Tacos el charro

On a cold, rainy winter night (12/22) I walked down Mission street in my trendy gen z wide pants*, soaking up SF street rain water and god knows what else, for these tacos. Was it worth it? Abso-fucking-lutely. I'm still thinking about the Carne Asada taco. The Al pastor with fresh pineapple is a must. That salsa habanero tastes like it was made with the flames fresh from Hell--hot and spicy full of flavor. THE TORTILLAS THO. I'm definitely coming back, hopefully in less wet weather. *this is why skinny jeans are forever.

Was told by a friend that these may be the best Tacos in the city, and while they're certainly good, i left a bit underwhelmed.El Charro is your classic side-of-the-road taco tent situation. They have a better system for service than most though, with a named ticketing system that made ordering pretty straightforward. I also appreciated that they had seating (even if there wasn't much of it).As for the tacos themselves, i found them lacking. For starters, the al pastor was quite dry. They included pineapple to help with the situation, but dry al pastor is a sad thing to eat . The tripas taco I had fared a bit better, but it was far too fatty for my liking. I was a fan of the sauces and toppings though!

I came back here last weekend, and I gotta say, yes it was still as good as the first time!I got there around 7ish but they weren't ready to go til 7:30. I ordered 5 al pastor tacos and crushed them all. Their spicy crema (orange sauce) is so damn spicy, probably one of the spicier ones I've gotten on tacos and I can't get enough of it. I even ordered more tacos and a quesadilla to take home. They package up all their sauces plus some onions in a ziploc for me. $4 tacos, and the quesadilla is like $15. I'd pass on the quesadilla and go straight for the tacos only. I did think the pastor tasted better later in the night, so when I go again, it'll be later in the night versus when they first open.

This place is DELICIOUS!! 5/5 is well deserved. Their al pastor is such a highlight, with the charred meats and the fried tacos, the combo hits hard. The al pastor is probably the best I've had in the Bay Area. They open late so we were able to grab food at midnight and beyond there. They do sell out at around 12/12:30am on weekends.

Really good street tacos. The Al pastor was my favorite meat for sure but all were good. A bit pricey for street tacos, we paid $43 for 8 tacos and a pineapple water. So around $4 something per taco-Al pastor (5/5)-Tripa (5/5) ask for it crispy, always -Asada (4/5)-lengua (4/5)There's a couple tables but both were occupied so we took the tacos to go. Appreciate the different salsas and pickled onions with habanero. I'd come back if I was in the area

The best taco spot in SF. Honestly better than any I've had in Los Angeles. It's just a nondescript stand on the same block as Bissap Baobab. The thing to get is the al pastor taco. For $4 you get your crispy slices of pork with a pineapple slice. They got 4 hot sauces to try as well. I wish I had tried them one at a time because one of them was extremely spicy. The green sauce is great on the taco though, it really adds creaminess. Will always try to hit up this spot if I'm in the area.

Still amazing. I still think about these tacos on a near daily basis. It can be tough finding them, though. As of November 2024 they are operating under tents (sometimes white, sometimes blue) with tables that are covered in colorful tablecloths at 18th and Mission -- in front of the burned out / graffiti'd building. They seem to start a bit later as well, maybe 7-7:30pm, and they're only operating Wednesday to Sunday. Absolute favorite tacos in SF.

The best thing after a night of bar hopping or leaving a schweaty club in The Mission?OFC, besides leaving behind the BO....Street food!Opening around Summer 2023, Tacos El Charro's specialty is Pastor Al Trompo. There was a line before opening which is always a good sign.H O U R S O F O P E R A T I O NYelp and Google says, 5 pm - 2 am. We got there around 6:50 pm and they were still setting up and said, they open at 7 pm. M E N UThere's no menu but I saw them making three things: Tacos, Quesadilla, and Tortas. They also have bags of homemade potato chips. Proteins: They were cooking the al pastor two ways: trompo (on the spit w/ a pineapple on top) and on la plancha (flattop grill). I also saw asada (beef). Drinks: Sodas and bottled water.CASH ONLY!T A C O S* Tacos Al Pastor ($4 each): http://tinyurl.com/ychjjv7kShaved from the spit onto two chewy corn tortillas griddled in pork drippings - the small morsels of adobo-spiced al pastor are rich and juicy. The sweet pineapple (fresh) and sharpness of the onions are a nice contrast to the savory meatiness. Condiments/accompaniments:They have four salsas: two rojas, salsa verde (sooo creamy and delicious!), and habanero (muy caliente!).Also, you can help yourself to sliced radishes, escabeche (pickled veggies), and lime wedges. S E R V I C EAll business and prompt. They have a team of 5-6 people working. A M B I A N C EThere's one communal table that can seat up to 8. You may be rubbing elbows with strangers but who knows...maybe it will fare better than finding love at the club?P A R K I N GStreet parking. There's a parking lot on the same block (flat fee) and the nearest garage is 2.5 blocks away on 21st/Bartlett.Overall, I prefer al pastor to have more char with crispy edges and more prominent adobo seasoning. Nonetheless, it was a delicious taco esp with their salsas. I don't go out late anymore but when Bruno's reopens...it's ON!

Great street tacos, would stand up well in the South Bay where the street tacos are historically better than in SF. I got a pastor, asada, and cabeza one and each were great with the cabeza being the standout. This might be a standard post Dubs game stop for me.

My faaaaaavourite tacos in San Francisco! I dream about them and their incredible sauces and spicy habanero onion. So good, so juicy, so tasty.