Taqueria Pancho Villa (16th St)
San Francisco, CA
| Overall Score based on 15 reviews |
8.2 recommended |
Editorial Reviews (0)
User Reviews (15)
Login or register to write a review of Taqueria Pancho Villa (16th St)
Showing 1-15 of 15 (most recent reviews shown first)
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: burritowizard (Los Angeles, CA)
Embracing the revolutionary spirit of the great Mexican commander namesake Pancho Villa gets my vote for the best burrito in the Mission. The most common criticism that I hear about this place is that “they got too expensive”, but I found their burritos to be about the same price as everywhere else. Maybe they used to be cheaper? Perfect pico de gallo, everything comes together just right, no bells and whistles because you don’t need them. Most amazing salsa bar I have ever seen.
www.burritowisdom.com
Score: 4 / 10 Reviewed by: Danno
Seriously underwhelmed with this place. Seriously.
Upon entering I had a look at the big board and saw lengua on the menu. Always a good sign. Not that I'd ever get lengua, but it takes a bold/authentica taqueria to put it up on the menu. The wet burrito was an add-on option. Also a positive sign. While waiting in line, the big pile-o-steak had just come off the grill and was being chopped with two huge cleavers with a glint of grease covering the whole pile. Excitement definitely building.
Problem was, when I got the actual final product -- a Carnitas Especial burrito. It was hugely disappointing. The first bite was pure rice. Where the hell was my meat? For a second I thought they had given me someone else's rice & bean vegi burrito by mistake. No such luck. Two more bites in, I finally got to the carnitas. And despite asking for the hot salsa, I couldn't taste the caliente anywhere. Adding salsa manually didn't work either since the hot salsa from the salsa bar wasn't much better. So... bland... I needs me some flavor!
Maybe the tacos are better. Or maybe going with the wet option would have helped. But I'll never know. There's no reason to go back with so many better options in the neighborhood.
Score: 4 / 10 Reviewed by: darrenstory
This place is a joke. Fast food style assembly line. I have to seriously question anybody's allegiance to this place. The ingredients just aren't that tasty.
I do not really believe that any native Californians would eat here. The tortillas taste very rubbery and the meats are not seasoned appropriately. The only thing I can say that I like about this place is that it grabs a lot of white tourists and keep them from invading La Taqueria.
Score: 10 / 10 Reviewed by: serop2
The best burritos in San Francisco.
(It won't let me use just that, so I'll repeat myself.)
The best burritos in San Francisco.
(Still not 250 characters.)
The best burritos in San Francisco.
(Seriously?)
The best burritos in San Francisco.
Score: 8.5 / 10 Reviewed by: cgb (San Francisco, CA)
Really good carne asada and pretty good al pastor. Always have gotten regular burritos here, and they're nicely assembled and solid as others have said. The salsa bar is great too, and it's always fun sitting by the window and observing the scene on 16th street while eating one of the best burritos you'll get in the city.
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: naynay
This was the first proper SF burrito I had ever had. Their burritos are DAMN good and I know many a local that swear by them! But to be honest.. The salsa bar, and the watermelon agua fresca are what make it for Me. ;) Don't get me wrong, the burritos are damn good! But in SF you get spoiled. HEheehhehe It's a unique place.. You kind of feel like you are at a cafeteria when you go to order, but they are FAST and the seating is fun so whatever. Salsa lovers, GO THERE. Aguas Frescas lovers... GO there!! Basic reliable taqueria lovers... Yup, you got it.. Go there.
Score: 9.5 / 10 Reviewed by: spidra
The best burrito I've ever had. I've tried "Best of the Bay" winner La Cumbre and they sucked. Cancun? S'okay. Castillito? They frickin' use pre-sliced cheese as the cheese on their burritos, man! But this is what a burrito should be and the only way Pancho Villa could be better would be if they had so many outlets that supply equaled demand and you never had to wait in line or for a seat.
They have an extensive menu, but I've only ever gotten the Carne Asada Deluxe Burrito (even before they had the "Deluxe", then I just got a regular with cheese), and the Carne Asada Quesadilla Suiza when I'm eating low-glycemic. This place has the freshest ingredients around (they couldn't help but have it given that they get so much business they have to grill their marinated skirt steak every hour or so). The carne asada is marinated in a tasty elixir and then grilled. They were the first taqueria I know of to offer choices between refried pintos, whole pintos, and whole black beans. Other places have now followed suit, so it's a common choice, but Pancho Villa was doing it 20 years ago. Actually, I first visited it 19 years ago, but who's counting? Though other joints have caught up to the choice of beans and choice of salsas Pancho Villa's has long offered, they're still the head of the pack because the quality of the ingredients is superior. Beans seasoned with tasty things, meat likewise.
The service is very good and the staffing levels aren't skimpy. They produce as fast as one possibly could in the space they've got. This location is clean and always has an interesting art exhibit on the walls. Unfortunately, it's very loud but it's getting rarer to find a place to eat that isn't loud.
I'd give Pancho Villa a 10 but every once in a while you'll get some skirt steak that has more gristle or a burrito that falls short of their usual. If they could somehow ensure 100% consistency instead of the 95% they've got going right now, they'd get a 10.
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: vaquero (San Francisco, CA)
Pancho Villa is solid. That’s really the best thing you can say. Sure, you can get burritos that may be a little better other places, but when you don’t want to take any chances on possibly getting a bad burrito, go to Pancho Villa.
I sometimes like to switch it up a bit and get something other than the classic burrito. Last Friday I tried the Super Carne Asada Quesadilla and found it amazing. If you can get past the fact that you won’t be peeling layers of foil off your culinary masterpiece, as well as the faux pas of ordering a quesadilla at a burrito place, I’d highly recommend it.
Score: 8.5 / 10 Reviewed by: just_vball
Awesome burritos. Parking can be a bear and some of the crowd coming from Este Noche can be eye-opening, but worth it. Great chorizo - not nearly as greasy as other places. All of the meats that I've tried have been pretty good and there are lots of ways to customize it to your liking.
Score: 10 / 10 Reviewed by: Bailz
This is simply put, the GREATEST burrito in the known universe. This burrito is the reason why I can never move away from San Francisco. Anyone who publishes slander against this fine establishment is not worthy of the burrito they claim to love. The freshest salsa, choices of salsa, meat, beans, etc. Meat being grilled right in front of you as you walk through the door, never an air pocket or bite of nothing but guac- all burritos are perfectly wrapped with fillings properly dispersed. If you were to attempt to define the San Francisco Burrito by sending someone to one taqueria this is it- no question! Something for everyone, including vegetarians, meat lovers and even people who like the more exotic meats, you will leave full, happy and content. Beyond the scope of the food, it's important to mention that the place is usually nice & clean, which is no small feat for any business at 16th & Mission. I seem to always come up with an excuse to be in the mission to eat at Poncho Villa.
Score: 9.5 / 10 Reviewed by: GlobalBurrito (CA)
Simply the best, classic SF taqueria! Some burrito places are strong for meat but not veggie, and vicea-versa. Or weak on the salsa. Or the chips are not quite right Not here. Everyting is outstanding. El Torro on Valencia is easier to get in and out of, thous (same owners / menu). Only negative is that twice the server's perfume smell and tastes was left on the tortilla. Other negative is the heroin dealers hanging out in front.
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: Kapagna
Pancho Villas has by far the best burritos I have found in this city. Carnitas are ok, but the Carne Asada is dankalicious, with killer guacamole. Only if they had a place this good in the tenderloin. Also, it would be nice if this place stayed open past 10pm.
Score: 10 / 10 Reviewed by: tomm
Pure greatness. Hard to be a stanout in the country's greatest food city (shut the heck up, New York), but Pancho Villa is a real treat. Every piece of the burrito puzzle is a standout. When I'm giving a tour of SF to out of towners Panch Villas is a stop on the tour. One big warning, they will put lettuce and tomato on the burrito if you don't tell them not to. I can't imagine how a place that has everything else so right can get that part so wrong. I'm giving them a 10 anyway. Without the threat of the lettuce I'd give it an 11.
Score: 5 / 10 Reviewed by: burritobabe
Maybe I should have visited Pancho Villa with the previous reviewer, but I did not have an all-that-and-a-basket-of-chips experience on my recent lunch visit. True, it is a clean, well-lighted place for burritos, the price is right, and the mariachi was present as promised. (Not a bad singer, either.) But the burrito integration was sorely lacking.
I had my old standby, the super veggie burrito with refried beans, no lettuce. Alas, the beans and guac were only so-so, the sour cream seemed to be MIA, and the burrito ingredients were tragically arrayed like so many stripes in a tube of Aquafresh toothpaste. Bite of rice and beans, bite of guac. Bite of cheese, bite of beans. All the ingredients present and accounted for in one bite? Not on your life.
I had hoped for more in the Land Where Burrito Is King. I give this visit to Pancho Villa a 6.
Update: I went back for a re-visit, and well, Pancho Villa is dead to me. The refried beans and the guac are just too watery. I've downgraded this place to a 5. Why keep going back when there are so many potentially better burritos just around the corner?
Score: 9 / 10 Reviewed by: massd (Los Gatos, CA)
This is my pick for best integrated burrito. The huge number of assembly workers behind the counter at Pancho Villa know how to mix a burrito properly to achieve complete mixing. It is something that taquerias around the world would benefit from observing and copying.
Pancho Villa also regularly delivers some of the biggest burritos in San Francisco making it a great deal for your money. Late on Saturday nights this place will be open cranking out burritos for the Mission party crowd and sometimes a line will be out the door.
The interior is large, lots of seating relative to other taquerias (but finding a seat can still be challenge during peak hours) and they usually have a mariachi band at night. Watch out, the band will play about 3 songs before passing the hat around.
Pancho Villa has a pretty wide array of options to choose from for beans, salsas and meats. I hear many people comment positively on their veggie here too although I usually get a special carne asada. Beware of the "super", it includes lettuce and tomato which in my opinion have no business being in a burrito.
There really aren't any cons to this place other than it's usually busy but the line moves fast. The only other con I can think of is that you usually leave so stuffed you regret finishing that monster they gave you.
This could be a 10 but I would prefer grilled instead of steamed tortillas. Definitely one of the best places in the city though and they have a couple of other locations in the area.
Showing 1-15 of 15
