Best Burrito
Papalote Mexican Grill
3409 24th St. (at Valencia)
San Francisco, CA
415-970-8815
If you're doing a burrito stroll in the Mission, Papalote is a little off the well-trodden path by the standards of location, decor, and menu. Behind its bright-blue-tile facade, you'll find an ordering counter and a small but comfy dining room hung with cool framed photographs. The menu board includes some uncommon offerings in addition to the classic carne asada and chile verde: On the no-meat tip there's marinated tofu (tinted with achiote), soyrizo, and grilled veggies; for gourmands, there's chicken mole, and shrimp or fish sautéed in white wine and butter, plus your choice of regular, whole wheat, spinach, or roma tomato tortillas. Papalote's Web site features a mission statement (pun unintended, we think) over an adorable photo of the owners as toddlers in matching yellow T-shirts in Chapultepec in 1975: "To prepare outstanding Mexican dishes with the freshest meats and produce available, and serve them in a comfortable and exciting atmosphere."
