Papalote

I don’t know why this place has some lower reviews, it is one of the best burritos in the city, their salsa is legendary, and the service is excellent. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options and affordable to boot. I don’t leave a lot of review but feel like they deserve to be higher!!

The service was good enough and pleasant. The food was just OK, for a Taco Tuesday. 2 tacos for an average price. Not cheap, not expensive. The room's clientele was raucous and entitled. That is not the restaurants fault, but it adds to the experience.

Just grabbed a carne asada quesadilla for dine-in and a carne asada burrito to-go, but ended up with chicken in the burrito instead of that tasty grilled steak. 😩 Although a bit disappointed about the burrito mix-up, the quesadilla is genuinely delicious. I still recommend it 💖

I ordered out a tofu burrito with Spanish rice and retried beans. Came with no beans or rice. Was a ton of tofu floating around in way too much sauce a little else, really gross and hard to eat. Id like the cook to try this burrito and tell me what he thinks. Barely edible.

It's a delicious mission burrito. The mole here is really unique, flavorful but not overly spicy or acidic. It's great with the chicken, but they have many veg options too. The orange sauce is legend, creamy and flavorful but again not overly spicy. Really well balanced.

Staff is incredible, food is delicious and really really well priced, zero complaints, loved this place

Amazing fish burrito! Made in a white wine and butter sauce that makes this ultimately stand out. Got the super burrito too, which adds Guac, cheese, and sour cream. The salsa was also amazing. Not spicy, but super flavorful!

I’ve been going here for over 10 years and love it. However couldn’t believe when I got home with my pick up order tonight that there were less than 20 chips in my bag. What the heck? Price keeps going up and now skimping on the food :-(

Folks, I was just browsing around Yelp while I'm supposed to be working and I come across Papalote. It has only three and a half stars?! What the hell! Ok, I know the inside can sometimes have a really overpowering cleaning chemical smell. That's a fact that I cannot deny. The prices are also on the high side. I'll grant you that. But three and a half stars?! Have you not had the salsa? Their salsa is the closest thing you can get to La Vic's orange sauce without having to go to Hayward. I don't understand what's going on here. My girlfriend and I usually get the veggie burrito with the carrots and potatoes. That is a hearty dinner! You could probably split one between to people and feel pretty good about it. The chips are good. They have the fruit punch Jarritos. What more do you want?! Soyrizo! Tofu! Loads of vegetarian options! I give it a solid five stars and I'm not ashamed!

Much has been said about papalote, but I want to rave here about my particular order. Al Pastor Quesadilla. Run that with their special orange sauce, and you won't regret it. It's hard to find street parking, but you'll take the time to look for it if you get this order, a combo made from heaven. There are other burrito places, yes. But this particular combo brings splashes of flavors that will leave you speechless.

Yummy - I've been a fan of the salsa (grocery store purchased) before going to this restaurant and I enjoyed the meal. I think I've had better Mexican food aside from here - but overall this experience was fine. Price is what most places charge and they don't skimp on the meat and portions. Service was a bit lacking but at the same time - not much to complain about or improve in either. Definitely a good enough experience but not a "go out of my way to eat here" spot.

Just wanted to update. Unfortunately, the last time I visited, they said they no longer sell the adobo burrito so I don't want any new eyes to think they can still order it.

Challenging street parking, but I was able to find it just up the block. The place isn't huge, but they have about 6-8 tables. It's good Mexican food, and they have vegan/vegetarian-friendly options. It isn't mind-blowing, but good, decent food, especially for their honest prices. The staff is pleasant and helpful in case you need water or utensils. Their bathroom has "coloring" but is clean.

El Papalote! Haven't been here in about 9 years. Today we ordered a carne asada super burrito with whole black beans. The burrito was good! I read a comment that mentioned the bean portion is a lot higher than the rest of the other ingredients inside and they're correct. It's not a crazy amount but it's definitely in every bite. Big up if you're a fan of beans! Their salsa is very good. A little too mild for my liking but it's very flavorful and I was chasing my burrito bites with a little sip from the cup. The employees are very nice and the store is clean with a bathroom for customers only. They also have decent sized water cups!

Papalote is an easy place to get a pretty decent meal. This is a counter walk up place for food to go or to stay. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and the food comes out quickly. I had a carne asada burrito and enjoyed it! I could have used a little more pico but the beans and rice were great and the steak is well seasoned.

I used to live a couple blocks from this place and ate there almost every day. I really miss their salsa. I saw the salsa for sale in a supermarket a couple years ago and bought a couple jars. It was good but not quite the same as the stuff they use at the restaurant.

Ordered from DoorDash so YMMV -- I received my order of 1 Al Pastor Burrito in a paper bag with the chips in the same bag (not in its own bag) & the burrito was on top of the chips so it ended up crushing them... The creamy orange sauce salsa included was def good but that's the most I can compliment for the food The burrito innards were very orange throughout, and consisted of just Mexican rice, pork, and maybe some pico de gallo? The meat in my Al Pastor burrito was chewy and pretty tough, and the seasoning/spices on it was kind of odd to me--I was tasting some cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y, very PSL kinda flavors, and was not a fan of this flavor combo personally.

I truly don't understand HOW this place gets an ounce of hate. The burrito AND plates here are exceptional. The portions are huge, they add a ton of chicken, and the hot sauce is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I usually pick up and the staff is so friendly every time. Quite often Mexican food can often give me a stomach ache but Papalote uses whole and fresh ingredients that you are satiated after and don't feel like crap. Easily a top burrito spot in the city for me. Don't sleep on this!! Pro tip: get it "hot" and they put the hot sauce inside of the burrito so it's more flavorful and doesn't require as much pouring the sauce onto every bite (although i catch myself still doing that because it's so damn good).

Long time fan of Papalote so this review is way overdue! As a vegan, I don't have a lack of options in the city. I also don't have a lack of Mexican/Latin food to choose from. However, what stands out about Papalote is that the vegan option isn't just "whatever veggies we have and thrown together," they actually have tofu & soyrizo on the menu and they cook it well! Holy moly that Tofu Mole is my go-to every time. In a burrito with black or refried beans, (which btw, all their beans & rice is vegan, no second guessing here!). Drizzled with their signature orange salsa. I haven't found a better one yet! They even give you chips, which means you need more salsa. Well, good thing is you can buy it by the jar. This place is always popping, with people constantly coming in to pick up their orders or dining in with an ice-cold beer. I look forward to coming back for another Tofu Mole burrito soon. (Please don't ever take it off the menu!!)

Yes, there are better taquerias (La Corneta, El Rey, La Taqueria, El Faro) within walking distance of this Papalote location. I frequent those as well, and honestly, the first time I came here was probably ten years ago for TotMW. I knew there were other taquerias to try, but the nearby corner used to be a TotMW favorite, and it was close to the library, and the funny bus line, etc. Yes, that's an apology, because I don't know whether Papalote even qualifies as a taqueria. Yes, I love the tofu burrito with pinto beans and the soyrizo burrito with refried beans. The former is especially good as a super burrito. Yes, the salsa is still consistently delicious although it's still--after all these years--wildly inconsistent in terms of its heat. Three out of five servings will be perfect. One out of five will not be spicy enough. One out of five will make you think you're in a hot-food-eating contest. Yes, it's overpriced. As in way overpriced. As in it's been overpriced for years, way before people knew there could be overpriced burritos. Yes, you'll still find me here the same day of the week you used to find me at the Fulton Street location, although I'd go there any day other than Fridays, whereas the Mission location is just one day of the week. Yes, the walk back to my Mission District apartment is just too long--it's not actually long, but it's annoying. I really loved the walk from Fulton Street to my old place and the game I used to play with counting parking stickers on cars (RIP). Yes, there's still a way to get one free burrito after purchasing nine or ten, although you have to download the app now; they don't honor the old plastic cards. Boo! I refuse to download apps for garbage like this. Yes, you should pay with cash if you can. And yes, there's real seating here, whereas the Fulton Street location is still to-go only, as far as I know. It's not pleasant seating. You really should get your food to go, like I do. No, I'll never stop missing my Panhandle Papalote-car-game-AA Market ritual.

Delicious tacos, amazing salsa, and good vegetarian options. It's absolutely a great spot. I need to try the burritos next time!

I've tried this place multiple times over the past 10 years, and they were once again very solid with their carne asada burrito. We ordered takeout on the Wednesday after Christmas, and we enjoyed our burritos after a short shopping expedition. Online ordering was super reliable, quick and tasty. The chips were great, too. The kids burritos - rice & beans and beans & cheese - were also sizable and were actually adequate for lunch the next day. Delicious!

Food is ok but a dude with bleached blonde hair argued with me that I hadn't placed my order when they had actually given it to someone else. They gave me a burrito but again, the wrong order. All kinds of wrong. Get some manners blonde dude, and give people the correct order. Very vey disappointing.

The truth is that California has the best Mexican food. Coming from the east coast and then Portland, I was blown away by the simple yet satisfying nature of paplotes. After a long morning of driving and an unexpected hour wait at hookfish, it was 1:30 so we decided to pick up some burritos at papalotes. I ordered the Al pastor burrito with no rice, refried beans, and cheese and it was ready by the time we got there. The meat was dec and the marination was the perfect amount of sweet for al pastor. I will say it might not have been worth $17 though, unless I was really craving a burrito. Comes with chips and a creamy mildly spiced salsa which was pretty good. All in all, very good. Probably better than any other Mexican I can get up north.

Good burritos and great salsa. The staff is super friendly and it's located in a convenient area.

Ordered takeout. Value: Meh. 3/5 - 2 Burritos were about $16 each What I ordered: Tofu Mole Burrito: Not Good. 2/5 - Did not include much tofu - The Burrito wasn't properly wrapped - Was very soggy - The sauce was good though Side Salad: Bad. 1/5 - Was a free add-on - Was very bad

Nothing outstanding about their steak burrito here. Was hungry and with the blackout at my house decided to venture out in search of food. Steak was dry, would love more guacamole, and I wanted refried beans but they weren't listening and I didn't want to argue. Average burrito. I bought my own plate, the plate is not from the restaurant.

It's such a shame that this location isn't as good as the Fulton location, which I order delivery from once every other week. My go-to order at the Fulton location is a carne asada super burrito and an order of the bean and cheese dip, so I decided to order the exact same two items from here. However, when I walked over to pick up order, I was upset that the carne asada in my burrito was overcooked and dry. The black refried beans also had a more liquidy texture that tasted off. I was even more disappointed when I saw how little cheese was in the bean and cheese dip. For reference, you can check out my Yelp review of the Fulton location to compare the difference in the bean and cheese dips. Although the Fulton location is farther away from me, I'll definitely chose to order delivery from Fulton rather than walking over to this spot for another meal. My partner also agreed that the quality at this location just isn't as good.

This place is obviously awesome. Their soyrizo is delicious. They're always so nice and the service is fast. Been eating here for years. Their super taco is fkng amazing.

OMG the best tacos I've ever eaten in my life. Seriously I cannot explain how great these were. For $7 bucks for two tacos, this was the best deal ever. They were fully loaded with sour cream guac and cheese along with the toppings. The tofu taco is good but the vegan chorizo taco was Insane. So many flavors, in a soft taco and it just melted in your mouth. A must try when you're in This area, even if you're not a vegetarian.

A bit torn here because their salsa is really good which is why they even sell it in bottles. They give you a pretty healthy sized helping of chips and it's a great dining in experience. However, take out here is a bit of a challenging story where they'll close around 30 minutes before the close date though it seems a bit of a moving target. Also the food portions are quite a bit smaller. Ambiance-wise, Papalote scores decent marks with a clean and cozy interior though sometimes a tad noisy.

Ok I've been ordering the Marinated Tofu Burrito for like 6 years. I love it. It's my favorite burrito in the city. But I'm an idiot. I never tried the Mole Tofu Burrito until the other day and I'm SO ANGRY. For SIX YEARS I could've had it if I had only strayed from my usual order. I've been missing out! At least now I know. I have a new favorite burrito (But tbh I'll probably still get the marinated sometimes too, you can't go wrong here)

Must try: their "orange sauce" Why? Similar to the famous La Vic's sauce in San Jose, this flavorful sauce really makes the burrito special. Consider: I believe the burritos at the famous spots in the mission are tastier but this is awesome too

This was our "Go To" take out Mexican Cafe for about 10 years when we lived a block away on Guerrero Street. About 6 years ago I was at Facebook headquarters and they had a "Pop up" Papaleto place on Hacker Way. I met the owners and purchased their delicious salsa that day. Today was a sunny October Sunday afternoon and we wanted a quick late lunch. Eureka! We actually found street parking across the street and took it as a good omen. The interior of Papaleto is being use to store stairs and boxes so not to inviting if you were a "First time" visitor. I would recommend they either clean up the space or perhaps install a simple curtain so not to negatively influence customers presception over. We were greeted my a masked staff member who was very welcoming and her eyes smiled. My wife ordered her usual chicken burritos without beans. I ordered the grilled shrimp tacos with peppers and mushrooms. My wife and the staff asked if I wanted lettuce, sour cream or salsa? I repeated I only want what was displayed on the menu board. We had a fun playful exchange and we all got a good laugh on what I wanted. Our order came with chips and salsa. My shrimp tacos with prefect! Fresh pump lightly grilled shrimp and mushrooms and peppers---exactly as I wanted and received! Thank you! We don't live in The Mission/Noe Valley neighborhood any longer but we will be back again soon! Highly recommend and it has outside covered seating. PS - If I recall correctly the Papaleto founders beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay in a grill out a decade ago and they still rock!

Salsa: amazing Quality of asada: very good But I just ordered an asada burrito and it was HELLA BEANS :(

I ordered over the phone on 6/10/2023. I ordered a "naked chicken super burrito" and some tacos. I picked it up and took it home. When I got home, it was not a baked chicken super burrito, but a regular burrito. Whatever, maybe they misheard. But then I cut it open after reheating it and I pulled out a long black hair that was *in* the burrito. Disgusting bro. And you can see my profile picture; I certainly don't have long black hair. Papalote has good salsa and good mole, but I am not interested in trying this place again. Been here a dozen times but no more after this. Poor experience all around. Tried to call back and get a refund and no one answered yet they're supposedly still open. Cool.

Easily one of the Best Super Burritos in California. Their Chicken Super Burrito is definitely a Top 3 contender. And their Orange Sauce is unbelievably good. Regular orange sauce is very mild--you can drink it like a soup it tastes so good. I've bought their Habañero and Black label hot sauces inside Whole Foods and Safeway--it is really good. But the fresh stuff made inside the Mission District location is ridiculously good and fresh--somehow waaaay better than the store bottled hot sauces.

It was my first time here. I ordered a steak fajitas and it was not good at all . It's such a shame how they made it . The taste was look like anything except fajitas and full of oil . I couldn't tell what type of meat it is !! It was like pieces of rubber .. The taste was terrible like poison I have never had any fajita's worse than this in while my life . The lady who took my order was ok. Some times when you are very hungry you feel like the food is good . I was so hungry and I even could not eat anything. I just finished the rice which was only 3-4 spoons. I will never go back here and I advise everyone to think 2 times before you go here . I regret it . Waste of my time and my $26 . I wish I had returned the food and got my money back. But I did not do this and put the food next to the street garbage bin.

A great choice for vegetarians with so much to love - starting with the salsa. You can call Papalote techy hipster as much as you want, but the salsa defies stereotypes. The salsa is so creamy and smoky. I like to dump it on my salad although the ranch salad dressing (it isn't regular ranch) has a sort of similar taste. You can even get salsa by the container. BUT make sure you get the salsa fresh in a container they have packaged there. The salsa in the jar tastes totally different. Unrecognizable. I've gotten the vegetable salad. I really like the vegetables they choose to use and the seasoning of them is always yummy. The salad is jam packed with veggies, jicama, pico, and beans. Sometimes I add the soyrizo too. The chips are bubbly and even decent on the second day. There is space to sit outside but not inside. PSA (parking service announcement): The street parking can be dicey depending on when you come. SIGH the city. TLDR; the salsa. Get the salsa.

Time & Date: Saturday, Nov 20th 2021 @ 2:20pm Delivery: Door Dash Ordered: Al Pastor Burrito + Pollo Asado Tacos Ordered Papalote through Door Dash & my order was prepared & packed up super quickly, which made the delivery extra quick. My burrito and tacos arrived fresh and hot, and the meat still had that nice charred "off the grill" shine & taste. The al pastor was marinated super well and I absolutely loved it, however I got a slight taste of cinnamon on my first bite. As I made my way down the burrito, I noticed that there were pineapples in it! I'm not a pineapple on pizza type of person so I wasn't a big fan of the pineapples in this burrito. Had I know it would come with pineapple, I would've opted to leave it out. Other than that the burrito was delicious! The pollo asada was also nicely charred and well marinated with a bright orange color. Each taco was overflowing with lettuce & tomatoes. However I wish there was a bit more meat and less veggie. Overall a solid taco! The complimentary chips were still warm, crispy, thin & light. The salsa was a pastel orange color, Ive never seen any salsa like that before! Albeit it had a nice spicy kick & paired super well with the burrito, tacos, & chips! Will def be ordering from Papalote again!

We live in the neighborhood have have been going here for years, sadly never again! Absolutely disgusting! Ordered a cheese quesadilla with sour cream and guacamole. Raw cheese inside a stone cold tortilla drenched in cold sour cream and guacamole. Did the person who "cooked" this actually think someone should want to eat this much less enjoy? Husbands burrito was also cold. Completely inedible meal, at least the chips and salsa were ok.

finally tried this place and it did not disappoint (takeaway dinner on a cold rainy night) hubby had the carne asada burrito and I had the chorizo burrito (very spicy so I took a few Pepto pills to stay ahead of the eventual heartburn) we both chose Spanish rice, Roma tomato tortilla and black beans - added sour cream and guacamole (extra) the burritos came with chips and their house salsa dip (it is mild thankfully) I'll try their prawn burrito next time to save my esophagus and stomach (but will still occasionally order the chorizo because I am a glutton for punishment)

One of three. The other two orders were screwed up. Carne asada became chicken and my burrito came without a tortilla on lettuce. Both rated good, but not what we ordered. Swing and two misses.

Lovely owner and great customer service!! don't let the construction fool you there are most definitely open!

I ordered a vegetarian burrito with chips and salsa and omg! It arrived fresh and hot and the salsa is unlike any salsa I e ever had, it's absolutely delicious. I give this place 5 stars and it goes on my list of fav Uber Eats place.

I recommend their food. I got the vegetarian burrito with grilled vegetables. It had squash, onion, bell pepper and tomato. It was filling but mostly because the tortilla is large and there's a lot of beans and rice. Other than that, the salsa is good and they're famous for it. The ordering and take out process needs work, like in most restaurants, but it's nothing too major at this location.

BEST BURRITO EVER!! I moved to San Francisco from LA and I have searched high and low for some great quality Mexican food. There is a nice patio outside and the employees were very friendly! Highly highly recommend! I'll be coming back next week :)

A hole in the wall and dining in sucks because it feels you're sitting in the storeroom, oh wait you are!. But I love their smokey salsa and when in the mood and area, I will fight to find parking and stop by.

First off...we have been Papalote customers since they first opened (SF native here), and over the years for the most part we've had mostly positive experiences, but unfortunately this may have been the last. I paid $26.50 for the carne asada entree and instead of getting the soft taco or fajita sized flour tortillas I got one large burrito sized tortilla. Seriously? The entree portion has plenty enough for two (or more), but how do you do that with just one tortilla? I ended up constructing a deconstructed burrito myself at home. Not cool. Also, the carne asada was on a bed of hot, soggy lettuce that stuck to the meat and had a strange coating underneath each piece, perhaps from the proteins releasing but still odd looking and not what I see when I grill at home. There was a pinner amount of rice, beans, and pico to go with all the meat and they don't include sour cream and guacamole either so you need to buy on the side. Really disappointed...but wish them well in the future and hopefully they fix these issues.

Went there earlier in the evening of 3-14-24. I got this male server at the register who took my order and he was very weird. I ordered one chicken mole burrito and one chile verde burrito. I asked if you could do chile verde spicy and he said, "no, it comes the way it is." I also bought couple jars of their salsa. He then asked me if I could pay cash, which I found bit odd and offensive because my friends standing in line before me got this woman at the register who took their order and she didn't ask them if they would pay cash. The food was good. Chile verde was not too much of my liking but I guess my interest got lost by this rude guy at the register.

Great mole burrito and their signature salsa. Used to be fine to eat there, but now not so much. No plates for starters--just a bag you'll need to use like one on the table. Covid's their excuse--but that was then & this is now. Elsewhere as of August 2023 (and well before that date) tacquerias provide plates and silverware for customers dining inside. C'mon guys... Other issue hard to ignore is the volume level of the music in the seating area. Between songs you'll hear different music coming from the kitchen. It's not a big space. So Papalote prefers to be a take-out place and not somewhere you can eat, especially when you're not by yourself. Shame...

Wow! I enjoyed Papalote's mole pollo (1/2) burrito, chile verde (1/2) burrito, and their delicious signature salsa and chips. The burritos were freshly prepared, and the ingredients were excellent - YUMMY!!! Papalote certainly knows how to make great Mexican food. I highly recommend them. You will definitely get your money's worth and leave with a satisfied full belly. They deserve a 5-star rating and a Z snap formation! Nkay!

Try this place 3 times... kept getting worse and worse. In conclusion, if you like tasteless and overpriced Mexican food, this is your place. Dissatisfied. See the carne asada for reference. Plates can be better served and please get creative with the sides. Yellow rice... beans and chopped lettuce... not doing it for a plate that cost about $18. To respond to the comment: just sell your steak "grilled to perfection since 1999" then and don't claim it is an entree. When it clearly lacks what makes an entree. Which is all equal care for all the sides that accompanied it.

The ambiance isn't anything special. It's pretty small inside with a basic setup plus it includes outdoor booths as well. The house salsa is papalote's speciality!! It's so creamy and savory with just the right amount of heat. Their menu also has a wide selection including various vegetarian options! I ordered the grilled veggie burrito (which comes with zucchini and mushroom) with black beans, sour cream, and a spinach tortilla. The burrito is a decent size and they give lots of chips! Staff was super nice, they hand delivered the food to us even though we got it to go and they charge 50 cents per extra salsa but they gave me two more for free! The only thing I don't like about this place is there's no free tap water, you either bring your own or buy the bottle.

What happened to this place? It used to be super solid. Been going there for 25 years. Ordered a basic chicken burrito and it was really disgusting. The pico was rotten. The avocado was black. And the chicken was undercooked. Such a sad situation don't support this horrible institution that claim to be good they're awful.

Changing my original review. The burrito's were hot, fresh, tasty, and delicious. I had a bad experience once, and the owner was quick to remedy the situation.

I'm sorry to say I was extremely disappointed. The pastor left a cakie aftertaste. 2 tacos and stale chips and crappy salsa was not worth $ 14.00 at all, it was way over priced, I will never go back.l