Papalote Mexican Grill

3409 24th St. @ Valencia

415.970.8815

by melanie farley

 

 

 

Papalote is not your average Mexican dive. You can’t help but notice, when you first walk in, how nice the place looks - two tone red walls, a blue floor, and groovy tables where you can look out the wall of windows on one side. It’s clean, it’s neat, it’s got that happenin’ look.

First thing - no tacos. Nada. Instead, the menu includes shrimp quesadillas, pechuga al achiote (marinated chicken breast), and a variety of burritos. The good news - it’s cheap! This isn’t one of those yuppie places trying to call good old Mexican food "exotic fare" charging outrageous prices. You can go in with $5 and have a meal.

I have to admit that I was impressed that they had they’re very own Papalote beer on tap, as well as sangria. The best feature of the menu, however, is their breakfast menu, served all day, 7 days a week! Complete with chirizo favorites and chilaquiles, it screams "hangover killer."

The folks behind the counter were pleasant as pie. I couldn’t really differentiate between the boss or the employees because everyone seemed to be equally happy. After we ordered, they brought the food to the table and were quite present during the whole meal.

Everything sounds perfect, right? Well, it was…except for one tiny detail: the food. It was good, but not great. A little greasy, a little too much cheese, a little too dry on the chicken, a little too cooked on the shrimp. We finished a pitcher of sangria without even a little buzz, and the jicama salad was pretty mysterious. In fact, I’m not 100% sure it was jicima. If Papalote was a first grade student, the report card would read "doesn’t meet potential." But they’re new, and lots of places change over time when they get the hang of things. As far as Mexican places go, they’re average. But, if they get it together, along with the idea and location, this could easily become another great spot an already charged neighborhood.

 

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