The best burrito in the city is not in the Mission

UPDATE!!!  CUCO’S is now open on Saturdays!  Get thee there now!

There’s always a ton of bluster on the internet over the quest to crown the best burrito in the city, but somehow lost in the discussion among the heavyweights such as El Farolito, Papalote, and Cancun stands the family-owned and operated CUCO’S in the Lower Haight.  Here, you can find the greatest veggie burrito ever imagined, a fried plantain masterpiece that’s so good it’s even been known to force renowned carnivores to rethink their status.  Despite being one of the aforementioned meat-eaters myself (although my Okcupid profile might read “mostly vegetarian”), I have no qualms with stating that this burrito rivals a super al pastor from Farolito or mole-what-have-you from Papalote solely based on its own merit.  But don’t just take my word for it; check out what the experts at Burritophile have to say:

In no uncertain terms, Cuco’s plantain burrito is the best vegetarian burrito in the city. Maybe the world . . . If you’re really lucky, Mrs. Cuco will cook the fruit long enough for the edges to get carmelized — chewy, sweet goodness . . . The fruit lends an element of flavor and texture to the mix that you just don’t find in most grilled veggie burritos. The sweet, earthy taste of the plantains is a perfect match for the rest of the ingredients.

He’s also not kidding about the Mrs. Cuco part.  This is a real family-owned venture, with the Mrs. Cuco handling the plantains while her daughters help with the other stuff.  I believe I’ve even caught a glimpse of Mr. Cuco back there too.  The orders are always taken with a smile, and they take the time to make sure you get all the options right.  Mrs. Cuco will usually even offer a playful verbal jab if elect to go with the non-spicy salsa!  She’ll usually remember you as well, and will often inquire about the well-being of your friends or family if you come in alone when she’s used to seeing you with a specific group.  This might sound rather banal, but it really goes a long way to contribute to the family atmosphere of the place.

The price is also splendidly cheap, which brings us to the one drawback: the limited hours of operation.  Owing to the family-run nature of the place, you can only get a CUCO’S burrito from 12pm-9pm Monday through Friday, as the taquerestaurant is closed late night and on weekends.  Nonetheless, you’d be doing yourself a severe disservice to live in this city without trying the plantain burrito at least once.  I know what you’re thinking: “The best burrito in the city is a veggie burrito from Lower Haight?”

Well, yes, it is.  Now do it to it.

[Burrito photo by dapperdanj]

[Exterior Photo]

40 Responses to “The best burrito in the city is not in the Mission”

  1. Rank ol' FrontButt Wilson says:

    NOoooooo!
    Now the wait is going to sky rocket at this place. You bastards!

  2. ed says:

    It has plantain, therefore it is gross.

    This isn’t rocket science.

  3. SimonSays says:

    This is not a burrito.

  4. fnf says:

    that burrito looks disgusting.

  5. Mello McGee says:

    Burrito blasphemy!
    Or, “blasphurrito” for short.

  6. Linda says:

    Plantain equals hybrid. Cross between Mexican and El Salvadoran and therefor in a completely different category. What, are we going to start calling Mediterranean wraps burritos now? Standards people!

  7. Nick says:

    The only thing better than a local burrito is a DESTINATION BURRITO.

    I for one will be in the blog induced line at this place in t-minus 62 minutes.

  8. Pedro Navaja says:

    Definitely looks like it was eaten at least once then wrapped in foil.

  9. Tom in SFCA says:

    Carnitas.

  10. SFNative says:

    Vegetarian burritos are for wimps.

    • Jon says:

      or maybe they’re for vegetarians

    • jon says:

      Vegetarian burritos are for people who haven’t died 20-30 years younger than they were supposed to. And wimps? Yeah it takes a lot of toughness to put food in your mouth, congrats tough guy. Or maybe you mean it takes toughness to burn, bury, drown, cut up while still alive and kick animals to death as happens routinely in slaughterhouses? Yeah that shows toughness too.

  11. Count me surprised by the hostility here — and I’m not even a vegetarian.

  12. tacotron says:

    i make chow fun burritos with leftovers mmmm

  13. CMR says:

    Here’s what BurritoEater.com has to say about Cuco’s: http://burritoeater.com/restaurant.php?taqueria_id=56

    Never scored higher than 9, but never slipped below 7 until now.

  14. El Pito says:

    you could sell that up here in Sebastopol and make a mint because nobody knows how to make a damned burrito around these parts……….

  15. batman says:

    ITS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE FILLMORE ! FUCK THE MISSION !

  16. Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable says:

    Naw. Best veggie burrito in the city is still Can Cun. No contest.

  17. El Jefe says:

    What about the Chile Relleno Burrito at Taqueria El Buen Sabor?

  18. kylem says:

    It’s a great idea. You’d think it would go well with black beans, but its way too sweet. It would be better if it was a green plantain tostones instead of the ripe ones.

  19. Hale says:

    This is why San Francisco sucks now. You people have ruined it!

    (really though)

  20. Willis says:

    It’s not a meal if it doesn’t have meat. Plus, I’ve had a real burrito from this place before, it sucked.

  21. np says:

    wow. people on comment boards are idiots.

  22. Captain awesome says:

    GOD!!! Can anything be kept a secret? You dicks.

  23. danny says:

    Cuco’s massive plantain burrito is definitely one of my favorite vegetarian burritos in SF. She puts an entire just-fried plantain in each burrito! (if only they had better salsa.) I hope to see lines out the door, this awesome family-run hole-in-the-wall could certainly use the business.

  24. Tico says:

    I don’t care about their veggie burritos or people griping about plaintains, but Cuco’s is the real deal. I got a chili verde burrito there back in ’91 when I was visiting (yep, they’ve been there 20 years), and have been going back ever since I moved here. Never fails to satisfy, But yeah, shut up about it before it gets too crowded to go there.

  25. padre mission says:

    boycott bananas of all kinds. Fuck the CIA.