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    Al Pastor Papi Mexican Grill

    4.7 (38 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    The Aplastora
    Nick B.

    The Aplastora was to die for. The orange sauce in the side was delicious. The service was quick and the place was clean, and the staff was very friendly. The location is also very convenient to Union Square.

    Daw M.

    Last time I was here, it was a chipotle! So the Food was good. Torta was soft; carbs to protein ratio was proportionate. Sauce added more flavor to the meal. Friendly service. A little pricey, but it's in the heart of downtown SF. Thank you!

    Strawberry Horchata
    Adam B.

    When I first entered, my eyes were drawn towards the rotating spit of pork. Just feels so much fresher when it's cooking all the time. That meat is definitely the star here! Tacos al Pastor de Trompo: The signature dish does not disappoint! Cut fresh on the rotating spit like it's shawarma, but it's pork and much better spiced. Served on a simple corn tortilla with cilantro, onion and some pineapple. Simple so the meat can shine! Crispy Queso Carne Asada Tacos: Looks like a quesabirria, but no consomé to dip in. The carne asada was nicely grilled for a snappy texture. Not overly spice, so the steak could really shine. Vampiro w/ Grilled Chicken: Like a regular taco, but with cheese melted inside the tortilla first. It was nice, but not sure if it's worth it since it's a small diameter tortilla so that much cheese. The chicken, however, was the sleeper hit. Heavily spiced and grill firm. Held it's own against the famous al pastor. Tijuana Style Burrito w/ Al Pastor: I've always felt that rice was a needless filler in a burrito, which is already wrapped in a big carby tortilla. As for the beans, I was could take them or the leave in burritos; usually prefer them on a plate dish more. So this Tijuana style burrito was perfect for me! Just the good stuff. And it seemed they didn't skimp on size, just overloaded it with the delicious rotisserie pork pastor. So pleased with this! Strawberry Horchata: It's like a strawberries & cream drink and absolutely delicious. Pairs perfectly with the heavily spiced mains.

    Storefront (former Chipotle)
    Cherylynn N.

    Leo who? In the city, it's Papi. Al Pastor Papi. Food truck turned brick and mortar, Al Pastor Papi has opened his first permanent space. But, the owner has been in the industry for decades as the co-founder of The Mission's Papalote. Some may remember he beat Bobby Flay in a burrito battle back in the day. And, he's also a DJ (DJ Mr. E). Current soft opening hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am - 3 pm. Grand opening with extended hours coming mid-July. Takeout and indoor dining only. Delivery through DD is in the works. M E N U CDMX, Mexico City style tacos with al pastor cooked on el trompo, tortas, burritos, salads, and lunch bowls. Other proteins: Camaron, pollo, asada, nopales (cactus) with more veggie options to come. No tap water, only bottled water for purchase. F O O D * Taco de Al Pastor ($4): https://tinyurl.com/mvhx7vf5 Flame kissed, the tender al pastor is shaved from the trompo and along with the pina, there was a nice savory sweetness. * Vampiro: Corn tortilla w/ asada, melted jack cheese, onions, cilantro ($5) My fav of the three, the asada was flavorful with smoky charred edges. The crispy, melty cheese gave it a delicious texture contrast. * Gringa: Flour tortilla w/ al pastor, melted jack cheese, onions, cilantro ($8): https://tinyurl.com/mrxrnktr - Add camaron (+$3) Similar to the vampiro but with a flour tortilla, the gringa is more substantial with a sizeable cheese skirt for a salty bite. The camaron was quite overcooked tho but it's only the soft opening. Papalote is known to have some of the best salsas in the city, and they offer two creamy ones here, a verde and a rosa one. Wish there's a habanero ones for those who like it hot! S E R V I C E Fast-casual, friendly and prompt. A M B I A N C E Great 90s hip hop and r&b playlist with about 8 tables and communal table. P A R K I N G Driving here is a def no...take Waymo or public transit. Overall, if you find yourself in the Union Square and need some grub, come see papi...Al Pastor Papi!

    Alpastorta $19
    Lizzie S.

    Pre-pandemic, I came to this food truck and loved it! When I read that they were getting their first brick-and-mortar location near Union Square as a part of SF's Vacant to Vibrant program, I knew I had to come before the lines began getting too long. The interior is very cute--it's slick, smooth, and I love the plant walls on both sides of the inside. Foodwise--you cannot go wrong with anything. Fantastic burritos and alpastortas. Very filling and lots of meat--more than I expected and more than they needed to put in there, but they did that for us. Banana horchata was very sweet, my partner thought it tasted like a "banana milkshake." The burrito was also very large and came with a few chips. We devoured everything. Meat is grilled and cooked to perfection, very well-seasoned and flavorful but not overly-salty. There's more tables inside than I expected. They already run a pretty popular delivery service through Doordash. We went after 1pm on a Friday afternoon and though we didn't wait to order, there were no open tables! Service was very good and efficient and friendly. Re. getting here--don't drive. Please don't. It's walkable from BART for you East Bay folks and very accessible via Muni Metro and a few bus lines and of course cable car (also by foot or bike.)

    1 pastor 1 asada taco very good!!
    Nichole S.

    This is the spottttt!! So fireee! We loved everything we got from here . We ordered a little bit of everything. We got 4 queso crispy tacos 2 pastor and 1 asada & 1 shrimp. Each set of tacos came with 2 salsas 1 green 1 red , both were bomb!! The queso crispy tacos were a good size and absolutely delicious! My daughter and her friend got street tacos. He had pastor and asada . She ordered 2 asada . We loved our food! We can't wait to go back! Next time I want to try the quesabirria tacos , they look heavenly.

    Ube coconut horchata, Al pastor taco, Shrimp taco, Crispy Queso Asada taco, Crispy Queso Surf n Turf taco
    Shaelyn H.

    The best Mexican food I've had in a while! We ordered the Al pastor taco, Shrimp taco, and the Asada and Surf and Turf crispy queso tacos. They all were 10/10! I also got the ube coconut horchata and it was delicious and actually had the Ube flavor. There's a good amount of seating inside and I enjoyed the music they were playing.

    Simple but clean inside dining.
    Brian W.

    Today my travels took me to San Francisco. Al Pastor Papi just opened near the hotel. I figured let's give them a shot! Initially walking in, Hispanic pop music is playing somewhat loud, but not to loud you cannot talk. You walk up to the register and order from a. Laminated menu. It is small but sufficient. Prices are decent for being in San Fran where you are in the city of being over charged lol. You can eat here without breaking the bank. I went with 2 pork and 1 chicken taco. They came with onion, cilantro, and red or green salsa. I went with medium, green. The food was brought out to my table after about 6 or 7 minutes. The chicken was very flavorful. I love the tortillas they use (small but halfway between crispy and soft. The cilantro was abundant but not over powering. The chicken itself was seasoned nicely but slightly dry. With the salsa that wasn't an issue though. The pork had the same topping and delicious. Again slightly dry but ok with salsa. Overall the food was delicious and reasonably priced for SF. Slightly dry meat was remedied by the salsa. Very nice taste to their food! If you are nearby check them out!!!

    Lobos ice cream on Fridays and Saturdays
    Sho R.

    I was here because there was Lobo's ice cream available on Friday's and Saturday. I started with the OG Cannoli. It was chocolate ice cream, horchata ice cream and a freshly made canoli. While there I also tried a Carne asada crispy queso taco. The taco was very flavorful. Infact that was the best thing I had here. I should have had more tacos. I also went for a strawberry horchata. That was a good drink. But I think I should have gone with a regular horchata.

    Gringo - Al Pastor
    Kenji O.

    Came on a Saturday afternoon, no line and quick service. Restaurant has a quick eats vibe with long tables and music playing. Ordered shrimp tacos, crispy surf and turf and an Al pastor gringo. All of the meats were very tasty. Loved how the crispy tacos used freshly fried tortillas, as did the chips. Would come again.

    Kristin N.

    SF has been gifted the treasure of Al Pastor Papi and the whole town is sleeping on their good luck. This place is a very short walk from Powell Station BART, so East Bay tacos aficionados don't be afraid to make the trek. Incredible tacos. My husband had a burrito and he has been raving about the pastor. The red and green salsas are creamy, a tad sweet, and so tasty. The highlight tho -- STRAWBERRY HORCHATA. So complex, tasty, and delicious. We all fought for a sip. Very friendly staff. Nice seating. I will absolutely be back!

    Vampiro, quesa taco, al pastor de trompo
    Milani L.

    This was so gasssss, I'm still thinking about it. I forgot to grab salsa for my tacos and guess what? Didn't even need it. The meat was that flavorful--juicy, tender, with just a squeeze of lime and boom: flavor explosion. Melt-in-your-mouth levels of goodness. Service was quick, chill, and super helpful. The vibe was pretty cute in there. Whether you're hanging out or just need a fire lunch stop, Al Pastor Papi is it. I will be giving them all money for taco cravings until further notice.

    Carne asada (quesadilla) al pastor taco
    Chris F.

    I tried the carne asada quesadilla its called something diffrnt but i forgot what its called...anyways hellla good fasho smackinnnn And i tried the pastor tacos again smackinnn i doubled back to the register and nocked down 2 more. Fasho will be comming back

    Al Pastor Bowl

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 months ago

    The name sake El Pastor burrito was: greasy but fucking delicious. Value was not great though.

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    8 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Food was quick and other customers around me seemed to like their food. Good selection and even had some sweet stuff.

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    6 months ago

    Stopped to eat here on a layover and it did not disappoint. Great food and quick service.

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    7 months ago

    I had the Al Pastor tacos, and they were delicious. Glad I found this place, and hope to come back soon.

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    1 year ago

    Wow. That was an amazing burrito. I think I got here during a soft open. I predict long lines here soon. Good luck!

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    7 months ago

    シンプルな味で美味しかったです。スタッフの方みなさん優しかったです。店内にテレビがあるのですが、子供向けにアニメを流してくれました。キッズメニューはブリトーとケサディーヤがあります。ケサディーヤはメニューに載ってないのですが、作ってくれました。

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    Taqueria Cancun

    Taqueria Cancun

    4.0
    (2.3k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Hands down the best thing I ate in San Francisco! It was not only delicious but enough to fill me…read moreup for the entire day. I ordered the carnitas burrito and my husband ordered the carne asada one. We also asked the guys for a salsa picante and their house made one delivered! The ingredients were tasty, well seasoned and fresh. Service is quick, food and ambiance are no frills and cash only. I think about this burrito daily and am willing to travel across the country to get it again. Not to mention, but this is a Mission style burrito in the Mission! This is the only way to do it and I now totally understand the hype.

    Stopped by here with some friends for dinner after we had happy hour. Walked in, and luckily, there…read morewas no line. A few people were already in there eating, and we know this place is good, as a few others in our group and I have been here multiple times. The Taqueria is typical of any other, with bench-style chairs for folks to sit on, a water station, and workers cooking it up in the kitchen. I wasn't too hungry, so I grabbed a Super Lengua Taco, while my friends grabbed burritos, we ended up grabbing 3 complimentary chips and guac/salsa with our order and the food came out pretty quickly. When I saw my Taco I forgot how much they stuffed it and wow, two of these would've filled me up just like a taco; there was so much Lengua that it kept falling off after every bite. The flavors all came together and I scruffed down the whole thing after about 6+ bites! Definitely a place to come to if you're looking for a full meal, or something to snack on!

    Photos
    Taqueria Cancun
    Carne Asada tacos
    Carne Asada tacos
    Pupusa @colorful.eats

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    Pupusa @colorful.eats
    La Taqueria

    La Taqueria

    4.1
    (5.1k reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    line is long here so be prepared to wait. wait to order. wait in another shorter line to pay. then…read morewait again outside to pickup. they have it down. the whole ordering/paying process. just follow along. dont block the other businesess next to it when youre standing in line. be courteous you must get the burrito el dorado style which is a toasted wrap, has a great crunch and unique. i wonder why more places dont do this? that's what theyre known for here. the meat quality was great, I got no chewy pieces. tried both the carne asada beef and carnitas pork. carnitas is done differently here, reminds me more of a tuna softness. i liked it.

    There was a line when we arrived, but the staff kept things moving quickly. The bigger challenge…read morewas actually finding a table, especially since we came with a group of four. Despite how packed it was, the restaurant was clean, the atmosphere was lively, and everyone working there was incredibly friendly. I ordered the burrito while my friends went with a variety of tacos. After trying both, I actually think the tacos are the stronger option. The burrito was flavorful and packed with a generous amount of guacamole, but it was very sloppy. With all the delicious juices from the meat and veggies and no rice to soak everything up, it fell apart pretty quickly. Thank goodness there is a single restroom in the back, which came in handy afterward to wash up. The tacos, on the other hand, were btter balanced and held together much better while still delivering plenty of flavor. The prices were also very reasonable considering how popular the place is.

    Photos
    Our drinks and extras menu. Out of tangerine, now serving watermelon.
    Our drinks and extras menu. Out of tangerine, now serving watermelon.
    Temporarily out of beef head and beef tongue. If you want it crispy please ask for it.
    Temporarily out of beef head and beef tongue. If you want it crispy please ask for it.
    La Taqueria

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    Al Pastor Papi Mexican Grill - mexican - Updated July 2026

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