We recently posted a guide to some of our favorite tacos in the Bay Area. This follow-up list is to highlight the amazing lineup of taco creators that attend Off the Grid events each week. Many of these restaurants aren’t just our favorites, they’re also recognized as some of the best taco spots by publications like the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater, and KQED.
Our Favorite Al Pastor Tacos
Al Pastor Papi is known for their bright red al pastor served in vampiros, gringas, and tortas. Our favorite way to order it is as a crispy queso taco where it features melted jack cheese and cotija. It’s also one of the few places in the bay that also offers a vegan al pastor.
El Paisa by Los Alegres serves some of the most flavorful al pastor in the bay. It’s made traditionally on a trompo, or rotating spit, and cooked for hours to ensure the meat is tender. We also like that you get a heavy portion of al pastor here.
Our Favorite Seafood Tacos
Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine pairs slices of octopus with a crispy homemade chorizo served on a layer of crispy cheese. The tacos here are amplified by their flavorful handmade tortillas made with fresh masa for each order. Make sure to ask for a side of the x-ni-pec salsa, an acidic Mayan salsa made with habaneros and lime juice.
Shrimp’in Ain’t Easy specializes in the matrimony between shrimp and chorizo. We think it’s the ultimate version of surf and turf since there’s a nice harmony between the subtle flavor of the shrimp and the heavily-spiced chorizo. The chorizo here is homemade and crisped like the lacey edges of a smash burger. The combination is served in a lot of ways, but our favorite is in the vampiro where it goes on a crispy tortilla along with grilled cheese, cotija, cilantro, and pickled red onions.
Our Favorite Fusion Tacos
Señor Sisig offers tacos made with pork, chicken, tofu, and tocino. The tocino tacos are an interesting combination of Filipino and Mexican flavors. Tocino is a sweet cured meat that feels a bit like a hybrid between the flavor profile of al pastor and maple bacon. It’s balanced with the freshness of lettuce, fresh jalapeños, and cilantro cream sauce.
Barya Kitchen features two types of Filipino-Mexican fusion tacos. The first is a bistek taco that’s a spin on carne asada where they marinate the beef in soy sauce and calamansi before topping it with sauteed onions, cilantro, and salsa. The second is a pork sisig taco made with pork belly tossed with aromatic ingredients like onions and bell peppers.
3 Brothers Kitchen — Vietnamese flavors provide a unique twist to dishes like french fries and tacos. One of their most popular dishes is bo’rria — an amalgamation of bo, the Vietnamese word for beef, and birria, a Mexican braised meat dish. The meat is flavored with warm spices used in Vietnamese braises. Try the bo’rria in taco or quesadilla form. My favorite dish on the menu is their pork belly loaded fries. It riffs on the idea of bacon loaded fries but swaps the cured pork belly for caramelized pork belly. The pork is sweet, tender and rich. They do a great job getting the french fries crispy which provides textural contrast with the sticky pork. The fries are also sprinkled with fresh herbs and a savory sauce to round out the flavors. Go for the large order of fries and share with the table.
Cousins Maine Lobster offers their popular Maine-sourced lobster in several unique forms. One of the most underrated ways to try it is in a taco. The succulent lobster is paired with cabbage, pico de gallo, and cilantro lime sauce. They come on flour tortillas, but you can ask to swap them for corn.
Los Kuyas serves tacos made with Filipino ingredients. Their longanisa and tocino tacos are served with green onion and tomato. Their sisig, savory pork, is served with onion, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and pickled jalapeño. You don’t want to miss their lemon pepper chicken adobo — a unique creation you can’t find anywhere else.
Our Favorite Guisado (Braised meat) Tacos
Mestizo offers a great cochinita pibi — a Yucatan-style pork slow cooked in an acidic marinade. It’s savory, aromatic, and bright. Since the pulled pork is so flavorful, it is only accompanied by pickled onions and cilantro.
Amelia’s Mexipino Cuisine serves a birria that nearly melts when it hits your tongue. You can tell they take their time slow cooking their meat which serves a double purpose — it makes the meat tender and deeply infuses the consome with beef flavor. You can try it in a torta stacked with cheese, onion, cilantro, and salsa or in pho or ramen form.
Our Favorite Smoked Meat Tacos
Capelo’s Barbecue serves a style of taco you’re likely to find in Northern Mexico or Texas. Instead of small corn tortillas, they’re assembled on large homemade flour tortillas. The chewy texture and prominent flavor of their tortillas pairs well with their smoky, tender brisket. You can also opt for their meltingly tender pulled pork. You don’t want to miss their barbecue sauces available in porklicious, sweet, capeliente, and diablo.
Try any of these tacos or select from 100+ more at your next event with Off the Grid Catering.
