Papalote Mexican Grill VALENCIA — Restaurant in San Francisco

I'm on a quest for the best vegan burrito in the Bay Area and this is a high contender.

General overview: excellent veggie burrito and the restaurant has lots of vegan options.

Category 1 - Umami: The refried black beans were awesome. Clearly marked vegan on the menu, these beans had no problem carrying the burrito on their shoulders. They were rich and plentiful.

Category 2 - Other Fillings: I ordered the achiote tofu, which appeared to be good but the flavor was otherwise lost in the refried beans. The biggest setback of the burrito was its lack of other ingredients. I think it just had beans and tofu, so it really needed some pico, lettuce, and rice, at the least.

Category 3 - Salsa: Papalote has their own salsa which is very diff than traditional style. It's creamy and garlicky, with medium heat. They get high points for creativity, but it only went well with chips as it didn't complement the burrito so well. Good thing they also had a very hot and tasty bottle of brand habanero hot sauce.

Overall I really liked the burrito and would just request other fillings in the burrito next time. This place was about $11 for a burrito, which is pricier than average, but well worth it. Plus the vibe of this little shop with about 20 seats was artsy and hole-in-the-wall at the same time. Good...

2.5 stars

Papalote is really ALL about the salsa. When it comes to Mexican food, however, great salsa is awesome, but it's definitely not the make-or-break factor. Papalote has amazing salsa, but that's pretty much all it has going for it.

When you're a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in the Mission, then you've got to have some pretty incredible food to even be in the competition. Papalote is okay, but definitely not even close to what's available in the Mission.

I got the carne asada super burrito, and including being more expensive than El Farolito or La Taqueria, it was also much more subpar. The meat was tender, but it was lukewarm. In fact, everything was just lukewarm. The rice tasted strangely old. I mean, it was okay, but definitely nothing special.

The chips they provide are horrible. Overly crunchy and overly fried, they were pretty bad for a Mexican joint in the Mission. The guacamole was flavorless -- just a bowl of avocados mushed together.

I did get a jar of their salsa to go (yeah it's really THAT awesome) but the food itself was just lackluster all the way through....

Came in yesterday to pick up and order and the girl running the register was extremely rude to the customers. As I walked up she was already yelling at woman who was in front of me(for idk what reason), all I know is she had the most annoyed look on her face and made us all uncomfortable. She’s definitely not suited for customer service or dealing with customers at front of house. When it was my turn I gave her the name on the order and was told not ready, then I left. After another 15mins waiting I came back and popped my head in just to make sure if they had done it yet and that’s when she rolled her eyes at me and yelled that “I already told you it’s not ready!” I understand they’re very busy and overworked but that’s no way to treat anyone. She then started making some comments like “you wanna come in here and help me pack all this stuff up?” Using a very ironic tone. I told her I’m sorry I never meant to disrespect or upset her, I just wanted to know maybe how much longer. . . All in all : Terrible experience, terrible customer service interactions...