Mateo’s Taqueria

Definitely cleaner than farolito… but doesn’t taste as good. Tacos are okay, but over priced. The Mexican salad is good and he burritos are good but nothing to write home about.

Mateo’s is awesome! They have some stellar vegetarian options with fresh seasonal vegetables. The ambiance is really nice too!

Mateo’s is a great taqueria! There are a lot of more traditional options in the Mission but Mateo’s has nice ambiance and quality ingredients!
I had the dulce Diablo super burrito which has carnitas, sweet plantains, chipotle, rice, beans, pico, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. The lovely sweet plantains added a bit more texture to the burrito and contrasted the fired chipotle taste. Really great combination and will come back for it!
Fast service! Complimentary chips too!

Good idea, but not executed well. I’ve been there twice and tried the nachos, tacos, and a carne asada burrito and everything was just ok. The tacos are by far the best option.
Salsas — I’m a huge authentic salsa fan so I didn’t really like their salsas… they are more americanized for lack of better word. They have one that’s similar to Papalote’s. It has good flavor, but not any spice to it. The only spicy option is a yellow runny habanero «salsa» that’s more like a hot sauce so it should be served in a bottle instead of a cup. It’s similar to Tacolicious’ habanero salsa. It’s tasty, but I wish they had a more traditional spicy salsa option as well. You also have to ask for the salsa at the counter, they don’t have it on the tables or at a bar.
BYOB — they are BYOB currently and there is a liquor store pretty close. This is sort of cool, but it also means you can’t get margaritas or anything to go with your food.
Food — you can tell that they use fresh ingredients for all of their menu options, but they are all a bit on the bland side. The burrito was far too American.
Décor — very taco shop boring feel, nothing special.
Overall it was just ok. Not my favorite, especially with all of the amazing authentic taco shops on the same street.

I came here with my girlfriend and was blown away! A great, clean tacqueria that tastes good, yet doesn’t feel heavy.
The lady behind the counter was very accommodating and explained all the best vegetarian options. The nachos and burritos are a must have!

Breakfast Burrito review only! I love breakfast burritos so wanted to check it out at Mateo’s since it’s a new spot and tried the Mexicana Burrito (Carne asada, with organic cage free eggs, choice of beans, queso fresco, pico de gallo). I got it with refried beans and it was decent but not quite what I look for in a breakfast burrito. FWIW I am not a big fan of potatoes in my breakfast burrito although I do love hash browned potatoes. This one here didn’t have any potatoes so that in itself was a plus. However there just weren’t enough eggs and/​or they weren’t fluffy enough for my personal breakfast burrito tastes so YMMV. I also wish it had a bit more cheese on it as, for me, a breakfast burrito needs more cheesy goodness :)
There was a lot of carne asada in the burrito though which was a plus and I did like the Habanero salsa they had which had a nice kick! I also liked that they grilled the tortilla which is always a plus for me.

This is an awesome little place. The interior is beautiful and the food is so fresh and tasty. Had the fish taco and the nachos and they were excellent.
Additionally I tired their cochata which was a coffee horchata with fresh mint and cinnamon. So perfectly blended and iced. Totally recommend that.

No liquor [yet]!!! NOOooOoooOo!
I think with a dash more salt and more time on the grill, this place can turn into something really great. And of course, I would love some sangria but I suppose I will wait for them to get their liquor license (IF they are… I didn’t ask but I hope that the reason they don’t serve alcohol is because they’re still waitin on it)
Until then… Solid 3 stars.

3 — 3.5 STARS. A new taqueria in the mission with raving reviews, cochata (cold brew coffee + horchata) and a coconut stamped w/​their cute logo? YES PLEASE! Our group of four very hungry gals came in on a weekday afternoon and had no issues with parking or having to wait to grab a table. We each ordered individually and were given a number to bring to the table. I ordered one of the La Mission Taco ($ 5) which had shrimp, carne asada, molcajeta salsa, chipotle sauce, crema and also ordered the Pescado Taco ($ 4.50 + $ 1 for «super») which is baja-​style beer battered wild cod, slaw, aioli, crema. To wash it all down I also ordered the coveted cochata ($ 5). Yes, about a $ 16+tax meal for two tacos and a drink. Yes, that is a crazy amount to be spending on that little food, especially in the Mission.
Was it worth it? Not necessarily. As I had expected, Mateo’s was more hype than anything. The proteins were fresh — the carne asada, shrimp, and cod — it was definitely lacking in flavor though, dare I say that it could have used a teeensy amount of salt (esp the cod). The guac that my friends ordered was also lacking in flavor too. The cochata was OKAY — it tasted exactly as it was described, yet I wasn’t wowed away by it.
All in all, the setting of the restaurant and all its decorations were SO CUTE and well put together. The food however did not match the setting, and the taste and quality of the food definitely did not match the price that we paid as well. Customer service, can’t speak on it too much as we weren’t really interacting nor did we have any mutual reason to.

2.5 STARS
Two weeks ago:
Le Boss: «Hey, let’s all go to my favorite restaurant for lunch.»
Me: «Ok, where?»
Le Boss: «Sinbad’s.» (
)
Me: «Ummm, Sinbad’s!!!»
Le Boss: «You look disgusted – are the reviews not up to par for you? They don’t meet your 3 star minimum?»
Oh shieeeet, HE knows.
How does he know what Unilocal is but doesn’t know how to login into our office database?!
Hi Le Boss,
If you’re reading this, you’re the best boss ever!
*****************************************************
Let’s be honest now, a restaurant’s overall rating on Unilocal can be a huge determining factor on whether someone will go or not. Anything less than 3 stars? Forget about it. 4.5 stars? Phuck yea, it must be bomb!
Unilocal was wrong on this one.
Don’t be fooled by the overall 4.5 star rating for Mateo’s Taqueria. If you look closely, more than 50% of the glowing 5 star reviews are from those with no profile pic, less than 10 reviews, and/​or from out of state so you should take these reviews with a palm of salt.
Mateo’s is like Tacolicious meets Papalote. I don’t mind paying $ 4-​$ 5 for a taco or $ 12 for the burrito as long as it’s good but I have to agree with all the negative reviews. David G. hit the nail on the head when he stated that «Mateo’s a taqueria for hipsters that don’t know any better»:
.
I decided to order what’s highlighted on Unilocal,the Costillo Corta: Short Rib Burrito ($ 9). I made it super (+$ 1.50) because I must have avocado in my burrito:
.
One word: bland.
Maybe the salsas (from a plastic squirt bottle) could salvage the burrito? Nope, they too were bland (didn’t try the habanero one). The short rib was decently tender but there was very little of it. Oh yah, don’t bother making your burrito «super» unless you have tweezers and a magnifying glass handy to comb through for the avocado. I found none.
I ate half the burrito and oddly, ended up with a bad headache afterwards so I gave my other half away. I suspect msg as I only get headaches when I ingest msg. They may not add any but it may be from a commercial spice mix or bottled sauce that they use. Never had an issue like this before with other taquerias.
I’m lactose intolerant and didn’t have lactaid on hand so I was happy that they offered almond milk horchata. Except my horchata had an off color (compared to the ones posted on Unilocal) and was really chalky:
. So I basically paid $ 4.50 for cinnamon remnants from the bottom of the horchata barrel.
$ 18 wasted. Thanks but no thanks, Mateo’s Techaria!
P. S. — I’m only rounding up because the young lady that works there was really nice. The other [male] employees could learn a thing or two about customer service from her.

Not amazing but lots of potential here. I got some ahi tacos and Mom had a veggie number. Fresh, good level of spice, nice use of ingredients (amounts were good). I just wish the agua fresca wasn’t so sweet, and while I was told it was fresh, I swear it tasted like it came from a mix. I had tamarindo, FYI.
I’ll try Mateo’s again but probably not the drinks.

What a great addition to Valencia street. I’m so happy to have a Mexican «fast-​food» option in our neighborhood.
While «fast food» — it feels anything but, offering an ambiance and style of food that more closely mimics that of Lolo vs. a «sloppy/​traditional» Mexican style cuisine.
The food is fun and creative, offering complex and very tasty flavors :)
This time around my husband and I popped in for lunch so we opted to try/​split a salad and some of their tacos. However, we will definitely be back again to try their nachos and/​or guacamole at the very least, as both items looked amazing.
FOOD:
Ensalada de Mateo (4.5 stars): This salad was a lot bigger than expected, which was a bonus. The black beans in particular were simply delicious, and added some «beefiness» to the dish — could definitely stand alone as an entrée, despite not having any added protein (which you can also add). Would definitely order this again.
La Mission Taco (4.5 stars): By far my favorite taco (shrimp and carne asada). The beef was very flavorful, and the shrimp was PERFECTLY cooked. Crisp and fresh — definitely going to order a shrimp taco next time as well! So good!
Ahi Tuna Taco (2.5 stars): Was most excited about this one based on previous reviews and pictures, but this left us a bit disappointed. It just didn’t offer much flavor, and the tuna was over-​cooked. Based on our experience, wouldn’t order again — however, since everyone has been raving about this one, perhaps we just got an «off» order. So would potentially order again and hope we’re blown away.
Al Pastor Taco (4 stars): Second favorite taco of those we tried. This one was very flavorful. Would definitely get again.
SALSAS:
There are three salsas they offer — all are delicious with various heat levels. Be careful while sampling — one of salsas had QUITE a bite!
OVERALL:
Great experience. Bright/​fun/​clean atmosphere, delicious food. For the price point you get a Lolo-​like experience without having to deal with the wait, the high noise level, and inflated prices.

Dinner review.
Carnitas taco — ²⁄₅
Ahi taco — ²⁄₅
Short rib taco — ²⁄₅
Chorizo nachos — ³⁄₅
Al pastor quesadilla — ³⁄₅
Overall, good presentation and food was «A-​OK.»

Went to Mateo’s Taqueria yesterday with some friends for the first time and was very pleasantly surprised. I had never heard of the place before but a friend found it on Unilocal and wanted to try it out.
Because it’s located in the Mission, I was expecting a hole in the wall, but the ambiance blew my expectations away. The restaurant is very clean and modern. Vibrant bright colored walls with hanging bistro lights from wall to wall.
I ordered the Chorizo Burrito which had Chorizo sausage and potatoes. It was so flavorful that I didn’t even need to add any salsa. My only minor complaint is for the price I would’ve like it be a bit bigger… guess I’ll just have to order two next time. We also got the nachos with Avocado and carne asada. That was pretty good as well.
Warning, the Haberno Salsa is HOT. I’m not stranger to spicy foods, but this thing burned my mouth. I just stuck with the Tomatina instead.
Parking isn’t the best around the area, but its conveniently located 3 blocks from 24^th St. Mission Bart station for those that do not want to deal with parking.
I would recommend this place to any Mexican food lover as it’s not your typical Taqueria. It’s a nice blend of traditional mexican and modern hipster.

After walking around the mission district playing «tourist» I was in the mood to grab some tacos and a margarita. I actually seen this taqueria on Unilocal and it had a 4.5 star review and said «hot and new» so I decided to try it. Being new, the restaurant is very clean and the staff is very pleasant and helpful. The girl working the register where we were ordering answered all of our questions about the items and gave us a sample of their horchata.
I ended up ordering the «mission taco» it’s shrimp and carne asada meat with some toppings and for an extra $ 1 they added sliced avocado and some extra toppings (can’t remember what they were exactly). Anyway, I ordered two tacos and they were pretty filling! I was definitely not hungry when I left. The shrimp was huge which I loved! Carne asada was flavorful and cooked well. The sauce was great and I really liked their salsa verde.
As other reviews mention, it may not be up to some people’s standards of an «authentic» taqueria, but hey the food tastes good and the place was clean so I’m all for it!
Oh and as for my margarita craving, unfortunately it was not fulfilled as they don’t have their liquor license yet. BUT they said any outside liquor is welcome so if you want to go a few doors down to the liquor store to buy a beer or something you are welcome to bring it into the restaurant to have with your food

With all the great and authentic Mexican options in the mission, it’s hard to justify an americanized taco shop. I guess I’m more of the 2am El Farlito kind of girl.
I ordered «the mission taco» ($ 5) which came with carne asada and shrimp. I added salsa and guacamole for $ 1 extra. To justify the price, I expected the taco to be really meaty or really delicious (and ideally, both). I was disappointed. My taco had 2 slivers of guacamole and 2 pieces of shrimp. The carne asada was slightly dry. I did like the 3 different salsas that I was given alongside the taco.
While the taco was a letdown, the aqua frescas are truly delicious. I tried watermelon and it was refreshing albeit a bit too sweet. It also comes in a little mason jar at the premium price of $ 4 a cup.
The lowdown: Clean and hipster taco shop with great service (+1 star for the nice lady that brought me extra salsa) and high (relative) prices.

We came here because we read up on a very bizzare and unfair review of this place so we thought it can’t be that bad.
Showing up we were warmly recieved by a extremely helpful host. I had the quesadilha al pastor that was small but very filling. So many flavor. The décor is minimalist because the focus is on what matters the most SERVICE and fresh food.
I will certainly come back when i visit sf again.
Think mexican food on the beach.

Super yummy tacos with fresh ingredients. I had the mission and the ahi tacos. The mission taco had a few big prawns and the ahi tuna also had a good deal of nicely seared chunks of tuna. The toppings, which I couldn’t quite tell what was what since they all kinda blended together, complemented the protein and added different textures.
The dining room is large and clean, with many big communal tables. I would definitely come back to try some other items and the horchata coffee.

I am going to be blunt: Mateo’s is for hipsters that don’t know any better.
Service is really pleasant and the ladies at the order station are just awesome.
Décor is modern minimalist. The space is nice and bright and spacious.
First of all I really wanted to order the «mission» taco but was informed they had run out of carne asada, shrimp, and chicken… at 5pm???
I ordered instead an Al pastor taco and a carnitas taco. They were both just okay as the meat really lacked flavor. Very small and 4 bucks each.
Their guacamole was excellent (very fresh) but the chips were pretty stale.
Best part of the meal were the drinks: the Arnoldo palmero was fantastic as was the coconut almond milk horchata.
4 tacos, guac and chips, and 2 drinks with tip $ 38…pricey for what it was.
What is most puzzling is that in a neighborhood full of awesome taquerias why open this place?

The vibrant, technicolor God’s eye was even more noisy when juxtaposed against the deafening silence of my flavorless fish burrito ($ 11).
(And charging extra for avocado and then not putting it in there? Boo.)