5.5 or 6 Tacos were good esp Milanese chicken. Seems authentic. Worth trying again

El Matate in San Francisco is an absolute gem! The authentic Mexican flavors shine through in every dish. The atmosphere is cozy, and the staff is friendly. Don't miss their mouthwatering tacos and homemade salsas. A must-visit for Mexican cuisine lovers! 🌮🌶️🇲🇽

The meat and the chips here are superb. The best burrito shop when you want to eat at the restaurant.

Colorado burrito was super bueno! Great flavor and tender meats. Chipotle salsa for the win. Classic Mission yum!

Been eating here since it opened. I enjoy the cheese enchiladas with salsa verde. Check out the salsa habanero .Yum!

One of the best Mexican foods i tried in SF for the price.. incredible flavor and huge portions. I will go back. I order the chicken mole that it was the special of the day.

This place has always given some of the most authentic and delicious Mexican food in this part of San Francisco. Their fire roasted salsa from their salsa bar somehow magically finds its way onto literally everything I eat there!

i ordered a shrimp burrito, and i was pleasantly surprised by the portion size. a little pricey, but not that big of a deal, considering location

Best Mexican restaurant ever. Staff are so kind and the food is delicious!

Good food I had a Birria plate, A michelada and I loved the friendly staff.

Tacos were awesome and everyone was so friendly! Will definitely be back!

Tee Ponsukcharoen

There is so much to say about this place but here are some highlights: - The decor of this place is beautiful. Down to earth yet thoughtful and colorful. - The chips are so creative. The puffy ones are amazing with beautiful color. I usually discard most of chips but I need to hunt down for them this time. - So much variety of salsa and sauce. It is my first time having a warm salsa as well. It is incredible! It is such a service mind to provide all accommodations for all tastebuds. - The food itself is big and delicious. My quesadilla is packed with carnitas. I wish it can be a bit more crispy but it is also fulfilling. My friend got a seafood plate and it can feed 2 people. All dishes we got are under 20 dollars, which is a rare steal in SF. In short, this is my new go-to spot for Mexican food in my beloved San Francisco!

Arthur Bouffard

Banging quesadillas with huge portions. A great selection of sauces and toppings too. The staff is super sweet and they have plenty of options. The seating and overall atmosphere is great and I would totally recommend stopping by for lunch

Alisa Damaso

This place is always incredible. The staff are so nice, and the food is so good it'll make your eyes roll to the back of your head. I got the torta and it came with this adorable and delicious chicken tortilla soup. HEAVEN! 100/10 Excited to come back 🥰

Danice M

My best friend and I were working on a project together and decided to stop for dinner. I can see why they are zagat rated. There food is the best I have had in a long time. We had the shrimp plate and everything including the sides and salsa were amazing. Excellent customer service and very cool chill place to be in. Smell so good, i forgot to take more pictures. Thank you for the hardiest meal ever.

Yolanda Morrissette

A beautiful place to eat, both inside and outside. The food is amazing. It’s a fun place to eat. It's one of my favorite places to go to have authentic Mexican food; however, recently I went, and was not able to order online, or call in the specifics of my order, wanting guac on the side, and other questions I needed to ask. I am African American, and the woman there that day seemed to cater to her own people , and I felt excluded . I asked her for guacamole on the side , and with attitude she stated it was avocado , also it was hot that day , and they made my iced coffee drink way before my food was ready , it has melted by the time I received my food . I just feel every customer is important , do not neglect your customers . Overall I love their food

Santos T. G

Always great staff, excellent customer service. Quality of the food is always good.

Kang Wang

I was craving for Tamales 🫔 and they delivered it absolutely on spot! The chicken tamales come in warm, juicy, the chicken is tender and flavorful, and the corn has the natural fragrance. We also had the watermelon drink, beef nachos, and beef burrito. The atmosphere is very authentic. Great service where you order first and then find your own table at the dining hall.

alex aldridge

The Torta & tortilla soup is ridiculously good best I’ve had will be back every week 😆

Ivan Martinez

El Metate became an instant classic. Their traditional dishes are as bright and colorful as the building itself. The Torta a la Mexicana makes my top five list. A satisfying meal at a reasonable price.

Porschephilia

Super friendly, super tasty. Everything was delicious. The carnitas with chicharones special is the bomb. 12/9/23 tried the red chicken Molé for the first time, it is also fantastic. Highly recommend.

Super friendly, super tasty. Everything was delicious. The carnitas with chicharones special is the bomb. 12/9/23 tried the red chicken Molé for the first time, it is also fantastic. Highly recommend.

El Metate became an instant classic. Their traditional dishes are as bright and colorful as the building itself. The Torta a la Mexicana makes my top five list. A satisfying meal at a reasonable price.

+2

The Torta & tortilla soup is ridiculously good best I’ve had will be back every week 😆

I was craving for Tamales 🫔 and they delivered it absolutely on spot! The chicken tamales come in warm, juicy, the chicken is tender and flavorful, and the corn has the natural fragrance. We also had the watermelon drink, beef nachos, and beef burrito. The atmosphere is very authentic. Great service where you order first and then find your own table at the dining hall.

Always great staff, excellent customer service. Quality of the food is always good.

This place is always incredible. The staff are so nice, and the food is so good it'll make your eyes roll to the back of your head. I got the torta and it came with this adorable and delicious chicken tortilla soup. HEAVEN! 100/10 Excited to come back 🥰

My best friend and I were working on a project together and decided to stop for dinner. I can see why they are zagat rated. There food is the best I have had in a long time. We had the shrimp plate and everything including the sides and salsa were amazing. Excellent customer service and very cool chill place to be in. Smell so good, i forgot to take more pictures. Thank you for the hardiest meal ever.

A beautiful place to eat, both inside and outside. The food is amazing. It’s a fun place to eat. It's one of my favorite places to go to have authentic Mexican food; however, recently I went, and was not able to order online, or call in the specifics of my order, wanting guac on the side, and other questions I needed to ask. I am African American, and the woman there that day seemed to cater to her own people , and I felt excluded . I asked her for guacamole on the side , and with attitude she stated it was avocado , also it was hot that day , and they made my iced coffee drink way before my food was ready , it has melted by the time I received my food . I just feel every customer is important , do not neglect your customers . Overall I love their food

Banging quesadillas with huge portions. A great selection of sauces and toppings too. The staff is super sweet and they have plenty of options. The seating and overall atmosphere is great and I would totally recommend stopping by for lunch

There is so much to say about this place but here are some highlights: - The decor of this place is beautiful. Down to earth yet thoughtful and colorful. - The chips are so creative. The puffy ones are amazing with beautiful color. I usually discard most of chips but I need to hunt down for them this time. - So much variety of salsa and sauce. It is my first time having a warm salsa as well. It is incredible! It is such a service mind to provide all accommodations for all tastebuds. - The food itself is big and delicious. My quesadilla is packed with carnitas. I wish it can be a bit more crispy but it is also fulfilling. My friend got a seafood plate and it can feed 2 people. All dishes we got are under 20 dollars, which is a rare steal in SF. In short, this is my new go-to spot for Mexican food in my beloved San Francisco!

I ordered to go here today — very fast and really good food. Average price ($18 for enchiladas plate and $15 for two chicken tacos with avocado) they also provide free chips and salsa

Saw in the reviews that they have one of the best vegetarian burritos around... And I gotta say... As a vegetarian... It can compete. Solid fresh salsa bar, appreciated the pickles I got. We also had the El Campo torta. Bread was on point.

Free mixed corn and flour chips. Beautifully stuffed and wrapped mission burrito. Never has such a perfect cylindrical little burrito baby. Had the special with carnitas and chicharones and two carne asada tacos and a chicken quesadilla. Everything was very good and the chicken was seasoned very well too which isnt the standard experience.

Been here a few times and I really enjoy their daily specials. This most recent time I got their chicharron burrito special and it was delicious. It was so good that I forgot to let my phone eat first. I absolutely loved the variety of texture in each bite. Also, their salsa bar is both convenient and has quite a selection. Seating is easy to find too! Definitely recommend this neighborhood staple!

Service here was interesting. You order in a different room and eat in a different room. When I first went there I said on the place where you eat your food so I waited for later to come but no one came. But then I figured the dog and I got my food and it was delicious. Also they give you a free chips. Also there are like sauces salsa and stuff for free.

Jonny Chin

Been here a few times and I really enjoy their daily specials. This most recent time I got their chicharron burrito special and it was delicious. It was so good that I forgot to let my phone eat first. I absolutely loved the variety of texture in each bite. Also, their salsa bar is both convenient and has quite a selection. Seating is easy to find too! Definitely recommend this neighborhood staple!

Keith Desrosiers

Colorado burrito was super bueno! Great flavor and tender meats. Chipotle salsa for the win. Classic Mission yum!

Carl Dewberry

Free mixed corn and flour chips. Beautifully stuffed and wrapped mission burrito. Never has such a perfect cylindrical little burrito baby. Had the special with carnitas and chicharones and two carne asada tacos and a chicken quesadilla. Everything was very good and the chicken was seasoned very well too which isnt the standard experience.

Shaina Tantuico

Saw in the reviews that they have one of the best vegetarian burritos around... And I gotta say... As a vegetarian... It can compete. Solid fresh salsa bar, appreciated the pickles I got. We also had the El Campo torta. Bread was on point.

Edgar Ivan Paredes Hernandez

I didn’t take any pictures but to be honest they have the most Mexican flavor that I ever had in SF, if you are looking for a local Mexican taste this os the place, is not fancy dining but the food is very rich in flavor. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable I definitely recommend and for sure I will comeback.

Grabbed my standard shrimp burrito with a michelata. Burrito was average but the michelata was well made and worth going there to get one if that’s ur thing.

Busy. Nice selection of salsa/sauce except that when I was the two salsa I wanted were empty. As I said, they were busy. Food was good. I'd try again when I'm in the area

Gotta hit El Matate, that's Spanish for the matate. One of the better burrito spots in the city. Usually, they have specials of the day, so you can save a little money and get something different. That's my favorite part of daily specials, trying something new. The burritos aren't super expensive for SF, they have a lot of options, the portion size is good, i usually have half now and half later. The food/ingredients are high quality spot by and give them a try.

I like this Restaurant, it does not have a parking lot but if you are lucky you can usually park on the street, the place is nice with Mexican music and pleasant service but they can improve it for a better experience, the prices are intermediate if I compare it with other food restaurants Mexican, in the photos I leave you the menu and a video with the extensive menu with prices

+2

The burritos are always super flavorful and I love them. My only comment is that the last burritos I bought were cold. :(

Mole súper burrito is the thing to get! So good! The green salsa and the red chipotle/smokey salsa pair well with it. I also love the pico with the cucumbers - solid salsa bar.

Food is quite good and authentic. Unfortunately they raised their prices (again) without updating any of their menus, creating misleading advertising. A portion of fish quesadilla is now $16.75 (cash) or $17.45 (credit card). Not exactly competitive, even after recent inflation pushed up everyone's prices.

Raymond Ngu

The meat selection was limited, no lengua. I got the burrito with al pastor. The rice was undercooked and the meat didn’t taste like al pastor. On the positive side the chips were pretty good.

Larry Ladd

More likely a 3.0 my hearty yet shrimp burrito. Should’ve requested light rice but sometimes I forget. The Michelata was the best I’ve had so that was a 5.0. Atmosphere was pleasant and order taker outstanding. They should’ve sautéed the shrimp more robustly perhaps.

More likely a 3.0 my hearty yet shrimp burrito. Should’ve requested light rice but sometimes I forget. The Michelata was the best I’ve had so that was a 5.0. Atmosphere was pleasant and order taker outstanding. They should’ve sautéed the shrimp more robustly perhaps.

The meat selection was limited, no lengua. I got the burrito with al pastor. The rice was undercooked and the meat didn’t taste like al pastor. On the positive side the chips were pretty good.

I was really hopeful to love this spot - I was disappointed. I got 4 carne asada burritos for my friends and I - all had mostly uneatable meat (grizzle, fat, etc.). That alone makes this spot a 3 stars. The good: service was lovely and the agua frescas were delicious.

Hannah Leigh

I was really hopeful to love this spot - I was disappointed. I got 4 carne asada burritos for my friends and I - all had mostly uneatable meat (grizzle, fat, etc.). That alone makes this spot a 3 stars. The good: service was lovely and the agua frescas were delicious.

The pozole had “less meat than a bicycle”. It lacked any sense of care or love whatsoever. The burritos were dry, and the meat did not taste fresh. It was apparent that it had been either reheated or made a long time ago. Overall, the food was disappointing. Taking the family out and experiencing this was embarrassing. I understand that it's Sunday, and there might be resistance to work, but if there's no pride in the food being served, perhaps it's better to close for the day. Service: quick, polite, helpful. Cashier did it great. Atmosphere: good!

Geo

Hate to report that the food no longer tastes the same. Both the enchilada sauce and salsas were watery and missing salt/spice. They didn’t have that authentic, rich Mexican flavor. Food did not taste fresh at all. When food is missing something, I typically use salsa to improve the taste but it was just too sad. I remember this place being my go to years ago. Unfortunately, no longer a gem.

Hate to report that the food no longer tastes the same. Both the enchilada sauce and salsas were watery and missing salt/spice. They didn’t have that authentic, rich Mexican flavor. Food did not taste fresh at all. When food is missing something, I typically use salsa to improve the taste but it was just too sad. I remember this place being my go to years ago. Unfortunately, no longer a gem.

Got this recommendation off infatuation and honestly was pretty bummed. It was dia de los muertos so maybe that was an issue. But $20 for chile relleno plate. And it was watery and just one. Maybe the worst I’ve ever had in my life. My kid got the super burrito and he was underwhelmed for $17. Not sure why it’s so popular, and it was packed. But maybe it was a bad night. Too many great choices in this town that cost less.

donald jans

Got this recommendation off infatuation and honestly was pretty bummed. It was dia de los muertos so maybe that was an issue. But $20 for chile relleno plate. And it was watery and just one. Maybe the worst I’ve ever had in my life. My kid got the super burrito and he was underwhelmed for $17. Not sure why it’s so popular, and it was packed. But maybe it was a bad night. Too many great choices in this town that cost less.

tacos were soggy, they tried to give me my order without the burrito even tho the food order ticket said “burrito” clear as day and on top of that the cooks were just watching football (soccer) instead of making my order which took over 20 mins. i was the only one in the shop who had placed an order. honestly, could skip this spot. plenty of other great taquerias in the city.