Caliente Bistro Kitchen

I read the SF Standard news article that Caliente Bistro is at risk of closing. I feel sad since I live in the Richmond and a lot of businesses closed already. I'm really surprised to find out how expensive rent is and the cost of doing business. This is my first time here and glad I discovered a gem. I bought a carne asada burrito tonight to support. It came with free chips and sauce. It came with a lot of meat and really yummy for $14 including tax. The salsa is different here since it doesn't have tomatoes pieces. I like how the sauces are mild with a kick of spice and enjoyed the green sauce a lot.

Took my dad here when he was visiting, he ordered one of the massive, gorgeous ceviches and I had tacos. Delicious food with very attentive service.
Highly recommend it - try the ceviche!

Fresh and hot! That's how we got our food.
We were told to be careful before digging into complimentary chips with 2 salsas (one green, one orange) as they literally came out of the fryer. They were light, thin and crispy-delicious with the mild salsas.
We ordered the enchiladas, steak fries and super burrito.
The steak fries are a generous portion, carne asado right off the grill goes over the melted cheese and fries and then topped with diced tomatoes, red onion, thin sliced fresh jalapeños, a dollop of fresh guacamole and finished with sour cream. When I mean right off the grill, you need to start off with a fry or two because the meat was still piping hot that you could burn your tongue.
The super burrito was super! This is the first burrito I've ever had with the meat filling packed in the first bite. And the same thing, fresh hot carne asada. Most burritos I've had elsewhere have lukewarm fillings of rice and beans and the meat a third of the way down. A very tasty burrito and even better with the salsas we still had from the chips.
My brother ordered the enchiladas. I didn't try them, but they looked really good. Side of guacamole, pico de gallo, black beans and fresh shredded iceberg lettuce and cheese topped those enchiladas. I guess they were good because all that was left on his plate was the beans. He's not a bean person.
Head on over for some great Mexican food!

Absolutely five stars for food and service.

The chips are so fresh.

Highly recommend the roasted chicken leg and tacos.

Caliente is our one of favorite restaurants here in Inner Richmond. Ahi tuna ceviche is one of my favorite, Ribs is amazing, very tender and side is really good. My husband loves their burrito with French fries.

Service is really good specially Andy,

We tried to come to caliente once a week to help the local business.

Legit neighborhood place. Friendly and hardworking staff who put out creative, fresh and tasty grub! Dig those tamarind ribs!!!! Honest and well priced portions. SF needs more places like this to feed the people!

I'm not sure if they taste super "traditional" but they are GOOD. The foods taste all good and fresh. The portion is huge and the price is reasonable. Their hot salsa is . Please try. Street parking only. The server was super friendly and nice. Check the hour, it says they close at 8pm on Friday which feels a bit early. There is a small bar area with a tv where you can watch sports too.

I would definitely come back to try different menu!!

Amazing. From being greeted, customer service top notice. The food so good. Each of us ordered something different and we each others food. This ribs absolutely amazing. The fries done perfectly and I was able to get an iced coffee. Your order will be enough for 2-3 meals. Each of us could not finish our item.

So funny I pass here almost every day to the gym, and I see the sign. I never stopped by and so now I will be here more often. My brother and his better half have been coming here for a few years.

Thankful for this hidden gem. Blessed and tummy full.

Surprised to find a mexican restaurant in this area and was pleasantly surprised! The nachos came out fresh, green sauce was spicier, red sauce was sweeter. The carne asada fries are absolutely massive. The sando torta had hot bread and well balanced al pastor with veggies. Both orders came with standard fries that were really hot.

Quick service on a Friday night without any wait. Fast casual dining.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a Mexican place better than this in SF, or dare I say in the Bay Area.

While that might be an overstatement, Caliente Bistro Kitchen is definitely bringing the heat when it comes to value. Somebody forgot to tell them they're in SF because their prices are actually fair! The portions are huge where their tacos are loaded with meat and their ceviche actually has a generous serving of ahi tuna. The Cuban chicken sandwich was also huge for $16 with fries included, albeit there really wasn't anything "Cuban" about the sandwich, but it was also good. Also, you definitely heard right - the salsa they have is out of this world. Special shout-out to the orange habanero sauce, I haven't had salsa like it anywhere else and I would go back just to get some more.

Overall, this has gotta be hands down the best Mexican food for the price and I only scratched the surface of what their expansive menu offers.
This place is so good, I'm very tempted to pull a food influencer and "rEaLly cOnsideR gATekeEpinG tHis plAce", instead of sharing it with people.