El Techo

This place is always worth the wait! On a beautiful summer evening, you’ll feel great with a cocktail in your hand, warmed up by the heat lamps, SF wind blowing in your hair. I really wish a lot more restaurants could follow suite and open up their rooftops in the city.
The piña colada was really really good. Not too sweet and has the tropical taste you would expect, lots of fruity flavor. Food is always good here and are bigger portioned than you would expect. I’ve had the quesadilla, ceviche, guac, and chorizo here.
The food is good but you just want to come for the experience.

While the wait to get in is a bit tiring, the margaritas are WELL worth it!
Initially we had a large party of 8 and they stuck us in a back corner table by the bathrooms that wasn’t shaded from the wind.
However, when we saw a table open up we asked and the staff was more than happy to relocate us.
Try the pitchers of scrumptious margaritas and enjoy the view from one of San Francisco’s few rooftop bars.

I brought my girls Mariela and Diana here months ago for a little happy hour, and just now able to spread the news and catch up with my reviews. We arrived when it just opened, so we were greeted and served right away.
There was a tent up and heaters, so there was no worry about being cold on a typical overcast day. We ordered margaritas, guacamole and chips and ceviche. Everything was pretty great and at happy hour prices, we all had smiles on our faces.
Looks like it is a great place for a sunny brunch, so we will have to return. A sunny patio in SF is my favorite spot to eat.

Place has a nice ambiance which is a rooftop. Food was okay. Ordered Carnitas but why did it have sugar sprinkled? Just ruined it. The guacamole, wasn’t to die for! I don’t think we even finished it. The salsa is good though. The cocktails here are good but I still prefer Lolinda any given day.
The ambiance is what makes it. The food is just okay. Need to come back to try something different.

El Techo is definitely my most frequented restaurant in San Francisco, and that is for two reasons: the rooftop and the chicharrones de carne. Its rooftop setting gives life in a way that you almost feel as if you’re on vacation at an outdoor eatery in Mexico. Day or night, rain or shine, I have been here, and dining with a view of the city never gets old. On cold rainy days, they turn up the heaters and lower the tarps, so you can still get the outdoor rooftop feel while staying warm and dry. On a clear warm day it’s just that much more beautiful.
Though the cocktails are not my main reason for coming here, they never fail to satisfy me, and why not enjoy refreshing libations outdoors? I have tried various cocktails on the menu, but my favorites are El Chilcano, El Escorpion, and La Paloma, all of which are mezcal-​based. The cocktails are well concocted and strong (as tequila can be) but still blended smoothly. The liquor tastes high-​end enough that the subtle flavors and aromas still stand out.
A pound of the chicharrones de carne is all you really need to order here. I have ordered the sampler of skewers, empanadas, quesadillas, chips and guac, and ceviche de cameron many times, but the chicharrones de carne trumps all. If you come on a good day, that is, if they don’t sell out of the chicharrones de carne and they’ve got all the thick meaty cuts to deliver, one will not be disappointed. The 1 lb. of chicharrones cut is huge and is seasoned with hints of sugar. The outside of the chicharrones is perfectly crisped, but contrasted with the inside being tender and juicy beyond comprehension. It really is perfect!
El Techo is just short of 5 stars due to the poor service and lack of accommodation delivered by the bottom first floor hosts and hostesses. As I have been to El Techo many times, the service upstairs (by both the waiters and hosts) is always great and they are friendly. However, the hosts downstairs, who greet you as you request a table never fail to be confusingly unhelpful, unfriendly, and on a couple of accounts condescending. For a restaurant that draws long lines, the line management can be confusing, BUT, one would expect the line hosts to be more welcoming, personable and helpful. Nonetheless, again, the upstairs service while dining is wonderful and inviting enough for me to return and return again!

I love everything about this place except one thing — the line and line management. I understand that there is limited space — after all, this is basically the only rooftop bar in the city — but having people line up outside like a nightclub is always annoying. It’s also especially annoying when you finally get to head upstairs and it turns out there’s plenty of space and open tables with standing room only.
Anyway, there’s great views of the city, awesome margaritas, decent service (depends on what time of day you go I think), good food and generally a good time to be had at El Techo. If you’re lucky to not have to wait too long in line, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Thank the lord the group of people that I came here with had reservations! This place already had a line forming outside when I came here at around 6:30pm on a Friday night. I absolutely enjoyed my experience here! The place is located on a very beautiful rooftop overlooking the beautiful San Francisco, although you can’t really see it until you stand up (or maybe i’m just short). The food here was delicious and very creative! I tried the Quesadilla de Aceiga, Quesadilla de Pibil, Skewers, Chicharrones de Carne, & Chocolate Mousse. Every dish was very unique and had its own twist.
Qusadilla de Aceiga– consisted of kale, mushroom, & cheese with salsa verde provided on the side. I thought that the combination was very different, but it was really delicious! I would definitely order this again the next time I come here!
Quesadilla de Pibil– consisted of braised pork & cheese, with salsa on the side. The pork in the quesadilla is so soft and tender, on top of that, the flavor were so bold. The braised pork is definitely the highlight for this dish; a great blast of flavor.
Skewers– these skewers make the perfect snack when you’re with a group. It’s perfect to munch on in between meals. I found myself enjoying the shrimp skewers a lot, they were grilled to perfection!
Chicharrones de Carne– MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!! OH MY GOSH THIS STOLE THE SHOW! The way the pork looked. The way the pork tasted better than it looked… It was amazing. I used the tortilla and added everything on my tortilla to make the ultimate taco LOL!
Chocolate Mousse– Very light and fluffy, MmMm! Order this if you still have more room for dessert! I was only able to eat one spoonful because I was stuffed.
Overall I would definitely come here again with reservations of course! The atmosphere here is a great place to bring a group of people, or anyone actually! The food is unique and I just love knowing that I am on a rooftop that is overlooking the beautiful city.

My bff and I came to El Techo for happy hour on a Friday. We arrived at 4:05 pm, and to our surprise, there was already a line for the bar! It opens at 4 pm so we thought we were early… lol. We went up the elevator and sat ourselves at one of the tall tables. For the coveted outer window seats facing downtown, you probably have to be first in line.
We started with the tequila flight ($ 13) and the rose flight ($ 11). We split both of them so it was a good amount! We also got the sangria pitcher ($ 18) a little bit later. We wished the sangria was sweeter!
For food, we ordered the beef empanadas ($ 5) and the pollo fritos ($ 5) from the happy hour menu. The beef empanadas were good, but nothing to write home about. Filled with a lot of beef, and came with some green sauce/​oil that was yummy on top. The pollo fritos were little bites of fried chicken that were delicious! I would get these again. It came with a pink sauce that sort of tasted and looked like a mignonette but I guess it’s the «habanero salsa” – still great! We also ordered a ½ lb of the chicharrones ($ 19) and elote (3 for $ 9). The chicharrones could’ve been a meal in itself… The huge plate of pork shoulder came with tortillas, pickled veggies, black bean sauce, and salsa! The meat was really tender and tasted great as tacos! This was definitely the best thing here! The elote was just alright to me… I feel like my friend and I made it better at home. :P Plus at $ 9 for 3 small pieces, it’s a little sad (when you can get 2 whole corn cobs for $ 1!!!).
Service was spotty and here and there, our waiter forgot a few things but it was pretty busy for a Friday happy hour! We had a great time here and I would love to come back! And hopefully get those outer window seats… 8)

Even though the rooftop isn’t actually that high up (the building is only 5 floors maybe?) and the view isn’t super amazing, El Techo is always a fun place. On a nice day, there will definitely be a long line of people on the sidewalk waiting to get in. Seating at tables is reserved for parties that are actually ordering food, otherwise bar-​height seating it is. They do have heat lamps though, if it starts to get chilly outside.
My go-​to drinks are the two tequila cocktails — la paloma and the margarita — which are both great and really refreshing!
The guacamole and chips make for a yummy snack but I”m actually not a huge fan of the menu. That’s not to say that the food isn’t tasty, but it just doesn’t stand out to me that much. It seems to lie somewhere between bar food and classier Mexican.
All in all though, who doesn’t love hanging out at a rooftop bar with some snacks and good drinks? I would come here much more often as my perfect Sunday afternoon if only the wait weren’t always so long.

Great place especially for happy hour if you’re trying to lounge and get a great view at the rooftop bar.
HH is M-​F from 4−6PM where appetizers are $ 5. The fried chicken is so good, but I think it’s only worth getting if it’s for HH (other wise it’s $ 11 for a small plate). For the drinks, try Tres Amigos Pequeños ($ 6) which comes with pacifico, pueblo viejo, sangrita.
For dinner, get the chicharrones de carne. One pound is $ 25 and we split it between 3 people which was a good amount of food.
Also tried the coctel de camaron, it was good, but very small for $ 13, would just skip that and try a quesidilla.

Pretty good food (especially the chicharrones de carne) and decent drinks too, but it would all be the usual 3.5 stars if it weren’t for the scene here.
The rooftop venue offers gorgeous views of the entire city and is the real difference between make and break for this place. If you want a table, get here as early as you can; otherwise things get super packed fast. When it does so, this place quickly becomes more about the scene than it does the food. Nevertheless, just for the atmosphere alone, paired with some decent drinks and food, this is one of those places that typifies today’s gentrified San Francisco.

Order the chicharrones (1lb = $ 26). It’s enough to stuff 3 people… the meat was so tender and what’s even better were the tortillas. Unbelievably fluffy, soft, and warm served with salsa and beans. Service was slow AF on a Friday night though. We had to flag down our waitress several times though I’m sure she was busy.
Skip the drinks — too weak and watered down to justify the price. The view here is also great but prepared to wait especially if you’re only coming to enjoy the rooftop bar.
It’s a good view of the SF skyline but it gets pretty cramped up there that you don’t really get to enjoy it unless you’re sitting right up against the window.

If you want tapas, better come before 11 because kitchen closes at 11.
They have heaters but still a little cold.
Also, not a lot of cocktail selection. But they have a lot of spirits.

This restaurant is on a rooftop, which was a nice view. The waitress said she gave us the best table for viewing; it was the table outside of the tarp in the corner. At first we thought, but it’s night time in San Francisco, we’re gonna be cold! Well actually this was thee nicest San Francisco weather I have ever experienced at night; it was perfect, it had to be somewhere between 75° and 78° F and without wind or rain. The weather made it ok but the little metal stool/​chairs were freezing our butts lol
Anyway, the food; it’s all street food, yes a restaurant with just street food. Everything on the menu is exactly what it is, they don’t let you make substitutes; you have the option to eat exactly what you order or get a few items off the menu to create your own meal at your table.
Foods I’ve tried here:
Guacamole and chips-​good & fresh
Chicken skewer-​delish
Plantano maduro-​loved them
Pollo frito-​yum
Problems/​negatives:
–We had things floating in our water in the first carafe they brought to the table
–No substitutes, they have chicken, they have tortillas, but you can not order a chicken taco, it is what it is I guess
–They put my food on the same plate as someone else at my table; they handed me the plate so I started eating my food. Meanwhile we were waiting for the other plate for the other girl, we found out what happened at the end when the bill came. They then claimed it was family style so her food was on my plate too, but the waiter didn’t tell us and nowhere on the menu does it say family style. Usually when a restaurant serves family style it is stated. Also, my group was of 6 people, and none of the other plates that were brought to our table were put together and called family style, so this didn’t make any sense to us. And since when do you eat street food in family style anyway, I’ve mostly seen family style in basque or Italian restaurants, not for street food. Basically they wanted to charge me for eating the full plate they gave me, and none of us saw that as being right. So the manager came to the table, he seemed to try to justify why I should pay but then in the end he took it off my bill. So even though he took it off there was still the slight smart ass attitude at first.
–Tip: You won’t get full off the small plates so just know to order more than one if you’re really hungry.

Can’t believe I don’t have a review for this place! I celebrated my 23^rd birthday here a couple years ago. Time flies! My biggest Unilocal friend Mark A. recommended this place for my birthday dinner and it turned out perfect!
I made reservations for ten and almost twenty people showed up. It was beyond hectic with a lot of my friends stuck downstairs by the elevator and the staff was doing their best to accommodate everyone. They did a fantastic job handling everything! The structure is kind of bizarre though considering its a restaurant/​bar. It kind of has a club set up where people have to lineup downstairs and wait until people leave before they can take the elevator upstairs to the roof.
I can’t remember if I had it on a Friday or a Saturday but it was absolutely packed. Definitely try to come here early or make reservations for a table. The roof has a super trendy ambiance. Its loud, dark, and perfect for a birthday party. It was seriously the best birthday I had in my entire life. Food was great, ordered a ton of pitchers. Was never cold under the heat lamps except for when I had to go to the bathroom it was freezing around the corner. I would give it five stars but our tab was through the roof! I have no idea how that happened but there was definitely not that much food and drinks for how much the bill was. Thank god I was the birthday girl.

I really wanted to check out El Techo because not only do they have good happy hour deals, it’s also a rooftop bar.
Rooftop… bar! I can be pretend to be bougie once in a while. :)
I assumed that since it was raining the night we went, the bar wouldn’t be open. But apparently, rooftop + rain = ain’t no thing because they put up tents. Woohoo!
Happy Hours are Monday through Friday from 4pm-​6pm. They have $ 4 cerveza, $ 5 bar bites, and $ 7 margaritas. We ordered A LOT of rounds of margaritas, sangria, flights of wine, and flights of tequila!
Besides coming back for their happy hour, I’ll definitely want to come back and check out their brunch or dinner. Cheers!

Came here for a friend’s birthday. Love the crowd here, super lively. The view is great also!
We got here around 8PM, there was line to get in. So for dinner, there is NO RVSP, therefore make sure you go up to the front and ask to RVSP for a table. The line is just to go up for cocktail seating. We RVSP in the front and he said it will be an hour or so, so we stayed in line to just go up for cocktails. Then we got tricked into getting table instead of waiting for cocktail. And we were seated like where the kitchen was, not the business. Then I had a good conversation with the server and he moved us to another better table, but still kinda eh, so finally it was our turn for the RVSP table and got seated at the middle of area with heaters, great view. SO MUCH more worth it.
We ordered:
Guac and chips: Guac was SO good, sprinkled with cheese
Ceviche: Fresh, portion was kind of small though
Chicarron de carne: HIGHLY recommend. The pork shoulder was SO good, tender and sweet + salty. Comes with tortillas and beans.
Pina Colada: THE best I had so far, taste like a pineapple ice cream
Carne + Pollo Skewers: Kinda overcooked, but flavors and sauce were good
Overall great place to get together with friends, great view and food + drinks! Good find!

Avant d’aller dîner au Lolinda, nous avons eu la chance de monter sur le toit de l’immeuble pour y prendre un verre. El Techo de Lolinda c’est le bar roof top branché du moment. En témoignent les plusieurs dizaines de mètres de queue à franchir avant de prendre l’ascenseur vers le 7éme ciel! Il est situé à Mission qui correspond au quartier Latino de SF.
On y sert de la nourriture plutôt mexicaine et de bons vins argentins.
Si vous souhaitez vous y rendre il né vous reste plus qu’à prendre votre mal en patience!

Great rooftop restaurant and bar. All tables are located outside on the open-​air rooftop. he food here is on point and it’s a great Mexican spot. There’s a great view of the mission and the food and service is great.
They have happy hour from 4−6PM Monday to Friday.
— $ 4 cerveza
— $ 5 bar bites
— $ 7 margaritas
Things I ordered:
— 3 mix and match skewers — 2 carne and shrimp
— Guacamole with cotija, tortilla chips
— Ceviche de Camaron with shrimp, lime, radish, red onion, avocado, cilantro
— Quesadilla de Pibil with braised pork shoulder, oaxaca cheese, salsa

3.5 stars. I came here for another lovely Sunday brunch with my good friend Nina Y. I didn’t realize that El Techo was related to Lolinda, and I had visited Lolinda for dinner only a few weeks prior. I heard about the awesome rooftop bar, so I was excited to have both drinks and brunch here.
Nina and I arrived for our 11am reservation, only to find a long line out the door. Apparently everyone was waiting to get onto the elevator. We didn’t make it to the rooftop until around 11:20am. So much for making a reservation. Once we were seated, we were spoiled with excellent service by our waiter. I wish I could remember his name.
We started off with cocktails, of course. I learned a very important lesson that day. NTS: Do NOT order a Bloody Mary with tequila (called a Bloody Maria) because it is not your cup of tea. Stick with vodka. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the Mission District. If you are looking for a good brunch place in San Francisco and it’s a sunny day, come here and sit facing the city.
We split a Benedictos and a half pound of Chicharrones de Carne. The Benedictos was alright. I was not a fan of the overpowering jalapeño cornbread, but it’s always fun to try new styles of Benedicts. The Chicharrones de Carne is a MUST. Another friend recommended them to me, and those made the whole trip worthwhile. #MEAT
I would definitely come back here again, perhaps in the evening for a rooftop cocktail. I would also recommend any other brunch fanatics to add this to your list, specifically the Chicharrones!

Finally tried El Techo for Brunch and fully enjoyed my experience here for so many reasons! For starters, the view is seriously breathtaking and the rooftop life is just so great especially when it’s a little sunny outside!
In terms of food, here are a few highlights (I also order vegetarian for everything, but bet it would be awesome with Meat):
— Eggs Benedict — the Jalapeño cornbread is so moist and has such a great kick to it!
–Techo Rancheros — I wish the fried egg was less over done, but the overall dish itself was super tasty and the hot sauce was great!
–Scramble — just your regular scramble but so much flavor from the chipotle and roasted potatoes!
–Guacamole and chips — I wish chips naturally came with your dish, but the guac had a great avocado and lime tastee!
–Bunuelos (Beignets) — Same consistency as a donut and that carmel sauce is so decadent!
Top all this off with their really intentional servers and drinks — this is one of the best brunch spots in the city! Our server was super nice and always asked if we needed anything. In addition to this, the sangria packed a real good punch and was not too aggressive. I would come here again in a heart beat. Also, do not forget to make a reservation — you won’t regret it!

Diese Location ist scheinbar einer der Plätze an denen man mal gewesen sein muss. Jedenfalls wenn man dies vom Schlange stehen vor der Tür ableitet und dem Fakt, das man keinen Tisch reservieren kann.
Hat man es einmal reingeschafft, eröffnet sich einem eine schöné Dachterrasse mit dem Blick auf die Innenstadt.
Es gibt Stehtische und normale Plätze zum Essen. Die Ausrichtung des Restaurants ist mexikanisch.
Wir hatten einen Stehbereich der perfekt war, da er einen direkten Blick auf die Umgebung hatte.
Zu Trinken gab es Margaritas, die sehr lecker und erfrischend waren, aber auch gefährlich, was den späteren Kopfschmerz anbelangt! ;-)
Wir bestellten eine Auswahl an diversen Vorspeisen.
So gab es Guacamole mit Brot, Plantain mit einen schärferen Dip, Quesadilla, diverse Salate mexikanischen Hot Dog und vieles mehr.
Geschmacklich und optisch war alles gut angerichtet und machte sehr viel Spaß.
Der Service war sehr aufmerksam, trotz unser größeren Gruppe und die Heizstrahler auf dem Dach ließen einen leicht den Kopf schmoren.
Ingesamt lohnt sich ein Besuch und die Anreise aus der City. Eine Fahrt von der Market Street dauert zirka 20 Minuten.