El Faro

Even though I have a hate-​hate-​sometimes-​like relationship with the El Faro/​El Farolito chain, I thought El Faro would outdo El Balazo, which it replaced, because, well, how could it be worse? It had location location location; its only real competition was Zona Rosa, which I love but which I can understand why other people dislike; and it had a built-​in clientele of hipsters, drifters, grafters, and Salt of the Earthers.
And boy was I wrong, because this El Faro was really bad. I gave it a bunch of tries, and the people who worked here were nice, but even they seemed to know that they wouldn’t be working here much longer. The food was yucky and often on the cold side.
El Rancho Grande has its work cut out for it, as this seems to be a cursed location for taquerias. (I think El Faro was the third taqueria to occupy this space since I moved here in 2003.)

Never again! I’ve come here a few times and it has always been mediocre, but last time was the last.
I ordered a shrimp burrito, and it was terrible. Completely flavorless, and the tortilla was weirdly doughy. The guacamole was not even guacamole — it was thin and runny, with a hint of avocado. I think they dilute it with green salsa.
Not to mention, the tables were in desperate need of bussing; trash was everywhere.

No bueno! Avoid at all costs. There’s a reason this place was empty on an otherwise busy evening on Haight St. I threw my burrito away after a few bites, and I’m hardly one to waste food. Run away from this place as fast as you can. Instead, go to Street Taco across the street.

So I see this has a low rating and I am bummed. I had the chicken nachos from here the other day and they were insane. The chicken had such incredible flavor and the pico de gallo was so fresh. I have not tried their other items but I swear by the nachos. Hopefully they will pick themselves up and gather more fans as Id hate to not be able to grab my favorite nachos.

I get the California Burrito every time. Surprised to find such good French fries at a taqueria. The staff is super friendly and quick. The table next to us got a taco salad, might try that next time I’m here.

First time here get a taco for lunch. Good staff and food. Their salsa was nice and spicy, good amount of meats. It wasn’t too exciting but cooked just right. Also I loved artsy collage and pictures all over the walls. Very cool~!

Was looking forward to a delicious Cali burrito after a long day at work.
Got halfway done (fries were kind of cold in the middle… lame) and found a dead fly in the burrito.
Probably won’t be eating anything with meat if I go back. Cover your food!!!

Through a period of 9 months I get either the wrong meat, wrong burrito, or no one paying attention (in an empty store). Is there a language problem? Are they always high? Owner, please take note if you are serious.

Green salsa was incredible. Decent California burrito too, but the beans and rice were so-​so. Still, that green salsa was the truth.

The service here was really bad. The guy took a long time to take our order. Then while he was taking my order he starts ringing up somebody else. RUDE! The girl making our food got my burrito order wrong TWICE. I didn’t pay for my food. I left it there and left.

They’ve come a long way since opening day.
Staff is great, food is good. Glad they slogged through those opening months.
That green sauce is amazing.

I was so disappointed in my burrito from here! I had high hopes – driving from Sacramento to SF – with a couple goals in mind – one of which was to get a good burrito! I came here for the first time – I used to come to this location all the time when it was El Balazo – the burritos there were so yummy! Anyway, this place is so different from Balazo, flavor wise – doesn’t even compare!
The burrito was about 90% tortilla – for starters! There was a serious lack of the ingredients going on… and worst part of the whole exp. was it gave me serious indigestion – serious burrito burps for the rest of the day – not cute! Seriously, not going back – way too many good taqueria’s in SF to not need to waste your time here.
Staff was fairly nice and attentive here – but, sorry… it’s all about the product at the end of the day, for me!

Food wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t horrible.
I had their California Chicken Burrito w/​whole wheat tortilla, which is a plus for me when there is whole wheat. The burrito itself lacked flavor esp w/​the soggy fries. Only salsas that were good were the lime-​cilantro.
Overall, pretty mediocre food. It didn’t really stand out to me compared to places in the Mission like El Faro/​La Taqueria Cancun. Wouldn’t really come back here again

I have been here plenty of times and it has done me well over the time. I think the food quality has dropped a bit over time but it may be the quality of the staff or ingredients used. I got the California burrito, meat was good (pork carnitas), the fries were also great but the condiments (pico de gallo, rice, beans) were not fresh and lacked the bold Mexican flavors they should have. This is not the best place on Haight, and for the same price as many other great Mexican spots you are better off trying out street taco or going down the ways to papolote, el faro used to be one of my go to spots but with the evolution of new and updated Mexican restaurants this one just starts to fall short. Nonetheless, if you are looking to get some decent Mexican food this place will do the job.

I have been to a lot of Mexican food places in San Francisco. This one was on Haight Street and it had a nice interior and paint décor. I got a quesadilla suiza with chicken. It had pico de gallo and sour cream/​guacamole. There really isn’t that much to cooking simple Mexican food that people will find edible. This place is a little overpriced for Mexican food.

Nice sized burritos, well actually pretty big. For the hungry person you wont leave hungry. Decent size menu, but not overwelming.
While i enjoyed my burrito, it did lack in flavor. It wasnt gross, but didn’t impress. The carnita was nice and crispy, just the way i like it but could of used a little zest. I found myself tasting the sour cream more than the carnitas, which is unusual from my burrito adventures at other places. The hot sauce in it was lackluster, and couldn’t taste it all to well. However they did not skimp on filling, it was a very healthy portion of everything inside so i didn’t feel i was cheated on a $ 9 burrito. I just whish the flavor overall packed some more punch.
I can’t say i would crave this place and want to keep coming back, but if a friend wanted to go i wouldn’t say no if they really wanted to go.
Bathroom was clean and a good size, score for that. It did have a weird smell, and not from other people being there before me… Kinda smelled like chemicals used for bug control, but i will take that anyday over a dirty public bathroom.
2 stars for a big buritto, with lots of filling, but not much flavor.

Meh. Coming from SF, we were craving burritos. We ordered California burritos, chicken fajita burrito and a happy burrito. They were all just OK. Nothing really special to them and didn’t come with a lot of meat in them either.
They have abundant seating though and your burritos come with a side of tortilla chips.

Love this hole in the wall spot. if you want fancy, push off somewhere else.
This place has never disappointed me, their steak tacos are to die for (I like mine with cilantro and onions only thanks).
Good for a quick bite on the go. super sweet staff. could clean a touch more but I’ve travelled a bunch and it doesn’t phase me too much, but you may want to know that.
Regardless of that iddy biddy detail, the food is wicked good.

This is a place I’ve been coming for years since I grew up in the Haight and I agree with one of the previous reviews 100% — there is no reason to bash this place. Its quick, affordable and good. Salsa is excellent, burritos are big, they offer complimentary chips, and the enchilada platters give you a lot of bang for your buck since you get rice, beans, etc.
If you want gourmet Mexican food, go somewhere else — this place is not fancy. But if you want cheap (ish), fast, and good, this is your spot.

Nothing you can say.
Brilliant deal from Lane 8:
Terrible deal from El Faro: Eggs, salsa and black beans in a wheat tortilla for $ 8.43 (including tax).
Appreciated them making it despite no breakfast menu and the final product was quite good. But nothing you can say will make me think it was worth more than $ 5.