The Best Taco in SF (so far)

Welcome to Part Two in my Quest for the Perfect Taco. (Previously: Part One)

I'll cut to the chase: Bean Bag Cafe has my favorite tacos and french fries that I've had so far in San Francisco. (Disclaimer: Since there are so many styles of both tacos and fries, it's hard to proclaim a particular taco or fry "the best". But I'll do it anyway.) It's wild that a "cafe" has my favorite version of both these dishes, but here we are. Hats off to Bean Bag Cafe for making it to the top of my shortlist of restaurants that I return to regularly.

Let's start with ambience. Bean Bag Cafe is on the corner of Hayes Street and Divisadero Street, the heart of the Divisadero commercial artery that forms the confluence of an impressive list of eclectic and trendy neighborhoods: North of the Panhandle (NoPa), Alamo Square, Hayes Valley, Western Addition, Haight-Ashbury, and Lower Haight. It has good WiFi and coffee, counter seating next to large street-facing windows, and a relaxed atmosphere — perfect for posting up for a few hours of work (or play). I took a seat at a table this time since I was there on a singular mission: to eat tacos and french fries.

The window counter seats are great for people watching.

My order this time, which has become my go-to order: french fries with ranch and mayo on the side, two carnitas tacos, and two grilled shrimp tacos.

The french fries seem handmade daily. If not, well, they fooled me. A generous portion of thick cut fries with the outside is crisped to perfection for my taste. Almost too browned in some places, but with fries, "some bits almost too browned and crispy" is basically the same as "perfect". Despite being thick cut with ample crispy bits, the overall fry structure can bend before breaking, and is even occasionally floppy, with a creamy interior texture. The overall flavor is potato forward. Sometimes it's nice when fries lose the potato essence and become their own thing, and sometimes potato-y fries can be pretty boring. But these hit the potato mark right on the head while still being interesting and delicious.

Delicious, potato-forward french fries.

In my entire life, I have never come across any french fry that is not enhanced by some kind of dipping sauce. These are no different. They come with ketchup by default, but I got them with mayo and ranch. For a more perfect fry experience, there would be an array of dipping sauces, including a spicy garlic aioli, a mustard-forward sauce, and an oddball darkhorse sauce. But outside that dreamworld, ranch and mayo do the trick.

Ranch on a crispy fry. The perfect bite?

There are many different styles of french fries. Comparing these fries to, say, thin cut "McDonald's style" fries is not quite apples to oranges (it's fries to fries — duh), but not straightforward. In any case, if I'm in the mood for fries, Bean Bag Cafe will always enter the chat.

Too crispy? Nah, no such thing.

Let's move on to the tacos.

First up: carnitas tacos.

An inviting plate of carnitas tacos.

These carnitas tacos are relatively simple: fresh handmade tortilla, carnitas (shredded braised pork), diced white onion, cilantro, avocado salsa, and a lime wedge to adjust acidity to taste.

Many "simple and authentic" tacos are too simple and insubstantial for my taste, but these are dense and complex. The fresh tortilla, made from a mix of corn and flour (I asked), is pliable, chewy, and structurally sound enough to hold up very well to the salsa and carnitas juices — hands down the best tortilla I've had in SF. The rich, meaty, well-seasoned carnitas dominates the flavor and adds a some crispy texture here and there. I think the salsa could have more flavor — it gets a bit lost against the meat when it should enhance it — but overall it's a visually appealing, delicious, and filling taco.

Just as easy on the eyes as on the taste buds.

And now for my favorite taco in SF: the Bean Bag Cafe shrimp taco.

Bean Bag Cafe shrimp tacos. Not perfect, but only because true perfection is just an idea.

So, my all-time favorite kind of taco is a freshly made corn tortilla with grilled shrimp, cabbage slaw, and spicy aioli. It's not super traditional, but I had it a few times in Mexico and locals told me it was a decently popular, niche Mexico City thing, so it is at least somewhat authentically Mexican. In any case, Bean Bag Cafe's shrimp taco fits this mold. And it fits like a glove.

The shrimp is the star of the show, as it should be. Decently sized shrimp, grilled to a nice golden brown on one side, cooked just right (not rubbery at all), and well-seasoned. The fresh cabbage and carrot slaw provides a bright flavor and crunchy textural note that plays well with the chewier texture and deeper flavor of the shrimp. There's an ample amount of spicy aioli packed with tasty bits of herbs and peppers — possibly a hint of paprika — and its fattiness coats and enhances both the shrimp and slaw.

The tortilla gives crucial heft: Unlike, say, carnitas or al pastor, I think a grilled shrimp taco needs some substance in the tortilla for the taco as a whole to be satisfying, and this relatively thick and chewy tortilla is a perfect grilled shrimp delivery vehicle.

The grilled shrimp is the star, with some great supporting actors.

It's not the perfect taco — what even is perfection? — but I struggle to come up with any constructive criticism at all. I had these tacos before I went to take pictures for this blog post, I've had them since, and I'll be back again soon enough.

That said, the Quest for the Perfect Taco is never ending, and I look forward to the day when something dethrones these from the top spot. In fact, I can think of one place in particular in Mexico City I went to a few years ago that could do just that. So, stay tuned...

Thanks for reading!

ryan@ggfoto.com