Papito Potrero Hill

Came in late-​ish on a Sunday after a really fun Anchor steam tour and a few beers. The place is certainly worth the walk up and down the hills of Potrero.
The benchmarks for Mexican restaurants for us, as we travel often, are the Guacamole and salsa. Both were on point here. I think the guacamole was made with Greek yogurt, which is even better because of fewer calories and that’s how we make it at home. It did not even need salt. The salsa had a great smoky flavor to it. Chips outstanding and we didn’t have to ask for refills.
We had the fried chicken quesadilla and 2 taco’s. Both dishes were outstanding. Good sized portions, all high quality ingredients, even for a post Sunday lunch crowd. The staff is pretty cool and actually large for such a small place.
We finally found a place that does not water the food down ala «white people bland» and brings out the all the great hot and spicy flavors. Like La Viga in Redwood City, but more American tradition street food with actual spice and flavor, like it should be. Our 2 favorite spots.
Look up «hole in the wall» and there is Papito. The place has 2 4 tops, 2 2 tops and a bar that seats 6.
Will definitely make the short drive from the mid Peninsula to here on a weekend for a late lunch. Only disappointment was they were sold out of churro’s.

The Hawaiiano taco and Pozole were 2 of the most mind-​blowing things I ate throughout my entire California road trip. Not only is the food exceptional, but it’s moderately priced, great service, and comes with free chips and salsa (which is spicy and awesome and everything nice).
5 stars highly recommend. peace~

Brought my coworkers in this cute tiniest SF restaurant. Now that my work is so close by I will be coming more often. Best Mexican food I had in a long time. Keep it up guys.

I work near Papito and head here for lunch from time to time. The food is very good, but it is vastly overpriced. Recently I ordered their veggie enchiladas — (4) 4″ very decent (but not mind blowing) enchiladas with beans + rice, no beverage and the total was $ 16.90 after tax. Ouch! I left feeling taken advantage of.
I highly recommend the rock fish tacos; they are delish (have them skip the feta crumble (?) as it’s out of place with the rest of the flavors).

This is probably one of the best mexican places I’ve ever been to! I had some of that tacos and they were to die for. The free chips and salsa were excellent as well. The place is small but as long as you don’t have a huge group you’ll be good!
Also there is outdoor seating as well. Great for a nice day. Highly recommend this place!

The service is amazing. Anything with the fried chicken will be delicious. I got the Sopa Ranchero, and it was really tasty too!

Excellent service and pleasing atmosphere… but all are second to the amazing flavors of each hand prepared dish. The guacamole was the best I’ve ever had. The tacos were Devine and the hamburger was truly a marvelous sandwich with intense flavors and texture. Obviously, these folks know what they are doing. It’s my 2^nd time and they continue to impress. Thanks for being a gem in a city full of delights.

I walked in first time today based on all the Unilocal reviews. sadly dissapointed. I ordered to go the baja taco which sounded tasty. I asked NO SOUR CREAM. Mind you, Im pregnant so theres a reason I didnt want sour cream, as it made me want to vomit! The guy told the cooks «no sour cream». great, now to wait for my tasty tacos! so I happily get my order, almost get home and guess what? theres SOUR CREAM ALL OVER my tacos. I cant even wipe it off. EWWWW. So I drive my pregnant self back and ask for a new order, given their mistake. guess what? NO APOLOGY whatsoever from the guy who took the order or the distracted cooks for that matter.
So I just left and this time checked before leaving. The tacos were as I wanted with a chipotle mayo which looked good. Sadly the taste was subpar, flavorless. All I tasted was the batter and cabbage. gross!
I really had high hopes for this place, but wouldnt go back. Instead of talking while listening to orders the cooks should pay more attention. No thanks.

This was definitely one of the better Mexican food places that I have been to. I was skeptical at first but the service was great! I got a pastor taco and a carnitas taco. It’s a cute French/​Mexican fusion leaning more towards the Mexican side! Organic place as well… I think? I don’t quite remember. But I will definitely be coming back to try other things. A drawback though is probably the price. Literally was $ 11 for my tacos with tax/​tip. At least it comes with free salsa and chips? Since I got there ahead of time (about 10 min early) the manager (I think it was him) gave me free guac – which is always awesome.

This is a nice little neighborhood Mexican restaurant. $ 9 for two flavorful tacos. I tried the pastor tacos this time and was pleasantly surprised at the addition of pineapple in the marinade. It was kind of like trying ham and pineapple pizza for the first time, except the pork is bursting with flavor and the bread is a soft taco shell. The tacos may look small but they are literally overflowing with meat and one bite will convince you that a lot of effort was put into designing the flavor profile of the taco. Bravo!
The restaurant isn’t very large but has a nice diner counter seating area. Chips are on the house but I also recommend the guacamole if you have room for a different dancing partner for the chips.
I don’t come to this area much but the view of the SF skyline and now Papito’s can convince me otherwise.

Is it possible that the best Mexican restaurant in San Francisco is run by a bunch of French guys? The answer is an emphatic «YES!». As of tonight, I’ve eaten at this tiny, funky Potrero Hill joint 6 time. Each and every time, I’ve been impressed and delighted by the food dished out of the cramped kitchen. Vibrant Mexican flavors accentuated by top quality ingredients and excellent technique, served in a fun and friendly environment all add up to a wonderful experience. The fact that the prices here are exceptionally reasonable by SF standards only sweetens the deal.
Although everything I’ve eaten has been great, there are some things that rise above the others. Specifically, anything that contains the duck confit, carnitas, fried chicken (yes, I know, it sounds weird but trust me…) or the housemade chorizo. Wash it all down with a Mexican beer or, if you’re feeling fancy, a nice Malbec or Garancha.
Since I live so close to Potrero Hill, Papito has definitely become a go-​to. And like Arnold, I’ll be back.

This place is a mexican french fusion focusing more on the mexican side. Service is very good. Waiter explained the menu and was very accommodating. I ordered the rustic shrimp enchiladas which were very flavorful. My mom ordered the duck tacos. Those were delish as well. We also had the guacamole. The best guac Ive had in a long time. It was fresh with cojita cheese on top. Definitely going back.

I was visiting a friend who lives in Potrero Hill and we wanted to grab a quick bite before I headed into Bay Bridge traffic. This cute Mexican restaurant is right across the street from her apartment. It’s not a huge restaurant, and seems quite popular, but we were able to grab a table immediately. I wasn’t sure about the portion sizes here, I was worried that an order of tacos would just be two tiny appetizer sized tacos, but I was happy to find out that it actually makes a perfect sized meal if you’re not starving. They have all different types of fillings, and what I figure out too late was that you can actually get two different tacos with each order. I ended up getting the shrimp tacos and they were tasty. This is a great neighborhood place, and if I lived closer I’d probably be here all the time.

Very small mexican restaurant in Potrero Hill. Also a larger location in Hayes valley. Pricier and fancier than your average mission taco shop. More comparable to a place like Tacolicious.
Elote Asado — ²⁄₅ — Way too much mayo.
Chorizo Queso Fundido — ³⁄₅ — Lots of chorizo, good balance of flavor.
Carnitas Taco — ²⁄₅ — Lacked flavor
Pastor Taco — ⁴⁄₅ — Pastor here was very good
Carnitas De Pato Taco — ⁴⁄₅ — Duck confit was a unique addition. We transferred some of the pineapple pico from the carnitas onto this and it went perfectly together.
Papito Taco — ³⁄₅
Churro bites — ³⁄₅ — Mascarpone Espresso Cream was better than the Tequila Chocolate Dip, but both were good. Churros had a nice filling in it too.
Overall, I’d come back for the pastor and duck confit tacos. «A-​OK.»

I really liked Papito!
I had a duck taco: there was plenty of meat, and a shrimp taco: good-​sized shrimp (about 3) with yummy mango squares & veggies.
For all you dairy free foodies — the servers asks if you want sour cream on top (in any case, it’s just a little squirt when you choose to have some!).
The fresh corn tortillas tasted good. The portions are pretty light, as in my husband could have definitely had a third taco (but you order them by two!). He had the fish taco he liked. It’s all healthy and organic ingredients so you feel pretty dang good coming out of there!
It was cool to eat outside in front of the store, get a bit of sun shining and be able to watch my bike, parked in front ;-)
The staff was friendly and we appreciated the iced water brought over immediately and the corn chips with salsa offered.
I’ll go back when I crave tacos!

Carnitas de Pato is the best taco I have EVER EATEN. Also got the carne asana tacos and the frijoles negros, tasty, but nothing to write in all caps on Unilocal about.
Sunny day seating for two on the front patio area. I’ll definitely be back.

YES. The mole dish is the dish I keep coming back for. The shrimp ceviche is also not to be missed.
Added bonus is the food is organic, and that the service is great.
It’s a small spot, so be weary for expecting to walk in and sit down. However, by chance, I’ve been able to time it perfectly.

I grabbed some takeout from here last night. Got two tacos and chips and guac. The guacamole is great, chunky pieces of tomato and they top it with cilantro and cojita cheese — delicious!! The El Pastor taco was soo tasty, I highly recommend it. I also got the duck confit taco, which was tasty, but I preferred the el pastor. The mango salsa is delicious, just spicy enough!
Though I didn’t sit this time, they were very pleasant on the phone, prompt when I arrived for my order, and more than happy to add all the salsas for me. I have sat here before, and the service was good. It is small, but cozy and cute.
I will be back, and recommend others join!

This place is 1) delicious, 2) nice ambiance, 3) easy to park near 4) diverse menu where you are bound to find something you like.
I went for the duck quesadilla. Not in the LEAST bit disappointed. When I think Mexican food in SF, I think, either dry meat in my quesadillas/​burritos or two tiny tacos for $ 15. This place just shot past the low bar I had set. Love it. Great place to get together with friends or for a date.

Cozy, cozy, cozy…
A very intimate sized joint that offers great service and delicious menu items. Their sangria was to die for (one of my favs!) and complimented our menu very nicely.
On suggestion for you families out there… Don’t bring the kids… It’s honestly way too small for children unless they can sit at a table longer than 20 minutes. The little girls next to us (adorable…but…) had way too much energy to be at Papito. I think their backpacks and dolls sat at the table more than they did throughout their meal.
Overall, highly recommend it for a date night or small group of friends!

Hot Tip: Order the wings. I know what you’re thinking: «Why order wings at a Mexican restaurant?» Well, why does a Frenchman run a Mexican restaurant? Because he knows how to make good food!
The same purveyors of Chez Maman run Papito’s and are known (at least they are in my mind) for taking a refined approach to classics. Ever tried the Maman burger? C’est magnifique! Same goes for the Paptio wings.
Sure, the tacos and ceviche are exceptional, but just try those wings. You’re welcome.

Restaurant calme, quartier très agréable, les plats sont délicieux, du goût du frais, du plaisir !!!