As a huge fan of Queen, the song Who Wants to Live Forever comes up quite a bit in my music listening rotation. And I think it’s a valid question when confronted by the concept of dying by taco. I mean I love good Mexican food, and if someone can make me a taco worth dying for, then I can die extremely happy. The name alone made me want to try out Death By Taco, but also their unusual selection of tacos on the menu helped considerably. So did the extensive Mezcal list.
I dropped in for lunch one day when I was out running some errands nearby. It’s located close to Oracle Park, so I can imagine it could get quite popular on days when there is a Giants game. For us, it was fairly quiet, but it’s also a pandemic, so perhaps people just weren’t really out having lunch quite yet. I really wanted to try a cocktail (sort of like a mezcal manhattan), but my dining partner went straight for the mezcal selection. It’s a great list, and they seem quite knowledgeable about what is on offer, so if you need some help finding one to your taste, there is definitely someone nearby to help out.
Since it was lunch, we just stuck with a couple of tacos and chips and salsa. The salsa had some decent flavor which was nice, as often they end up being a bit bland and boring. Taco wise, I had The Obligatory Yet Delicious Fish Taco with cod, slaw and a chipotle aioli and The Call of the Wild with braised elk, pickled onion and guacamole. My dining partner also had The Call of the Wild, but he paired it with The Greenest Pastures with pork belly and a fried egg. All the tacos were very nice, with our favorite being The Call of the Wild, but The Greenest Pastures also had really nice flavor. I liked the fish taco well enough, but it definitely was not the best one I’ve ever had.
Overall, I really enjoyed our meal and the tacos at Death By Taco. There were several others on the menu I wanted to try, and they even have vegetarian and vegan options if that is what you are looking for. There are even quite a few more options for the pescetarian out there too! The mezcal list is also pretty intense, so there are plenty of options to try out. It’s definitely staying on my list if I want some Mexican food with a twist, or I need a quick lunch if I’m in the area.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: The Call of the Wild and lots of mezcal
Death By Taco
301 King St,
San Francisco, CA 94158
