La Torta Gorda — Restaurant in San Francisco

Yum!

Came here with two coworkers on a random Wednesday afternoon for lunch. I've been wanting to try this place for nearly six years now so I was pretty psyched up for the excuse. We arrived around 12:15pm and found the place busy but not completely full. We were able to grab a table and order some food promptly.

We shared chips, salsa, and guac, then each got a torta. I also had the agua fresca which was guanabana that day.

Chips: 2-stars. Definitely not freshly made, and I'd bet not made in house. Just your standard tortilla chips, nothing better than what you buy at the store.

Salsa: 3-stars. Lots of onion and garlic, super fresh, and really juicy. A bit of parsley, probably more than I would have liked.

Guacamole: 4-stars. Super avocado forward, with just a bit of onion, tomato, and cilantro. Nice and chunky, you could tell it was made fresh. I'm an avocado purist so I prefer my guac without tomatoes, and it could have used a tad bit more garlic, but still, quite delicious.

Pierna Enchilada Torta: 4-stars. Really solid torta. One of my biggest issues with tortas can be that the ratio of bread to stuff is completely off, often with too much bread. Thankfully, this wasn't the case here. Toasty, panini-pressed bread heaped high with saucy pulled pork, onion, avocado, refried beans, jalapeño, and cheese. Super sloppy, warm, and a tad spicy. The bread stayed crunchy on the outside, holding up to the sauce and beans, while turning soft and delicious on the inside. I got the junior size and this sandwich was still huge. My only complaint was it was almost too saucy - while the sauce was delicious, it hid the pork a bit too much and I would have appreciate more of its pure flavor.

House sauces: 4-stars. Three house sauces, two red, one green. The green seemed to be a tomatillo style sauce flavored with onion, garlic, and packing a healthy dose of heat. Yum. In the squeeze bottle was some kind of chipotle sauce, packing less heat than expected but smoky flavor. There was also another red sauce, that for the life of me, I couldn't figure out. I have NO idea what the flavor was, but it wasn't for me.

Guanabana agua fresca: 5-stars. Tasted really fresh, a bit tangy, tropical, and delicious. HUGE glass. I could drink this stuff all day long.

Overall, this was a solid win. I love when a place you've wanted to try is just as good as you expect, and this was definitely one of those times....

You don’t just walk into La Torta Gorda, you get pulled in—nose first. Somewhere between the sizzling plancha and the towering jars of agua fresca, you realize this isn’t just another Mission District eatery clinging to nostalgia—it’s the real damn thing. A greasy, glorious postcard from Mexico, lovingly sent by people who never forgot how their mothers cooked.

The couple running this joint aren’t chefs—they’re culinary procurers. You see them back there, sleeves rolled, pouring heart and history into every bite like it’s a sacrament. The sazón—that mystical thing Mexicans talk about like it’s part of their DNA—is here, in spades. It’s in the pambazos, it’s in the torta poblana, it’s in the tlacoyos, which are so good you’ll start questioning the point of every other snack you’ve ever eaten.

The menu is both chaotic and comforting—like rifling through your abuela’s handwritten recipes. There’s too much to choose from, and that’s a beautiful problem to have. You’ll stand there paralyzed, torn between the memory of your last great bite and the promise of the next one.

And the place itself? Picture a cheesy neighborhood soccer shrine smashed into a kitchen from Puebla. Soccer posters everywhere, soccer balls randomly perched above the fridge like trophies from another life. It’s loud, honest, and beautifully unpretentious. The kind of place where comfort food isn’t a marketing gimmick—it’s just food.

It’s never overcrowded, but it hums. The kind of local buzz that tells you you’re in the right place. The chilaquiles for breakfast? They could resurrect the dead—or at least cure a hell of a hangover.

So skip the trendy joints peddling $10 tacos served on slate. Go here. Eat like you’re home, even if...

If you want authentic Mexican food, La Torta Gorda is a fantastic choice. My wife and I sat at the table in front, basking in the Californian sun as it filtered through the large windows and illuminated the colorful interior. We put in our orders (a great opportunity to practice the Spanish I’ve been learning on Duo Lingo) then chilled out listening to some soothing latin music. Our plates arrived in an aromatic aroma that whet our salivary glands. My plant-based burrito was packed into a huge, faintly sweet, light, and slightly browned home-made flour tortilla that wrapped its contents so tight that there was no shifting of individual ingredients during the teeth-sinking process. Inside this delectable wrap was a bevy of fresh ingredients—fluffy brown rice, deep dark black beans, savory mushrooms, freshly cut slices (chunks even) of avocado, and an understated pico de Gallo and lightly cooked jalapeño pepper slices that provided a subtle kick to this Mexican melange. My wife had the Taco Placero with pollo and enjoyed every bite. We finished with a pair of deliciously sweet Very Berry Smoothies—a base of freshly squeezed orange juice (squeezed right in front of us) with berries and ice—that’s all, and that’s all you need. I highly recommend a visit for a quick lunch while touring the Mission District of...