La Vaca Birria: Authentic Halal Mexican Cuisine in San Francisco

Food here is very different from a typical taqueria. Tortilla is fattier from the beef tallow, and the carne asada has a distinct smoky aroma. Tacos are also on homemade two-tone corn tortillas. The birria is a home run with great flavor and texture. The carne asada super burrito has excellent quality, tender steak. The mushroom taco is also very delicious. Burritos used to be huge here. Now they are a bit more moderately sized. Chips and salsa are now blue and are not as good as the other ones. Price matches the quality of the food. La Vaca Birria clearly distinguishes itself from other taco joints and has its own purpose. Absolutely worth trying.

I want to rave about this place and I'm not even here to talk about tacos. Don't get me wrong, their quesabirria tacos are But I'm here to rave about how clean they keep their kitchen. I was taken aback at how open and clean this place keeps the prep area. It's the first thing I noticed and I couldn't stop checking it out. My partner and I sat at the bar which also overlooks the kitchen. These people seriously know how to keep it clean! Nothing makes me more impressed than a restaurant with a superbly clean kitchen. I've worked in many "clean" restaurants before but this was an another level. Kudos to the kitchen manager, the staff, and the owner. Y'all have a good thing going. And here's a BIG TIP, if you get cold easily, grab a table at the bar. It's the furthest seat from the front door and much warmer than the seats up front!

I ordered the three birria plate and the nachos. The food came fast and was delicious!

La Vaca Birria for the win, best steak tacos I’ve EVER had! The service we received on a random Tuesday evening was professional, warm and our waitress and some great recommendations we really enjoyed. We had the house guacamole, which was incredible. Fresh and topped with a generous amount of cotija. The chips stood out too, the house fresh chips made with the blue maize were delicious, the crunch was next level. We also ordered the elote, perfectly seasoned and lots of crema to dip in! The highlight of our meal were the tacos. We each ordered the steak taco, the brisket chorizo taco, and the quesa-birria taco. As stated earlier this was the best steak taco I’ve ever eaten. The tortilla was made fresh with a blue maize, the steak was unreal, it was the most tender steak on a taco ever. The toppings and salsa finished the deal. The brisket chorizo taco and quesa-birria were both incredible, they were so rich but balanced with the tang of the salsa and the fresh bite of onion and cilantro I’ll be back

I absolutely love this spot. I wish the tacos were a little more crispy. But the flavor is all there. A little bit on the higher price side but worth it. Birria tacos 6.8/10, Birria quesadilla 9/10, You should also try the Birria Ramen 7/10, The birria fries are a must order, have eaten here multiple times, and that's why the table looks different.

Stop playing around and get here! Yes the idea of “best” is open to interpretation but when was the last time you ate a taco and it blew your mind? The food here is made with intention and care and you know what I could eat these steak tacos and mushroom tacos and churros everyday until I died.

Restaurant is clean. I ordered mesquite-grilled lengua, Baja fish taco, and quesabirria. Blue corn tortillas for tacos are made to order. All were very delicious. A bit disappointed they ran out of duck carnitas. Will have to try next time. Removed a star because I had to keep asking and waiting over 10 minutes to get my beer when it was not busy. Otherwise, the food is solid and servers are kind. UPDATE: Visited again on 6/18/2024 The interior has really improved. I really feel like these tacos are the Mercedes Benz of tacos in San Francisco. They’re definitely not cheap, but the fine and consistent dice of the onions, the layering of the fish and avocado, and quality of the hand-made tortillas is on another level compared to most other taquerias. The chips and salsa: even the chips are using handmade tortillas. Salsa is not too spicy, skin has been removed from the tomatoes. A for effort.

I've heard it before, and I've said it half jokingly before, but the smoked carne asada burrito is literally one of the best (if not the...) burritos I've ever had. Maybe I'm just fond of the smokey flavor, but if you like that fire grilled taste, you have to try this place! I hear the oyster tacos are absolutely amazing also! Not too expensive but not cheap and you save $4 by going in and ordering; not ordering online. Try it!!!