El Faro

I just ordered and forgot my wallet. The owner told me to come pay tomorrow and gave me my food. What kind of business does that. Five stars for service and the nachos are delicious!

So, I’ve been to other El Faro locations in the city and I thought that they were part of a chain, but this one seems to be independently operated which might explain the lack luster food of this location compared to the others. The food is just relatively bland compared to other taco/​burrito offerings in the city as a whole and this location’s immediate vicinity. The people are very nice, but the converted Burger King interior design (this location used to be a Burger King), doesn’t add much to the dining experience. I’d go somewhere else if I were looking for this type of food on/​near Kearney.

Could have been great, but somehow my dish was watery, which took away. Liked the chipotle chicken. Guac had too many tomatoes in it.

I have eaten lunch here twice, and the quality of the food was extremely different between the two days. The first time, the line was long, but it moved fairly quickly. I ordered a happy burrito (same as their normal burrito, but with lettuce and tomato) with chicken. The burrito was a reasonable size, densely packed, and it tasted great. I remember thinking, «Wow, I’m surprised this place has such low reviews… it’s pretty good!»
The second time, the line was really short, because I went a couple of minutes before noon. I ordered a super burrito (same as their normal burrito, but with sour cream) with chicken. This time, I noticed that the burrito was way too greasy, and the chips were also greasy and slightly stale. The burrito was filling, but I wasn’t very satisfied.
Averaging these two visits, I’d say this place is about 3 stars.

Hmm I’ve been trying to give good reviews but when a place is bad, it’s bad, no sugar coating.
Almost all of the bad reviews are right, why didn’t I listen??? Oh and the people who gave good reviews must have either gone on a good day, or don’t know what.
Any who, I work near by and decided to try this place, I was not impressed, the chicken… ugh the chicken, when I saw it I should have left but I didn’t want to be rude, wrong call on my end. The chicken was in a red sauce and was huge chunky pieces. I got the happy burrito bowl. I even found a bone in my chicken. First bite was ok at best, but I spent my $$ and thought it would get better, nope. Watery, the guac was also watery, ya know the cheap kind. The chips thick old and oily. I tried buying a bag and was ignored for about 4 minutes while a bunch of employees were standing and walking around task less… the woman finally helped me after I said something and was very rude to me, as if I wasn’t buying anything, even if the food was good I would never go back due to how rude much of the staff was (not all were rude). The fact the food was barely sub par and I wasn’t treated very well, I won’t be back. Oh yea and the hours listed on here are wrong, I don’t know when they close, but nice been past this place around 5−6pm and have seen them closed, and the hours say midnight.

Their tortillas are too chewy. They wrap their burritos in a way that leaves a thick tortilla layer on one side. Meat is mediocre.
I only go here when i’m desperate

I ordered the tortilla bowl. After I ordered it and paid for it. I noticed that it was not made the way I orders it. I went back to them and told them that they made it not the way I wanted it. I told them how I wanted it they made it right this time. The food was good. My overall experience here was great.

Great for lunch. Many burrito bowl options. Friendly service.

Had the chicken baby burrito — it was way too salty. Could not eat it.

Terrible service. The lady made my burrito incorrectly twice and then looked at me as if it was my fault. Normally I enjoy this place but today was a different story and to add insult as I walked out the lady proceeds to make a smart comment and say read the sign as if it was my fault. I make the same order every time regular grilled chicken burrito with refried beans and mild salsa but she was hell bent on making me a super burrito. Very disrespectful attitude by her.

The customer service here is still very good.
I always enjoy ordering a Burrito, Quesadilla and Nachos during taqueria visits. I do have to disclose that the food is not bad. Another decent spot to get delicious Mexican food when you are in this area. I came here and ordered a Baby (Small Size) Bean and Cheese Burrito. This is my new favorite menu item at this taqueria. Chips come as a complimentary item which is one thing several other taquerias do as well. This taqueria has an upper level dining area as well. Again, this is one feature not easily seen at every dining establishment.
Overall, very efficient customer service and the staff here are very friendly. Work in an office building nearby? Looking for a taqueria to satisfy your Mexican food cravings? Want to grab lunch that’s under $ 10? You found the right spot so come on over to El Faro!

I have one word to describe this place: weak.
Food was sub par. Seating areas were old and tired and felt a little unclean.
We won’t be back.

The only reason I even bother coming here is because they’re so close to my current gig. If I’m in the mood for Mexican food and I’ve only got some 15 or 20 minutes to grab some lunch, I’ll hit El Faro. Their food, however, is pretty fucking tragic even when it comes to Mexican food. The quesadilla? Mehh… I’ve tried their super duper burrito or whatever they call it… Meehhh. In short, come here if you’re hungry and it’s very convenient, but don’t expect to actually enjoy your meal.

The Acapulco Burrito only comes in bowl form at this location and the description doesn’t include crab. Ok, fine then, be that way. I tossed caution to the wind and went with the torta instead. The al pastor was rich but difficult to taste through the massive roll.

Tacos were ok. I got two carnitas and one chorizo. I think they got it mixed up but it was hard to tell the difference between the two.
Service was a bit slow for meat that should be pre-​made.
Chips are included.
Might come back since I haven’t found any better yet.

I hadn’t been to this place in years and just happened to walk by it one day while looking for a bento box. I felt nostalgic and decided to give it another try; a friend of mine who grew up in SF says it’s the best taqueria. I disagree (that distinction goes to La Taqueria), but she has the palate of a seven-​year-​old.
I consider this the Lee’s of taquerias. It’s not awful, it’s not great, but it’ll do. And the price is fine. I got the chicken super burrito; the chicken was moist (not the dry grilled stuff) and tasty. A little lacking in cheese, but there was a decent amount of guac and sour cream. I asked for it spicy but it was a tad bland; ask for extra tubs of salsa if you want it spicy.
Better than I remembered, and definitely better than other options in the Fidi (I’m lookin’ at you Chipotle). For a Mexican food whore like me, it’ll do in a pinch.

I was craving some good Mexican food one day and my coworker recommended El Faro, so I decided to check it out. I ordered a burrito bowl with carnitas. It was pretty good, the to-​go container was FILLED and probably weighed 4 lbs. It was a ton of food, and not super expensive.

Compared to other Mexicain restaurants, this place skimps on the amount of food they give you. The quesadilla costs more than a burrito… but it comes with way less food. The guacamole and salsa are place inside the quesadilla when they make it so it comes out all wet and sloppy. The food was totally not worth it and tasted like a sloppy mess.
Vaue and quality-​wise, this isn’t a great deal. There are better Mexican restaurants in FiDi to go to.

Update: CLOSED.
I don’t think it is that pricey considering its location — smacked dab in FiDi — the portion size makes up for it, yea. But a caveat, it may be too much for lunch, hah, couldn’t finish the super burrito! Their salsa is amazing and I would return just for it. It is a nice balance of flavors, saltiness and spiciness.
The eatery has a main entrance but I also like how its other entrance/​exit leads to Belden Place=alley (there are seats within the eatery that overlooks this alley). Thinking about that salsa, I am going to their other location in SOMA for lunch today.

Little Pedro was far away from his village in Chihuahua. He roamed Kearny with his faithful burro Consuelo searching for a taste of home. They were overwhelmed by the kindness of the local citizenry…
«Excuse me, señor, how faro to El Faro?»
«When will you people stop stealing our jobs and learn to speak English?»…
«Excuse me, señor, how faro to El Faro?»
«Tell your mule to stop staring at me.»…
«Excuse me, señor, how faro to El Faro?»
«…How deep is the ocean… How high is the sky… Sing with me, handsome»…
«Excuse me, señor, how faro to El Faro?»
«What’s that godawful smell?»…“Oh look Consuelo, we’re here!“
Considering how bad the ratings have been for this Mexican fast food place, I’m surprised how long the line snaked around. Gee, I remember when this was a very popular Burger King a few years back. Maybe people still think they can get a Whopper here.
It’s a big menu and you have plenty of time to study it since it took about fifteen minutes before I could order. I threw caution to the wind and had their daily special, the $ 7.95 Fish Tacos. They weren’t horrible… just meh and quite soggy. They were placed in the mini-​tortilla rounds where the fish pieces kept falling out from all the pico de gallo covering them.
I actually thought the rice and the black beans with melted cheese were pretty good. It’s not a place to get excited about… it’s there, and it is a taco and burrito option when you need the Mexican fix on a hot day like today. Pedro and Consuelo seem to like it, too… isn’t that right, Consuelo…“Eee-yorrre! Eee-​yorre!“
This is Bill Richardson, and I approve of this message… Oh wait, I’m not running anymore. Ai-​yi-​yi.
FOOD — 3 stars… if you need a burrito bad, where else do you go on short notice?
AMBIANCE — 2 stars… oh yeah, it’s Burger King… in Guadalajara
SERVICE — 3 stars… quick servers and a smiling cashier
TOTAL — 3 stars… oh I’ll give them a break… Pedro gives it a pulgares arriba, Consuelo not so much