La Espiga De Oro

Reviews

• Chris R.

  star star star star star 3 June 2026

  I think La Espiga De Oro has the best chicharrones in the city. Not only in the city but anywhere else I've tried them, which includes Mexico City and Denver. They are significantly better than any of the others I've tried.
  
  Now, to be fair, this does come down to taste. I know the all-meat or heavy-on-the-meat ("con carne") chicharrones like the ones you find at La Palma are all the rage right now but I hate that kind because the meat gets caught in my teeth and I don't think the meat holds as much flavor as the fat. I prefer the thick, fatty kind ("pierna" or "sin carne") found on one side of La Espiga De Oro's chicharrones cart and this is the only place in the city I've found them so far. The chicharrones I've found in other cities pale in comparison to either because they are usually simply the thin, flaky dry kind you can find almost anywhere that are almost indistinguishable from European American pork rinds. At least La Palma's have a significant amount of tasty fat on them with the meat.
  
  One thing to bear in mind is that, about half the time, I've had a cashier who doesn't speak English. Which is fine for me because I usually know enough Spanish to get through the transaction smoothly. And when I haven't, they are, like the kind people of Centro Historico in Mexico City, more than willing to try to get through the transaction with me speaking English and them doing their best to translate what I said to Spanish with both of us doing a lot of pointing and body language.
  
  --
  
  Edit: I was sad to learn this week (2019/10/01) that La Espiga De Oro will no longer be making the pierna version of their chicharrones and are switching fully to the con carne kind. Since I like La Palma's version of this kind better, I guess I'll be getting my chicharrones from them now. Hopefully someday they bring the pierna version back.

• Bonnie H.

  star star star star star 30 May 2026

  For a long time, I wanted to like tamales. They seem like they would be delicious. Masa, with meat inside, or cheese inside, steamed in a corn or banana husk, depending on where the tamal is from. They remind me of lotus leaf wrapped rice from Chinese dim sum, or the glutinous wrapped rice eaten during the DragonBoat festival. Those are delicious, so tamales should also be delicious.
  
  My formidable experiences with tamales were OK. One of my first time having a tamale, I was disappointed. It was dry and not that flavorful. I would had expected it being steamed in a husk for it to be moist, but no, not really.
  
  Despite this experience, something told me, that a good tamale shouldn't be like this. It wouldn't be like this.
  
  So I kept trying.
  
  I had found that the tamales served with tomatillo sauce or enchilada red sauce tend to be better - since the sauce gave it moisture and flavor. This of course was more of a testimony to the sauce, and not the tamal itself. It was like one of those burgers that is good because it's loaded with guacamole or onion strings, and not because the burger itself was amazing.
  
  (I know this is becoming an in-depth existential inquiry into tamales. I will get to La Espiga De Oro, I promise.)
  
  When I would see tamales on the menu, I would always be skeptical. I don't want to waste a meal on the possibility of the tamale being not-so-good, so I'd usually NOT get the tamale, going the safer route of chile relleno or enchiladas. I wanted to know it would be good before I trade in a delicious mexican standby - ya know what I mean?
  
  One of the most disappointing experiences was getting a tamale at a place in the Mission, just down the street from La Espiga de Oro called the Roosevelt Tamale Parlor. I was so excited to go here because TAMALE was in the name of the restaurant! It has to be good right?!
  
  No, it wasn't. It wasn't good. It was a long time ago, so I blocked in from my memory, and don't remember what was not-good about it. But the memory of disappointment is ingrained in my brain. I don't need to revisit it. Some things, we need to just simply let go of.
  
  So yes, my exploration into tamales in San Francisco, has been wide and long. After having eaten so many mediocre tamales, I was slightly skeptical of La Esipiga de Oro, but there were a few hints that it was good. For one, 4.5 stars on yelp... that's always one sign. Two - they seem to specialize in corn, that's another good sign. Three - When you come by here, their customers are mainly latin. Another GREAT sign.
  
  I can honestly say that La Espiga de Oro's tamale is exactly what I always thought a tamale should be. It is MOIST, FLAVORFUL and delicious.
  
  At La Espiga de Oro, I have had the Mexican tamale and the Guatemalan tamale and both are amazing. I saw a few reviews complain that there are bones in the tamale. What these reviewers say is the true-true. The Guatmetmalan tamale does have bones. But I argue that this is part of why it makes it so freakin delicious. There is a reason why recipes always recommend making a bone-in chicken breast, or a steak with the bone-in is juicer. I believe that in that tamale, is fatty, tendon-y bone-in chicken that basically melts into that tamale, that makes it so delicious. The bone IS the secret ingredient. If you can't appreciate that, then fine - go back to your dry-ass tamale.
  
  If you think about why I have come across so many mediocre tamales in San Francisco, you can consider how Latin American restaurant owners incorporate the idea of AMERICANS too much in their food. Americans are scared of bones. Americans don't like so much fat in their food. Americans are afraid of beautiful flavors and textures like cartilage and tendon. Americans would rather be WASTEFUL and throw away parts of the animals the rest of the world uses, just because it's not MEAT in the way they know it.
  
  The bone-in method is probably how the Guatamelans do it, and at La Espiga de Oro, they are not going to dumb down their food for Americans. And I SUPER appreciate that.
  
  So yes, if you're afraid of bones (and it's a big bone, it's not like you'd swallow it by accident), then don't have La Espiga de Oro's tamale. Go down the street to Roosevelt Tamale Parlor. They do not have bones in their tamale. But they also don't have the flavor.

• Mirna V.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  Review your receipt before you walk out. This place intentionally overcharges you. We have been buying tamales here for a while. In recent visits my mother in law noticed the cashier was overcharging her.
  
  The first time it happened the cashier repeated her order, had the correct amount, but then proceeded to charge her for extra tamales. When my mother in law called him out he had no explanation and tried to play it off.
  
  The second time it happened was with the same cashier. Another employee told him to ring her up and gave her the order. My mother in law heard the employee give him the correct amount but he proceeded to ring her up and charged for extra tamales. My mother in law called him out and he blamed the other employee and said that was the amount he gave him. My mother in law then told him, No he did not because I'm standing right here and I heard what he told you. He then tried to play it off.
  
  My mother in law paid with her credit card and noticed the receipt was not itemized. She then told the cashier that she wanted a detailed receipt of what they charged her. That is why they are getting away with overcharging because the receipts only list the total charged. I will be reaching out to the owner to complain.

• Alex R.

  star star star star_border star_border 24 May 2026

  I had heard murmurs that possibly the most underrated burrito in the city could be found at La Espiga de Oro. Tucked away on 24th street in the Mission, this unassuming Mexican joint can be all too easy to pass up. Finding myself with a bit of downtime on a Monday evening, I decided to check it out.
  
  You really get the no-frills vibe as soon as you step in. Immediately to the left lies the order window, where homemade specialties such as tamales and chicharrones are on display. Taking a look at the menu, a wide range of food is on offer. In addition to your customary burritos, quesadillas, and tacos, you will find traditional Mexican dishes including pupusas, guisados (stews), sopas (soups), and various entrée plates (including breakfast platters). This time, I decided to go with a carne asada super burrito to see if the food tasted as good as it looked.
  
  The burrito was off to a decent start -- the tomatoes, onions, crema, and shredded cheese were very fresh, and the proportion of rice was perfect. However, I was definitely disappointed by the meat. I found it to be pretty bland; though nicely grilled, I found myself searching for more salt, seasoning and flavor that just never came. I don't feel like it was too far off from being a solid burrito, but I couldn't get past how flat the meat seemed.
  
  Regardless of the burrito letdown, I still think the other traditional items might be worth a shot. The pupusas and tamales in particular looked authentic and delicious; I might have to return to check those out.

• John S.

  star star star star star 23 May 2026

  In my humble opinion, this restaurant is the most authentic Mexican restaurant in the City.   Both in terms of the decor and the food.
  
  We ordered chilaquiles, a pork taco, and the chicharrones pupusa.  The total was $18 and change.  This was too much for food for two people.
  
  The chilaquiles were the star of the show.  The sauce is not spicy, but delicious.  And the refried beans are cooked in-house, not from a can.
  
  The pork taco was fantastic, but we did add a little salt.
  
  The pupusa was a bit exotic and took some getting used to.  You know chicharrones?  Those pieces of fried fat and pork meat?  Well, they grind those up and put them inside of a pupusa.  The flavor was unexpected and definitely reminiscent of chicharrones.  I've never had that flavor in a pupusa, but it worked.
  
  Also, the service was fantastic.