SanJalisco Restaurant Reviews

I was on an errand and happened to park right in front of this place in a Sunday midday - line out the door , 9ers game on , friendly vibe so I grabbed a seat at the counter - dude beside me was eating some sort of Caldo ( soup) so in perusing the menu noticed they have a weekend special of Burria Caldo ( bbq goat stew/soup) or Seca ( dry ) Supper friendly ladies behind the counter took my order and gave me some hot chips and salsa - watched plate after plate of yummy looking items making their way to various happy people - many Mexican families and groups here - The big bowl came with some hot homemade flour tortillas and ..... a whole lot of YUM!! It was just delicious - slowly worked my way through and seemed to get tastier with every bite - Note - I would go for some of the specials here or some of the truly Mexican dishes -very authentic snd whilst burritos and tacos looked good it’s the local Jalisco style cuisine that makes this place stand out- and cheerful service , warm decor and happy customers - So glad I stumbled on this spot and highly recommend !!!

The place is absolutely great. The service was great, the food delicious, and even the entire interior was very authentic. Prices are (for San Francisco) good, too. The portions are big, you can easily share 2 entrees between 3 people. The micheladas are fantastic. I recommend this place 100%

One of my favorite Mexican spots in San Francisco. The proprietors are extremely nice and welcoming and have created a very warm and colorful dining room. The food is really really excellent. Everything is super fresh, top quality and full of flavor and color. The lunch specials menu offers great value.

The first time I entered this neighborhood restaurant, I was so impressed with the cleanliness and atmosphere. A family owned business, just like eating a home cooked meal. Everything is delicious. Please try the great Sangria they offer, it will sneak up on you. I live in So Cal and everytime I return to San Francisco, this is my first stop. Great staff. Just be patent, it is worth the wait. Restrooms are the cleaness public restrooms. Reasonable prices. Great place for your buck.

My wife and I have been eating at this best Mexican moderately priced and authentic, and charmingly decorated breakfast restaurant for 35 years! The food is fresh and colorful, promptly and cheerfully served with traditional Mexican and American choices, including great appetizers like napilitos in cheese casadias and taquitos, and popular drinks like horchata and Mexican hot chocolate which I like to cut with coffee to make a mocca. It's a family owned and operated corner store on South Van Ness Avenue and 20th Street just a block from my Mission District Victorian. Oh, the family home is diagonal from my own! Some evenings, there are roaming mariachis to help you with special meat, chicken, and seafood dishes which are excellent as well!

July 8, 2008 - Salad, taquitos, empanadas.

A cousin of the family who owns San Jalisco told me about it years ago and I've been thanking her ever since. This restaurant started out as Los Jarritos and changed its name in 2010 to reflect their style of cooking from Jalisco state in Mexico. Their mole sauce is one of the best I've tried and eating it on their chicken Enchiladas Deanna is one of the best ways to try it. Ask for it because it is no longer on the menu. Another great way to try it is on their Wet Burrito. For an extra $3 you can choose any of their burritos and they will put the sauce on top of it. Other favorite choices I've made over the years are nopale and cheese quesadillas, birra (goat) and Milanesa (chicken fried steak)) I've yet to try the Chilaquiles, but intend to since they offer not only one style but three. They also hand make their corn tortillas. I hope San Jalisco is around for another 70 years, so more people can enjoy it.

Dined here twice for lunch, with my wife and dinner, with extended family. Food was great, and service was wonderful. God bless you!

Nice place. They've vamped it up a bit over the years. The décor inside is festive and the ambience is relaxed. You want to take your friends here if you're looking for a no-frills but hip Mexican restaurant.

We never miss this restaurant when we are overnight in the Mission. We go for breakfast, love the chiliaquiles Veronica and the tamales. We have pre-ordered the tamales for football game parties and holiday parties. We have never been disappointed here.

Great family owned restaurant with good Mexican food.. Home made tortillas, home made meals. You better be hungry because the servings are pretty large but worth it. Prices are fair Chilaquiles are my favorite!!!

Went there at the suggestion of my son who lives in the area. I love mexican food and cannot get REAL Mexican food at home. The people are friendly and helpful. Started with the chips which were ordinary but the salsa was off the wall and was soon followed by guac that tasty, fresh and devine. I had a shrimp dish that was generous and perfectly seasoned. My son and friend had more adventurous dishes that I sampled as well. I could have made a meal out of any of them..Absolutely the best Mexican food I have ever had. It is in the Mission District and just walking in the area showcases an area of SF that is worthy of carrying your camera...The place is obviously a fav of local folks..there were working guys there on lunch and is very low key.

Fantastic little Mexican style diner in the Mission district of San Francisco. Menu is so authentic some of the dishes we didn't recognise. Beware - portions are large!! Subtle spicing, fresh tasting ingredients. Fantastic. I want to come back for dinner and breakfast! Staff lovely as well. Really fantastic and good value. (The arm is the photo is to give perspective)

This is my husbands favorite place for breakfast. No frills. Just great food. Nice staff - family run. Would eat here weekly if we could!!

Went to Mission Delores and the mural. Needed a place to eat. This place comes up on top so we went. It is one block over for the mission district so you feel comfortable but not adventerous. Food was fine. Ambiance is not noteworthy, lots of tables in a big room...beer and wine only. Do not,order the melted cheese appetizer. It is horrible. Go for recognizable entrees,., skip,appetizers. Chips and salsa Are not amazing..

The restaurant is a little outside of the tourist hotspots. But it's definitely worth the drive. Very authentic and highly recommended. The price-performance ratio can't be beaten in a city like San Francisco.

We stopped in for dinner at San Jalisco, while staying nearby in the Mission District. While chilaquiles is on the breakfast menu, San Jalisco offers breakfast all day. I had the chilaquiles with chicken, my husband the version with chorizo, and both were amazing! The decor is really fun, with lots of entertaining things on the walls to ponder while waiting for food. The house-made tortillas were thick and flavorful, and the salsa that came with a basket of chips while we waited was spicy. The service was fast and friendly.

This place is great! So good in fact went twice during my stay in SF. The chips and salsa is very tasty with just the right amount of spice and the portions they serve are large. It's not a fancy spot but that's what you want when eating good laid back mexican food. Would definitely recommend to any hungry person.

This is now our fave Mexican restaurant in a neighbourhood of terrific Mexican restaurants. South Van Ness and 20th is a bit of a walk from the BART on 24th Street but well worth the effort. One word: birria. Best birria de chivo (spicy goat stew) in the city. You can go for the chilaquiles brekkie, or whatever else takes your fancy, but the winner is definitely the birria (served only on weekends). Bursting with lively, spicy, explosive flavours, this special dish is the holy grail for me. The goat meat is fall of the bone tender and the 8" thin white corn tortillas they serve with it are pillowy soft, light and ethereal--far removed from the standard run of the mill commercial versions. If you have ever had the pleasure of enjoying the amazing Ethiopian doro wat (spicy chicken stew) and injera bread, this is a similar delicious experience in terms of tastes and textures. It's all about the goat stew here, and there's a reason for that. It is a masterpiece. We will most definitely be back. Suggest going early as this place is popular with the locals and fills up fast.

Fast service and good food. Guacamole was fresh! Large portions. Mexican singers came in and played a few songs.

We had a delightful breakfast at San Jalisco on father's day. We were looking for a restaurant that wouldn't have a long wait, but would have good food and found it here. There were four in our group, and we were all very happy with our meals which were two different kinds of chilaquiles, a vegetarian burrito, and the machaca, which was the best I've ever had. And the warm fresh homemade tortillas - yumm! The next time we are in the city I'll definitely go again.

Fantastic food, friendly staff and huge portions. We loved it so much we went back another twice just for drinks, I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone.

dined here at the suggestion of a friend, because going to a museum nearby. good food, excellent prices, nice room, genial staff

We were vacationing in San Francisco and wanted to see all the amazing murals on Balmy Street and throughout the Mission District. Based on a review in Frommer’s Travel Guide, we ate lunch at the San Jalisco Restaurant. They offered a large number of choices and the food we chose was awesome. I had Pollo en Mole- chicken covered with a home-made chocolate mole sauce. My wife had the Linda’s Special- boneless chicken with grilled onions, potatoes, tomatoes, noaples and bell peppers. The chickens were juicy, spicy and tender. Our meal also came with warm home-made corn tortillas, Mexican rice and black beans. They had a good selection of imported Mexican beers. The portions were large and prices were modest. The atmosphere was festive with brightly colored banners and historical photos. The service was excellent. This is a local family run business that deliverers great authentic Mexican food – for a tourist looking for a good non-tourist place to eat- it does not get any better than eating at the San Jalisco Restaurant.

This restaurant was in the same block as our inn, so we went there twice for beers. Very hospitable staff, relaxed environment. Food is okay. I didn't like their sweet mole though.

fresh ingredients, good service, all in all value for money. But it was pretty cold there, leaning your arms at the table,maws as placing them on an icebox.

Not much to look at but the food here is terrific. My wife got the El Trio which was fabulous; a combination of chicken flautas in sweet mole, fried tacos filled with homemade potato puree and our delicious vegetarian sopes (great to share!) was more than one human could eat so split this one. I had the Huevos A La Mexicana which was very good but be very careful when eating to watch out for the chilies; these little babies are killers. We will be going back to this place to try and eat our way through the menu if at all possible.

This is the place I go to for a good casual meal. The food is consistently good here. Service could be a little better, but it's not the fault of the servers. This place is almost always packed and the servers are constantly moving here and there. As busy as they are, they are always smiling. I've had everything from their Machaca to their Bierria. They offer whole black beans (my favorite) and great tortillas (my downfall).

Whether it is a late night carb-urge post party, a hung-over huevos rancheros morning, or a midday kids and enchilada situation, this locals-hangout delivers. Amazing fresh handmade corn tortillas. Good politics. Friendly professional service. A la orden Love it.

Went for Dia de los Muertos. Pretty good Mexican food and wonderful friendly family service. Try the sangria/

BARTed over to this place, based on the glowing reviews. Wasn't worth the trip. I'll give kudos to the staff for being welcoming. They keep things moving relatively well, so there was no wait even at 10am on a Saturday. Food is mediocre. I had the Chilaquiles Veronica - it was essentially a bunch of soggy tortilla chips with a so-so salsa. I was hard pressed to find the 'two, large, farm-fresh eggs' it supposedly contained. My son had the Huevos Rancheros, which he said were good. Maybe I just ordered wrong?

Lovely little Mexican restaurant I came across by accident. Friendly staff, lovely decor. The food was great and very reasonable. Really enjoyed it and definitely recommend a visit if you're in the area.

best Chilaquiles in the city--try the Chilaquiles Remo with chicken & sour cream

Everything about this restaurant is fun, fresh and delicious! The decor is comfortable and fun. Servers are friendly and place has a wonderful neighborhood vibe. Visiting from NYC we were looking for a great place and this was perfect!!! The chicken quesadilla’s was enormous and full of homemade flavors, the chili rellenos was fantastic - I dream about them this good. A gem of a spot with delicious food and a lot of it!

the closest to tex-mex outside of texas

Look, this isn't the sort of pretentious (trying to be) avante-guarde Mexican restaurant. But the staff are nice, the food consistently good, and the atmosphere what you might expect for a reasonable place.

After 20 + years, I still think this is the best chile verde in town (it's close between here, Chavas and La Palma) Ask for a runny fried egg on top and flour tortillas. Shame they still have cruddy rice and beans as sides! Oh well.. makes it lo-Cal. Much better sides to be had just about anywhere. 4 stars because the chile verde really is THAT good.

This place was very low scale but authentic mexican, and teh food was no less than fantastic. Be sure to stop by here!

Sizeable plates Good home Mexican food .. Cant miss breakfast...or a great flan with coffee. Often a wait so arrive early. Worth the wait and I hate waiting. Coming back here after 4 years away.

This Family has been in the returant business since 1955. The daughter who in call MOMA has owned and run this resturat since 1987, The food is wonderful. The tortillas are made from fresh masa,handpressed and grilled just before you get your meal. A Classic is the seldom offered in any resturant the Birria (on weekends) either as a asvory soup or roasted!1 NOT to be missed!!

...and that's a good thing. We went twice for dinner. Fun, hearty and filling this is true Mexican food without the glitz. Quite extensive menu and good quality. Not at all spicy so if you want more just ask when ordering. Allows BYO wine for 10 corkage/bottle, so plan ahead ! Very generous portions and very inexpensive. Simple genuine restaurant decor typical of family owned places.

I had wanted to get my friend in the hospital some soup to help her heal, so my friend Adiac brought me to this place! It had traditional "cantina" type decor, with tables, chairs, and a counter! I ordered two beef and two chicken shops to go! Well, she had been discharged, so I took them all home! OMG! Each one respectively had big pieces of meat, rich and hearty homemade broth, a half an ear of corn, and plenty of fresh vegetables! I have never enjoyed soup so much! They gave me plenty of fresh homemade tortillas and lime to ad to the soup! They will also give you jalapeños if you ask, to make your soup hotter! This was my introduction to this place! Their seafood soup can't be beat! If you like spicy and fabulous, then you will love their "burria," or goat soup! It is the best! I go there after leaving my doctor's appointments. If I am feeling Mexican, I go there. If I am out with friends and they suggest Mexican I go there! Dining in you get warm fresh chips and salsa that may prompt you to ask for a glass of water immediately! No matter what you order, they give you generous portions of it! The servers are constantly circulating to make sure all of your needs are met! They are warm, bi-lingual, and friendly! My favorites here are the chili relleños, and the hard shell fish tacos! Everything is fresh and wonderful, and homemade fresh tortillas come with everything! If you like the best of the best, if you like authentic, then this place is where you want to be! Oh, and whether you like Hillary Clinton or not, she has great taste in Mexican food! They catered her event when she was here in the San Francisco Bay Area!

There are a lot of places in the Mission that are fast food Mexican, or they specialize in burritos or tacos and not full meals (not that there is anything wrong with that). This place is different: The food is very good and home style. I got an enchilada and flauta combo: good, but not great. Serving-wise, it is enough for a meal, but don't expect leftovers unless you're holding back. The decor is entertaining. They have a lot of art, Mexican and otherwise. It definitely adds to the experience, and in a good way. The restaurant has been around for a while, and it definitely has the character of the family and the neighborhood--and it's nice that it's slightly off the beaten path of Mission Street. The restaurant invites you in and gives you a feast for the eyes (while also providing some pretty good food). The service was hit or miss. It was a Thursday night, but the place was crowded. We had a group of seven, and although we sat quickly, we had to wait a loooooong time for the food. Then again, it was evening at a restaurant in the Mission--this was not exactly surprising. I had driven by this place quite a few times without going inside. It's in a busy neighborhood, and parking can be a beast. It's also a tight fit: the people at the table behind me bumped into my chair every time they moved--although that's more a complaint about the people themselves, since they never bothered to look at me, let alone excuse themselves.

I went to this restaurant recently, im from Puerto Rico and I have been in Mexico so i know how real mexican food taste, San Jalisco have it. The service is good, the personal is very friendly. The decoration also gets you looking to the walls and even the roof while you wait for your order...

Heaping helpings of great Mexican food ... I had the spicy goat dish which was loaded with flavour and a generous serving of fall off the bone meat. The complimentary taco chips and fresh salsa was fiery and flavourful. They did a special refried bean side dish for my partner and it was outstanding. Service was relaxed and friendly.

Went here for lunch on a Thursday. It was just crowded enough with what appeared to be regulars and some tables there on business lunches. The right crowd proving this place was great. The decor was awesome making the atmosphere festive. Mexican art filled the walls and flag banners across the ceiling make the restaurant very warm and inviting. The service was fast and friendly. We had a couple of waitresses both very friendly and gave us the honest size of their HUGE burritos. There are 3 different sizes making you think small, medium, and large but we were told all are the same size just different fillings. The chips were obviously homemade and fresh as was the salsa. My husband had the paquito burrito with chicken which again was not small. He raved about it but could only finish half. I had the chicken flautas and cheese enchilada lunch plate with rice and pinto beans. The meal came with guacamole which was amazing and sour cream for only 7.95 it was a steal!!! Mexican food is my favorite and in the U.S. I can honestly say this was probably the best Mexican I have had. I highly recommend this restaurant. There was alsoa Mariach band that came in to play a few songs which was so fun and surprising for lunch. They had a younger girl in the band and she sang her heart out. hope you are kucky enough to hear the. Enjoy!!

My friend and I had breakfast for lunch and it was a hit. I had Machala- flank steak with eggs and peppers and onions— superb. The coffee was quite good. The eggs with tortillas, chicken and peppers was another mouth filling dish. Family owned they do a great job and provide efficient service. We even had music as we dined 😀.Worthy of the Chronicle top 100.

Hi, A great surprise in the Mission. Terrific food and friendly service. I felt like I had been transported to Mexico. They even had my favorite cake, Dulche de Leche, promised freshly baked and it was delicious.

San Jalisco is a Mexican restaurant that serves authentic Mexican dishes. Yes, you can get a burrito or a taco or enchilada. But what makes this place special is all the best stuff is found off the normal beaten path for gringos like me who usually just order a burrito at a taqueria. The entrees at San Jalisco are delicious and affordable. I especially like the beef soup (Caldo de Res). The meat is tender, the ingredients fresh, and the tastes surprising and rich. You will get the usual salsa and chips with your meal. But also make sure to try your meal with the complimentary tortillas served with your meal. The place also has a lot of seating and is comfortable to sit in. For a local or a visitor to SF, this place is definitely worth a try to see if your taste buds (and pocket book) agree with mine.

We had dinner at San Jalisco one evening. We each enjoyed our meals but had too many other places we wanted to try to go back during our trip.

We were staying at a B&B down the street and found San Jalisco on our way to another restaurant and decided to take a chance. I had the Quesadilla Suiza with nachos and salsa...OMG. It was the thickest quesadilla I've ever had and cooked to perfection. The restaurant is clean and the service was outstanding. This was late July and now it's mid November and I still haven't gone to my favorite Mexican restaurant here in Jacksonville - I don't think it will compare after having dinner at SanJalisco. The neighborhood is a little sketchy but it seemed like a nice family restaurant.

Best described as Kitsch meets Mexico. It's got cute decor with diner tables/chairs and "little clay jars" (hence the name, los jarritos) decorating the place. Food is authentic and yummy. It's also nice to support a family business.

yummy seafood cocktail

I ordered the Huevos Divorciados - two large fried eggs with chile verde & chile Colorado..... More please!! I must have looked like a pig as I thrust the fork filled with yummy goodness into my mouth over and over.... Yes people it was that amazing!! I can not wait to go back and explore the menu and eat my way through it! Hands down the best authentic Mexican food I have ever had!!

A friend recommended SanJalisco so we went on a Friday evening. We were warmly greeted and immediately seated. As I perused the menu, I spotted menudo, which I love. Sadly, that dish available only on the weekends, so I decided to try the caldo de res because the evening was cold. As a starter, we split an order of choriqueso, a combination of chorizo and melted cheese which was absolutely delicious. In minutes, my caldo arrived as did my partner's Milanesa del pollo. I was so pleased with the caldo because it was cooked just as my maternal grandmother made it - full of oxtails, corn, carrots, onions, potatoes and cabbage. The bowl was so large I took two-thirds of the caldo home. My spouse loved his dish, which was a huge piece of pounded and fried chicken breast along with pinto beans and Spanish rice with a green salad. Oh, and they have Mexican Coke which is made with cane sugar and tastes better than American Coke. Our hostess was so happy that we liked our meal that she brought us some chorizo which we had with scrambled eggs for breakfast. I recommend SanJalaisco without reservation!

This place is good eating...period.

I had coffee (really good coffee but it was Viennese roast from America’s best coffeehouse-overall third best coffee I ever tasted). I had a drink called Michelada which is a salted ice cold mug filled with beer, lime juice, and ice chili powdered with ciamato (clam juice) and hot sauce. I had the amber beer Dos Equis with it. I ordered the Bisbec a la Mexicana which is beef strips sautéed in spicy red sauce mixed with onions, tomatoes, and spicy peppers. Really good stuff and if I am in SF again, will eat here. Got to come early recommend getting here before 10 am on weekends and holidays for lunch or brunch; during the week, take your time. Even though Mexican food is much better in AZ or NM, than any other states, this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in CA. I normallly would have given this a 4 but this restaurant should be rated much higher so I changed my rating to a 5.

The most authentic Mexican restaurant I have eaten in throughout all off San Francisco, and I lived in Mexico for over 2 years. The birria (a kind of dry goat stew), is almost as good as the kind they make for weddings in Jalisco, a state in Mexico. In a side note, it's only offered on the weekends. The tortillas are super soft, fresh, and yummy. The vegetarian huaraches (which means sandal, but I think the name comes from the size) are vegetarian, and also super yummy. The only thing I was disappointed about was the juice. It comes from a bottle. The price is fair. The staff is friendly, and fairly prompt.

We were all hungry. We ordered huevos divorciados, fried eggs with Chile verde on one side, and Chile colorado on the other. It was pretty tasty. I had chorizo con huevos, rice and beans. It was excellent. They served it with homemade corn tortillas. Incredible. My dad had plátanos with beans, and sour cream. His favorite. They have new lotería decor. I love ❤️ it.

I stopped in for a quick lunch by myself on Saturday at noon. First there was no wait for a table which was a plus as I was hungry. This place definitely feels like an authentic mexican restaurant from the moment you step in. I ordered the chile relleno lunch special for $7.95. You start chips and salsa with just the right amount of heat. While I was eating chips and waiting for my meal I checked out the wallart and discovered the space next to my table was adorned with photos of Diego Rivero and Frieda Kahlo. There was a picture of Rivera painting a mural truly captivating. Then the chile relleno arrives with rice and beans and wonderful homemade corn tortillas. The tortillas were the best I've had in a long time. The beans had the deep earthy flavor I associate with epazote. It was all I could do to eat it all but it was far to good to leave unfinished. I can't wait for my next trip to SF so I can eat here again.

This place is the best place for Mexican food; comfort style. They always give you more than you really need, which is perfect for me--since I always get hungry.

We were a party of 7 without a reservation, and the hostess somehow was able to seat us within a few minutes. The website does not appear to offer reservations, but you could probably call for a larger group. The room was bright and colorful with fun designations on the backs of the chairs. The restaurant was full and fairly noisy; conversations were a bit challenging. The menu had a very nice variety of special items and also included standard Mexican combinations, as well as vegetarian items. A couple of our orders were not quite correct, but were fixed rapidly. THe portions were generous and prices very reasonable. I had a beef enchilada and beef taco; both were very good, but I was surprised that there was only beef (no lettuce/tomato/cheese/etc) on the taco. The salsa and chips brought when we were seated were replenished quickly, and the salsa had a nice level of spiciness. Parking was a little difficult in the area, but not impossible.

Several different chilaquiles options and a favorable Zagat comment brought us well out of our way for breakfast & was worth it. Parking is a hassle (typical so just accept it) service was good mostly, quarters were cramped but makes the wait less. We had Veronica & Carne Asda chilaquiles . Both were served hot & with corn tortillas. We took home enough for two more meals - about $35. Worth a side trip if you have the time and the craving for chilaquiles.

This great neighborhood find is located in the Mission area and has to be considered a hidden gem. Food was authentically prepared, abundant and delicious. Reasonably priced, especially considering how much food they served (doggy bags for all). I had the best bbq goat of my life.... carmelized, tender and not at all dry - don’t know how they did. Also sampled the rainbow trout - it too was perfect. But even the more traditional dishes were a step above. Very friendly wait staff - the entire Night was casual and fun and so delicious.

We came here in the middle of the pouring rain and we welcomed graciously. There were plenty of vegetarian selections and the waiter seemed knowledgeable. Food was generally good, I felt some of the black beans weren't cooked thoroughly and so were crunchy. Mole sauce was a bit sweet, but that is how it is advertised.

We went for lunch first day on our vacation in San Francisco. First thing you notice is the beautiful decorations. The attention was excellent, our food was ready in no time and every dish we order had that homemade taste. Delicious food and the service 10 out of 10

When I crave Mexican food this is where I go, sopa, salsa, homemade tortillas, heovos rancheros, Omni plates. Delicioso! Service is excellent, live musicians stroll in and out.

You may leave much more full than you intended. I drove across the city because I thought I would find traditional Mexican in the Mission District. San Jalisco provided exactly that. I felt bad leaving so much food on my plate but I was so full, I couldn't eat another bite. The restaurant was brightly decorated in the theme of Loteria (Mexican game) and our waitress was friendly. I ordered a burrito (which is not traditional) and my wife had sopes. Both were great.

Authentic mexican food!! The beans were delicious. No pancakes for kids. They are a very neighborly local place with a lot of regulars!

We went to San Jalisco on our last night in SFO and it did not disappoint! My family loved the lamb stew, grlled chicken with nopales