Picaro is the sister restaurant to Esperpento! It's bigger so we go there more now to better our chances of getting a seat! They have awesome happy hour ($14 sangria carafes!) and their tapas are really really the best! Patatas bravas And croquetas de pollo(with spinach bechamel) are my absolute favs! The place has cool decor on the wall and the staff is pretty great! Antonio was our waiter and provided us with the best service! Always checking in on us without overdoing it, came back quick with any orders cause we wanted to make happy hour (which he graciously reminded us). If you want great service, delicious and super inexpensive tapas, and a good space, definitely go to picaro (and right next to bart, extra convenient too). read more

This is a very warm, casual place to have simple, authentic spanish tapas. We had good fun and might go back. Having said that, each of the dishes we ordered had something which threw us off significantly. - Sangria: 5/5 - Blood sausage: 5/5. This was *excellent*. Very, very good. - Paella: 3.5/5, pretty good. The squid in the paella was tough. We ate about 20% of the plate. - Grilled artichokes: 2/5. Flavor was great. About half of the grilled artichokes we ordered were tough and we had to remove from our mouth pieces which were not edible. - Potatoes bravas: 4/5: Some of the potatoes were undercooked. - Service: 5/5, very good, very fast. read more

Appetizer of bread and salsa was good.. The food was mediocre. I had the albondigas (meatball soup) which was tasty and pollo al ajillo (garlic chicken) which I ended up giving away, not a lot of meat on the chicken. I was not too impressed by the food. I was also not impressed by the customer service they gave this past weekend. We had arrived for our reservations for 18 (reservations were made about a month in advance) only to find no table available for us. We had to wait around by the bar for tables to open up. We were pretty much told that reservations don't really stand. What!? We waited for a while to be seated and this was a while since we had such a large party.. hence making reservations a month in advance. They get extremely busy so I would recommend getting there early and DONT make reservations as they don't really honor them. The pros were: 1. They brought out drinks for part of the table as well as a chocolate mousse with a candle for my little sister's birthday. 2. There was live music when we first arrived there read more

Totally disorganized, lost our reservation and couldn't seat us. Called in for an 8pm reservation for 8, and they said they could seat us at 8:30. The entire party shows up at 8:20. Host says we never made a reservation, so I show him the call history on my phone. He confirms that I had the right number, but he can't seat us. Host was admittedly very busy and stressed, but also pretty rude considering he messed up our plans for the evening. He had a pad of scribbles for the reservation list, seems they need to upgrade to OpenTable or something. Not easy to coordinate a group of 8 when plans fall through like this. We ended up eating at Pork Store down the block, which luckily had plenty of tables available. read more

Sangria was good especially when it's happy hour and the carafe is only $10! The tapas are delightful. The bread and dipping sauce which are free are certainly good, having a garlicky, spicy, and creamy taste. The fried calamari combination comes with two sides and both were dressed well. Love this place! read more

Picaro - Fried calamari combo! - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Wow. Some of my own friends' reviews on here are really harsh! To their defense, I've never been here with them so their experiences are different, but I'd give Picaro a little over 4 stars typically, but we'll help them out with an extra star to average it out. Their food is very good; especially for the price you pay. Extremely inexpensive options for SF (even the Mission) and happy hour is great. If you can, sit outside on a nice day and enjoy a carafe of Sangria for $10. Split between 2 people and you'll be feeling just fine. Have it for yourself and you'll be doing even better... but don't drive or jump on your fixie for a min... And FYI people... Sangria is typically made in large batches at ALL restaurants. Inconsistency happens naturally and with all that fruit and juice, don't expect the liqueur in it to ramp it up to the same level as a bottle of wine... read more

This place smells so amazing all the time. Best to come here with a couple of people and order a bunch of tapas and try them all with a pitcher of sangira. The grilled artichokes are my new favorite find! It is quite spacious so once we had to change the venue for my husbands birthday last minute and was able to get a spot on a Saturday night for 7 people. read more

I could drink Picaro's special sauce by itself!!! Fortunately they have great sangrias as well, so sauce drinking is not necessary. They have great outdoor seating on 16th but be prepared to mingle with a few of the local panhandlers if you choose to sit outside. Also, If you don't like being serenaded by one of the mission's mariachi groups I would avoid coming after 6:00pm The menu is not quite as large as Cha Cha Cha but I would say the food is a tad bit better here. And did I mention the sauces!!! read more

For some serious, authentic Spanish tapas, look no further. Picaro is a wonderful, laid back spot to enjoy some quite delectable food. This is the best place in SF for tapas. My favorite thing to do after a good climb at Mission Cliffs or morning bike ride around the Mission is to cool down at Picaro with a pitcher of sangria and lunch sandwich. Pros -Family Owned/Operated by a real Spanish family! They are a great bunch of people so be sure and get to know them. -Authenticity: the caliber and authenticity of the food is ridiculous. Though I myself have never been to Spain, I have been assured by two distinct individuals (one of which is from Spain) that it is THE MOST authentic Spanish restaurant they have eaten at abroad. -Affordability: especially if you can get in on the lunch specials. Cons -food is heavy, some come prepared Recommendations: Blood Sausage Sandwich Grilled Calamari Anchovy-stuffed olives $10 sangria carafe (happy hour) read more

I write this review in the hopes you will not have the same experience in the Mission I have. I have been to Picaro 3-4 times, as I live around the corner. Here are my gripes: 1. The Food is not fresh. Do not fall for the $1/Oyster Sunday special - they are truly vile. The paella we had had chunks of what looked like chicken in it, save for the brown vile dark meat/bloody bones sticking out. 2. Staff pocketed $18 of a $36 check (two of us dined, one paid cash one paid check - they ran the whole amount through the card and pocketed the rest). 3. Wait staff is very inattentive. The main takeaway for you should be to stay away. As a local I know there are so many better options in the area. read more

Cute tapas place in the Mission, sometimes a Mariachi band comes in and plays music. Compared to many of the other mission places, usually not a wait to get seated here for dinner. Service was slow for dinner, but pretty good for happy hour. Ordered the seafood paella - good assortment of clams, mussels and squid, but could barely detect the saffron flavor. Oysters when they have them are only $1 are alright, albeit small. Drinks are cheap, (around $5 or less) and their sangria is YUM! Free bread + spicy sauce (same as patatas bravas) is great to snack on especially when paella takes so long (30+ minutes). Jamon Serrano en Pan con Tomate - yes. Gambas al Ajillo - YES menu here: http://www.picarotapasrestaurant.com/menu.html read more

Great food but service is not as great ... Got out drinks then ordered food then not once we got ask if we wanted something else.. We ate then we Ask for our check !! Good Paella! read more

Picaro - Seafood Paella - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Always my go-to spot for date night, girls night, and birthdays! It's a good starting place for nights out in the Mission, and the sangria definitely helps too! The service can be hit or miss (which is why I took off a star) depending on who is working that night. I never catch the waiters' names but I have my favorites :) Celebrated mine and my cousin's birthday here recently with a reservation of 25. Picaro was SUPER accomodating and attentive, made sure everyone's water was filled, updated us on the status of our orders, and never made a fuss about the amount of people we had, split checks, or the length of time we occupied the longggggg center table they put together for us! On top of that, they never complained about all my crazy add requests by phone each time I needed to bump the reservation from 15 to 2- 25. One of my Top 5 favorite places in the city, easily. read more

I LOVE the food here. Tapas is one of my favourite kinds of food and Picaro does not disappoint. The chicken croquettes are yummy, a favourite of mine, the patatas bravas (or aioli) is the perfect amount of crispiness of potato with just the right amount of softness inside and the bravas sauce is soooo delicious, they give you some with the bread too. The house salad is surprisingly yummy and not bland like some house salads can be, the butter lettuce makes it so sweet and delicious and the tangy dressing is a great compliment. The portion sizes here are great and easy to share and the prices are super reasonable. Those are the many pros. As for the cons, there is only one, and that is service. It's simply terrible. I don't know if it's a recent turn of events because we've been going here for many years and it's only our last two experiences that I am basing the service portion of this review on. We get there and get seated, 15 minutes goes by and no-one has dropped off any water or bread or given us any notice. Both starving (I'm pregnant so it's extra hard to deal with an empty stomach) and in the mood for tapas, we wait patiently, hoping that one of the 3 servers standing at the bar chatting might catch our eye. No such luck, my husband ends up going to our server and telling him we'd like to order (one of the other servers ROLLS HER EYES!!) So we order and get our food in a fairly timely fashion but still no bread, when we ask they say they've run out and someone's gone to get some more. We eventually get it towards the end of the meal. The redeeming factor was our waiter gave my husband a free beer for the slow service and he apologised quite a bit. He got a good tip because he bothered to (eventually) do his job. The second time we go back, once again, we're seated and 15 mins goes by and nothing! Once again we have to catch our waitress and ask to order (now about 25 mins later), but she's not apologetic or concerned that we've had no drinks or bread, and once again have to ask for the bread (I'm still pregnant, and hungry). Food comes out, all is good because it's yummy, but the service has still soured the experience. I guess I should also mention the Mariachi who come in and play, making it super loud and well, annoying. But I'm not a fan of Mariachi or any kind of busking/loud music that interrupts flow of conversation and a nice meal, so this doesn't factor into my review, just a note for others who don't like this aspect of dining (even though this is a Spanish place, Mariachi still show up!) Not sure if there has been a change of hands in management or if they just hired a new bunch of extremely crappy service staff, but it's definitely made me think twice about going back to what used to be an old-time favourite place of mine. I might have to fill up on bread at home before we go just to make it through the long wait to get service! read more

My favorite restaurant in the city, hands-down. And it's affordable. Everything is good, but especially the bread, sangria, ropa vieja, and vegetable tapas selection. Want to eat like a king? Order the following: pitcher of sangria, ropa vieja, cantimpalitos, mushrooms, asparagus, red beet salad, patatas aioli, broccoli, and a couple raw oysters. You will thank me later. Also, when I die I want to be buried in a vat of their bread dipping sauce. Holy christ that shit is like cocaine. read more

Nice place, the paella was just amazing for a pretty cheap price. The staff was super cool. We thankfully made a reservation because the restaurant is very crowded Saturday night! The restaurant is too noisy and there are only 2 restrooms for such a big restaurant.Beers were not fresh. read more

A very fun restaurant to be at! The staff and service are very polite as well. Came here during their happy hour and it was definitely a good time with good food read more

I'm a huge fan of Spanish food after living in Spain, but most of the Spanish restaurants in the Bay Area don't do the cuisine justice. My boyfriend brought me here to surprise me one night and I was ecstatic to say the least. The atmosphere is cute, the staff is very nice, the prices are good and the food was spot on authentic. I must say that I didn't have the paella because I'm very picky about this dish and it's usually not made well here in the states. But we ordered about 7 of their tapas dishes and we're very happy. For dessert we had the chocolate mousse and the creme catalan and both were amazing!! They also had a Flamenco dancer that night and she was great! I will be back when I'm craving Spanish food :) read more

Food taste really good! The wait it's too long but it's worth it, oh the sangria taste soooo good!

We had reservations for 7:30 for my sister's birthday and when we arrived, the hostess told us that someone had called to cancel our reservation. We told the hostess that it was impossible since we were there to celebrate a birthday. She insisted and even said that she spoke to the person who called to cancel. Finally, after we insisted that no one had called, she gave us a terrible table. Our reservation was for eight people and we were seated on two tiny tables placed together; the chairs were so close to each other; we would not have been able to dine comfortably. The location of our seating was also in an area in the back which was next to a table of about 20 people. It was so loud. After sitting at the table for a few minutes, we decided to speak with the manager to let her know about the table but also to let her know the rudeness of the hostess. The manager offered us a better table, however the manager told us that we would have to be accommodated again for the show since that table was where the show takes place. When we were about to move to the other table, the hostess came back and told us extremely rude that we would not get accommodated, even after the manager had already assured us of the contrary. She also started to argue with another member of our group, when the person was making her aware of her rude demeanor. After this awful inconvenience, we decided not to dine there. I strongly believe that the hostess gave our table away and created the story of the cancellation. I will never step a foot in this place again. read more

This place was such a disappointment! The service was horrendous; No one greeted us at the door so we figured it would be fine to sit ourselves. We wanted to sit outside so we took the only free table which was dirty with plates, food and such from the people before. we figured it's ok, we would just wait and the table would get cleaned up. At least ten minutes went by and no one came, so one of us went inside and got menus. We weren't in a hurry but still it took forever! finally someone came out and took our order but even after that the service was not consistent. he food was not very good at all either. Even the chicken was tough. Not a very good experience. The only good thing was the sangria but that was about it. and what's with the penis looking drawing on the menu??? ha! read more

I'm going to list a few qualities and you tell me if you agree with my 5 star rating: -Floral Patio -$3-10 Tapas -Castilian Spanish -$10 Sangria Pitchers -Oiled black pony tails -Attentive waitress -Early and late happy hour -Paella read more

This place brings back memories of Madrid. The tapas are amazing and delicious and I continue to bring family and friends here to share in the experience. The prices are great, the people are friendly, and the food is great. This place is a gem in the city and I highly recommend it to anyone! read more

Can't say enough about Picaro, other than every time I leave the cafe, I already want to go back. This is my FIRST STOP whenever I'm back in San Francisco. Start with sangria. If you're anything like me, you enjoy a fine glass (or carafe) of sangria, particularly one that will knock you over. You'll get that here. (A carafe will easily and pleasantly intoxicate two people.) As far as what to eat... I usually tend to stick with the same types of items, but when I'm here I try everything. Everytime I bring people here, they rave. Tried and true menu items include tortilla de patata, spicy potatoes, croquettes, and the fried calamari. For those who hate driving in the City and searching for a parking spot even more, there's a garage down the street - open late, reasonably priced. Good ambiance, good people, excellent food. read more

I seem to be eating my way through the Mission District at the moment, but much to my despair - that statement is much easier said than done as the Mission alone has over 200 restaurants. A few weeks ago I indulged in a pitcher of sangria at Picaro with a few friends (who had their first date at this restaurant 1 year ago) and kept an endless flow of tapas coming in and out of our table. It was deliciouso! The mushrooms, patatas bravas and mini sausages are delightful and keep a warm feeling in your stomach long after leaving this place. The atmosphere is very comfortable and authentic, as my friend from Mexico tells me. read more

Such great food, one of our favorites in the city. Another great meal of shared tapas. Wait staff can be a little slow and the place is very loud, but the food is so good. We love coming here. read more

Oh, so goooood! We live close by and like going here, but tonight was even better than usual. We sat outdoors in the back patio and the evening was fantastic: warm and pleasant, very un-San Francisco. We were there early, so the customary pitcher of Sangria was only $10 -- and very tasty (as usual). Our selection of the evening consisted of: Tortilla de patata -- Juicy and yummy, always a pleasure. Boquerones (white anchovies) -- Delightful, slightly tart and very pleasant. Alcachofas a la plancha (grilled artichoke) -- Excellent! Sliced and delicately grilled. Pimientos de Padrón (fried peppers) -- Could have been a bit crispier, but quite nice. Calamares en su tinta (calamares in their own ink) -- Not from the normal tapas menu to the left (which I love and are quite flavorful), but from the Spanish preserves on the right side of the menu, which were much more delicate. Bacalao (salted cod) -- Also from the right side; a bit dry, but quite nice and not too salty at all. Mixed cold meat plate -- Mostly sliced dried sausages and a little bit of jamón. Nice, but I had expected a bit more variety (e.g. no lomo). Add to all this the complimentary bread and fantastic garlic pepper dipping sauce. All together, the bill ended up just shy of $60 + tip for two people. All very well worth it. read more

Came here on a Saturday afternoon Complimentary bread with red pepper sauce- don't touch it if you're on a diet- it's addicting Morcilla- crispy casing, great flavor Calamari stewed in it's own ink- cooked perfectly, sauce was on garlicky and was polished off with bread grilled artichokes- balanced out everything, squeeze of lemon and dipped in the red pepper sauce- YUM Patas Bravas- crispy skin, tender on the inside, right amount of spice Oysters- $1 ea- Miyagi's briney,ice cold- AMAZING- get at least a dozen Sangria- go with a $10 carafe- $2.50 glass is a bargain not to be passed up, but you're going to end up drinking a lot more when you have happy hour prices on a Saturday Crema Catalan- spanish creme brulee with a hint of citrus. HUGE portion can be shared by two. Great meal, can't wait to come back! read more

My favorite place in da mission!! But even better it's completely reasonably priced. There dipping sauce is a touch of heaven & garlic :) also, get the garlic shrimp, grilled artichokes, and some yummy oysters. Craft of Sangria is a must as well!! read more

Excellent Sangria and an even amazing happy hours(like my lady says. Lol!!). Food was great and it took no more than 15 minutes to come out with half the restaurant compleat full. Maria Jose was amazing. At one point(for a long while) it seemed like she was the only one service the entire place and was as cordial and smooth and cool as ice. Great job!!! read more

Picaro - $10 carafe for happy hours. Cant get any bettwr than this. NICE!!!! - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Pros: Open late. (Why do restaurants close so early in this town?!!) Cons: Very, very, very greasy tapas. read more

This was my first experience having a Spanish tapas meal. I thought the menu was interesting and had variety. I was a little disappointed by the meal. I ordered calamari, cabbage, egg potato, gazpacho, and chicken. At the end of the meal, the service was slow in getting us some to-go boxes and check. It's located in the Mission near Valencia. This is in a great location. The prices are very reasonable for Spanish food. The menu has a perfect selection and variety. Everything tastes good. I recommend Picaro for tapas and paella in San Francisco.There is a lively atmosphere. read more

It's not orgasmic, but Picaro is there for me when I need it. When Puerto Alegre is freakin' packed (which is always); when I need a carafe of Sangria; when I need a good dose of garlic... all roads lead to Picaro! I've been here probably a dozen times in the past couple of years. It's great for groups and if it's sunny out, there's sidewalk seating and a back patio. My favorites are the fried calamari, beet salad and--if you've got 30 minutes--the paella is pretty tasty. read more

TAPAS!!! totally into it. Yum...yum...yum. Place is packed house on the weekend, make sure to make a reservation or send a friend earlier to save you a spot ;) Its an awesome ambiance, good food...actually GREAT food. Especailly the lobster, patatas fritas, champinones & ofcourse that amazing sauce they serve the bread with. MMMM Ambiance...fun, loud, entertaining. Its awesome too because they mix it up with a twist of Mexican....marachi? I mean...sure why not, I dig it. Other than that place is delicious, service is great...so have some wine poured & enjoy the food. oh...and close the dinner with a little digestive, maybe espresso? read more

Loved this place, can't wait to go back. The dipping sauce they give with bread is to die for! Perfect amount of spice. Patatas bravas are highly recommended. Sangria was really good too. Mushrooms could've used a little more spice. Good sauce on the Spanish omelette. Croquettes were good. One of the ham entrees were dry. There's also a nice patio area in the back. Could be a great time when it's warm out but since it's SF, heaters would've been nice! read more

OMG AMAZING. I came here with a friend after she saw it on Yelp and it was INCREDIBLE. We ordered the tortilla de patata, gambas al ajillo, and jamon serrano and both of us were blown away by the amazing flavors. Because the paellas take at least 30 mins, we didn't get to order it but I guess that's an excuse to come back again. :) read more

Picaro - Tortilla de patata, gambas al ajillo, and jamon serrano. Crappy picture DOES NOT DO JUSTICE TO IT. - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a great place to go with a large group, you don't usually have to wait too long, reasonably priced and then you can hit up some bars in the Mission afterwards. I love the Sangria, and the garlic pepper sauce they give you to dip bread in is ridic, however, you will taste garlic in your mouth for like three days so be warned. They have a really good vegetarian selection too if you are dining with veggies. I love the garlic shrimp, tortilla de patata, ropa vieja (chorizo, beef and chicken), calamari, and grilled veggie platter. read more

Holy mole! Again... something I have not reviewed that I have been going to for YEARS! Ok... This review would have been very different if it had been written about 4-5 years ago. I thought this place to be excellent, but as of late, I noticed the food doesn't taste the same. Did they change cooks? Recipe's? Ingredients? It is not the same as it used to be. It is by no means bad, but when you have been for so many years, you definitely notice the difference. The sangria is still great and I noticed that now they have happy hour specials. The sauce is not as good as it used to be, but it is still tasty. I will still go there, but I really wish they would go back to the old days. I give it three stars because they have always been great to me, I love the sangria and the staff/service has always been 5 star to me. Perhaps I just need to get used to it all over again... hmm... I will update when I go back to visit. read more

Te amo Picaro... Perdido sin ti... Went here for my first ever Tapas experience with mis amigos internacional. Wondering if I could just live there. Somewhere in the back? Perhaps just pitch a tent in the corner? I really have no good reason to leave this place. The tapas were amazing! Hooray for tiny food from Spain! The only thing that was a puzzlement was the Ropas Viejas...old clothes? Clearly something is lost in the translation, but I can tell you that old clothes taste delicious. The Sangria was pretty phenomenal, but I did wish it was 'ahem' stronger. Next time I will order my OWN pitcher and block the judgmental stares of my fellow patrons with piles of patatas. Finally, the price! This is SF, so I was expecting to drop a pretty penny for 2 pitchers of Sangria and something like 11 plates. $100! Split between 5 very satisfied people and I was a happy girl. Now on the hunt for a comparable Casa de Tapas here in Phoenix. Any suggestions? Ayuda me! Perdido sin tapas! read more

Sangria pitchers for cheap! it's a bit too sweet for my taste, possibly cause of the fruits, but probably just me not being able to tolerate sweets ;] It's sorta dark and chaotic at times, but has a nice friendly/casual atmosphere with tapas coming out as soon as you order, no awkward waiting for everyone's food to arrive here. The potatoes had a spicy sauce with a good kick. Paella pan is huge, loaded with lots of calimari rings and mussels. The rice didn't really do it for me, but again I'm pretty particular with rice consistency and grain size, these giantic Spanish rice threw me off a bit haha. Good place for a casual date or Friday evening happy hour. read more

Picaro - Paella - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California