I was excited to come here because I hadn't had tapas in years. This place was decently rated and in a pretty cool area of SF. When our group went inside, we saw a sign for "$1.00 oysters" and we all got a bit more excited. Unfortunately, Picaro would not be able to deliver.. The service was slow and it was not too busy. It took us awhile for us to get water. The server(s) (he had a helper who brought out water and bread) was nice and that saved this place from a one star rating. We were waiting for the rest of our group to come and got water, bread, and their special dipping sauce for the bread; the sauce saved Picaro from one star as well because it was pretty good. We ordered oysters to share while we waited for the rest of our group. When they came out, they were small; very small! I was still excited to try em' because I've never had anything but Gulf Coast oysters so I wanted to see the difference. These oysters tasted more salty which was okay but, the biggest issue was how small they were. When everybody got there and we ordered our tapas, they all came out looking pretty good. The taste however, was about average. The seafood platter (one of the more expensive items on the menu) lacked seasoning. The tapas were okay; nothing special there either. Overall, I think I'll try another place next time I'm in San Francisco. read more

$1 oysters. I am a die hard fan of oysters. Decided to give it a try. Then oysters are SO TINY, it's the size of my thumb print. Not worth it. Even it's only $1 each. read more

Picaro - $1 oysters are not worth your money. They are SO TINY, it's the size of your thumb print. - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is a gem. Very affordable, excellent food and great service. Waiting time can be a bit long so make a reservation ahead of time. We go there at least once a month. New Spanish restaurants have emerged nearby, by nothing compares to this one. To support my word, I went to this restaurant for the first time like 15 years ago and they are still thriving. Thank You Picaro& Sperpento for such a great food Spanish food in San Francisco. Gerardo Elementary School -Spanish Teacher @ McKinley. read more

Awesome food. Loud and lively atmosphere. A little wait, but it was definitely worth it.

When we got there it took them a while to seat us and no one even greeted us. Me and the gf ordered the paella but got and some calamari. The calamari was outstanding but the paella was basic to say the least. Im pretty sure I got sick from this place and was finding myself running to the bathroom every now and again that night. read more

Giving it 4 estrellas for now since I want to return to try more of their food. Great place for a quick bite or a few quick pintxos. A group of us wanted a light dinner and some wine, so we went directly to Picaro - despite the fact we knew parking would be a nightmare. If you don't mind sitting just behind the counter, then you don't have to wait for a table in the noisier part of the restaurant - we could actually hear ourselves talking. Menu was extensive with a wonderful variety. Enjoyed a pitcher of red sangria along with murcilla, ox tail stew, olives stuffed with anchovies, patatas bravas (which were not spicy at all), sauteed squid, and grilled asparagus. Felt satisfied without feeling bloated. I will definitely go back to try the rabbit stew, fried anchovies, Spanish tortilla - among a few other things. A touch of Spanish flamenco guitar playing in the background would have sealed the experience. read more

Excellent sangria deal and an awesome atmosphere. The sauce they give for the bread is also delicious. Otherwise the Spanish food is good and the prices are very reasonable. However, there are much better tapas around the city. But come for the happy hour! read more

Great little tapa place - will come back always- still the best paella negra ever Best to go early afternoon and have the $5 Sangria read more

Really loud and the paella was meh.. tapas were good tho. The grilled lobster was the best. And the potato thing was pretty good to. Service was pretty inattentive. We literally had to wait like 10 min for someone to come by to check on us and bring our bill. read more

The 18% tax. The food was okay, not great, but not bad by any means. The ambience was sub par. Everyone was crammed into the tiniest spaces; like a group of school fish fleeing from predators in one of those nature TV shows, you barely had any room for yourself. Needless to say, it was loud, very loud. The service was mostly good, so we all thought we would leave a good tip. The waiter comes with the bill. He tells us, "I've included the tip. Feel free to pay more, or pay none of it." I think it's odd that he's gone through the trouble of manually writing in the tip amount - but not percentage - and the "total," with tip included. We're paying about $30 tip, which is an 18% tip for the amount we spent. I figure that's alright; we're satisfied. 3 of us are paying the bill together - we are treating our friends. We have no small bills, so we come up $1.40 short of the 18% tip that the waiter had gone through the trouble of manually writing in. I figure that's fair. It's almost the 18% the waiter went through the trouble of writing (without including the amount for 15% or 20%) and we have no small bills. We close the checkbook, the waiter drops by and takes it. As we're getting ready to leave, he returns with the bill and asks for the $1.40 missing from the "tip," or in other words, tax that he had added. One of our friends, who we were treating puts the $2 in and we leave. I don't think I should have to explain what's wrong with that, but I'll mention that it's called "gratuity" for a reason. If you'll cram your restaurant so full of people and come back and ask for $1.40 on a manually written in "tip" and "total" without including the percentage or other tipping options, I think greed is a major motivating factor for the owner and staff of this restaurant. read more

Good tapas place in the Mission with oyster happy hour. I would eat here again. Show up at or before 6pm to beat the rush.

This is a nice seafood restaurant a little pricey you can't get a seafood combination for 1 it's starts at $35 for a platter for 2. But they have individual dishes like broccoli with almonds or spinach with beshamel sauce for like $9.00. the plates start at $15.00. read more

This place is great for big groups. Wouldn't recommend it for a quiet dinner though. The food is very good. The service is good. And whatever the garlic dip that they serve with the bread is is AWESOME!! I've been to 3 large group gatherings (20 people +/-) and it works out great. You just keep ordering stuff and everything that comes out is good. Plus at the end of the night you're not stuck with a massive bill. read more

My adventure with Picaro started off at the 16th & Mission Bart station. Instead of driving, I decided to take Bart since it's close to Bart and parking isn't easy to find. I'll have to make a review about the Bart station, but it felt like an outdoor pharmacy that smelled like a toilet that hasn't been flushed for at least several days. Anyway, Picaro has Good Tapas and Good Paellas! I came here once for a friend's b day and just liked it so much that I had to come back again to celebrate another friend's b day. I'm addicted to the yellowish-orange colored bread dip. I'm not sure what it is, but it's super good. It looks kinda like the puke you might see at the Bart station, but it still tastes sooo good. =P Picaro can accommodate large groups, so that worked out great for us every time I've been there. Going in a large group is good b/c you get to try everything. So we ordered all 3 types of Paellas and a whole bunch of different Tapas. If you order drinks, the bill will start to add up, so make sure you bring enough cash. read more

Been here a few times, enjoy it especially for big groups because of the spacious seating area and high ceilings. Also, their back patio is nice on warmer days! One thing really important I have to say about this place: beware of the garlic aioli. Your breath may not be the same for days. I mean this in the best possible way. read more

I love this place...great for parties too! Lots of table space. Here's what I love here: Salmon strips Garlic soup, so good if you love garlic like I do. Tortilla de Patata, have to get it, it's a classic Artichokes Lots of bread, the aioli is AWESOME!! read more

Loved this place!!! They had yummie sangria and the food was delicious!!!! Portions are really big so we ordered way too much but that's ok :) They have this delicious aioli that has loooots of garlic (super tasty but make sure to not eat too much like I did and smelt like garlic the entire day after! :) read more

We came here for lunch on Saturday. Among the three of us we had the following: Jamon-very good Chorizo salteado-very good Sauted oysters-ok Gambas plancha-very good Croqueta-very good The bread that was served was good and the sauce that accompanied it was excellent. Service was ok and we intend to return soon and try other items on the menu. read more

Their tapas are awesome! Their bread and spicy aoli starters are yummy! I get my usual scallop brochettes and steamed mussels with vinaigrette, then I would generally try 2 different dishes that I've never had before. One time I dared venture to try their calamari stewed in ink, which was pretty good. My friends and I happened to walk in during Happy Hour for their sangria special, which made us really happy. I generally prefer small plates (almost like dim sum) to huge entrees, so tapas really sit well with me. Also, I love the decor. It's not often that places choose to do 3-Dimensional renditions of Salvador Dali's paintings. read more

This is a very unique place in San Francisco. Here we are used to friendly and fast service. I thought I had come to a restaurant heaven when I moved here. Picaro seems to have made their trademark being s l o w. Very authentic, if you only have encountered Spain at its worst. The waiter that served us was actually doing his best, covering ALL the tables on the store front, in the large restaurant, AND on the back patio. No wonder it took a while to get our drinks and to get all the tapas, and he never poured more water before we were already waiting for the check. Meanwhile behind the bar two Spanish ladies (mother and daughter by the looks) kept on chatting while they were... chatting. Dude, get a new job. You can do your work, but the whole team needs to be onboard. This lunch took loooong. One of us had to leave for work before the check came. Here's a thing to ponder: a restaurant in the next block said we'd have to wait for 45min for a table. After we walked in at Picaro and were immediately seated in the mainly empty (A sign! Always look for the signs!) restaurant, we actually waited way beyond 45min to have a bite. We didn't even get bread before that. A mystery: we were a party of five. The waiter brought us a bread basked that contained FOUR (4) thin pieces of semi-dry industrial tasting baguette. When we caught him the next time and asked for more bread, he brought us an exactly similar basket that contained FOUR pieces of bread. I re-counted us. We were still five people around the table. The food was OK. Nothing to write home about, so I won't. But you know what? Great service can make an OK lunch a delight. On the other hand, food must be seriously SPECTACULAR to offset the droopy vibes that bad service will bring about. I didn't like their sangria. I will NEVER step into this establishment again. Sorry for the caps. Edit: After reading other reviews I just can't understand how this restaurant has so high points. Three ANDAHALF stars, really? read more

I could simply go there everyday for their Sangrias unless they wouldn't hit me hard with the terrible hangovers! One of the best sangrias in the city! Hands down! No one beats their happy hour Sangria prices for only 2 bucks. And oh, their heavenly garlic prawns are a must try, too! read more

My go-to place for dinner in the Mission District. I've been coming to this restaurant for a couple of years now and everyone I introduce it to loves it just as much as I do. This is a great place for happy hour. The sangria is delicious!!! The food is tasty and affordable. Great customer service but at times when it is packed it can be slow just like any restaurant during the dinner rush. I've gone with big groups and they are quick to make room and seat us. I agree with some reviews on here they can improve on the restroom situation it is not very clean and seems to always be out of toilet paper! I've learned to check and inform the staff. read more

Love Picaro for Sangria and Tapas. Their seafood is really their strong point and I would recommend their shrimp dishes especially. Their spicy potatoes are delicious as well but they always come out so hot-I never seem to be able to wait longer than a couple minutes once they are served and its still really to hot for comfort to chew normally. I say get them and be prepared to let them sit for a while. Sangria is good but when they get busy they tend to only put a few pieces of fruit in which takes some of the fun out of getting a carafe. read more

Great place,great value and great food!!!!! everyone working there was polite, friendly even though really busy... Bottom line we had a great dinner and a good time for $30... read more

I have to begin by talking about the spicy orange dressing... I would kill for it! That dressing got me addicted! It is so so so so so so delicious! The place is nice, especially if you like European art. There are paintings and reproduction of Dali, Miro and Picasso all over the place. The food is great and cheap! It is amazing that you get such delicious tapas for so little money. I go to this restaurant all the time and cannot recommend it enough! Oh and they serve a mix of sangria and lemonade called Gamberri... Just awesome! Great for Lunch and Dinner... and anytime in between! read more

Everything I tried was great here. And the happy hour prices were fantastic! We ordered the patatas bravas, the calamari, the albondigas, sangria, and garlic mushrooms and it all came to $32. It got really busy by the time we were done eating, so it took a while to get someone's attention to get our check, but I would definitely come back and recommend this place. read more

Service is very good. Foods delicious, sangria awesome! Highly recommend. Very nice atmosphere, people seem to be in the good mood read more

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This place is AWESOME! Will definitely need to come back on my next SF trip to try more menu items. Excellent service, super authentic, funky, and cool vibes in the restaurant. Their famous sangria is excellent (and strong!). Must try their grilled artichokes- I could've licked the plate! read more

Picaro - Sangria, grilled artichoke, and typical Spanish tapa (onion and potato) - Spanish Near Me - San Francisco, California

I LOVE THIS PLACE! Seriously- I cannot get enough. I've gone here alone, in small groups, big groups. Brough my grandma. Whoever I can get to go with me, I take! Such a wide variety of food on their menus. Reminds me of everything I love about Madrid, beautiful decorations, people laughing and taking their time with their meals, great food. You never feel rushed to leave. They also have the option to eat outside, which is great when the weather permits (which is nearly always here in SF). I'm a vegetarian with fructose malabsorption and there are so many options for me. My favorite is the padron peppers- which not many tapas places here in SF serve, oddly enough. I was so pleased finding this place, in such a great location. The service is attentive without being overbearing as well- which is a definite plus. Also- prices are very reasonable! Especially if you go with a group, as it is intended. You will leave as full as your wallet! read more

The ropa vieja is good, the bread and garlic sauce is addictive and we almost always order a pitcher of sangria! Paella with chicken and vegetables works great for me. Patatas bravas and croquetas are yummy additions too. Big groups welcome, small terrace in back and the wall decor is special. read more

Loved this Spanish spot. Super authentic, affordable, tasty, and cozy. I tried the Spanish omelette, chicken croquettes, grilled artichokes, and sautéed chorizo and loved all. Plus, they have $3 sangria during happy hour. Can't recommend enough! read more

Loved this place! My boyfriend and I came here for our belated 2 year anniversary dinner. Our friend recommended it and I'm glad he did. We ordered a pitcher of sangria which is only $12 during happy hour. Even though we ordered after it ended, we received the happy hour pricing. We ordered the meat and seafood paella and it turned out to be mostly seafood and not much chicken or pork. It was still delicious. My boyfriend doesn't like the look of the squid bits so I got to eat them all. We also ordered the oysters on a shell for a $1 each. Minimum of 3 required. They were on the small side but good for $1. We also got the ropa vieja (sp?) and fried potatoes and they were both very yummy. The red sauce that came with the bread and potatoes were very addicting. We even got a second helping of bread for free even though on the menu they charged for more. I would like to come back and try their other tapas menu items and get more paella. read more

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Great traditional Spanish tapas! Affordable prices, Eduardo, our server was attentive and friendly.

Love this place!!! Pricing is reasonable, food is delicious. You can have about 4 people eat from the paella or parrillada. The Sangria is delicious too, and I love the environment on the weekends with the mariachi. read more

Delicious tapas and sangria!!! Quality is just like in Spain.

This place is very lively and there's usually a wait. While you wait you can order a pitcher of their delicious sangria. The tapas options are amazing, but make sure you save space for paella because that's fantastic- both the veg and seafood. They also serve bread with this special garlic sauce which is decadent but delicious. There are flamenco dancers on weekend night too, making this a great place to go with big groups before a night out. read more

Pretty authentic Spanish tapas. Learned to appreciate this restaurant more after I visited Spain, because I realized a lot of what they serve here tastes exactly like what you'd get in the many cerveserias in Spain. Very accommodating staff (they were so patient when I brought my whole, large family here for a birthday. They even helped us serve cake that we brought from Delessio's). My personal favorites from the menu are: calamares a la plancha, chorizo, and their paellas. read more

We accidentally found this restaurant I am glad we did. The smell of the food was amazing. We couldn't wait to try it out. They have a lot to choose from there menu. We ordered there seafood and meat combo paella it was to die for. It was three of us and Damn it was a lot of food. Not complaining at all. They are not skippin on this dish. Bring on the Paella!! We tried out there sangria and was not disappointed in our choice. The service was good and the waiter checked on us from time to time to refill our water, or if we needed another glass of sangria. read more

My favorite part was free! The bread and yummy dipping sauce they give you before you order. Sangria was very good, better than Cha Cha Cha and it was very cheap...4.50 a glass. I would love to go here on happy hour because it is $10 a pitcher! The rest of meal was delicious. The service was friendly. Great spot and will be going back again..and again. read more

Omg i'm so pissed! I went to Picaro last night with my friend from Orange county. We ordered 2 sangrias, 1 potatoe aioli, 1 order of grilled scallops, and one pealla for two. The Sangria was okay but it was obvious it was made from really cheap acidic wine. The potatoe aioli was okay. The grilled short one swewer of scallops for $8 was really good but frugal with the amount of scallops on the skewer (4 pieces of scallops about the size of a quater each). Now let me tell you about the Paella!!!! All the seafood was over cooked! That's right, the shrimp was as hard a rock, the calamari was not fresh and as chewy as rubber, and the lobster tail was extremely salty to the point to where my friend put it down and didn't eat it. Oh and there's def not enough waiters to wait tables even though there was alot of people there. I was so disappointed, this is San francisco! Good food is not hard to find! With the way everything was made last night, i really wondered if there's even a chef or a good cook back there. It was unacceptable. It ruined my entire night because i wanted to take my friend to a really good restaurant for her last night here and this place just failed me. read more