El Castillito

as far as the burrito goes, this is the best I’ve had.
yes, there are so many great burritos is San Francisco, I know.
but this is the best I’ve had so far in San Francisco, just delicious!
super burrito comes with chips on the side.
condiments bar is really good as well with the charred jalapeños being the most perfect thing to be eaten with.
Cheap, Good, San Francisco!

Omg so fabulous I thought I was back in East L.A. We ordered dos tacos de carne asada, a Super Burrito and a Wet Burrito al pastor. Quality, flavorful ingredients thanks to dedicated, talented chefs. If I still lived in the City, I’d eat here every day! For now, I’ll have to settle for taking the Duboce Avenue exit off the 101 whenever I’m in town. Gracias, amigos!

I’m a sucker for salsa verde and this stuff is as good as it gets! Now I’ve tried 3 or 4 taquerias in the Mission District, but Castillito gave us sooooo much meat. My pastor and carnitas tacos were absolutely the best. I wish I could sit here and gaze upon tiny cuplets of their salsa verde for hours.

I have been on an endless hunt around the city for the perfect burrito and this place comes pretty close. It’s not over-​hyped like other places in the city so if you’re looking for amazing Mexican food, I would recommend coming here. Generally not too busy, and I think I come here often enough where the guy who’s always cooking recognizes me. My favorite thing about their burritos is that in addition to adding pico de gallo, they also toss in a handful of chopped onions and cilantro into your super burrito, which I don’t see in very many other taquerias. What can I say? It’s my go-​to burrito spot.

Made right in front of you. This is the real deal if you want a burrito. Had the super burrito and it could be cut I half and enough for 2 people. Must go.

If this were any other town, this place would have 5 stars easy. But the Mission being such a hyper-​competitive burrito haven, I have to go win 4 just because the meats I had were not quite as superlative as a couple other places in the area (like Farilito).
This place is still an excellent option! You get a massssssive portion for a pretty cheap price. Have to recommend the wet super burrito with pastor, which comes smothered in an enchilada sauce that makes he burrito feel like 5 pounds and last at least two meals.
The staff is friendly and the topping bar is excellent (be cautious with the peppers — they’re hot).

Love this spot! There are a few other locations around the city, which are all great, today I happened to stop into this one… Usually order super burrito, the there are many offerings that I’m sure are delicious! Friendly staff, and good prices… Does get pretty crowded in here depending on when you go, so seating seems kind of smooshed… They have recently added shrimp cocktail to their menu, and may I say it is DIVINE!!! $ 5.99 for a big serving of the coktel de camaron! Served w crackers but really good w chips and tapatio! Great place for superb and authentic Mexican food! Hard to find sometimes in the city! Will be returning!

Solid Mexican food at affordable prices. I had the vegetarian quesadilla and it was a delicious beast. Chips and salsa were also great. The salsa has a great flavor at first and good heat at the end.
Fast friendly service from the chefs and cashier.

Just left feeling sick.
Seriously disappointed.
My husband has been raving about this place.
He loves it, eats here all the time.
Today was my first time and my last I think.
We both ordered Vegetarian Super burrito.
I ate a little less than half of mine and had my husband throw it away.
It was nothing but a tiny bit of rice, with lettuce and sour cream. All the beans were at one end I guess, and not the end I ate. It was really nauseating. No guacamole.
Eh.
At least the salsa was good.
I wish I had just ordered a plain bean and cheese burrito.

The best taqueria in Lower Haight/​Duboce Triangle. Ideal for the basics: tacos & burritos.
You can keep your yuppie taqueria (Little Chihuahua on Diviz– overbusy, overpriced), this place has better prices, portions, and burritos. Punt the chihuahua, go to this place instead. Or don’t and keep the lines short, I think it’s here to stay regardless.

A good but not great burrito by SF standards. The style is very similar to Taqueria Cancun but not quite as good. Won’t kick you out if you sit there for 3 hours. No visible restroom; there might be one in the back.

There are so many «Best Burrito in SF» lists out there, and I am *really* surprised El Castillito is not on any of them — at least none that I have seen. El Castillito is my neighborhood taqueria, and I discovered it when I moved into my new apartment a year ago. After sharing this «find» with friends, at least a couple were like, «Oh, yeah, I go there all the time. It’s my favorite.»
This is the quintessential hole-​in-​the-​wall taqueria. It looks a little grimy — 85 out of 100 on health inspection, but I can live with that. There is always a line after work, but they’re super efficient in getting you through.
I am a creature of habit, so I have only sampled the steak-​n-​shrimp super burrito and the shrimp quesadilla. Both are near perfection for a neighborhood taqueria — tender steak and clearly fresh shrimp. They’re not skimpy with accompaniments, so expect a fat burrito — usually two meals for me. After reading a few of the reviews on here, I see I need to up my game and try the pork carnitas or al pastor — perhaps in tacos. Next time!
Great selection of salsas and sides. Oh yeah, this place is cheap.
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UPDATE: Oh wait! It is on a ‘Best Of’ list: sfist’s ‘The 12 Best Burritos In San Francisco: A Definitive List’ (
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Plans to explore the city and one of our last places to cross off our list was clarion alley. We didn’t plan on what to eat (so out of character of me I know) so we walked a few stores from clarion alley to find ourselves in front of this little taqueria. It looks smaller on the outside. It goes in pretty deep and has a lot of seating. The bathroom here didn’t need a key and I mean, hey how many places do you ever see now (esp in SF) that’ll let you use a bathroom without requiring you buy something?! I was kind of surprised.
The plan was to get «something small to share.» So a quesadilla is usually a safe bet for something small, right? Compared to a burrito that’ll be too big for our appetite at the time, a quesadilla sounded perfect!
Boy were we wrong. But it wasn’t a bad thing. There was nothing small about that quesadilla. It was basically a burrito. We actually had to ask if the order was ours because if you see in photos, it looks like a burrito! It was just so STUFFFED with all the goodness that it ended up having a round-​ish shape like it’s loved cousin the burrito. The difference is that instead of the soft, almost falling apart because it’s so soft, texture a burrito has, this tortilla was soft but crispy on the outside-​like a quesadilla should be. It’s definitely worth the money for what you get. Although size stood out, the taste of the quesadilla wasn’t the most memorable. Flavors weren’t all there and the thing that distinguishes a quesadilla from a burrito is that one of them should have way more cheese. At least that’s how I’ve always known and what I look forward to in a quesadilla! There was so much other stuff in there that cheese seemed to be little to almost none. Honestly, I would come back anyway to try some of their other items like the carne asada super burrito or ceviche tostado!

Burritos are always good, no matter what. But I can definitely say that burritos taste even better when you haven’t had them in months and you’re off to a board game convention, so El Castillito was here at the right place and the right time for me. I am definitely coming back the next time someone suggests getting burritos when I’m in this area.
This massive burrito was everything I could have asked for, and it was prepared quickly and right in front of me, and they even let me substitute salsa for red sauce. I don’t even know what red sauce is. All I know is that I love it and require it in all things within a tortilla, and I am grateful to them for letting me substitute for it… though I will say it was quite spicy. In a good way.
Next time, I want to get a quesadilla, because it looked massive and all kinds of amazing. This place is cash only, and you get a lot of burrito for your money. I was full by about ¼ of the burrito, but pride egged me on to go at least to half the burrito. By then I’m sure I was already lost in a food coma. My best friend likes to think of prices in comparison to burritos; this place would definitely one of those where they’d say, «Kids? Why would I have kids? They’re expensive. That’s like, at least 50,000 burritos right there.»

Great, no-​frills Mexican nosh for great prices and friendly environment, you will certainly not leave hungry! Cash only though.

Stopped in here for a quick bite after a day of imbibing. Great place to fill up on burritos, nachos, or quesadillas. I got a vegetarian quesadilla that was delicious. Pro tip — ask for avocado instead of guacamole.
The prices are very reasonable and the portions are large (my quesadilla was $ 5.50 and too much for a single meal). I have yet to try the burrito, but I know it’s made several «best of» lists so I’ll definitely be back.

I’m incredibly picky about taquerias, and I’ll start off saying I wasn’t impressed with this place my first time. There’ve been some times since that I’ve been less than pleased. What I notice is it’s all about who makes your food here. There’s just a couple of cooks who don’t do as good of a job, whether it’s mixing the ingredients in a burrito, leaving an item you requested off, etc. The good part is I rarely see these couple guys cooking.
The food is consistent. I am a fan of their burritos, nachos and quesadillas. A great selection of meats, beans, and toppings. They’re quick once you’ve ordered. Cash only, ATM inside if you need. They do serve beer and a variety of fresh juices.
I try to avoid this place during peak meal time hours simply because it’s smaller and the line can get long. Long wait and then cramped eating quarters just aren’t my thing. It’s fun to sit in the front bar area that looks out onto Church street. You see all sorts of stuff.

I was running on pure adrenaline all day, so busy that I skipped breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then I went to the gym on empty, so that by the time I ended my day at around 10, I was actually ready to throw up I was so hungry. I was on Ashbury and Frederick when I pulled over, threw on the emergency lights (it was a food emergency, the most serious of them all, actually), and searched Unilocal for burrito, filter «open now,» filter «nearby.» Indeed.
My search brought up El Castillito, and so I drove like a bat out of hell to Duboce Triangle. I walked in and there was a line of sk8ers (their boards were propped against the wall), which I took as a good sign. EC is a bit of a dump, which is also a good sign with respect to Mexican food. The inside is small, a little messy, and disorganized. There’s a huge window where you can watch the cooks put your order together. There’s a big spindle of meat next to the grill. All good.
I shouted my order over a bunch of guys waiting for their orders. I was all business, given that I was almost going to die of hunger, and ordered a pretty safe burrito: super chicken burrito, light pinto beans, light guacamole. They called my order lightening quick — and I paid lightening quick too (CASH ONLY — but note there’s an ATM in the burger joint next door). Then I flew home so I could eat the hell out of my burrito in private.
Oh my goodness, that burrito hit the spot. It was huge — I could only eat half — but it was 7 shades of delicious. The quality ingredients were combined in perfect proportion to one another, such that every bite was yummy. I appreciate assembly when it comes to burritos. I usually don’t get guac on a burrito because it always takes me 2 days to eat it and I don’t particularly like brown guac — but the guac stayed perfectly green the next day. The burrito also tasted delicious cold.
The only criticism I have of EC is that their salsa bar is not the greatest. But the burrito is so good, you don’t really need salsa. Skip it.
Cheap, open late, and tasty. Recommend.

Writing reviews for Mexican food is sort of like writing reviews for dive bars…
«Yep. It’s good, it’s authentic» is just about all I can say.
El Castellito is your best bet for Mexican food in this part of the city. If you want a quality super burrito– like a good, slutty burrito– then El Castellito is a good place to go if you’re in Duboce Triangle.
You order at the grill and get to watch them cook your al pastor. They also offer fresh squeezed juices, which is a nice touch. Have a carrot juice, you’ll feel better about eating something larger than your face.
Super reasonable prices and the occasional group of drunkards in here, as to be expected.
They take cards and are way better than the place a few doors down, which also looks exactly like El Castellito. Ten cuidado.

Definitely adding this to one of my favorite burrito places here!
Step 1: Go to the first window to place my carne asada super burrito where they make the food right in front of you. **You get to choose what kind of tortilla you want aside from flour, which is def a plus for me!
Step 2: Grab my food right there & pay at the cashier
Step 3: Get the delicious green & red salsas, take a seat, & finally feast on the super burrito that you’ve been waiting for
Enjoy!!!
Overall, really great burrito w/​tons of flavor & a huge burrito that lived up to its «super» name. Def recommend!