I love the flavors of Mexico! And I was fortuitous enough to get put on an email list for Copas, a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco. The food looked good, but I didn’t give it a try until I found out about a special dinner they were having with wine pairings that was a fundraiser for LYRIC: A charity supporting LGBTQ+ youth, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try them. We found out a lot about Chef Julio Aguilera that evening too, as he trained with many great fine dining chefs, as well as spending quite a bit of time in Mexico, so it was really great to hear about his background, plus they have a great vision of wanting to give back to the community, which seems unusual given the current climate of the world. Now, I’m not reviewing that specific meal because I decided to just enjoy myself, but because the food was phenomenal, I knew we were going to have to go back again.
And as it turns out, they started doing a full fine dining style tasting room in the back (and I do love a good back room), so I quickly booked us in to give it a try. Of course, we arrived a bit early, and we took a gander at the drinks at the bar. I went for the Oaxacan Old Fashioned which was just Mezcal mixed with Tequila, and I was pretty much sold. I love a boozy and not too sweet drink, and this just hit the spot. After, we were shown to the back room where they seat up to eight people for the tasting menu. It’s definitely small and intimate, but the tables were big enough that even though we were sharing a table, we were far enough from the people next to us it was quite comfortable.
It started with Fruta Y Mezcal, which turned out to be finely diced fruit in a citrus tarragon broth. It was really refreshing and a great way to cleanse the palate for the meal. This moved on to guacamole that ended up being an elaborate looking, yet delicious, avocado toast. And I knew their guacamole was fantastic based on the prior visit, so it went down amazingly. Next up was some lightly grilled Hamachi with a pumpkin seed salsa macha followed by some pork belly with smoked onion. To be honest, every dish was outstanding, with a great mix of flavors and cooking techniques, and I was pretty wowed with it all.
There were two more savory dishes with a diver scallop with pico de gallo and a wagyu strip steak with a chile jus. Two more fantastic dishes. Finally we had dessert which included a cocktail, a passionfruit and chocolate dessert and churros with burnt chocolate. Dessert was a bit weaker, but I definitely enjoyed it all around, although the churros are outstanding as they were light, fluffy and melted in the mouth. I should also mention we went with the wine pairings with the meal, and the sommelier picked out an amazing selection of wines from around the world that were delicious on their own and with the food.
So when yet another dinner pairing showed up in my email, we hurried over. This time it was paired with tequila, and the chef had a guest chef doing the meal. And again, the food was absolutely fantastic, with elevated versions of classic Mexican dishes like posole, tamals, beef stew and tres leches cake. There were also some fantastic snacks served at the beginning.
Copas has definitely become one of my new favorite Mexican restaurant in the city. The flavors are all spot on, the wait staff is attentive and friendly, and they do love their regulars. I’m dreaming of going back again for tacos and guacamole, but I’m sure I’ll also be keeping an eye out for any more special meals they do, as they are fun events, plus you really can’t go wrong for a tasting menu under $80. If you love Mexican, both casual and fine dining, it’s definitely a restaurant to put at the top of your list and get over to soon!
Score: 5/5
Recommendation: Tasting Room with wine pairings, but if you go for a regular meal, the guac is a must!
Copas
2223 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
