El Lopo — Restaurant in San Francisco

I’ve dined here a couple of times and I’ve enjoyed my experience here every time.

First, I should say that if you see churros on their menu, go get it! Do not miss the opportunity because sometimes it’s not available. The churros were so delicious, especially with the chocolate dipping sauce it comes with. The textures are spot on - crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.

I’ve had a couple of dishes and so far I enjoy the broccolini and the bread with quince paste. I recently had their one item charcuterie board and a pork meatball and it was a perfect dinner for me. The cheese I chose was an aged manchego cheese and it was perfect with crusty bread and quince paste. I just wish there was more quince.

And the wine selection is awesome. I’ve always enjoyed every wine I’ve had here. And the staff are very helpful in explaining each one.

So the concept of El Lopo is if California was still a part of Mexico. And their menu reflects that. The wines are unique - something you wouldn’t see in the average menu. So don’t be afraid to ask.

They have sherry-oke nights and trivia nights. I’ve been to a couple of trivia nights and they’re a lot of fun! It can get loud during those nights.

Otherwise, it’s usually pretty chill. I dined on my own and enjoyed people watching.

This local bar is so cool and you should definitely check it out if you like good wine and...

My sister and I visited, ordered two cocktails, one lamb meatball, eggplant, anchovy stuffed olives, and the octopus. After ordering, we were told they were out of the octopus. Food and drinks came pretty quickly, went to eat and discovered the silverware we were given were covered in food (the silverware is put in a jar upside down so you can't see it until you go to eat). It wasn't silverware that had been poorly washed, it was covered in oils and large food pieces, they appeared to have been used and returned to the jar. That was quickly taken care of but still gives you the ick. The anchovie stuffed olives never came out. We didn't ask for them again as we had just finished eating the meatball and eggplant and drinks were almost finished and we were tired. We asked for the check and our server said sure, one moment. He then continued checking out and said bye to everyone and left the bar without giving us the check. We went to someone else to get the check, which was incorrect and still had the anchovie olives on that we never got. That got corrected, and after arriving home I realized they also charged us for the octopus that they told us they were out of and we never got.. Guess we had an unlucky night because so many things went really poorly. Adding a pretty picture of the eggplant and...

What an incredibly authentic experience!! And while the food was certainly authentic, I am more specifically referring to the incredible staff. They made us feel so welcome from the beginning. You could feel the passion and enthusiasm that they clearly have, shining through in every drink, snack, and conversation. They made perfect recommendations just based on the first drink and app orders. They were friendly and welcoming and even accommodating to a litany of off menu requests such as a wine flight and half serving of the mussels (which you should definitely try!). My wife and I are both travelers and we have been to so many cities and so many highly rated bars and restaurants that are underwhelming or just pretty good. I can confidently say this is one of the best experiences we have had in the past decade. The most fun part is that I can’t put my finger on one thing or another that put it over the top. It was just the whole enchilada (or I guess the whole empanada)! My apologies, I couldn’t resist it the terrible pun… anyway, do yourself a favor and check this place out next time you are anywhere within uberring distance of this fantastic...