La Vaca Birria — Restaurant in San Francisco

Seems expensive, but the quality justifies the price. Hefty servings of steak that taste like mesquite wood, flaky tallow fried tortillas, this is a treat-yourself meal. You can get cheaper (and still tasty) burritos elsewhere, but this place is on a whole different level. If you think a burrito packed with ribeye steak and high quality ingredients should be cheap just because it’s Mexican food, but you’re ok spending $25+ for a small plate of carbs covered in sauce at an Italian restaurant or a little bit of sushi, you’re a normie and this place isn’t for you.

Criticisms: -6 months ago my burrito cost $15, now it costs $20. It was a good deal back then, now I’d say it’s fairly price. Not much communication about why the increases have been happening though, would appreciate some transparency. -chips and salsa bar used to be free, which set this place apart and helped justify the high entree prices. Used to love trying like 3 different salsas. Now you have to pay like everywhere else. -atmosphere has gone downhill. You now have to wait to be seated and order through a server, and the tables are covered in marble wrap and have a little lamp like sit down restaurants in the 2000s. They haven’t nailed the sit down restaurant vibe. And honestly, I miss the old days of placing my order at the register and grabbing a seat at the window for people watching. Window seating is gone and now I have to go through a waitress to order my burrito and salsa, which means paying tip on top of the $25 food cost. You don’t need all that to make this place feel nice. If anything, vibes are more like...

I have to be honest as I’ve been going to this place for a few years now.

Sometime recently- in the past few months- there’s been some sort of ownership/hierarchy change that has caused this place to really plummet in terms of quality and price.

Firstly, everything on the menu went up 4-7 dollars or the portions have drastically decreased. I went and got 2 orders of the birria tacos and paid 64 dollars! That is outrageous!

The meat doesn’t have the same quality anymore. This place was so close to my heart as the best birria spot(since it was also halal) and had great portions. It has deteriorated the past 3 times I’ve went(I gave them a chance and tried 3 separate meals 3 separate times)

The chipotle mayo sauce which was a hit for so long has now been discontinued. Why? “Because the manager said so”. When we asked for more details the response was “some people take more than a few cups and it’s being abused”. For context the sauces used to be self serve near the front of the restaurant

I don’t know how a place can literally go down the drain so fast. More expensive, quality ain’t the best and obviously management just wants to increase profit margins.

For newcomers this place might not seem like a bad place to grab a quick bite- for those who have been coming for years it’s painful to see a place so great collapse so fast. Management u need to do better! Greed has caused the death of many...

I too, read the SF Chronicle article about the $22.00 burrito. I had to try it because 1. I Love burritos. 2. I wanted to see what the hype was about and 3. I was in the neighborhood and found a parking space. Ok, this burrito was one of the BEST burritos I have ever had. The meat was tender and flavorful and high quality. The restaurant was sparkling clean and modern. The person who took my order was nice and efficient. The burrito was worth the $24.00, absolutely worth it. I have read all the one star reviews based solely because this business owner made a decision to keep HIS business sustainable. My sister and I went back the next day to try more of the food, because it was so good and we want to support a business that treats themselves and their employees well. When will people get it that no-one wants to go into business for themselves to earn minimum wage? and not to get too political but Latinx people, culture, contributions to society, and food have always been undervalued in this country, so I appreciate and commend Ricardo for taking a stand and charging more for his amazing and delicious food!!! We will be back again...