Padrecito

SO many gluten free options! GLUTEN FREE CHUROS– life made.

Solid mexican fare. This is a great place to order lots of things and split with your pals. You get to try WAY more this way. The portions are good since you can easily share without feeling like you skimped too much on any one item. The queso fundido was super flavorful with the chorizo. We burned through lots of chips on this one since you really needed to finish the whole pan. Then the duck tacos made another great statement. The meat was seasoned wonderfully and you got a great helping of it so you didn’t feel like the duck was an after thought once you add the extras in the taco. I’ve recently been riding the octopus train and want to eat it whenever it’s on a menu; so of course I got it here… and yup, best decision. The octopus was cooked to perfection, not too tough or chewy, really tender and juicy. The sauce was super smokey and well-​rounded. And the addition of the chicharron to the dish was perfection; it gave the dish that hint of saltiness + crunch to add more dimension. Super good. I wish I was a local so I could revisit this place on the regular.

Stumbled upon this place on a rainy Sunday morning while contemplating whether or not to wait in line at Zazie’s with no umbrella. Hopped in for drinks and shelter, but decided to stay for brunch. Glad we did cuz the food was pretty bomb.
Place is kinda pricey for mexican food, but it’s really well executed and chef’d up enough to justify the prices.

The service here was 5 out of 5! Our server was very attentive when my friends and I were running low on drinks, salsa and chips.
The food was very good. I ordered the pork belly tacos. The meat had a nice sweetness, along with just the right amount of savory. The pork was not overly fatty or overly lean, but had the amazing taste that comes from nice cuts of pork belly.
We came on a Thursday, at 5:30 and were seated upstairs, right away. When we left it was around 7:30, and service had definitely picked up.
Overall, I had a great experience! We will definitely be back.

As a San Diegan and brunch-​a-​holic, I’m pretty picky about my Mexican food and brunch.
I went here for brunch and… I didn’t feel like this was Mexican food. It was hipster food in a sombrero. I ordered a breakfast burrito — because burritos — and asked if they could make it without potatoes. In my experience breakfast burritos with potato tend to be all potato. The server let me know it wasn’t really possible to do the breakfast burrito without potatoes because they hold the burrito together. I should have taken this as an indication that this burrito would be nothing but potato, but I was hopeful and still ordered it.
Lo and behold — my breakfast burrito was bland and had way too many potatoes. A few people at the table ordered the chilaquiles and noted that their meal had too many tortillas & not much else. The BF ordered a benedict that was pretty good– but super carb-​y even though he swapped out the potatoes for a salad.
The up side — this place has dope chips and salsa, and the guac was super fresh. But seriously, guys, what’s up with the carb overload?

I came here with some friends while visiting the city on a Saturday night. We sat at a high top table, which was great given our size. I usually say that you can judge a Mexican restaurant based on their chips and salsa. Whilst I didn’t try any salsa here, the chips and guac were fantastic. I went with the arctic char tacos based on Unilocal!reviews and the crispy brussels sprouts, because I can’t resist those. Both were delicious! My BF also really enjoyed his vegetarian tacos and the corn side dish. I would definitely come back to try some other things on the menu!

This is pretty close to 5 stars, and I may round up if the second time is as good as the first (and I definitely plan to come back).
I came here for a work dinner and since we had about 8 or 9 people in our party, we just got a bunch of food to share. The waitress did a good job of answering our questions, suggesting how much to order, and checking up on us. We ended up ordering food in 2 rounds, and it worked out well. She also recommended a couple of nice bottles of wine, and made sure our glasses stayed full.
Stuff I tried:
–Guacamole: Not too great, I think this just needed a lot more flavor– more acid, more salt, and maybe a little more heat. I actually would skip this and get another appetizer or stick to the complimentary chips and salsa (which are good)
— Lamb chorizo meatballs: I liked these, but I LOVED the poblano polenta it was served over and the little bit of crispy kale it came with. The accompaniments actually overshadowed the meatballs, but overall a good dish.
— Ensalada Norteña: enjoyable salad, but nothing super amazing. It had beets, avocados, and a little queso fresco. A little more seasoning would have probably added alot to this
— Duck taco: My favorite of the tacos I tried, this reminded me and the others at my table of peking duck. It had a nice sweetness (it has quince marmalade) and the duck was perfectly cooked. I couldn’t taste the beans on it but enjoyed all the flavors together
— Carnitas taco: I love carnitas on anything, so I was excited to try this. It was good but I would probably stick to the more interesting taco options and order these at traditional taquerias.
— Pork belly taco: Pork belly is one of my favorite things, and I loved this taco. Pork belly was nicely cooked and again, all the flavors complimented each other. Definitely recommend this over the carnitas.
— Steak taco: A very solid steak taco. The steak was nicely cooked and I liked the addition of arugula a lot.
The botanos or small plates sound as good as the tacos, so I definitely suggest getting a mix of both. For tacos, I liked the duck and pork belly the most and the steak was good as well. I would probably skip the carnitas
I also had a margarita which was alright; they have a pretty interesting cocktail menu so I would probably get something else in the future.
Overall I really liked my meal and experience at Padrecito and even though it’s a little out of the way for me, I do plan to come back. Definitely a good spot for groups since you can share and try more of the menu. A solid 4 – 4.5 stars.

A nice alternative to your Sunday brunch when the line at Zazie is a bit too long for your taste, but also just a great option for any lunch, brunch or dinner of your choosing :)
The staff is super friendly here and very accommodating
And the food. Oh my. Incredible. The guacamole is fresh and the tortilla chips appear to be freshly made in-​house. Our server kept the chips coming to keep us nice and stuffed even before our main dishes came. They were hot, crispy and delicious.
For my dish, I had the huevos benedictos which was downright delicious. Two poached eggs on top of carnitas and a biscuit. A nice alternative to the typical smoked salmon Benedict I always get and jam packed with flavor!
And don’t forget to end your meal with the churros. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Review for brunch only. I love the Tipsy Pig’s huevos rancheros, so for my birthday my boyfriend suggested trying Padrecito, which has the same owners.
Huevos rancheros: delicious! Cheesy, heavy, loaded with corn tortillas. 1 fried egg on top and one cooked in. The only odd addition is kale. There isn’t a ton of kale, but it seems more like a ploy to use a «trendy» ingredient, which doesn’t add much to the dish — so kale haters, order this anyway :)
Sopas de machaca: disappointing according to my dining companion. A little cold, and the potatoes on the side were too crispy/​deep fried.
Corn tortillas on the side: Useful for scooping up extra sauce and cheese from both dishes.

My friend and I were looking for a place to eat on a Sunday night and she recommended this place. I could rave about this place all day long. Not sure how I didn’t know about it until now.
I ordered a classic margarita, seemed silly not to. deeeelicious
My friend and I split 2 salads, 2 tacos, and brussels sprouts. Everything was tasty, presented well, and not terribly expensive.
HIGHLY recommend this place for upscale Mexican food.

Super nice a generous personal! Enjoyed also talking to the bar tender and learning about their ice rounding device.
The seating area is nice too, with a good ambiance.
I was very disappointed by the food: good presentation though not much taste (besides the spiciness). One of the dishes I was especially disappointed at is the braised pork belly: there were 2 tiny slice of pork belly in a «sea» of nachos, corns and a sauce!

We decided to hit up Padrecito’s for a post half-​marathon brunch.
Started off with an appetizer of guacamole, chips, and an array of salsas. The guacamole was super good and tasted like it had just been prepared (I hope it was).
For my entrée, I decided to go with Padrecito’s take on the classic Mexican dish Chilaquiles. In addition to the usual tostadas, crema and salsa, they added pork belly, sweet corn and a few strong spices (that I unfortunately cannot recall). If you are craving traditional chilaquiles, this will not satisfy you since it just tastes too different. If you are feeling a little adventurous and the non-​traditional ingredients appeal to you, then you will love this dish!
Overall: high quality, un-​boring food, lively ambiance, nice Mexican décor, and good service.

I went to Padrecito on a Saturday morning around 11:00am (party of 2). There was no wait and plenty of tables were available.
Disclaimer: This review is only for brunch.
Following a few Unilocal recommendations, I ordered Chilaquiles ($ 14) for breakfast. I did a little bit of research before I came to Padrecitos so I knew the email would be something like «nachos with too little veggies.» This is a fairly accurate description of the entrée. It is yummy for about the for 5 bites — and like nachos, the chips start wilting, the temperature gets lukewarm, and suddenly the «nachos» aren’t as delicious as you initially thought. My friend got the huevos benedictos ($ 16) and she felt my chilaquiles were a better dish. If a friend were coming here for brunch, I’d recommend for her to order something else other than the chilaquiles or huevos benedictos because our experience was mediocre.
I paired my meal with a brunch cocktail called Diamanté ($ 10) and that is composed of cava, biters, orange spiced tea, blanco tequila, and lemon. That was delightful and I would recommend getting this drink. My friend ordered a mimosa and it was so weak that it tasted like (only) orange juice.
Overall, I may be willing to come back for dinner. But I would recommend trying a different restaurant in Cole Valley for brunch.

I don’t know how many first dates I’ve been on recently since I decided to start dating again, but first dates are always awkward. People talk online or via text and the conversation flows, but when people end up meeting up, it’s just this awkward feeling. Especially if the person doesn’t look like their picture.
Recently I decided to check Padrecito out. The person lived in the area so I checked my bookmarks (and the reviews from friends) and decided I needed to check this place out.
I started with their house margarita. It was definitely pretty good. Not the most amazing I’ve ever had but a good one where I would go back for drinks with other people. But the food would be true reason I go back.
I ended up ordering the goat tacos and the duck tacos. Wow those goat tacos. They’re definitely different than everything I’ve had before. Stefanie C. was definitely right in recommending them — so good! The bartender recommended the duck and also delicious. They PILE on the meat and topping and definitely make it worth.
Overall, loved the drinks and tacos — as for the date? Probably won’t ever see him again, but definitely would see Padrecito again.
Protip: goat tacos.

My first time here… We came on a Friday morning but closer to noon and the place started filling up. The place doesn’t get much natural light and the furnishings are also kinda dark… Get a table by the window. Just seems more aesthetic with your pretty food presentations. Although I read some negative reviews… I’m happy we gave it at chance. We had a good server that was knowledgeable with the menu and attentive to our requests. Our food came out quick but hot. Prices and portions were reasonable. This is one place where food presentation is equal to taste.
I tried the pork belly Chilaquiles, amazing… I was craving it the following day! They can make veggie variations to it which my friend had but with egg whites, which is extra. And we shared the polenta pancakes… The texture and just the right amount of sweetness, Yum! Filling but delicious!
I will definitely come back. Their menu had plenty of options…

There is a line out the door at 530pm…
It’s alright… it’s pricey for what you get. No free chips… guacamole is $ 10! Enchiladas or chilaquiles don’t come with anything else… no rice, beans, salsa… those are extra. The chilaquiles was alright, but I’d rather spend it on just guac and chips. It’s like fancy Mexican food, I prefer a taqueria.

What a fun and hip place! Service was slow and inattentive, but the food was unique. I give them a solid 3.5!
We waited for our table at the bar and enjoyed a Bloody Mary. The $ 9 glass was a spicy homemade blend, a little heavy on the horseradish, but definitely tasty.
Sadly, the wildly popular Chilaquiles dish was nothing more than a mildly disappointing plate of upscale nachos. The dish was loaded with chips and sauce with only a few pieces of pork here and there.
On the other hand, the Budin de Huevos Rancheros was a serious surprise. Served as a casserole, this dish was amazing. It had soft tortillas folded into a hefty helping of black beans smothered in a chipotle sauce covered with avocado, salsa verde, and pico. Those who ordered the Chilaquiles kept asking to try mine, saying they wished they would have sprung for the Huevos Rancheros instead!

I fell in love with Cole Valley this weekend. I have never really been to this area until the last few days. It is a very homey place with great restaurants. One of the restaurants that stuck out was Padrecito. This place is amazing for brunch and it his a little hispanic twist to it. On a sunny day this place has a great outdoor patio and the ability to people watch while you eat.
I would recommend getting the chilaquiles with the spicy habanero sauce on the side. They have a lot of different salsas to choose from but the spicy mango habanero is delicious. The pork belly in the chilaquiles is crazy good and juicy.
If you find yourself in the area or not it is definitely worth the trip up to Padrecito.

Tacos…
Those are the first and last words you will utter when you enter and leave Padrecito. When I think of tacos that aren’t from Taco Bell, I think of the small palm size ones with meat, lettuce, and a sauce or two. Those I can eat 5 or 6 of them along with a beer. But at Padrecito, I can eat maybe 1 or 2 max. These are supersized and full of meat and sides. So, remember to order moderately and consider that beer also takes a lot of real estate in your stomach. Grilled arctic char, skirt steak, and pork belly are the guaranteed good ones. Duck and goat are if you’re into those meats.
Remember to order guacamole with your chips. Who doesn’t like finger food with your beer?!

What a great place! Zazies next door is the one with the long wait (so not worth it, in my opinion) and we were able to snatch a table here right away. We shared the huevos benedictos and the pancakes. The benedict was really good, with runny eggs and flavorful pork and crispy/​flaky jalapeño biscuits. The potatoes were fantastic, too, with this amazing smokey/​spicy sauce. Woo wee!
The pancakes would give the lemon ricotta pancakes at Gioia a run for this money. I’m a sucker for everything corn and the corn meal gives it a nice texture. I couldn’t really make out the plantains, though. The sauce on top were amazing, too, with a great milky/​caramel cajetas and not too sweet mango purée. I would definitely order that again.
The only downside were the thick cut bacon that we ordered. It was just normal bacon. When someone says thick cut, I expect pork belly like bacon, not run of the mill bacon, but the other parts of the meal were so great, it’s not a big deal. I can’t wait to come back here for brunch and also try out their dinner items.