Don Pisto's Burrito Bar

This is a must-try if you live in North Beach or visit. They have amazing food and margaritas (their seasonal margarita is always a fun thing to try, and often delicious). I have come here with friends and for a business dinner, both were great experiences. The appetizers are really good - the queso, ceviche and oysters are all extremely fresh and well prepared. Their burritos are an awesome value, you get a loaded burrito for what you pay for (definitely, if you are really hungry, get the burrito instead of the tacos - obviously way more filling - and super good).

This place has a cool vibe and atmosphere. Overall, I think its a 8.5/9 out of 10 for good, farm to table vibe Mexican food. I definitely recommend Don Pistos!

Love this spot! I prefer this for Happy Hour and nibbles vs a dinner spot. BOMB margaritas! My favorite and go to is the Hibiscus margarita in a pitcher. The tacos are delicious but if you want to switch it up, try every flavor (especially potato) tacos delgados! And their Tortilla soup is super tasty and filling.

Awesome service and great location. Be sure to make a reservation because it can get packed!

Came with friends to get dinner! They have limited outdoor seating so we ended up sitting inside.

Love their chips and green salsa! The chips are super crispy and the green salsa has a nice kick to it. It's sooo good!

We all got tacos and I got carne asada. The carne asada was tender and full of flavor. I was expecting some char flavor to come through because of the grill marks but didn't taste any. Overall, these were still solid carne asada tacos.

Delicious Mexican food in North Beach

North Beach being, historically speaking, an Italian-American neighborhood, one does not expect to find delicious Mexican cousin options there! Well, don't let North Beach surprise you! Don Pistos has been there for quite a few years and serves all sorts of delicious dishes and drinks. It hides in an old and probably historic North Beach building near the corner of Union and Grant and there are no big signs to let you know it is there, but if you walk by, you will not miss it!

I have tried a number of dishes there and they all have been very good, but I always fall back on the tacos, be them Carnitas (my favorites), Carne Asada, Shrimp or El Pastor! So what I usually do is order a few, depending on the number of the people in our party, a pitcher of Margarita or House Sangria and have a blast!

Their sides are pretty good too and for me the guacamole is must! Somehow the drinks do not taste the same without chips and Salsa or guacamole!

The service is pretty good too. The staff is always helpful and good in answering your questions. They do have outside seating, thanks to COVIS-10! However, the indoor space is pretty open and good too.

If you go there and want to try something different, try their Mexican Sashimi!

If you come here JUST for the guac and margaritas, 5 stars all the way... Their guac is some of the best I've had, and same with the margaritas. The server was also phenomenal.. very nice guy.

If you're here for a full meal, I personally wouldn't recommend. For the tacos, you get 2 small tacos, and you can't choose 2 different flavors/options, they have to be the same kind when you order. There isn't much flavor and the quesadillas almost taste stale.

I also really wouldn't recommend the queso fondido. It is truly just a bowl of melted cheese with a little bit of chorizo sprinkled on top. Before you can finish the cheese, it's hardened/thick.

I was looking forward to trying their huevos rancheros, but they only offer that at brunch which is only on the weekend.

Disappointment. The beef shank birria had next to no meat in it (see photo) - I had to ask for additional meat on the side but that is something they do not do for customers typically. Service is slow, but at least they're sort of nice. They also literally kick you out of the restaurant near closing time (was there for brunch) very aggressively.

Excellent al pastor tacos and quesa birria. The chips and salsa verde at the table are also delicious! The chicken tacos were our least favorite and the tortilla soup is under seasoned.

COVID-19 precautions. Cute outdoor dining. Fun environment. Friendly, attentive staff. Yelp waitlist available. Free chips and salsa. Swanky but oh so tasty Mexican/Tex-Mex food and drinks. See below for more info:

COVID-19 precautions:
Staff wear face masks at all time whereas customers wear masks when not eating or drinking. There is a QR code to look at the menu and then place an order with staff. The outdoor dining tables are spaced out, allowing for physical distancing of parties.

Cute outdoor dining:
Don Pistos has a cute outdoor dining setup, one of our favorites in the city. The tables are spaced out and far from people walking on the street and fellow diners. There are lights above the tables giving summer backyard get together vibes.

Fun environment:
Don Pistos is a fun restaurant. Spanish and Latinx music plays in the background, quiet enough where one can partake in conversation but loud enough to dance or nod to the beat.

Friendly, attentive staff:
The staff at Don Pistos is among the best I have encountered. All are friendly and attentive, taking the already excellent dining experience to another level.

Yelp waitlist available:
We typically dine here before the crowds and can get a table right away. However, Don Pistos has a waitlist available via Yelp, which would be a good idea if dining on weekends or busy hours.

Free chips and salsa:
Free chips and salsa verde, which has a tiny bit of spice but goes great with the chips and dishes here. The chips are so delicious: thick, warm, crispy and just the right amount of saltiness.

Swanky but oh so tasty Mexican/Tex-Mex food and drinks:
Don Pistos is swanky but oh so tasty Mexican/Tex-Mex food and drinks. We enjoy our date nights here so much! The food and drinks are delectable.

I am a fan of the classic margarita. The drink is a good amalgamation of citrus, sweetness, and alcohol.

One the Tex-Mex dishes we like are the tacos dorados with beef and cheese. I often tell the partner, the tacos remind me of the Taco Bell ones I would ask my mom to get when I wanted to dine out as a kid, but uber fancy and of high quality. The accompanying crema and salsa are so tasty, just writing this review is making my mouth water, as the former is so creamy and latter on the spicy side.

We are also fans of the street tacos. Three we gravitate towards are the carnitas, carne asada, and al pastor as they are all hugely seasoned and go nicely with the tortilla.

The rice is a great side and addition to a meal. The seasoning is unique and delicious, going well with all dishes, especially the tacos dorados.

Overall, we highly recommend Don Pistos!! :D

I had one of the best burritos I've ever had, starting with its delicate housemade flour tortilla filled with Baja fish, white sauce, avocado and the sweet crunch of cabbage slaw ($14).

My son devoured his Al Pastor burrito ($15) in record time even though it was enormous, stuffed with savory chopped pork rib meat, avocado salsa and pineapple.

I went wild over what I'm calling "deconstructed" Elote, Mexican street corn in a pint-size container with juicy, sweet kernels of corn popping in my mouth with every bite tempered by the spicy hot finish of powdered chili ($7). More more more!

I liked the guacamole, the housemade chips were great.

You can't miss with Don Pisto's, everything wrapped and packed with care and delivered hot by UberEats.

Olé!

Had a blast evening with my friends here. We sat outside with the heater on. We went there early so we got seated right away. We planned to drink and chitchat so we didn't order much food.

We started with a pitcher of Shangria which wasn't so good for our liking but we finished it anyway. Then we changed to Hibicus Margarita and this time, we were happy. We also order sashimi, double-fried chicken, street taco and crispy fried taco dorado. Only sashimi that we didn't like because the taste was off but the rest of our orders tasted delicious not to mention salsa that served with chip was so tasty.

Our server was nice and attentive. Parking can be challenging .