not the standard green kind… see image below with all the sides & fixings (taken at Los Flamingos in Acapulco last summer)
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Gallardo’s or El Metate
Thank you!!! Every time I try to order local, I end up with sucky ingredients and chalky or mushy flavorless hominy. Looking forward to trying these places – I’ve been to Gallardo’s for breakfast a few times and I really liked it, so I’ll give it a shot this weekend!
Also check out SanJalisco in the Mission.
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I like San Jalisco, but never tried their pozole. I guess I often avoid it because of so many mediocre or lousy experiences. I’ll give it a shot too… do any of these places serve it with avocado, chicharron, chili, cheese, radishes, etc? Also, I think Guerrero style that’s commonly eaten on Thursdays is a white broth, but it’s not apparent in the photo because of all the added ingredients… my biggest issue with pozole in SF is the hominy usually sucks. It’s never the right texture, prob due to sourcing quality.
They don’t have pozole rojo every day, would definitely call first.
is it usually weekends only or do they do the Thursday custom?
I serioulsy don’t recall.
So I’m at Gallardo’s right now (sitting in parklet) and this is definitely not Guerrero style pozole. It’s exactly what I’m used to in SF: standard watery bland rojo base, mushy hominy that’s completely tasteless, side bowl of stale Italian oregano & ground up chiles that are clearly very old and pack no heat or flavor, dirty oversized chunks of radish covered in black spots, a glob of sour cream (?) and some unripe limes that I can’t even squeeze a teaspoon of juice from. The onions are also yellow and funky. The pork’s not much better. Also, no avicado, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing given how crappy everything was. I’ll try El Metate next… but this is definitely not what I’m looking for and nothing remotely like what I posted above. My gf’s enchilada is pretty sloppy too. We‘re leaving both dishes mostly untouched and going for fish tacos in Daly City. From now on, I’ll stick with the breakfast dishes here. My search continues…
I don’t think you are going to find anything up to your expectations. White Pozole is pretty rare in the bay area from my experience. Even green is way less common. It’s always going to be disappointing when one tries something special in a foreign country and then tries to find that same magic back home. I had pozole in mexico city, and I thought it paled in comparison to Gallardos (both red). So who knows.
There was a place in Oakland on Foothill somewhere around 35th ave that had a very rustic red pozole where the hominy had way more firmness and chew to it. I found it hard to digest personally, but it “felt” very legit. They also gave free chicharon’s as a starter like you’d normally get chips. Closed before the pandemic I think. But maybe there is another hole in the wall out past the 30s that would get closer to your vision.
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La Guerra Kitchen in Swan’s/Housewives Market (Oakland) serves green pozole and are from Guerrero, Mexico. Is it “legit”, you can ask them if you go. Rustic looking doesn’t necessarily mean authentic or legit…but that’s often the perception of Mexican cuisine. The pozole from LGK is a light green and very tasty, good IMO. They started in Fruitvale (I think part of a business incubator) but are now in Old Oakland. Fish tacos and barbacoa (plate or tacos) also very good. Nice story, and they’ve beat the odds. 20 years, several locations. Website needs updating but the food is very good, so is the press they’ve received, on their webpage.
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A side note: LGK’s mole’ is different from what many expect (chocolate based). Just mentioning it as a regional difference, just like pozole. Of course the regional differences in Mexican cuisine are showing up in the US, and we benefit. Tijuana tacos are a thing in Oakland now.
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