The Burrito Blog

El Toro Taqueria



Code Name: S-CH 3

Initial impressions of Taqueria El Toro: Impressive.

The place was very clean inside, and during normal lunch and dinner hours, pretty busy. The menu board was huge, and professionally done. I looked around for a minute and decided there was nothing left to do but step up to the counter. I ordered a super chicken burrito, no lettuce, and no tomato. No tomato does not mean no salsa; it means no additional sliced tomatoes.

An attentive lady who took my order got to work fixing my burrito alongside other hardworking, burrito-fixing ladies, all wearing matching uniforms.

What she produced was a pretty large, tightly wrapped burrito that I like to refer to as S-CH 3, in reference to the code she wrote on it to identify it to the cashier. I assume the "S" stands for super, and the "CH" for chicken, but I admittedly have not figured out what the 3 stands for.

In any event, the burrito was pretty darned delicious. It filled me up, no question, and all the ingredients seemed pretty fresh. I was quite pleased to know I had El Toro at my doorstep.

However, I do have two complaints about the burrito, which keep it out of the category of outstanding. First, there was something slightly off about some of the vegetables that were in there. I tried to figure it out and to the best of my ability, I think there were too many onions for me. It seemed a bit acidic. Second, these burritos are not cheap. I'm not saying they're not worth what they cost, but a super burrito at El Toro Taqueria will run you just shy of $8.00 That seems to be on the higher end of the burrito cost spectrum.

Still, El Toro receives very good marks.

This El Toro Taqueria meal was rated: 8.5.

Saturday, March 25, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Code Name: S-CH 3

Welcome To El Toro Taqueria

Reporting from San Francisco, Phil.

As you may know, I have recently relocated from sunny Miami to the cooler, foggier, yet burrito-rich San Francisco in hopes of achieving my dreams of never being more than a five minute walk from a great burrito joint.

My new living arrangements far surpassed my expectations.

Situated in San Francisco's Mission District, I was overjoyed to see a Taqueria less than one block from my apartment.

Located at 17th and Valencia, Taqueria El Toro is hard to miss, both because of the location, and the word "TAQUERIA" painted in huge letters on the side of the building. I knew a lot was riding on my first visit to Taqueria El Toro. Either I would happen upon a jewel of the Mission, thus having an awesome taqueria a mere stone's throw from my door, or I would discover an overzealous yet underperforming disappointment that I would see every time I walked home.

Check out the menu page 1 and page 2 (opens in a new window).

Which would El Toro prove to be? Where would it fall in the hierarchy of the great taquerias? How would El Toro shape my life as a San Franciscan?

And why did all the ladies working inside wear funny little uniforms? Let's find out.

Saturday, March 25, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Welcome To El Toro Taqueria | Comments (7)