Today I ventured to the Marina to pick up some dry cleaning. I expected to dash into a sandwich shop and pick up lunch to eat at my desk, but the stars aligned (read: I found free parking) and I was able to enjoy a sit-down meal at Tacolicious. As the name implies, Tacolicious is all about the taco. Their menu includes a few salads, and they offer dinner specials after 5:30 p.m., but lunchtime is taco time. Fancy tacos, at that. Filled with organic/local meat and veggies and topped with deliciously fresh sauces made from chipotle, habanero and avocado.
I ordered two tacos (one filled with carnitas, the other filled with braised beef short rib) and a side of “drunken beans,” which were filled with bacon, onion and pickled vegetables. The tacos were tiny – probably small enough to fit in the palm of my hand – but the quality was evident. Of the two, the short rib taco was the definite standout. The beef melted in my mouth and was perfectly seasoned, whereas the carnitas was a bit too salty for my taste. (And who am I kidding – no carnitas will ever live up to that offered by La Taqueria!) The tacos were topped with a simple layer of raw onion and fresh cilantro; I added some avocado salsa and a splash of habanero.
As for the drunken beans…add this to the list of restaurant dishes I’m dying to make at home. The bowl was filled with Rancho Gordo beans (my favorite!), pickled carrots and jalapenos, and just the right amount of bacon.
I’m glad I gave Tacolicious a try. It’s certainly more expensive than your average Mission taqueria, but the food is fresh – and the small portions helped me avoid the food coma that normally accompanies a meal of larger tacos or a three-pound burrito. If the parking gods smile on future visits to the Marina, I’ll stop by for another quick, tasty lunch.
Very good to know! I have been wondering about tacolicious and since your standard is La Taqueria like mine is, I am more keen to try Tacolicious than I was before. Not go out of my way for it try, but not say no if the opportunity arises. Those beans do look out of sight, I too am a huge fan of Rancho Gordo beans and pickeled veg! Thanks!
Devon, I’m so happy to find your blog as a fellow SF foodie! The worst thing about Tacolicious was the sticker shock – $3.50 per taco for teeny tiny portions. As I said, though, I didn’t leave there feeling bloated (as often happens when I indulge at La Taqueria…haha) and the short rib taco was worth the premium price.
looks like a fabulous lunch, even it was expensive for what you got! i think the beans sound dreamy…anything with pickled veggies sounds good to me
[...] was very yummy. Beth knows her [...]
[...] I’m going to kick things off with tacos from Tacolicious. Beth raved about their tacos in this post, but didn’t bring home her leftovers. No matter – I’ll have carnitas tacos as a [...]