I visited San Francisco for the first time earlier this year. As a traveler, the city can be overwhelming – so much history, so much culture, so many tourist traps. I decided to skip the Fisherman’s Wharf and the cable cars and instead caught the BART to the gritty Mission District. Home to a huge Latin American population, the Mission is revered among taco lovers for its cheap, authentic Mexican cuisine. I spent a day trolling the neighborhood’s main drag for the perfect taco and wrote about the experience for BCBusiness Magazine.
Travelling to San Francisco
Remy Scalza; Special to BCBusiness
October 2010
At the southern end of Mission Street, amid the fruit stands and pawn shops, is a sign that reads simply La Taquería. Here in America’s taco heartland – San Francisco’s gritty Mission District – that name speaks volumes. There are dozens, possibly hundreds, of taquerías packed into the neighborhood – humble taco joints serving Mexican street food to clientele who know their jalapeños from their habaneros. To call yourself La Taquería – literally, the taco stand – in this context is brassy, even confrontational. It says, “I alone am worthy of the name: the one, the only.”
With carne asada like this, however, it’s hard to argue.
The Mission District is just a brisk subway ride from the cable cars and fishermen’s wharves of San Francisco’s well touristed center. But in appearance, demographics and culture, it’s a world away.
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