Mi Lindo Yucatan

My mouth watered at the idea of the ceviche tostada with the hidden mayo treasure buried at the bottom. I anticipated your aroma, spicy salsa and black beans. The construction outside was a bit confusing– apparently I haven’t been to the Mission lately. Then– wait? What?! It’s closed! wahhhhhhhhhhh.
Mi Lindo Yucatan, te extrañaré mucho!

My friend and I decided to take a break with his move and grab some grub down at what he calls «the best pizza in the city». With expectations high, we headed down to the Mission and was disappointed to find that they were closed. However, we spotted Mi Lindo Yucatan across the street and decided to give it a try.
We started off with some of their chips and salsa. I wish the chips themselves were warmer but the salsa were quite tasty. I ordered their poc-​chuc at $ 9.95, which is sort of a marinated grilled pork dish that’s eaten with fresh tortillas and a black bean sauce. Eaten all together, it was delicious but I found the dish to be very one note once I ran out of tortillas. My friend got the cochinita pibil, also $ 9.95, which was super tender pork wrapped in banana leaves and was very good. However the serving size was very small and I would have been a little disappointed if I had ordered it.
While our original plan was to check out the pizza joint across the street, we decided to come here since they were closed. I was generally happy with my dish but the service was extremely slow. The overall experience was good but Mi Lindo Yucatan would probably not be my first choice next time.
Food: ⁷⁄₁₀
Service: ⁵⁄₁₀
Price: $$
Atmosphere: ⁶⁄₁₀

pretentiousness — 1.5 out 5 extended pinkies
flavor — 4 out 5 «oh man thats good» statements
overall — its a «hell yeah»
worth the money? — totally
«you really must try this because it’s puerco pibil. It’s a slow-​roasted pork, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favorite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every dive I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it’s ever been anywhere. In fact, it’s too good. It’s so good that when I’m finished, I’ll pay my check, walk straight into the kitchen and… «
— Agent Sands
Violette introduced me to this place and we’ve been here 4 or 5 times. I always get the Pibil which is da bomb, and V always gets the Tortilla Soup — which is also pretty awesome — in fact its the best tortilla soup i’ve ever had.
I havent been to this location yet, but im sad that the Noe Valley location is closed :(. It deserves 5 stars. Since i havent yet been to this location i can only give it 4 stars. Once i check it out in person i will update this review so stay tuned dear reader.
Oh unfortunately they dont serve tequilla — so the cook is most likely safe.

Due to the line at Little Star, we dropped in this place to grab a bite before the Killing My Lobster sketch show across the street. Not much for atmosphere, as the TV on the wall in Spanish reminds one of any old Mission taqueria.
Things started out well as the chips and salsa were really good. The hot salsa was very hot and the mild salsa was outstanding and tasted like it had pumpkin seeds smashed up in it.
I ordered the Poc-​Chuc, which claimed to be «charbroiled pork, marinated in Yucatecan spices», but I couldn’t taste any spices at all so it wasn’t very flavorful, and was served lukewarm.

I ended up at Mi Lindo Yucatan after having a strong craving for some salbutes and panuchos. As soon as I sat down, I noticed that the place had expanded their vegetarian menu. Thank goodness! Last time I was here I didn’t really know what I could order since the waitress couldn’t really recommend good veggie options. Not the case anymore! I had veggie salbutes and panuchos as well as the tamales. All were fine, not totally spectacular but tasty. Nevertheless, I could had a choice of a few other options that I might have to try next time.
I have to give this place props though for having amazing service and being able to deliver food under a reasonable amount of time. Business is really starting to pick up at this place so I guess the word is getting out.
And for the meat eaters, the cochinito is the way to go, so says my meat eating boyfriend. Buen provecho!

Cute little localsy place. I ordered a bunch of apps. They were unremarkable, but hit the spot.

Mayonnaise on anything creeps me out — but on a tostada?! BLASPHEMY!
So I saw «Up» in Digital 3D earlier that evening and it was awesome. So go see that RIGHT NOW. Plus, you could recycle your 3D glasses, but I preferred to keep mine on and wore them to dinner.
The tamale here was really good — I grew up in New Mexico so I have had my fair share of Mexican food and it wasn’t until Mi Lindo that I had heard of Yucatecan food. Similar, but with their own twist. The tamale had a banana leaf instead of a corn husk — similar to Ecuadorian tamales in that respect. But I would eat a tamale wrapped in toilet paper so consider the source for this review.
What I didn’t understand was the mayonnaise on the tostadas?! Peculiar to say the least. Mayonnaise ruins anything for me. But no worries, if you are an anti-​mayonnaisista like me, they’ll exclude it for ya.
Good sangria, good mexican beers, good food, and a cozy little spot to boot. I’ll go back, I wanna try the rellenos next!

I read some great reviews about this place. Yucatan food sounded interesting for a change.
We went to Mi Lindo on an early Friday night (6.15). The place was empty when we arrived. We asked for recommendations and ordered what the server recommended which were Poc-​chuc and Conchinita Pibil.
Poc-​chuc is pork wrapped in banana leaves seasoned with orange juice and Achiote which is a red powder/​spice that is commonly used in the Yucatan. This dish also came with corn tortilla.
The Pibil is a popular Yucatan dish which is also seasoned with Achiote and cooked in a banana leaf. This dish was served with rice.
Both dishes were so completely ordinary, bland & boring. The portion was huge. Each dish was enough to feed 2. I’ve had these same dishes in the Yucatan region (Merida), this was just no comparison — a bit of disappointment. Perhaps the Noe location is better?

The cochinita pibil is fabulous. I can’t imagine going here and not ordering it. The turkey in mole negro (chilmole) is good but I like Poc-Chuc’s better (though they don’t always have it).
The appetizer platter’s a mix of great and so-​so items, I wouldn’t order it again.

So I finally came back to THIS Mi Lindo Yucatan because Jamie W. and I suddenly remembered we liked the place and thought it wouldn’t be too crowded on an early Saturday afternoon. We were right… and frankly it’s better than I remembered, which is always a nice surprise.
Authentic Yucatecan cuisine is what they serve, and from what I recall of my trip down there, the dishes sure taste like food you would get in a nice restaurant in Merida. But because it gets lumped it with all the other Mexican places in the Mission, I tend to forget this is a go-​to place for true Mayan flavors that are a far cry from Chipotle. First up for each of us was the empanada made of corn dough, stuffed with fresh beef and cheese and topped with a tomato sauce. They were good-​sized for $ 2.50 each (see my photo)
Jamie had the $ 9.75 Poc-​Chuc, which was a dish piled with shards of charbroiled pork on top of a mound of black beans and salsa with a sliced avocado and radishes on the side (see my photo). Hearty stuff, and it came with freshly made flour tortillas for instant taco-​making. I went for one of their weekend specials, the $ 9.95 Pozole, described as a traditional Mexican stew but really more a soup with tender chunks of pork and chicken. It came with a side of crispy tortilla strips, lettuce, radishes, scallion bits and oregano (see my photo). I didn’t ask, but I put most of it into the pot and used the tortillas to sop up the broth.
I was stuffed, but it is a nice place to get a taste of this part of Mexico. The décor is still colorful — a lot of chartreuse and aquamarine — with rustic paintings on the walls and stylized Mayan carvings above the door. The service is aces here, too.
FOOD — 4 stars… unique Yucatecan dishes still flavorful and hearty
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… I appreciate the bright colors a lot more this time
SERVICE — 4.5 stars… she was really nice and served up the food with care
TOTAL — 4 stars… definitely worth a stop in the Mission when you’re looking to load up

On a recent mission for Little Star only to find the grates down as they’re closed on Mondays we looked across the way to find the bright colors and glowing neon beckoning from Mi Lindo.
Evidenced by the number of Latino/​as there it looked promising, so we nestled into a corner by the window and admired the hand-​painted jungle motif on the tables. Our waitress knew a total of like ten English phrases but we managed to convey that the stewed banana leaf pork, black mole turkey and kukulcha salad was in the mix.
After happily noshing on the thick, coarsely ground chips and delicious salsas (one relatively smooth and light on the cilantro, the other pureed and super hot like fiyah) the dishes came out. To my dismay, nary a grain of rice nor single bean was in sight. The flavor was tasty, especially the sauce of the pork but my mole was watery and had these chunks of odd looking somethings.
The real winner was the melon agua fresca. Lip-​smacking refreshing.
But for $ 25 for two, who’s complaining?

Me love Mayan food.
The Panuchos — lightly fried with a ground bean sauce, topped with shredded chicken, tomato, picked onion and avocado — delicious and very filling for $ 1.95!
Salbutes — also lightly fried and very good.
Pork Taco — The best I have had, ever.
Tamales — I was pleasantly surprised. This reminded me of the Nicaraguan «Nacatamal». Masa with meat. Except their tamale was less greasy and more flavorful.
I can’t wait to try their larger entrees and empanadas soon!

I went here last night with three male OG Unilocalers. Which is such a coincidence, seeing as how one of them wants to pimp me out to rich and important businessmen in Korea to the tune of $ 500k/​year. Apparently the Koreans love themselves a tall blonde. Who knew?
And that’s all very well and good, because this tall blonde loves herself some chips and spicy salsa. Mi Lindo Yucatan has some bomb salsa, to the point that I had to ask for more, followed by one of the OGs telling me «it might be time to have a salsa intervention.» Ooh, embarrassing.
We shared the appetizer sampler plate… I can’t honestly say what half the things were that I put in my mouth, but they were delicious, and really, how does that differ from any normal Friday night?
The entrees are served with some really great tortillas, which you can ignore to your little Atkins-​dieting heart’s content. In other words, the dishes are good enough to be eaten on their own. I had the Poc-​Chuc and while it needed a bit of salsa (really, what doesn’t?), it was nice and satisfying.
As we walked out after a cheap four person meal with beers that didn’t top out over $ 100, I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself. Tall blonde walking down Valencia with three suave OGs? Korea, here I come!

This is a solid place for some good Mexican food. It’s a very low-​key casual place to go when you want some good comfort food. I walked in on a Thursday night at 9pm and the place was full. Granted, it’s a tiny place, but I think it seems like the locals’ place to go. We were a party of 7 and they were very accomodating, pushing a couple of tables together to get us all seated.
We started off with chips and salsa. They bring you a large salsa and a small one. The small one is a spice dawg! A few of my friends shed some tears over it. I ordered the Pork Adobado and it was seriously delicious. It’s tandoori in color (hot pink) and very flavorful. Served with black beans (my fave), rice, a little salad and warm corn tortillas, you really can’t go wrong. The plate was enough for two and it was only $ 9.75.
The only down side was that we waited a good 45 minutes for our food. Despite the tears that fell from being spiced out, we couldn’t get a water refill to save our lives. Our waitress was SUPER sweet, but not the most attentive. But that’s not why I’d go back to Mi Lindo. I’d go back for more of that comfort yumminess.

Just a block down the road, it took me two years to get here. And that wasn’t even the plan. The plan was a tofu salad, but that was cancelled after I discovered I most certainly failed at storing unused tofu in the fridge (figured changing colors is not good). I needed a new plan.
Fortunately Mi Lindo Yucatan bailed me out. Had an excellent (boneless!) grilled chicken served with grilled veggies. Comes with rice as well. Great food at a decent price, and made for an excellent salad topping.

4.5
So maybe in San Francisco the people are spoiled with choices among the ethnic cuisine. Meaning… that you have 7 Peruvian, 34 El Salvador, and 69 Mexican restaurants within a 15 mile radius. Okay… so I am exaggerating, but I stumbled on «Mi Lindo Yucatan» on my recent trip to SF. I had seen it before in the past and had not gone in because the menu was not as exciting as I hoped. Was I wrong! After battling the rain this Saturday, I was hungry and tired. Seeking shelter from the awning… I stepped in to the colorful little restaurant that could. Small, corky, almost family style, I immediately felt welcomed. I took a seat and looked at the menu. Chips were warm and served with 2 salsas. One was mild, while the other was a HOT habanero concoction served in a tiny little bowl. I now know why… it was hot, sweet, and spicy! I ordered the beef empanada, and that was not very good. It seemed like a gordita wrapped in potato. I immediately got discouraged. Being super hungry… I also ordered a shrimp tostada… which was good… but nothing to die over. My meal, however, Pollo a la Parilla-​chicken on the grill, was AMAZING. Chicken was flavorful and seasoned right. It was moist, juicy, and super tender. It was served with grilled veggies-​zucchini, red and green bell peppers. I ordered a side of beans and tortillas to get the full effect. and they took me back. The beans were worth the trip. Funny, but I thought I was eating my mom’s beans. They were pureed and the tortilla’s were buttery. It was amazing. So nice to visit a restaurant serving Latin food that is not plied with cheese and HOT PLATE!
Definitely come back and have some more of that juicy sangria! Staff is great, and definitely worth a pop in!

Mi Lindo is a pretty small place in the bustling Mission area. However it may still be a little undiscovered because we went on a Friday night and there wasn’t much of a line.
There are some pretty unique items on the menu: I got this bean filled dumpling for an appetizer. It was served with a side of raddish/​lettuce and salsa. Pretty good and different. They also have a lot of entrée dishes that are not your average enchilada or burrito. I got a fried fish dish that was quite tasty.
Here are some pictures from dinner:
All in all, a good experience. Total cost was about $ 15/​person which included a drink also!

I went here when it first opened and I lived around the corner on Albion street and had breakfast at the Kilowatt more often than not. MLY had just replaced a decent cheap noodle place and I was not impressed.
T’other day I was wandering by with a friend and we decided to stop in (the new Little Star was so overcrowded and we were so hungry).
About half the tables were unoccupied and only one other group was speaking English.
Everything was divine. This is the place you go when you want to sing «pork pork pork!» Beans were great. Poc-​chuc was fantastic. Puerco Adobado was flavorful. Hot-​hot salsa was delicious under the hot. We had a guy from Idaho (or Iowa. Some place without flavor) with us who nearly died and refused to believe that eating chips was the answer, not more water.
Anyway. Eat here often. This is a hiddenish gem. It’s way too good for as few Unilocal reviews as it has. Faster and better than a slice of shitty pizza when coming out of Zeitgeist and it’s only a block away…

Top 5 reasons to dine at Mi Lindo Yucatan:
1. Entertainment Book Coupon.
2. A small restaurant with fun colorful atmosphere. The colorful paintings on wooden tables and the high ceiling provided Mexico feel.
3. Poc-​Chuc ($ 9.75): Charbroiled pork, which were thin pieces of meat nicely seasoned.
4. Prices: Main dishes around $ 8 – 10, small dishes $ 2 – 3. Draft beer $ 3.25. Using my Entertainment Book coupon ($ 9 OFF), we spent only $ 15 for two.
5. Free salsa and chips
Service: Helps if you could speak Spanish. Our waitress barely spoke English, having no problems taking the order or understanding one word requests like «Lime», «Bill», or «Water», but had difficulties answering question like «What is this item on the menu?» or «Can I get the sauce of the side?»

I went a while back with a co-​worker. We intended to go to Mi Lindo Peruvian food, but this was a nice accident.
The décor is fabulous — very brightly colored. Service was equally good.
The food is quite heavy — many of the appetizers were breaded and friend. Of the mix appetizer plate, the items I didn’t recognize tasted quite good… the ones I did like tamales, were not as tasty.
If you love pork, you must go as many dishes are entirely pork.