It's a no-brainer that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the best places in the country for food. There are many choices in terms to food, including, but not limited to, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian and Greek--but make no mistake: Bay Area Mexican food is considered king.
While San Francisco may have the best burrito in America at La Taqueria, you're paying an arm and a leg for that food. That's why the Bay Area suburbs are a hotbed for quality Mexican food at a reasonable price. Next time you make a visit to the Bay Area, consider going outside of San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose and check out some of these quality locations.
Taqueria Los Gallos Express
There's a reason why their name has Express in it, and the fine folks over at Taqueria Los Gallos Express sure know how to make delicious food, fast. With two locations in Pleasant Hill and Concord, it makes it much easier to try out the wide variety of options they have available.
While every option is a solid choice, your best bet is the Super Burrito. The beans, cheese, Spanish rice, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and your choice of meat give it the deserving moniker of the Super Burrito. Not to mention, it is a behemoth to devour!
La Costa
While La Costa and its two locations in Oakley and Brentwood are the farthest away from the rest of the Bay Area, it makes up with its relaxed atmosphere, homely qualities and most importantly: the killer food. In fact, La Costa won the gold level prize for overall Mexican food (along with burritos and other meals under $10, outdoor dining and seafood) in the 2017 Best of Oakley Magazine awards, putting it in the upper tier of Bay Area Mexican food.
With that being said, there is one item that stands out above the rest on La Costa's menu: the torta. A torta is a Mexican style sandwich using bolillos, and it typically contains meat, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, onions and sour cream. La Costa has mastered and perfected the art of the torta.
El Yahualica Tacos
A general rule of thumb for Mexican food is the more the location seems like a hole in a wall, the better the food is going to be.
El Yahualica adheres to this rule to a tee.
It's located in the corner of an outdoor strip mall, with apartments surrounding the restaurant. It seems like a very quiet place, but don't let its looks deceive you.
Their tacos are my personal favorite of all time. The salsa, cilantro and onions provide the perfect complement to their al pastor (shawarma-split pork) meat, with the resulting combinations providing an explosion of food within your mouth.
Tortilleria El Molino
Another adherent to the "hole-in-the-wall" rule is Tortilleria El Molino.
While serving mouth-watering dishes such as tacos and burritos, El Molino is actually best known for their tortillas made in-house and the tamale dough as well. If you're feeling adventurous, you can make some delicious tamales from scratch using their dough.
If you aren't feeling so adventurous, their tacos are always a good choice to go with.
Now, We Feast
The Bay Area is such an amazing place to live in, especially considering how diverse the community is. The food options that exist here are a testament to the Bay's diversity. And while I am not the first to admit that there aren't too many things to see in the suburbs, I am also not the first to admit that every corner of the Bay Area has amazing food, especially Mexican food.
The next time you're visiting the Bay Area, consider ditching San Francisco for a little bit and visit some of these awesome places in the suburbs instead. Not only will you be getting amazing food, you'll be getting it at a fraction of the price a San Francisco restaurant would offer it.