for our 2 meals had they been good not even delicious!

Food is really good with home taste. I love puerco frito (fried pork). I really recommend it

Sad that this place is shutting there doors. The memories here and that taste of authentic Nicoya food will be truly missed.

Food: excellent!! Price: extravagant!! This food is delicious but simple it should not cost this much to eat here. I will say that you won't regret spending the money because the food quality is so on point! Very authentic, reminds me of my mother's cooking. Service is fine nothing good or bad to say about that. The atmosphere is very cafeteria vibes. You get your food on a tray and you go find your seat at an open table. Parking not great because there is no dedicated lot to the restaurant but I guess it goes with the territory of the location.

Over rated and over priced. The customer service is lacking. The fried cheese is super rubbery and this place isn't what it used to be.

We have been coming here for 30+ years and the food is always consistently good. No matter what you order. The owner and chef is retiring. Come by before they close forever.

Las Tinajas has been 1 of the few nicaragüense restaurants in SF. The food is good and they offer a variety of dishes, desserts and drinks. The bistek in this occasion was seasoned well, super soft. Gallopinto wasn't dry which is great and was a wonderful compliment to the dish. Tajadas were nice and crunchy but not too salty. Overall, I've always enjoyed las tinajas. Check it out if you want to try Nicaraguan food.

I've only been once but I know the food is amazing. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is because I was disappointed in the service. It was my first time coming in so I didn't understand that you order near the front and then scoot down to the register to pay. There was a woman there when we walked in but she never addressed us and barely looked at us so we scooted up thinking we could order at the register but we couldn't. By that time 3 people showed up and were helped before we could even order so we had to wait more to just be acknowledged. We ordered and were told it would take about 20 mins, not a big deal. I love fresh food. But even after that, they forgot about giving us our drink, forgot to bring honey when I asked for some and my plate also didn't come with the cabbage slaw. I was so over it by then that I didn't even tell them. We had to mention so many things to them that I was just frustrated and didn't feel like trying anymore. The carne asada plate I had was sooo delicious but I think they overcharge for the food. They have a big menu and something for everyone. I would love to come back but I hope I experience better service so I can update my review and give them 4-5 stars.

I really enjoyed the carne asada here. I order carne asada whenever I see it on a menu since it is one of my favorite meals. I've had it at many Latin American restaurants, and sadly, at least half the time it is overcooked and tasteless. However, at Las Tinajas, it is flavorful and juicy. It is so good. At $20, the plate includes rice and plantains, which I think is a very good value for a plate with generous portions. We went for lunch with a large group and easily found a large table. I also really liked their selection of aguas frescas. I had the pitaya (dragonfruit) and it was excellent. I would definitely come back here.

Las Tinajas Nicaraguan restaurant has been my family fav forever! Generations have always looked to our favorite as a source of tasty and fine dining forever providing us with authentic and tradition Nicaraguan cuisine! Good Bye to Las Tinajas this September 27th! We will miss you and the wonderful food you have provided us!

So glad me and my family were able to dine here for the last day. Such a wonderful place and excellent, delicious food. It will be sorely missed. Thank you for the food and wonderful memories.

Over rated, Poor service and over priced. I've hosted my mother's birthday here with a party of over 30, twice. Todsy, when I presented a problem with my to go order over the phone, they resolved it by hanging up on me. I'll be eating at a competitor up the street..

This is an old school place, you don't need a review from me. You're either coming here or you're not. I just wanted to add a decent picture of the menu because most of the pics on here are either blurry or old... or both!

The food is great. The service and vibe changed since our last visit and was not so great this time. Today we went for Nica food and drove for over an hour thinking it would be a special treat to pick up food at Las Tinajas. We especially look forward to their carne asada and gallo pinto. We enjoyed the service in past visits, everyone had always been pleasant and attentive. This time we arrive a little before 3:30pm but they told us we couldn't get carne asada since they closed up the grill at 3:30. Disappointed, I asked if they could make an exception since we had made a special trip. They were not so hospitable nor friendly, but they did make our order. One of the surly and rude girls working there swept the floor towards our feet. It wasn't the most pleasant of experiences which was sad since it had been before. I suggest they change their practice of closing up the grill half an hour before their closing time at 4. Or close the restaurant at 3:30. Hope the owners at the restaurant read this and make changes. We'll look for Nica food elsewhere.

Food is delicious. The restaurant itself is pretty laid back. You order at the front then find a table. I docked two stars off as the ladies in front were not as friendly and didn't even acknowledge my "thank yous". I understand people have bad days but maybe don't put them at the register as that represents the first impression. Horrible customer service !

Lilly is Nicaraguan and sought out this place in mission for Nacatamales. Also good combo plates. Even warmed up from frozen nacatamales were good.

Would not recommend, slow service, the food has a smell to it and we had to move the tables around ourselves because they didn't want to clear the two tables with enough seats for us. The food is very over priced for inexpensive meals to make. I would recommend saving money and getting better service somewhere else.

The food is delicious, good portions & reasonable priced. The staff are amazing, kind, caring, and accommodating. My wife is from Nicaragua, and we found the food to be totally authentic. There are a variety of dishes to choose from. We enjoyed it so much on Monday that we came back today (Wednesday) before our flight home to Ontario Airport.

Let me start by saying that I have been going to Las Tinajas Restaurant way before Yelp even began. My mom use to take me here when I was a young girl and now 2023 it still does not disappoint. The servers are still just as friendly as I remember them. The food is still delicious as I remember it, fresh and with a lot of flavor with every taste. The restaurant seemed to look the same way as I remember it as well minus some signed jerseys that used to be on the wall. The only downside is the ordering process which has still not changed in the front where it causes back up at the door. As long as the food is still great which it is...the line is worth the wait.

The best food nice owners very clean loved i will go there everiday best baho everithink

I recently visited las Tinajas after flying into SFO and was pleasantly surprised. I used to dine here with my parents as a kid when we lived in SF and then after we moved to the East Bay we would take weekend trips to the city and had to get our Nicaraguan fix. I got the Carne Asada, dad and husband got the Churrasco and moms was able to get the last Baho for the day! All tasted great. Carne asada was great size (took some home b/c so much). Service was good as well. Make sure to ask for a bit of curtido and green spicy sauce if your into HOT. It was around 1pm when we arrived and they were running out of a few things. Gotta get in early perhaps to try some of the Nica staples. Some dishes are only available on certain days which is a bummer for those of us who live far away. Totally forgot to take photos of the dishes but I'm sure we'll be back again. After so many years, Tinajas did not disappoint.

Terrible food quality super expensive over the top. This place is not worth it. Almost $40 for a meal in a hole in the wall.?these people need to just close down! They charge you for every little thing I was shocked that they didn't charge me for napkins and a fork

Worst customer service! Lady in the front started screaming at me and saying she doesn't sell the cheese because they won't be coming in for months! I did not understand and she was so rude!!! I've being coming here for years and not exactly for the customer experience. Never again!!!!! I ended up with a bill of $45 not eating the food! Horrible it's always latinas with rude behavior!! They said the wait time for the plate would be 25 minutes!

Talk about flavors!?! This plate got it all, recommend with una milca make sure you get a nacatamal to go for dinner

Delicious Nicaraguan food with a wide variety of options compared to other Nica restaurants. Food was great. Ambience was welcoming, and the service was quick and easy. Buen provecho!

Can't get enough of this place. Never have I had food poisoning, never has the food been off and never has the staff been rude to us. We always order the usuals: Carne Asada plate, Antojito, Lengua en Salsa, Salpicón, Cacao and the Lomo Asado. I know the prices are a little bit higher than the other places but it's always worth it. I'd be upset if it was pricey and gross.

There are few nicaraguan restaurants out there, so I want to love this place but just can't. I went for the simple plate: Gallo pinto, maduros, salad, and queso frito. The queso was delicious, but everything else was cold, hard and tasted old. And super over priced! It's always been expensive, but it's just getting ridiculous. The service was mediocre. Walked in and they were upset. It was 45 minutes to closing and they verbally told us that the person at the front should not have let us by. We also saw a server drop a dish on a customer. It happens, but the way it was handled was just odd. Definitely the last time I go here.

One of my favorite places to eat in San Francisco the best plate in the Antojitos totally recommend

The food, service, and vibes were right on! I got the Plato Nica and let's just say there was more eating than talking with this meal! I also tried a bite of my boyfriends food which was the lengua and wow the lengua was so tender and flavorful; it will be what I order next time! Thank you for the wonderful experience!

I love the food here. Was raised on Nicaraguense food, soy Nicoya. I've been coming here for years! The only thing is they charge way too much! Every time I come to eat here (now that I live across the bay) the prices go up and I mean not by a few cents. I mean by a few dollars ‍ I hope they stop at some point before I have to go somewhere else ‍ Nicoya has spoken!

If you want bomb Nicaraguan comfort food with an array of fresh juices and drinks, look no further. The Lengua en salsa (tender, melt in your mouth beef tongue in a rich and savory tomato based sauce with carrots and onions) was awesome, and the portions are generous. I'm taking my leftovers home with me! The vibe is causal but nice enough to dine in. It's family friendly, you'll see families dining out together. You pick out what you want cafeteria style and pay up front for dine in and take out. I'll be back to check out more dishes, drinks (dragon fruit juice, passion fruit juice, a cocoa drink, the list goes on), and Nicaraguan desserts.

Absolutely love coming here. It's like cafeteria style when you order at the front. You tell them what you'd like and then they plate it for you to place on your tray and then slide down to the cashier. What I love about the food is is homemade comfort feeling que tiene la comida latina. Simple cooking and plating with amazing flavors. I've been here a couple times and love their Gallo pinto maduros and fried cheese. They are staples that can do no wrong. The last time I went I tried their pollo en salsa and it was a huge chicken breast with sauce. So yummy!! My mom and I shared it along with some plantains and Gallo pinto -- that was more than enough for the two of us. Definitely worth a try for lunch and tasty Nicaraguan food!

So glad to see this place is still open the plate of Carne Asada and Gallo pinto with fried cheese and fried plantains was delicious. Just a little pricey for lunch at 26.50

Muy buena comida hecha en casa buena atención Deliciosa sazón. Un pequeño rinconcito de nicaragua en San Francisco lo recomiendo

Been going here for over 20 years. Definitely has gone down hill. Prices have always been high. But now it's crazy and not the same quality. The shrimp is frozen and not a great favor. Most disappointing was the cheese, No longer fried. Slabs of cold white cheese... and the Gallo Pinto is terrible! What the hell happened! I have noticed that the last three times I've been there. Now I can't think of spending another $80 on two meals that are mediocre at best.

They have friend cheese but won't sell it to you unless you order one of 3 things. And not that those things are more expensive. Bad customer service. And everyone knows you need the fried cheese. Since it's a Tuesday, I just went over to oye Managua. Waste of paying for parking spot. Save your time and money and choose another spot.

Great hospitality, made me feel like I was at my grandmas house again as a kid. Friendly staff, clean restaurant and good food. I got the antojitos, the steak and chicken were on point very flavorful. Of course the staple gallo pinto and Queso with platanos frito. Milca red soda as refreshing blast from the past. If your are in the mood for some good Nicaraguan food stop by las tinajas. Prices were affordable

In a sea of Mexican restaurants, it's nice to grab some Nicaraguan food. Doesn't seem gentrified like other restaurants nearby, though it will be a bit pricier than tacos or burritos. However, that must be because you get enough food for two meals. And it's not because I had a weak appetite or anything, literally every other table was taking leftovers home. Antojitos "Las Tinajas": Not sure why it's called antojitos, since it's more like a massive double meal plate than an appetizer or snack. If you can't decide which grilled meat to get, this combo is a great option. Skirt steak that is heavily marinated and charbroiled, delicious in each bite. Also, another heavily spiced large cut of pork that is pounded thin and grilled with nice grill marks. The fact that this platter came with a big chunk of fried cheese seal the deal, so yummy. The rice mixed with beans were a nice hearty side. More fried plantain chips than I knew what to do with. Also some softer and sweeter maduros, that helped contrast the salty umami of everything else. The pickled onions went really well with the meats. Pitaya Juice: Sweeter than fresh red dragon fruit, maybe they added a little sugar? Quite refreshing.

This place is such a beloved mainstay of the Mission and I hope they can maintain their operations through the pandemic. I have Been visiting this restaurant since I was a little kid and of all the nicaragüense restaurants that have come and gone in the general area, this one has always stood the test of time. I haven't had everything on the menu, but everything I've had is incredible and is a decent rival to my favorite family home cooked meals!! The fried red snapper is a cannot miss when they have it. It is only rarely available, i think around Easter for Semana Santa and possibly another time of year. But it is so delicious and crisp and juicy. The tomato sauce on top is just *chefs kiss*! I came for take out recently and while it isn't the most sophisticated set up (you won't find a QR code here) it does the trick. I got the Plato típica (fried pork, Gallo pinto, plantains in two styles, queso frito, tortillas and repollo) which is an excellent entry to the world of Nicaraguan food if you've yet to try. My partner had the bistec en cebollado which is akin to a Peruvian lomo saltado (particularly because he got it with fries). Delicious, toamto-y, grilled onions, and gravy make this beef tender and delicious. I also love the churrasco steak, chuleta de pescado, camarones y arroz... you cannot go wrong. Lastly - do not miss out on the amazing drinks. Passion fruit and dragon fruit are my two favorites when it's hot. But semilla de Jicaro (an horchata esque drink) and cebada (made with barley) are awesome for when it's cooler out. Nicaraguan food is one of the most underrated and unexplored cuisines of Latin America, and you won't regret trying it especially if it's cooked by las tinajas.

Best Nicaraguan food in the Bay Area! Definitely recommend this place! The cacao drink is good and the nacatamal. My favorite plate is the churrasco!

My Mother, born and raised in Nicaragua used to come here because this was the only place she said had real authentic Nicaraguan food. In fact, when she was a little girl living in Managua 40 years ago, she knew the owners of the restaurant. And to my surprise, they are the same owners of this restaurant! I ordered the carne Asada and the Lomito de cerdo (#1) and it was INCREDIBLE. So tasty and cooked to perfection. Really can't recommend this kind of authentic food enough. I also ordered a couple nacatamales to go! Seriously, a must have.

Warm, friendly, bilingual service of absolutely delicious food. Servings are generous, prices reasonable. I love platanos maduros con frijoles y crema. My son had a plate of pork, beef, plantain chips, coleslaw and rice with beans. He is always hungry, but could not finish it. SO good! I hope to visit again and get the mondongo some time soon.

The Second time I try Nicaragüense food and this place is the best so far! Recommended for everyone

This is by far the worst Nicaraguan food I have tried. Being half Nicaraguan, I know good authentic Nicaraguan food. And this is not it. 1) The server is really rude at the front. 2) The food is only limited to four options in any given day of the week. 3) Out of the four options, they did not have one, so even limited to three options. 4) The food was not that great.

The food is on point! Authentic Nicaraguan. The Plato Nica will fill you up AND have leftovers for later. I get the pork. It's the right spice blend and pairs well with the cabbage & fried plantain chips to scoop it up with. The gallo pinto is delicious with the onion/vinegar condiment and your meal isn't complete or authentic without it! My favorite is the fried cheese! Salty and grilled to perfection!

I ordered bajo to go, it had too much fat and it was too salty. The plantain was too hard.

In my opinion one of the best places to get your Nicaraguan food fix. Fresh and tasty food for a good price. I have been here many times for many years and I will always return.

Maybe it is our fault for coming back to this restaurant in so long. We used to dine here 2 or 3 times per year prior 2020 covid-19 and the food was great. Currently the meals are overpriced, small portions, and the taste is nothing like before. The Antojitos, for example, do not come with fried cheese. Instead you get a slice of queso fresco on top of the gallo pinto which looks and tastes disgusting. The tajadas de platano verde were overcooked and almost burnt. You get 3 tiny pieces of maduro frito. Sadly this is no longer a place where you can come with family and friends to enjoy authentic Nicaraguan food. And BTW the service has never been great

My favorite place in the city to get Nicaraguan food, been going here since high school and it taste just as great. Definitely recommend if you're looking for good authentic Nicaraguan food. I always get the vegetarian plate and don't forget to order cream on the side

Been coming here for years. Use to be one of my favorite Nicaraguan restaurants in SF. Over the years the prices have gone up significantly! I understand everything has gone up and I really don't mind except the prices have gone up and portion have gotten way smaller. But that's not the case for the 2 stars. The last 2 times I've been here they are always out of everything and the staff is absolutely horrible!! They are so rude!! Especially the ladies up all the way in the front! They have no patients! They really need to learn customer service!! And any Nicaraguan that I talk to in SF says the same thing!! That's why everyone is going over to Oye Managua! And that's where I'll be going next time! Adios las Tinajas!

I've been eating here for years and I can't believe I'm just writing with you right now. Carne Asada with the Gallo pinto soft plantains and two sides of the fried cheese! My staff and I worked in the neighborhood and we would always split this because the portions are huge and we can't afford all that. Struggling natives ... we grew here and they flew here why don't you charge them the higher prices? Local discounts would be nice to saying. We can all hope and dream right? Also side of their fried shrimp is so fucking good. I also Recommend eating here. If you're planning to take it home order your Steak medium. Customer service is amazing there's a young Asian Latin man up at the front I forgot his name already. He's such a sweetheart. Don't forget to order A large cacao drink. Oye on 30th is just alright this place is way better.