Pretty much everyone who knows me knows I’m a huge fan of Mexican food. Blame it on New Mexico perhaps, but the food there was so flavorful, I want that in all my Mexican food where ever I am living. (Or maybe blame it on how delicious avocados are, I don’t know!) Sadly, a lot of food in California can lean on the bland side, but that doesn’t stop me from trying new places and looking for something amazing on my palate. So when I saw Yossie’s Cantina moved in nearby, I knew it was someplace we were going to have to try out as soon as possible. And we had some weekend plans, so I thought it would be great to swing by and have lunch.
The venue itself is fairly good sized, located in the previous Rumors location in Soma. Since it was a Sunday lunch, we decided to slide it into the brunch zone with some delicious Sangria that was on the menu. It was incredibly enjoyable and went great with the food. I ordered the Birria Seca, one of the “soup” specials that is only available on the weekend. Basically instead of serving it as a soup, the consume is on the side, and a very generous portion of barbecue goat is served with it. My dining partner went for the pork quesadilla.
Honestly, both dishes were fantastic. The soup had an incredible hit of chile which is all I’m looking for when it comes to Mexican (but it was well balanced with other spices too). The goat was a bit dry, so maybe the soup would be better, plus it was a lot of food for lunch, especially since the chips and salsa were also top notch with another kick of spice to the salsa. The quesadilla was also fantastic (and huge), and for some reason even though the lunch price is less, the portions are still huge. We definitely could have split a main and maybe gotten some sort of starter like queso fundido.
This is a great mom and pop style Mexican restaurant in the heart of Soma. It’s easy to get to as it’s near several bus lines and the service is pretty good. Pair that with excellent food and drinks, and it might be one of my new favorite places to get that Mexican food I find myself craving so much.
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Honestly the Birria was so good, I’m going to find it hard to get something else!
Yossie’s Cantina
398 7th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
