Tacos El Tucan

Craving Birria tacos in the Castro, found this spot and it will now be my go to spot for future Birria cravings.

Order at the counter, grab a table on the cute front patio and wait for the magic to arrive.

Flavor and meat was super good. Shrimp tacos were also very tasty. Prices were also fairly reasonable. Sat down outside at 5:30pm on a Thursday and by the time we left the place was packed.

Also bonus points for cute bathroom and authentic Mexican hipster vibes throughout.

Definitely add this spot to your taco rotation

New addition in the Castro. Since we have (had) 3-4 different taco shops around, I didn't exactly understand why we'd need another one. Well, now I do. Tacos in El Tucan are far better than in all other places in the Castro (and maybe in the city?)

Service is good, it looks like a family-run place, or at least everyone knows everyone else well. Simple seating inside and outside, but that's what I'd expect from a taco place. I am here mainly for food, and shrimp tacos and adobada tacos are great! I've been here at least 5 times, and they've been consistently juicy, flavorful, tasty tortillas, with a nice sauce.

Highly recommend you try them out.

Wow.

I've only been here once and I ordered the Tacos Rojas, Quesabirria tacos, and a Melon Agua Fresca .

Good:
Tacos Rojas was insanely good, super seasoned and flavorful and spicy and salty and cheesy and everything else you want out of a taco. That cilantro crema sauce took it to another level too.

Salsas are on point!

Agua Fresca was very well made, super fresh and not too sweet.

Not bad but not as good:
Quessabirria was good too but it didn't come with the birria consume on the side. Maybe it was a mistake or it only comes with the larger order. Who knows.

Chips n salsa cost extra.

Conclusion:
The tacos Rojas was soo good, that it outweighed any bad, hence the 5 stars.

Solid taco spot at the edge of the Castro, and a welcome addition to the neighborhood! Their burritos are pretty good too, but the tacos are the star of the show. The shrimp taco and carne asada taco were my favorite, quesobirria tacos a close second. This place can get busy, so expect to wait 20-30 minutes to get your food if all the tables are looking full.

Knocking off a star for inconsistency though - one visit I had some of the best tacos I've had in SF, the following visit was borderline bad! Hopefully this was just a one-off though, check 'em out!

We heard about this place opening up and that it was a big deal in the taco scene. I believe they had a food truck or pop up in the east bay and this is their first store front. We finally got around going and my goodness do we wish we went sooner. Like weeks sooner. Months maybe. My wife ended up going back the next day! And she wanted to go back a third day. (My wife is white and very particular about tacos and salsas so her loving this place says a lot. And no it's not Americanized, it's just really really good.)

Alright on to the food, the menu is vast and can feel overwhelming if you're looking at the paper menu but luckily there's a big menu with pictures that takes up most of a wall. That is incredibly helpful. I'm Mexican and there are some foods I hadn't come across since the food is Tijuana specific and my family is from CDMX.

So of course the main draw here or what they're known for is the quesobirria. There's a combo option for 3 quesobirria tacos with consomé for $14. It's a solid deal. You get a lot of food. But I will say it was too much food for me and I eat a ton! It's just a lot of cheese and tortilla in the end. Delicious cheese and tortilla. So I will recommend to keep that in mind. Maybe split it with someone?

So my wife wasn't too sure about getting the quesobirria since it looks indulgent so she got the regular adobado tacos which is al pastor in TJ and THEY ARE SO GOOD. Those stole the show. The tortillas are handmade and the adobado has a bbq taste that matched perfectly with the juicy pineapple. We've been back several times and that's all we get now. The mulitas are awesome too but again a little too much tortilla for me.

The staff is super friendly and helpful. They're happy to answer any questions.

FYI there's outdoor seating. Perfect for a nice day!

I had been craving a good REAL taco for a while and this definitely satisfied my cravings. Handmade tortillas are always a big plus. Salsa bar was nicely stocked and everything was delicious.

-Shrimp taco (5/5) The STAR of the show. SO SO GOOD! I can't wait to go back just for this. Perfect amount of shrimp, pico, coleslaw mix and chipotle sauce. (5/5)

-Asada taco and Mulita (4/5) Really good too. Would order again

-Al pastor taco and Mulita (4/5)
I wasn't a fan of the cilantro dressing, tasted a bit like mustard so it was throwing me off. I think it would be so much better with guac or just without it so will order that way next time.

-Agua de piña (4/5) super refreshing and good. Wish the serving was bigger :(

We came in Sunday 4pm ish. Place was packed but we got seats outside with our doggie. Food took 10/15 minutes so not bad at all. They brought it out to us. Really good prices too.
Can't wait to go back!

Heard about Tacos El Tucan from friends who have been to their Richmond location and are huge fans. Located on the prime corner of Market and 16th Street, the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating. When you enter, they have the menu with names, photos and price so big it covers an entire wall. You order at the counter and they'll call your name when your order is ready and bring the food to you. There's a salsa bar to the right of the counter (with 3 salsas and pickled vegetables), and water station. I recommend grabbing an aguas frescas.

I had the Quesabirria Combo that came with 3 tacos, consommé and we had shared some nachos. I don't usually order birria tacos so I don't have much to compare them to, but what I can say was the shell was so crispy, and the flavors were delicious even without the consommé. The staff were nice and it wasn't too busy when we went. Can't wait to go back!

My partner and I had been meaning to try this place after hearing about it from a friend, and were so glad we finally did!

I was a little overwhelmed by the menu at first, since they have many different options to choose from (and I never know how many tacos I should order). I ended up getting a Veggie Taco, a Shrimp Taco, and a side of chips and guacamole. This was the perfect amount for me, and everything was so yummy!

I also liked the casual ambience of the restaurant. They had a lot of outdoor seating and the staff was nice and helpful. The vibes were great overall.

We loved Tacos El Tucan and will definitely be back!

Oh, you don't have to tell me about El Tucan. I've been to the one in Richmond a few times (review: https://yelp.to/6WBHs2lmIc). I wasn't exactly a fan until I got the inevitable munchies from having one too many at The Factory Bar a few feet away. That's when I discovered the Mulita, a Mexican-style grilled cheese sandwich made with tortillas. Yum. Well, I was gobsmacked to see this new one.

In the Castro and right next to the Lookout. How convenient because coincidentally I had one too many boozy slushies at the Lookout. Like clockwork, I was in the mood for a Mulita, and sure enough, they had them on the menu. I ordered two. Don't you judge me. I needed a lot to absorb those slushies. I got the $7.95 Shrimp (Camaron) Mulita, and it was delish with plenty of prawns stuffed between two grilled tortillas

Melted cheese, onions, pico de gallo, and guacamole completed the picture (photo: https://yelp.to/alZ-eKcfYC). Not one to repeat myself since the mulita will do that for me (if you know what I mean), I also ordered the $5.95 Grilled Chicken (Pollo Asada) Mulita which also hit the spot (photo: https://yelp.to/6OJkaHO5pS). Because I'm a sloppy taco eater, there's something satisfying about holding it like a sandwich. What can I say? I'm a man of simple tastes.

FOOD - 4 stars...satisfying "sandwiches" that hit the spot after a little tippling
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...still the same inviting space it was as Squat & Gobble
SERVICE - 4.5 stars...very friendly and pretty fast
TOTAL - 4 stars...gimme a mulita when I need one

RELATED - Exploring the Castro? Here's my collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2HrpFPC

Good tacos, good service.
Very inventive combos -- I did not try it but the menu features "birria ramen" and since this is the 1st time I've ever seen this fusion -- I will refer to this as the testament of the creativity of TeT