Opera Plaza Deli & Taqueria

It’s a taqueria/​deli/​coffee shop/​convenience store/​hot singles meet-​up
Actually, I just tossed in that last one but I’m sure some of the people I’ve run into here are single.
It’s pretty busy around lunchtime but great if you have to get a bunch of things, like milk, 6-​packs of beer, cereal, a burrito, deviled eggs, turkey on rye sandwiches, tacos, or tampons.

Burrito was so gross and it’s priced like a $ 1.50 or so over other really good taco shops. Far to much rice and when you dice vegetables good rule of thumb make sure all the pieces are the same size, also they were out of steak before 3pm? that’s a problem. either you didn’t order enough beef or your chef is really going to town on those taco’s that are so great. I will not be spending money here again.

Opera Deli Plaza makes the best tacos and you cannot forget their wide selection of cigarettes. I don’t smoke but I go out of my way to go there to browse through their impressive variety of cigarettes.

Casual space that could almost be a liquor store but they have a sizable kitchen. The grilled veggie burrito was great! Will definitely come and explore more items.

Ok, so I have to update my review of this place because since I last wrote, my opinion has changed.
The service here is awful. They are understaffed and everytime I go in there at lunch time. There is always a ridiculous line with only one person making sandwiches. If you just want to go in for a quick soda, you are out of luck if the one staff person is making a sandwich. If this place doesn’t get more staff in (at the very least during peak lunch hours) then they are going to lose a lot of customers. I definitely am not going there anymore, because I’m at WORK, and I only have an hour for lunch! I don’t have the 25 minutes to order a sandwich, grab a soda, eat, and get back to work on time. No bueno. What a waste of space.

The meat in the tacos is cold. Pastor isn’t really pastor. The salsa is amazing, and the portions very generous, but I was expecting something better for that price.

Burrito was terrible… very bland. The service was also… dry.
Today, I ordered the New Yorker sandwich from the deli side. It tastes alright, but is almost nothing like the description. For some reason, it has chicken salad AND chicken slices in it? No pastrami. I think the only thing that it has from what I ordered is pickles.

if this review was just based on the quality of the food i would rate this restaurant 5 stars. they have the best ruben sandwich in sf.
the problem is i used my credit card and was double charged for my purchase. when i discovered the overcharge i contacted master charge and was informed the only thing they could do is take a fraud complaint and the investigation could take months.
i said i didn’t want to do that as i was sure it was just a computer error.
i was told to call the restaurant and have them issue a credit.
8 phone calls later i finally reached someone who didn’t hang up on me because they were too busy. i told the guy what my problem was and he said i would have to come down and bring a copy of my statement. i told him i am a handicapped senior with mobility problems. he said they would not look up the transaction and issue a credit.
today i took a trip to the restaurant with the help of my social worker.
the did refund the $ 19.95 but offered nothing in compensation for the hassle i went through. when i pointed this out she offered an additional $ 5.05 total $ 25.
better than nothing but something should have been offered without my having to ask.
if you go for the delicious food take cash and leave y
our credit card at home

This is the best place in town. The food is amazing service is great and the owner is super friendly. The best price in town for sandwiches stacked with meat and the burritos are delicious. Highly recommend!!!

GREAT FOOD! AMAZING PEOPLE! GREAT VALUE!
Everyone in the financial district has to stop by Opera Plaza Deli.
Its a hidden gem of San Fransisco. Best sandwiches, coffee and mexican food around.
You won’t be disappointed!

While living in the complex for these past 20 years and witnessing the glum & seedy Hayes Valley/​Civic Center transform from a slum and seedy trough of ugliness to a hip and original community, I have seen dreary and dark enterprises try their best in the back edge of Opera Plaza. Five businesses have failed in this corner space.
Now, this brave family has tried to revitalize the corner with a deli and little grocery store. They are terrific!
Selma and her handsome husband have transformed this moldy, grim and AWFUL old corner in to a bright, fresh, and clean eatery (breakfast and lunch and a light dinner options) and tiny market for those of us who don’t want to walk locally to dusty grocery stores with 1980-​era ketchup still sitting on the shelves.
Just great food!
Try their garlic tortilla stuffed with grilled vegetables – a masterpiece; try their great sandwiches and salads which can be customized by Sasha, who knows something about food and tastes that go together. Try their great home-​made hummus and also their combination sandwich selections are UNIQUE to the neighborhood. Really, after 20 years, this place is a breath of fresh air.
Then handsome, utterly too charming Jamill, or the lovely radiant Noor, will check you out quickly. They are really trying and I appreciate how the staff and Selma remember everyone who comes in more than once. The place is spotlessly clean and the food excellent.
I would hope for more items to choose from: more extensive Stouffers frozen selections, other ice creams, and just plain, crisp ice cream items without a bunch of cluttered flavors, and some better comestibles (for those interested in more robust English words — it’s food) and maybe a better selection of wine, but really I can’t say anything, but — THANKS for being in our building!
A FAN!

Today I had the worst burrito in San Francisco.
Dude took the tortilla right out of the bag and started heaping cold ingredients on it, without even warming it up. Rice was cold, meat was cold and kinda fatty and tasteless, guac and sour cream were ice cold. I take it to the counter, and when I remove it from the plastic basket it feels just like a frozen burrito.
So first they tell me that it’s supposed to be that way, because the cold from the sour cream and guac were «bleeding through.» They offer to stick it in the oven, or even to get the burrito guy to do it right, but by then there was (inexplicably) a line, and I had stuff to do. Got back to the office and yup, nothing in that burrito was even remotely warm. Fortunately someone brought cookies.

This place has one of the best coffee in the neighborhood. I would go as far as to say that it’s comparable with Philz (even though Philz has more variety. But if you want a good coffee try this place out. They have a few coffee bean selection. They also have deli, etc. And the customer service is excellent. It’s inside the Opera Plaza on the main ground floor around the corner by UPS.

I live in the building so I regularly make trips down to the deli & taqueria for all kinds of things. Most recently of note, they started selling alcohol, which is super convenient. Cold beer — pretty good selection, craft beers, local, etc. Some chilled wines and more unchilled wines. Hard liquor behind the register. Prices aren’t bad either… not the cheapest but certainly worth the extra 50 cents to $ 1 for the convenience of being downstairs. Comparable to BevMo prices.
The deli and taqueria for food are great! The portions are quite sizable. I usually get a burrito, but have had the tacos and other items too. I haven’t had anything bad yet. Chips and free salsa bar come with all dishes. I haven’t had any of the non-​mexican or non-​deli sandwich items, but other people seem to have good luck there (they have Mediterranean plates and burgers, etc.)
Not to be missed… their coffee is excellent! It is pour over brewed. They have many many choices for your roast (I think they have teas too), all of which you can also purchase by the pound. It’s not going to be as cheap as Peet’s around the corner, but still a little less than Philz, and I think the taste is far better than what you’d get at either. Medium roast New Guinea is my usual choice.
And last but not least, the staff are always very friendly.
The opera plaza taqueria is a little hidden gem. If you live in the building and didn’t know it was there, you’d be missing out, even if you are just stopping in for some emergency eggs or milk, snacks, drinks, granola bar… etc. The only downside is they are not open on weekends. Newest hours are 8am-​8pm, mon-​fri.

Love this place! It carries my favorite east coast variety of cold cuts in Boars Head meats and cheeses that keep me coming back. The two women who run the place are absolutely great to their customers and will leave you happy with their service. The taqueria is okay and adds a little variety to the mix, but really it’s the sandwiches that keep me coming back. They do sometimes get a little busy in this little market, so maybe phone ahead your order. Tip: ask for a little horseradish sauce to go with that roast beef and Swiss! ;-)

This place is the best!
For months I’ve been coming in and selecting one of a number of sandwiches from the deli. I thought this was a clutch move because the woman behind the counter is super nice and takes a lot of pride in putting together carefully crafted sandwiches with the best ingredients. There’s more than enough options to keep things fresh for a while, and new ingredients (different spreads, types of cheese, and bread) all the time. Plus, their sandwiches are pretty big and tend to last me two lunches.
But today I had a neg from some Mediterranean food and went ahead and ordered the plate. I got even more excited as I paid for my meal and was informed they make everything themselves in house. Everything on this plate was amazing! Particularly great are the Dolmas and tabbouleh. I’ll definitely get it again.
Between the service and food, this is the best place I’ve found in the area for a decently priced and delicious lunch.

Some of the nicest people and some of the best food. I love the sandwiches and they make them specially if you ask for special they will make them. She even ordered horseradish just for me. I love it!

I stopped by after a long absence. I used to stop in frequently because it is close to my home. Unfortunately like many places, they’ve raised their prices considerably and lowered the quality. The food was tasteless. I was extremely disappointed in the quality and won’t return. It is now way overpriced for what it is and compared to other similar places in the area and I went away feeling I’d wasted my money.

I rarely write a review after one visit.
I didn’t realize this was here until recently. I went today for the first time and I was really impressed. I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that they have good Mexican Tacos here if it weren’t for good ‘olé Unilocal.
The Tacos were great. $ 3.25 a piece. Huge amount of meat. They have all of the really good taco-​meats. They also have a hell of a good Salsa Bar, gratis. I had one Al Pastor (really good) and one Pollo en Salsa (pulled-​Chicken, fairly mild flavor). Overall, I was really happy. Again, lot’s ‘o meat. Very little filler — which is a HUGE bonus when eating Mexican food. For the Chicken, I would do the Pollo Asada (grilled) next time. They were out of Carnitas — this guy’s personal fav. I’ll try that one, too.
They also have a deli, and they make deli sandwiches. The Taqueria also has a number of good looking entrees (see other peoples’ Unilocal photos). They have a full fridge of beverages, and some basic produce and quick-​stop market food: Bread, cereal, staples. Basic toiletries.
I’ll come back for the Tacos. And, for what it’s worth, I thought the staff was top-​notch.

I come here every week with friends for taco Tuesday. My favorite is their steak taco and baby nachos. On taco Tuesday its two tacos for $ 5.00 with a fruity drink. Excellent price for such fabulous food! My mommy like beef steak tacos too! :)