5 of the Best Places to Devour Mission-Style Burritos in San Francisco

Burritos have been a major fixture in Mexican-American food for decades

Photo: Unsplash/@bite_size01

Photo: Unsplash/@bite_size01

Burritos have been a major fixture in Mexican-American food for decades. They’re portable, hearty, and filled with relatively healthy ingredients. The Mission-style burrito, which consists of a large flour tortilla, rice, beans, meat and other ingredients including guacamole, sour cream, and cheese, is celebrating its 50th anniversary at Taqueria La Cumbre. In celebration, we are sharing the best places to eat this iconic food from San Francisco’s Mission District.

Taqueria La Cumbre

History: La Cumbre is credited with being the first to create the burrito, in 1967. Raul and Michaela Duran turned their meat market on Valencia Street and created the portable, hearty burrito for blue-collar workers to eat on the go. (While many believe that La Cumbre is the originator of the Mission Style Burrito, others believe it is in fact El Faro, who claims to have served their first burrito on September 26, 1961.)

Location: 515 Valencia Street

Order: Perhaps it’s because La Cumbre grills – instead of griddles – their chicken in a honey glaze, that their chicken burritos are their most popular.

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La Taqueria

History: Miguel Jara opened La Taqueria in 1973.

Location: 2889 Mission Street

Order: The carne asada burrito is the classic option at La Taqueria, where lines regularly form out the door. Their burritos are an added bonus for those looking to avoid too many carbs, as they are made sin arroz.

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Pancho Villa Taqueria

History: Opened by Gary, Jesus and Jose Espinoza over 30 years ago, Pancho Villa is another taqueria that always has a line.

Location: 3071 16th Street

Order: The burritos are known to be large, so a baby burrito might suffice. Pancho Villa also has a variety of vegetarian options, including the Tofu Ranchero burrito.

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Taqueria Cancún

History: Gerardo Rico and Pedro Grande opened Taqueria Cancún in 1993 after working at El Farolito. Cancún is open past midnight every night, which is perfect for The City’s night owls.

Location: 2288 Mission Street

Order: People go crazy over vegetarian burrito, made with grilled veggies and a grilled tortilla. The chicken burrito is also a great option, possibly because the chicken is marinated and and grilled using an iron.

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El Farolito

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History: El Farolito was founded on December 11, 1982. It’s a fan-favorite, especially for a tasty and substantial meal after a night of drinking at nearby Mission bars.

Location: 2779 Mission Street

Order: The super burritos are definitely the way to go, regardless of choice of meat.

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