Mr Pollo

this place & the guys who own/​run it (johnny & will) are fucking great! the food is epic, the joint is small & none of your friends have heard of it or been there, the price is very reasonable, especially when you calculate the quality of the food & staff. Pro-​tip… request to sit @ the counter, engage johnny & will in conversation & plan to have a good fucking time! & i would also recommend getting intoxicated & whatever it is that you like to get intoxicated on.

This place is awesome!
I decided to take my girlfriend here for her birthday, it was just the two of us. Upon walking in for the 7:45pm seating, I was surprised by how small and intimate the place was, this place seats about 14 or so. If your thinking about going with a large group it’s recommended you go to the later seating which I believe is sometime around 9pm. Also, be sure to text ahead with reservations, I wouldn’t even try walking in for a table.
I can’t remember all the courses but I’ll try explaining. Course #1 was a delicious Pâté with house jam and mustard seeds. Course #2 was the chicken arepa, which we were instructed to eat with our hands (which I love.) Be sure to ask for some hot sauce if your a hot sauce person, they keep it in the fridge there. Course #3 was the Lamb tenderloin with carrots, and horseradish cream. Course #4 was desert that included a freshly baked pastry of some sort top with ginger ice cream.
Everything considered, this is an great dining experiencing for $ 30/​per. It’s small and cozy, you can easily hold a conversation with Johnny, the chef, if you’re sitting on the stools near the kitchen. Unfortunately I remember the other gentleman’s name, but the two of them were great to us. We felt as though we went over to someone houses for dinner, and these two were great hosts.

Wow! Mr. Pollo’s does not disappoint. Behind its unassuming façade is a wonderful chef and sous chef duo that will serve up one of the most unique and delicious meals you’ll have. I recommend this place for couples looking for a date spot or large groups (more than 10 is difficult for the chef considering space wise & and playing — the restaurant is tiny!)
I just celebrated my good friends birthday there with 10 people and we had the place to ourselves! Even the chef was able to relax and have a glass for wine with us. It’s refreshing to see such great food in an atmosphere so casual and welcoming.
Oh, did I mention it’s BYOB. That’s a big selling point for me!
Enjoy!

There’s been another price increase! It use to be $ 20 for 4 courses and an optional $ 8 extra for a chicken arepa. Now it’s $ 30 for 4 courses with the arepa included as one of the courses. Regardless, it’s still a good deal for the quality of food.
The atmosphere is casual and the service was so friendly. The owner/​host/​waiter kept our glasses filled the entire time. The menu is constantly changing so no use in listing what we had. While none of the dishes blew me away, I did enjoy everything I ate and the overall experience.
Check it out! Don’t be scared by the sketchiness of 24^th and mission bart.

El lugar es pequeño, pero con propio estilo (va muy bien con el barrio — La Mission-​), son máximo 6 mesas y barra.
Podes elegir variedad de cervezas o vinos y la comida… Es una sorpresa…
Te sirven 3 diferentes platos + postre de acuerdo al día muy sabrosos y de buena calidad.
Aparentemente el lugar ya pasó un poco de moda, pero el precio es muy bueno para lo que estás consumiendo.
Podría volver.

For an affordable price you eat very good and tasty food with high quality ingredient !
You can see what the cook operate and the guys are very nice and open.
My favorite restaurant in the town so far.

After a San Fran Brewery crawl that the sister and myself went on she brought me to Mr Pollo to finish the day off with some delicious food. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
I’ll let you know, if you are a picky eater (like myself) you are taking a risk by coming here. I got lucky and the fixed menu contained mostly edible dishes for my liking but the anchovies on our first course had me a little nervous.
The rest of our courses were small, but tasty. Nothing that blew my socks off, but all impressed on their own levels. The main course we got a rib eye with brussel sprouts and some red beet purée. It was cooked perfectly but only consisted of a couple bites of meat and a lot of gristle. Our dessert was a cheese plate with hot soft cheese, syrup, and walnuts to spread on sliced bread. We left full and satisfied, but it wasn’t a place I would seek out again.
If you don’t know already from exploring this page, this place is small! 12 seats, 3 sittings, reservations made via text message. As a restaurant worker myself, I was impressed how they pretty much turned a little studio spot into a restaurant.

I came here with a few friends a while back. My friend is a foodie so I trusted him by picking this place. The restaurant itself is TINY. It seats about 10 people max. We were lucky to get seated right away. The party right after us had to wait but they left they phone number.
I like how the restaurant is small. You can see the chefs cook each and every single dish. Menu varies every day so you know they only serve whats fresh and whats in season. The presentation was good and the dishes were tasty. Since they were tapas/​tasting menu, we ordered Arepas as well which were darn good. The place was pretty affordable too!
Awesome place. Good food and friendly service.

Wow, that was a food adventure! My wife and I were in the city celebrating our two year anniversary with a huge adventure. This is where we stopped for dinner.
Seeing that this restaurant does a four course tasting menu and that you can expect to get any dish, this was truly an adventure.
For starters, upon walking in we were greeted and we instantly felt like we were in a warm and homely environment.

Strangely average experience; given the small space and the fact that it’s got a tasting menu (at any price point, the term «tasting menu» does set expectations, you have to admit!), I was underwhelmed by the quality of the courses.
First course was a salad. I won’t spend much time here, but it was a throwaway. However, kudos to anyone, ever for serving me anchovies on a dish and making me NOT run for the hills. Two stars.
Second course was my personal favorite, the arepa. The sandwich (Colombian? South American generally? I’ll admit, I don’t know the history here, but I thought this address used to be another restaurant that served arepas regularly) was very tasty, on perfectly-​cooked bread with fillings that warmed the heart and the soul. Four stars. At this point, I started to get excited…
Third course: steak, over a bed of corn. Of the roughly four-​ounce piece of steak served to me, two ounces was a wad of fat that I pushed off to the side. The other half was tasty and the corn was just fine. Three stars, but given that this was to be the money shot portion of the meal (at a place called, yes, «Mr. Pollo»), I was surprised that it wasn’t chicken and that it was only okay.
Fourth course: a block of blue cheese with a couple of pieces of stale sourdough bread. While the cheese was fine, I took one bite of the cheese with the bread and gave the rest to my wife, who happily obliged eating the rest because she loves cheese with damn near anything. Two stars.
Loved the guy who was our server, one half of the owner combo who runs Mr. Pollo. Love the concept of what amounts to a 12-​seat eatery with three seatings in what can politely be described as someone’s basement under other circumstances. But the price – $ 30 for the four courses, plus drinks/​tax/​tip – came out to $ 55/​person at this place, and I definitely needed more food when we finished up.
My wife thought this experience was slightly better than three stars as an average, but our group of four had to admit that the total experience came in lower than we were expecting. Blame it on the hype machine, but you can do a lot better in San Francisco!

Mr. Pollo is a great bang for your buck meal if you’re looking for good quality food and a place with chill staff. My friend and I were the first ones here the other night and took a seat at the bar. Right when we sat down Chef Jonny Becklund just started chatting with us. The place is tiny, it’s literally a hole in the wall that probably seats less than 10 people. The menu is constantly changing and Jonny will make whatever he finds fresh at the market. The highlight of the night was definitely the Chicken Arepa. The chicken had tons of flavor and the flatbread was nice and crispy. I could have ordered more of that. My friend and I ended up having a couple beers after our meal and shooting the shit with Jonny. Our conversations ranged from talking about our favorite meals in SF to the cures for the worst hangovers. Come here with an empty stomach and bring good vibes.

One of the best kept culinary secrets of San Francisco, and probably one of the best values you’ll get for a dining experience. $ 25 for a 4 course meal with some seriously impressive dishes. One notable one was a black bean soup with a slow-​cooked egg prepared sous-​vide style. It’s been a while so I’m having trouble remember the specific dishes, but it was all very tasty. Not quite as delicious as NOPA or some of the other well-​known restaurants in San Francsico, but you can’t beat this deal.
Plus the staff is incredibly friendly. They made the whole experience very intimate, yet laid back and casual. Would highly recommend to anyone that likes high restaurants, but would rather grab a beer at a dive bar than a fancy cocktail lounge.

Excellent food and service! Who knew that such a small restaurant could produce such wonderful service and great food? When I say small. I truly mean small! The restaurant capacity is 12 guests. From what I understand, they have 3 seatings each evening. You must first call or text them to make a reservation. If you walk-​in hoping for a table, the odds are probably slim to none.
They are currently promoting a 4-​course pre-​fixe meal for $ 30. All the ingredients are fresh and purchased from a local farmers market. Their menu items will change depending on what’s in season and what they can get their hands on while shopping.
I thoroughly enjoyed each and every dish served on the evening that I went. The arepa was indeed my favorite dish of the night, but everything was very yummy and prepared very well. If you aren’t one to care too much about ambiance and enjoy watching the chef work his magic in the kitchen, then Mr Pollo would be a highly recommend experience, in my opinion.

Fantastic seasonal prix fixe menu. Affordable. Typically very busy, so come early. Seriously to die for. Very small, quaint vibe. Dining is the same room as the kitchen. Worth going out of your way to eat here, for SURE.

I’ve been meaning to come here for several years and I don’t know how I didn’t sooner. $ 25 for a 4 course meal is a pretty good price. Definitely get the arepas — they are fantastic.
It doesn’t really matter what I ate since the menu changes frequently and probably doesn’t repeat itself, but every dish was executed well and everything tasted great. For the price it really exceeded my expectations. It’s rare I come across restaurants (even very fancy ones) where I really enjoy every dish in a multi-​course meal.
What’s more is that Will and Johnny (chef) were awesome hosts and like everyone has said, the dining experience here is intimate. We sat at the counter and chatted with them as they made the food fresh in front of us — it was all very casual and different from other restaurant experiences I’ve had. It was like sitting with friends that were cooking a nice meal for us.
The overall atmosphere is hard to describe — this place is like a dive restaurant with the décor and attitude, but they serve up food with an upscale touch. They don’t have menus and it’s a set menu — not sure if they allow substitutions or how well they can cater to dietary restrictions. Make reservations, come in with an open mind, chat with the Johnny and Will, and sit back enjoy a great laid back dinner.
They also apparently also allow you to rent out the place for a small group if you buy all the seats for the last seating of the night — without any crazy upcharge. I can definitely see us doing that sometime soon!

The food is solid, and for a great set price as well! There are a bunch of dishes that come one after the other, and the owner/​chef is so friendly. Just make sure you make a reservation before hand, because I think the restaurant can literally only seat ~15 people at once.
They also have some great beer selections!

Don’t let the name fool you, this is not a just a place that serves chicken and in fact the only thing you will probably find with chicken in it is the arepas.
I had this place bookmarked since it was $ 20 per person with it being $ 25 now for the 4 course tasting menu which is still a great deal. It is now run by Chef Jonny and his partner Will with the same concept of shopping at the local farmers market for his ingredients and just cooking up what he feels like making that day so there is no menu to speak of with the exception of the a la carte Colombian arepas that you can add for $ 8.
With 3 seatings (6PM, 7:45PM, and 9:30PM) on Th-​Sa (not sure if there are 2 or 3 for the others), it is not uncommon to be fully booked at this super small 12 seat eatery. But if you are able to secure one of the 108 seats during its peak days Th-​Sat as they do take reservations, just sit back and let Jonny work his magic all right in front of you. Make sure to enjoy and savor your dish as the chances of you ever experiencing the exact same dish again is slim.
First course: Soft boil egg over garlic corn
Second course: Radish soup
Optional arepas — Chicken arepas
Third course: Roasted snapper with red pepper sauce and zucchini
Fourth course: Key lime curd with mango and coconut
Everything was tasty and innovative that I am at awe that he can turn something as simple as radish into a delicious soup.
By the way, they now accept credit cards.

This is experiential eating at its finest. This was one of the most fun dining experiences I’ve had, period.
For my birthday yesterday, and my dinner date surprised me by taking me to this place. I had heard about one of their special menus from a friend a while ago, so I knew of the place, but didn’t know what to expect in terms of greatness. I was overwhelmed.
Walk in and I’m wearing a dress, and everyone else is wearing jeans and casual clothing, so I felt a little out of place. The restaurant is very unassuming, and pretty cramped, so these things combined made me feel like maybe my friend hadn’t picked the right place for my 25^th birthday dinner. But I was so, so wrong.
Started out with a bottle of prosecco and some conversation with the owner. The first course was a softboiled egg over a sweet potato purée with some kind of chorizo-​like crumble and charred brussels sprouts. This was the highlight of the meal — the perfect oozing/​runny yolk with the bitterness of the brussels sprouts and sweetness of the purée and greasy, umami flavor of the meat was incredible. One of my favorite dishes ever.
Second was a creamy broccoli soup with very small amount of blue cheese sauce drizzled on top, and this was fantastic as well. Even though there was very little sauce, the flavor of it came through perfectly with the blue cheese’s strong tang. It didn’t stand out in terms of creativity, but that didn’t matter — it was a perfectly executed comfort dish. I also liked that they served it not piping hot, so you could focus on the flavors instead of the temperature.
Third dish was also outstanding — the chicken arepa. I don’t seek out chicken in my meals, but this blew me away. Some kind of quesadilla with toasted cheesy homemade tortilla, and some kind of sour creamy slaw mixed in with the shredded chicken. This also wasn’t particularly hot, but I didn’t mind, I liked the cold sour cream cutting through the other flavors. More wine, a Syrah, as recommended by owner.
Fourth course was good, but probably my least favorite of the savory. Two small pieces of pork served with guacamole and corn relish. Yummy, but preferred the others.
Dessert was a rose cheesecake. I was stuffed by this point but really enjoyed the flavor of the cheesecake.
I should also mention by now that the owner has provided us with many shots. The 1^st, for rescheduling our reservation (which wasn’t an inconvenience to us). The 2^nd, for it being my actual birthday. The third… heck I don’t know. And the drinks after that and the whole place singing me happy birthday and hugging a lot of people… I was overwhelmed with fun and joy. It was a fantastic evening that I won’t forget despite the drinking and… the other fun. I want to become a regular at this place and go every week when the menu changes. Thank you so much Mr. Pollo, and see you again soon! Can I bring you shots?

The food here is quite good and enjoyable for even those with different palates and preferences. A tasting menu (i.e., smaller portions) is a good way to try new dishes or cuisines, and this place fits the bill. The courses are inventive — mixing flavors and textures — with attractive plating.
The first time I went it cost $ 20, but the current $ 25 cost for 4 – 5 courses is still a pretty good deal. You won’t be stuffed but you will be full.
The location is the only drawback and there aren’t many places really close by to go hang out before or afterward. The place is small, seats a dozen or so, but they take reservations!

I heard about the arepas here and I just had to try it. Upon getting here you notice that the place is quite small and they don’t accept cash. There are only four tables and I definitely would not recommend it if you had a group larger than four people. That aside the food was great. The three of us ended up having the tasting menu along with sharing one of the arepas.
The first course was this super light salad. Arugula tomatoes and a little bit of bacon for salt factor. the dressing was incredible and brought everything together. It was one of the best salads I’ve had as even though I’m not a huge tomato fan, these tomatoes were very ripe and slightly sweet.
The second course was a chilled carrot soup. I wasn’t looking forward to trying it because when you mention it it is something that I would probably never order because it just sounds so boring and uninteresting. That was until drug my spoon through this slightly thick purée and had the the bright and slightly spicy (I mean in more of a bit of coriander and curry spicy and not a heat spicy) soup awaken my tastebuds. It was a perfect transition the the arepa. Growing up in Miami, I ate a lot of arepas coming up but they were usually a rather boring corn pancake griddled with cheese between the two cakes. This arepa, the Venezuelan version was unlike anything I’ve ever had before. The corn cake was very crispy and up against the the tender chicken. The only problem I had with this dish is that I wanted the entire arepa to myself.
The third course was grilled shrimp with a bit of pesto and lardon (just to keep things appropriately especially not kosher). The shrimp were cooked perfectly and you had that slight salt from the lardon, that was sliced so nicely that I initially thought it was cheese.
The last course was this delightful cream rounded out with some sweet figs and tart blackberries. I’m not a big dessert guy but this one was a great and was just as I liked to have a dessert, sweet but not to sweet with a fruit element and a crunchy element.
All in all for what it’s worth it is the perfect little quiet romantic spot that also as amazing prices.

Today wasn’t the best day so I decided to take a break to treat myself and check out Mr Pollo. I had really enjoyed my experience at Chef Manny’s pop-​up at Roxy’s Café a few months back so was excited about this 4-​course tasting next door.
I was greeted with a smile by the host Will who say me at one of the few tables in this tiny little nook of a restaurant. The chef was cooking right next to me, for myself and just three other patrons in for an early dinner.
They started me off with a salad with cucumber, mango, chicharones, and a feta vinaigrette. Every flavor rang out, and the creamy feta blended with all of them.
Second course was a traditional vegetable soup with variety of fresh veggies including some fava beans, as well as some thin rice noodles. Very delicate flavor but satisfying.
Third course was some veal cubes on a bed of curry and saffron bulgur, dressed with some sautéed strong beans. Amazing composition of flavors again, probably the standout.
Last was a baby plum pie with a crumble crust and some homemade whip, garnished with a little mint. Surprisingly not sweet, just very tart and bold in that way. Also very satisfying.
Really enjoyed the meal, looking forward to returning. You really can’t go wrong here with a 4-​course meal at $ 25, the cost of a mediocre and far less inventive entrée at most fancy places in the Mission.
Please support chefs like this that are bringing high-​end food to the masses at blue-​collar prices, it’s quite a treat!