If you're visiting San Francisco for the first time, there's a few things every native 'Ciscan will tell you, right off the bat: First, don't call them 'Ciscans. Nobody actually says that, just like nobody (other than tourists) calls it 'Cisco. Second, don't call it San Fran, either. Third — and here's where they lean in conspiratorially, voice dropping to barely above a whisper — if you want the best burrito in the Mission district, go to Taqueria Cancún.
It's not super-trendy or fancy, but what it lacks in subway tile and exposed Edison bulbs it makes up for off-the-charts flavor. The restaurant specializes in behemoth burritos the size of your forearm, loaded to the point of almost splitting the tortilla. Each burrito comes with your choice of protein, and the options extend well beyond what you'd find at Chipotle: steak, carnitas, chorizo, chicken, fried pork, scrambled eggs beef tongue, beef head, and — if that's not exotic enough for you — cow's brains. (There's also a vegetarian burrito option, which comes with avocado.)
Once you've chosen a meat, the burrito's rounded out with rice, beans, onions, cilantro and salsa. But, if you only have the appetite for one gargantuan, food-coma-inducing dish, you've got to go for the meal that's made Taqueria Cancún a cult favorite: the burrito mojado, or wet burrito. The entire thing's covered in enchilada sauce, then literally blanketed in shredded cheese (which melts the instant it hits the hot burrito). From there, it's garnished with salsa verde, sour cream and classic red salsa. The three form stripes across the dish; a nod to the Mexican flag.
Even on any empty stomach, it's hard to get through even half the burrito before tapping out. But that just gives you something to look forward to for tomorrow's lunch. Or a few hours later, when the craving strikes.
Taqueria Cancún's racked up all kinds of awards, from Best of the Bay (for several years running) to SF Weekly's Best of San Francisco, for its $8 to $10 burritos, so if the conspiratorial whispers aren't enough to get you through the door, trust its wall of plaques.
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