I really love that spot. I used to live 2 blocks away and my rent was $400/mo! You could afford to work very little, drink by day at the Albion and the 500 Club, get some treats at Dolores Park that magically appeared from the trunks of palm trees and then eat one of those bombs, and repeat. I never imagined what would happen to that neighborhood, but it makes me happy that so many things actually do remain the same including PV and it makes me feel young again to buy one of those and walk up to the park and have a little picnic.
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The author visited PV a total of one time since 2007. I wouldnāt be surprised to learn that PVās operation has changed quite a bit in the last 15 years, or that it has changed at a faster pace than most other SF taquerias. (My sense is that whoever PVās current owner/manager is, they run a tight ship - one that even strikes more than a little bit of fear into their employees; I still remember an incident a few years ago when one employee became unusually apprehensive when I gently pointed out a minor error in my order and politely asked for it to be corrected.)
Based on the timeline of my own visits to the place, I could see PV being significantly less consistent ca. 2005-2007. So the burritoeaterās consistent complaint then of rarely getting a hot burrito sounds at least plausible.
My take is that it is largely the same from the cafeteria style line, to the tortilla steaming apparatus, to the choice of meats and fillings to the checkout as it was in the early 90s. Most importantly to the flavor and the delicious food. Tables may be the same as well as the salsa containers ! This spot was never a fancy spot and sure there are inconsistencies burrito to burrito and by makers or the burritos. People are different.
One thing that is most definitely not the same is the clientele and its expectations.
I love SF. Things change. Iām glad PV has not.
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Gordoās is okay but definitely not the tops. I use to live near two in the Richmond. Like most taquerias, they do a few meat items decently. Grilled chicken plate and chile verde were good fast meals. Nothing spectacular but good.
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It seems pretty similar to what I remember of my early visits, too, but I could see how non-obvious tweaks to the line could result in big changes to the customerās experience. Speeding everything up on the line so that the average customer waits only 4 minutes instead of 8 for their food might be the difference between a piping hot burrito and a frequently-cold one!
Iāve just never had that experience of a cold burrito there over probably hundreds of burritos over 3 plus decades. Often I just take the foil wrapped treat to go and eat it later at home or at the park. Warm enough for me. Come to think about it, given the makeup of a burrito I have a hard time thinking if Iāve ever received a cold burrito from any taqueria. I would also frankly laugh at someone if they complained to the staff there at PV about the temperature of their burrito and those kind of comments make me think the reviewers can get a piping hot burrito at chipotle. I really hope that doesnāt happen with those hard working men and women that personalize each burrito to custom specs. Tip: be polite to folks wielding massive meat cleavers over the asada. This isnāt some fancy spot itās pv. We called it affectionately pancho vile. Vile in a good way. There are still some nice vile places all over the city in North Beach, Chinatown, the Haight, the Mission; Tommyās Joynt, the Saloon, PV, come to mind but they are dwindling in number. So if you get a cold burrito or something seems a little different than last time just be thankful youāre in old SF still not the future which is Chipotle.
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I used to reallyhatecilantro but later liked it when mixed in with stuff so I ask for cilantro y cebolla adentro. I also prefer refried beans, kick myself if I forget to specify. Their chips are the worst crap so I never buy them (wouldnāt even take if they were free ā¦ used to be free with purchase).
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I forgot to mention, not all the Farolitos offer chile relleno; 24th/Alabama does and parking there is not bad weekdays. They put real avocado into burritos, not drippy guac.
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La Superica in Santa Barbara has one,of my favorite chili rellenoās. Itās a special so they donāt have everyday, but really delicious with a white crĆØme sauce.
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I finally got around to reading some of the PV reviews on the burritoeater site. Maybe this is a generational thing. I notice that critics complain about the ārefried beansāā¦whoa! Like TacoBell? No way that squishy mush! Whole black beans or pintos are the order.
re dry or flavorless burritos, you tell the ordertaker that you want extra pico de gallo (mild or spicy) or extra crema or whatever. What you order is what you get. They are not mind readers and we all have in mind our own proper burrito. They aim to please. (I always ask for double jalapeno in mine.)
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Speaking of Taco Bell (and thereās a time and place for that!) and extra jalapeƱos thereās a spot by me that does a Jules gourmet shit version of a burrito supreme called plancha. They call it the jimmy burrito. Place is pretty mediocre to say the least except for this one with the spicy ground beef, beans, cheese, etx etx. I always get lots of pickled jalapeƱos in that one. They also do a jimmy nachos with the yellow cheese and a jimmy hard shell taco. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Actually I think a good ground beef taco or burrito can be a thing of beauty. I donāt seek these out in the Bay Area. They must exist??
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Now that you mention it, I donāt know if any.
(I generally go for cabeza.)
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No love for La Corneta? Admittedly Iāve only been to the Glen Park branch, but have been there many, many, many times and it is solidly consistent. I dig the Spanish style rice, the ingredients seem higher quality and more options/variety than most of the other spots in town. Pickled onions and habanero sauce are great.
never been have to check it outā¦sometimes itās hard not to follow the course of old favorites and habits to try something newā¦pickled onions and habanero sauce are big plusses for me. Thereās a few spots i like down in SoCal that do a simple relish for tacos with thinly sliced habaneros mixed with pickled onionsā¦thatās actually one that you can make at home too.
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Havenāt been to La Corneta in several years but remember liking it a lot. In fact, we drove past it today and I commented to husband that it had been a good find.
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I just read the Burritoeater reviews of Corneta and he gave the Mission branch a much lower score than the Glen Park Branch [but he also gives Gordo really high rankings, which Iāve always found to be super average/kind of bland, so Iām not inclined to put any reliance in his rankings].
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I always ask that people DESCRIBE what they were served rather than rank or judge it.
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Indeed. Taqueriaās usually specialize in 1-3 items and the rest are on there for the same reason Chinese restaurants have 158 itemsā¦someone might order it but itās not what theyāre known for. Boiled chicken burrito anyone?
The burrito comparison ratings and wars were often askew because theyād name one type of burrito (often carne asada, black bean, mild salsa) and would rate every place in the comparison on the same thingā¦even if thatās not their speciality.
Example: Cancun does al pastor and quesadilla suiza wellā¦carne asada, no. Iād never order it there. I would get it at La Cumbre tho.
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La Corneta is up there. Iāve only been to the Glen Park branch too. Iāve had a few burritos from there recently. My go-to is a super shrimp burrito, sometimes with carne asada too if I am feeling fancy for the surf and turf. They cook the shrimp to order. Note! They put lettuce in their burritos by default.
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Oh that must be for the super burritos, I always get regular and never have lettuce.
Agree on the shrimp/prawns, that has been my move the last few years and like you I sometimes go fancy and get carnitas or carne asada with them.
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