OK, so the only other tapas place I've been to is Cha Cha Cha on Mission, but I was pretty impressed with this place for being a slightly cheaper alternative to the tapas joints I've passed by (including Ramblas and Charanga, which I must reiterate that I've never actually been to). So it didn't look as fancy as Cha Cha Cha, but the menu was like 4 times as big. My friend and I ordered the pork loin canapes, the omelet with potato, which was covered in garlic aioli, as well as the red snapper that came with garlic aioli. Also, we got way too much bread before our meal, which came with a nice (strong!!) garlic aoili. I enjoyed everything we got, though I must say the omelet was my favorite. I also had actual sangria for the first time, instead of the Carlo Rossi 2-liter jug kind I had enjoyed all through college, and it had nice little pieces of apple and orange and ice floating in it. I'll probably come here again when my friends and I are in the market for an interesting dinner option. read more

I've been here several times with different groups of people, so I've probably tried 75% of the menu. Food: 4 stars, Service: 3 stars, Ambiance : 4 stars I really like the food here, and while I like some dishes more than others, I can't say that I've had a truly bad small plate here. My only complaint is that the service can be nonexistent. I've been here mid-week on a slowish night and had to flag a waitress down to take our order and they sometimes forget you exist once they give you your food (expect to flag someone down for your check long after they've cleared the plates and then expect another longish wait for your credit card receipt). But the service is always friendly and the staff will offer suggestions if you're overwhelmed by the number of choices but the yumminess of the food more than makes up for it. read more

Lunch here is cheap, CHEAP! I had the $5 sandwhich with a side of potatoes. With that came a bunch of bread and salsa brava. I got super full for $5 and I am on a budget pretty much always so this is wonderful. The food is not spectacular or amazeballs but it's good enough and it gets me full. There are plenty of options to chose from so even if you're a picky eater you could easily find something here. read more

Came here for happy hour with my girlfriends and ordered a bunch of yummy stuff! Lobster paella - the description sounded so yummy, but it was only ok... Ordered a serving size of 2, but there was more than enough to feed 4 bellies. Chorizo stew - tasty but not very memorable Crispy potatoes & hot sauce - delicious! Best plate hands down. Potatoes were perfect and dipped in the sauce.. unbelievably good! We ordered 2 other small plates but I can't remember, but they were yummy! The sauce they provide here to eat with the bread is also very delicious. I wish I could've packed a little container to go so I can put it on everything I eat! read more

Picaro - Lobster pallela - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place deserves sooooo much more than 3.5 stars! The food was amazing, service was speedy and friendly, atmosphere was lively and overall, I don't have any complaints. We ordered a pretty large selection of items, I can't even attempt to recall all of em. But what I recall the most is the paella, it was incredibly flavorful and cooked to perfection! My favorite part was scraping the pan for the rice that adhered. Seems like this place gets pretty mixed reviews, I may have just had a fortunate experience...but I dare you to try it for yourself :D. read more

I've been here about 3 times now, but last night (Tuesday) I came again right at 6:55 pm. We made it in time for happy hour! $1 oysters and $10 for a pitcher of sangria! I enjoy their sangria, it's a bit more fruity than other places. We also ordered the lobster paella. It was okay :( I wish the rice was crispier on the bottom. And we ordered the Spanish sausages. The bf thought they tasted like warm slim jims hahaah. I actually agree. 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

Can there be a tapas place that is down-to-earth and earnest? Apparently so at Picaro. We came as a fairly large group of 9, and ended up with a bill of less than 25 a piece which was phenomenal given what we ordered in the process. Incredible! Let's start with the food: * Tortilla de Patata - easily overlooked based on description, but incredibly tasty. We ended up ordering two. * Broccoli and Almonds - if you're used to overcooked tasteless broccoli smothered in sauce, this is an excellent change. It's roasted, bright green, and flavorful. Highly recommended. * Estofado de Conejo - Rabbit stew... deliciously seasoned and stewed. Now you'll understand Elmer Fudd's determination * Vegetable Platter - delicious assortment, great as a shared appetizer, or meal for a vegetarian * Paella de Mariscos - we ordered the size for 4, which was plenty given everything else. It was devoured. I tend to like Paella with a nice socarrat, which this didn't have, but the fresh sea food ingredients made up for it. We had so many sangria pitchers we lost count. The sauce that came with the bread was something that was worth the visit on its own. Service was pleasant and homey. The atmosphere is simple and charming. We came mid-week on a rainy night, and it was fairly empty which made it a great alternative to the over-yelped restaurants in the area. No wait, fast service, great food! read more

This place is the reason behind my new found obsession with potatoes! Patatas bravas is what the dish is called I think? Sooo GOOD. I don't remember what other food we ordered but it was good too. The artwork in the room was interesting. Oh, they also offered me some wine because they thought I was over 21. First time I have ever gotten that. hah read more

I've been here twice in the last month. I love it. Do you love garlic? I mean LOVE it?? They have this incredible aioli that is totally to die for. I went with a family friend who has an allergy to garlic (can you believe it?! I would die...) and they were very able to accommodate her, which was very nice. I tried their paella arroz negro, which sounded super creepy and weird, but when I finally got it (ok, they do have a 30 minute disclaimer on paella dishes) it was out of this world. The seafood was cooked to simple perfection and the arroz, which I usually pass on, was so yummy... The mussels are outstanding. The albarino is great (ok, I love wine)...I didn't try a single thing I didn't like here, so I'll have to go again and again to try even more of their tapas! yeah! read more

Monday night has the Paella special on the menu. You get free Sangrias and a dessert. The lobster paella was pretty good but not the best I've had. The worst thing is the wait if you order the Paella, it takes at least 30 minutes! That's just ridiculous being that it's paella special night. The place was packed and there were only 2 waiters!? It took forever to order food, drinks, and to get the check. Wait. Wait, and more wait. The waiters were nice and apologetic but please hire more people! read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Picaro!!! Granted! Perfect spot for dinner/happy hour, romantic dates, catch ups with old friends/lovers, social gatherings, and celebrations. I've myself came here on all those occasions. It has a cute Spanish charm decor, friendly service, little back patio, and their mariachi. I've tried most of their stuff on the menu but I'll name my most faves: 1. Bravas sauce/ with slices of bread. I like to call it the #cracksauce. It is highly addicting. This is what got me coming back for more. I'm not gonna explain how it taste like. You gotta come try it out yourself. You'll be an addict just like me, guaranteed! 2. Gambas al Ajillo- Garlic shrimp. Sautéed with yummy deliciousness of butter and garlic. Be sure to use the bread to swoop up the sauce. Oh so heavenly. 3. Estofado de Conejo- Rabbit stew. Very tender. Slow cooked and infused with herbs. $7.75. So cheap! 4. Tortilla de Patata- Fluffy potato omelet with a dollop of aioli. 5. Paella de Arroz Negro- Squid ink paella with jumbo prawns, calamari and clams. Hands down by far the best paella I've ever had. Keep in mind this is a very large portion. I always get the $28 (menu says for 2 people) and it can feed up to 4 people. 6. Dollar oysters. All day every day. They don't look big nor plumped, but c'mon, for a dollar each I can't complain. 7. SANGRIA!!!! Way better than Cha Cha Cha. I always try to make it here before 7 PM. $10 for a pitcher which fills up to four glasses. Can be dangerous but it's a well deserved drink after a long day of work. The prices are reasonable. The bigger the group the more varieties you can eat. Warning: after you leave this place you will have a garlicky breath that will linger on for a while. So no smooching after dinner! read more

Picaro - Seafood paella. - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love the food! It is affordable and so good. Went there twice last month and can't wait to go again :)

Stopped in for tapas. Ordered the grilled artichokes and Jamon apps, which were great. Also loved the dipping sauce that comes with the bread. We also tried the paella which wasn't so great. Rice was cooked nicely but the meat and seafood were overcooked. The service was friendly and warm. I'd go back and try more small plates but not the paella. read more

Love this spot. One of my favorite hangouts. Sangria is soooo good here. They have great happy hour specials the entire pitcher is $10 I believe before 7 pm. The tapas are good. I always order the seafood platter. Comes with a generous amount of seafood from shrimp, to calamari, to fish and clam over rice. I highly recommend that plate it's enough for 2. read more

If you don't like burning quantities of garlic, stop reading now. For everyone else, there's a lot to like at Picaro - it's not hard to get seats, the menu is vegetarian-friendly and the reasonably-priced tapas is mighty tasty, though you do get the sense that it is perhaps too heavily reliant on the garlic to carry it. Picaro is best taken as a good place for a casual dinner, though please please refrain from breathing in enclosed spaces near strangers afterwards. read more

Decent and filling. Seems popular enough on a Saturday night to have to wait in line while others eye the patrons who are now sitting in order to 1. make hot sexy eye contact or 2. pick out their meal before they sit. The paella chuck full of magical morsels of shrimp, chicken, muscles, sausages, dead babies, all the fixings, was a bit mushy. The rabbit stew was overly seasoned and I couldn't taste the rabbit at all. It maybe that they have it on the menu for kicks, but hide the natural flavor of the beast for the more americanized taste, but it was a disappointment to me, a hit with the others at the table though. Their papas bravas(sp) were delicious, as were their asparagus and mushrooms. Major reason for the low rating is that their "sangria" was a joke. It tasted of a really thick red cool-aid with fruit in it. Maybe again, it's just to please the taste of the less than cool patrons like me, but everyone who has had real home made sangria all agreed with me. I actually ended up pouring half my glass of water in my cup of sangria to make it more tolerable. Also, I'm never really happy with tapas style dining. I don't mind sharing when it's a small group, but a group of 10 leaves me feeling guilty for eating someones dish since it has to stop at so many plates. read more

This place has nice outside seating in the front, cheap delicious sangria, and a huge plate of meat for $22. Like, whoa. I feel lucky to have found this place on my second night in SF! This is the place to bring friends. Delicious garlic shrimp and lobster. And yes, the bread and sauce is one of the best things going. Service was a bit slow, but it was a relaxed atmosphere, so it's whatever. Don't expect 5 star service. Loved the decor inside, with New Orleans masks and fringe scarfs on the walls. We will back soon, with friends. read more

Ten dollar carafe of sangria? Ten dollars? Ten dollars. It's technically apart of their "happy hour", but it seems like that means almost all hours that they are open. Their lunch specials are seriously cheap and delicious. Throw in some seriously sweet staff members and this becomes one of my favorite spots. read more

Decent tapas place. The food was very comforting, but definitely not the kind of meal you want if you're a diet. Thankfully, my significant other is either comfortable with or just plain used to my being fat. We had about a half dozen small plates; lots of fried dishes, which, I have to say, were a bit underwhelming standing alone, but the sauces were very rich and quite tasty. The seafood was fresh, but just a warning: some fish dishes haven't been de-boned - I spent about 30 seconds choking uncomfortably (not kidding) because I failed to check before I took a reasonably sized bite. Also, the jumbo shrimp aren't peeled in the slightest, so be prepared to use your hands. They were also a little overcooked. The calamari was my favorite dish. We went right at lunch time on a Saturday and the place was relatively quiet. The staff were very friendly, but very slow - they greeted us with huge smiles and then proceeded to ignore us for 20 minutes before coming back to check in on us, again, with huge smiles. I'd totally visit again if I felt in the mood for a high-cal, very rich, very comfort-food-style meal. We gorged ourselves for about $30 total, and it was definitely a good value. read more

excellent. will go again as soon as possible. delicious. we had fun. good service. and check was as expected

I'm a HUGE fan of Picaro. I've brought friends and family there time and time and again & only received great feedback! The croquettes are the BEST on the menu. The oysters are fresh and delicious and the service is great. You're always greeted immediately, but expect a wait if you haven't made a reservation. I'll continue to come here with new friends to hear more compliments. read more

Picaro has grown over the years, they now take reservations and you really need them on the weekend. They have a large variety on the menu, very affordable. Food is delicious, friendly service read more

I will never get tired of going to Picaro! Pros: great people-watching from the sidewalk tables, garlic-y bread dip, nice variety on menu, vegetarian paella, cool art on the walls, cheap sangria, diverse crowd Cons: service can be slow, dip is so garlic-y that it could ruin your game on a date (although it could also be a plus depending on who you're with!) read more

Their Sangria is so delicious! It's the perfect mix and it's so smooth and refreshing. The food was yummy as well. We had the seafood paella (fried and traditional) which were both amazing. I'd definitely recommend checking this place out during happy hour! read more

Picaro - Delicious paella - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great food in a great location. My friend and I got a bunch of appetizers to share so we can try numerous things.. Oo man they were all so good! And that orange spicy sauce they give you with the bread, amazing! And chocolate mouse, just yumm! The service was really slow though. They were really busy at some point, but the waiter took about 10 min to get to our table. Overall great experience though.. Can't wait to try more appetizers and goodies off the menu. read more

Dinner was ok, everything was delicious, but at the end owner came to us and said, "do you liked the food, yes? 'cause do you see the line at the entrence? (making sings of standing up the table with his hands). What kinda service is that? seriously, the worst.. read more

I've been there more than 10 times already, and it has been my favorite restaurant in city. good food and drink (garlic shrimp, potato, sangria..), but last time i went there, i was a little bit disappointed with their customer service. well, good for group dinner party and especially this place is perfect to start the night in mission! read more

This place is not fancy at all, and its very loud (so if you have a stick up your, you know what.......... I would not recommend it for you) Parking is kind of hard to find.....and they only have one restroom for ladies, and one for men, so its always crowded, and the times that I've been, I noticed ladies using the men's restroom as well, lol.....and not the cleanest place by far.... BUT.................. Their seafood paella is THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG. I would walk and hold my pee. Really. Its so worth the drive, and everything else. They are always busy, so its best to make reservations, and call at least 30 minutes ahead of time to place your order. Otherwise you will find yourself waiting for an hour before you can eat. But again, ITS SO WORTH IT!!!! I cant wait to go back. 2 THUMBS UP - SIMPLY LOVE IT. read more

The place is really cute and affordable! We ordered 4 tapas (chicken croquette, garlic shrimp, patatas bravas and the sauteed green beans) along with a vegetarian paella and it was more than enough for 4 people. The garlic shrimp and green beans were amazing as was the sauce served with the complimentary bread before the meal. The service was great and there was a band playing which was charming for a bit but definitely got a tad annoying especially because the person seated next to me was even having a hard time hearing me. Will have to come back for some more tapas and the happy hour sangria! read more

This is the perfect place for tapas. I absolutely love their mouthwatering Chorizo Salteado "Cantimpalitos." They're little tasty Spanish sausages that are wonderful. Their tortilla de pata was good, I forgot the other goodies we ate but everything was delicious. Fantastic Sangria as well. New favorite place for tapas! read more

Went here with a group and 8 people and ordered enough food and sangria to put us into a food coma. The total came out to about $20 per person. Each taps is large enough for several people to share (think Dim Sum) so I recommend going with several people so that you can order a variety of dishes. If you want paella, you should order it as soon as you sit down because it takes 30 minutes to cook. The only negative thing is it was around 80 degrees in San Francisco the day I went and the place was jam packed for dinner. There is no air conditioning inside. I swear the indoor temperature was closer to 100 degrees. read more

The menu is very similar to that of Esperpento. I love, love, love, their blood sausage. You can't even tell there's blood in it. Its so rich and flavorful. My other favorite thing was the shrimp. I thought it was going to be bland, but it had a lot of flavor with the right balance. The albondigas was also very tasty, though I had wished they had given a little more. But of course its just tapas so expect just a taste here and there. Paella here is always a winner. read more

This place is pretty big than how it looks from outside. I went here last night for a birthday dinner. Food wise, this place is not that bad, it's good and ok. Tapas are definitely not that bad, I don't know what we ordered since someone else did all the orders. I know we had fried calamaries, had a chicken dish with some tomato sauce i think, and potato, we also had shrimp. there were all ok, the chicken was good. I love the sauce that came with the bread, that one was reaaaaaally good. Sangria we got was good too. The paella was good, we had the meat paella and seafood. My only complaint was the wait and organization. It took about 40-45 mns to get our paella, also when we got seated, since it was for a big party, it took them forever to find out how to arrange the tables. All of my complaints are pretty much the service. I wish they take more than 3 credit cards for the payment too. I would probably rate the food 3.5 stars rather than 3 stars tho. I forgot to mention we were seated at the patio, which i think was nice. i just wished they had more heaters. If you want to sit at a quiet area, definitely the patio, since it could get loud inside but it does get chilly in the patio. I'd definitely come here with a smaller party and try other dishes. read more

Went to Picaro for the first time last night, Showed up with a group of 10 or so people without a reservation. They were able to quickly put a table together and provided us with great service! The food was delicious; on a par with many of the more expensive tapas restaurants I have been to. We had 2 paelleas and a ton of different tapas dishes plus several pitchers of their fantastic sangria. Even with all the food dishes, pitchers, and added gratuity, our bill came to less than $40 a person. Unbelievable experience. Highly recommend the artichoke hearts. I will definitely be coming back to try any courses I missed out on during my first time there! read more

Came in on a Wed night. The food was ok. The albondigas or meatballs seemed not fresh. The Padron peppers were excellent. Don't order the grilled vegetable platter. They're not grilled. It's more stir fried and fried. The meat platter is a lot of food. Not sure about the paella since I didn't have any. read more

This place has good cheap tapas and great pitchers of sangria. Their HH is even cheaper. The atmosphere is like a casual restaurant in Spain. It's a pretty big space so I can't imagine it getting full. read more

Delicious seafood, fun family environment with good prices and poppin happy hour! Will definitely come again.

I loves it!!! The complementary bread was Tasty! The wait line was long but it is worth it.

Super artsy, the restaurant theme itself is a work of art definitely makes your wait enjoyable. Recommend getting a reservation for a larger parry. However, you may get attended really quickly if it's a smaller party! I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes! The food is also amazing. Plenty of vegetarian options and not costly at all! read more