Las Mestizas made the move from the Mission to the Marina last year, bringing its Yucatan specialties along for the ride. The cochinita pibil and poc chuc are the specialties here, and the tacos are the perfect way to highlight both styles of meat.

If you’re wondering what to order at Cholita Linda, all of the dishes are excellent, but the crispy, Baja-style fish taco is the standout. The crispy fish, topped with cabbage slaw and a crema can’t be beat, come paired with views of the water at the restaurant’s Ferry Building location.

One of the better Mexican restaurants on the West side, Los Mayas is also one of the city’s better Yucatecan restaurants. It’s a solid spot to sample the cuisine’s characteristic citrus-marinated meats — poc chuc and cochinita pibil — in taco form, piled onto fat handmade tortillas.

Cancun (with three locations in the Mission, Bernal Heights and SoMa) is a San Francisco crowd favorite. If you’re deciding what to order, the al pastor and carnitas are always reliable and the tacos always have just the right meat-to-tortilla ratios.

This Design District restaurant earned a reputation for its excellent Guanajuatan cuisine and its rich pozole verde. But it’s also a great spot for carnitas tacos: slow-roasted local pork shoulder piled onto tortillas made with fresh masa from Oakland’s La Finca Tortilleria.

There’s plenty to enjoy at Poc-Chuc, which serves up Yucatecan and Mayan-style food, but the tacos themselves are worth stopping in for. The homemade tortillas are the perfect vessel for the varieties of meat served at Poc-Chuc; the pork in the cochinita pibil taco is tender and comes served with an achiote sauce and pickled red onions, while the taco de chimole de pavo, comes topped with strands of turkey swimming in ink-black mole. Both sauces were soaked up nicely by the tortilla and dribbled slightly onto the plate... a bit messy, but worth it.

The quesabirria tacos are the most popular at Chuy’s Fiestas, a waiter confirmed, and it’s easy to see why: the classically red-tinged tacos come stuffed with meat and cheese, with the tortilla charred to a nice crisp and served alongside the cutest bowl holding the requisite consomé. But there are other tacos to explore on the menu; the vampiro taco can satisfy the hungriest people in your party and comes loaded with carne asada, melted cheese, pinto beans, pico de gallo, a healthy serving of guacamole and topped with tomatillo sauce.

Loló has been a Mission District favorite since its debut in 2007. The restaurant bills itself as serving a “playful interpretation of Jaliscan-Californian cuisine” and it shows with its various takes on the taco. Try the Taco Tropical with spiced panko-encrusted shrimp and chipotle aioli drizzle or the fried chicken taco with coleslaw and pickled jalapenos, or go for the “al pastor” cauliflower tacos if you’re looking for a vegetarian option.

La Torta Gorda is a mom-and-pop owned by a family from Puebla, Mexico. Although the restaurant is best known for its namesake sandwiches, its meaty tacos are also solid — including the oversized “Taco Placero” — especially when doused with the shop’s very good salsas verde and rojo.

This unassuming meat market hides handmade tortillas with various meat options within, the best of which is the cecina, a salted and air-dried meat sliced thin and crisped on the griddle. Be careful with the salsa rojo here — it is seriously hot. The taco counter is open with somewhat limited hours — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Sundays when it closes at 2.

La Taq is nationally famous for its meaty, rice-free burritos, and rightfully so. But if you talk to the restaurant’s legion of dedicated fans, many of them will tell you that it’s La Taqueria’s tacos, and not its burritos, that are its most delicious offerings. The carnitas and carne asada are both uncommonly juicy and flavorful, and the tacos come loaded with so much meat (and guacamole, sour cream, and cheese if you opt for the “super” version) that just one or two makes for a filling meal. Go for the dorado style, with a crispy corn tortilla folded inside a soft one, for a taco with more crunch and structural integrity.

This longtime Anchor Brewing pop-up opened its first permanent location in spring 2023. Now, fans can get any of the suite of six tacos on the cheap — nothing more expensive than $6 for fare, including a roasted duck taco — on the city’s more or less slept-on east side.