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gracias madre: amazing vegan mexican food in san francisco
16December 1st, 2010bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san franciscoi’ve only been there once, but i’m head over heels in love with gracias madre. the entirely vegan restaurant in san francisco’s mission district serves up huge portions of organic mexican food that’s just fantastic.
we hit up gracias madre a couple months ago, and were shocked by how good it was. we were first taken aback by the amazing atmosphere. i’m used to vegan restaurants being small and often times dingy…but this was a huge wide open space with a clean and colorful decor.
it was pretty busy when we were there, so we decided to grab a seat at the bar. we ordered two appetizers, an entree, and a side…so i think we did a pretty good job of getting a fair sampling of the gracias madre menu. next time we will have to get a dessert though, because i hear the flan is awesome.
Ensalada de Caesar: Our version of Caesar Cardini’s famous salad from Tijuana, Mexico $8
first up, we split the “ensalada de caesar”, gracias madre’s vegan version of a caesar salad. good, god! it was incredible. fresh dark greens covered in creamy dressing and sprinkled with toasted pepitas for a spicy kick.
Papas al Horno: Be Love Farm Potatoes roasted with olive oil and garlic topped with cashew nacho cheese $6
next up, we shared the “papas al horno,” homegrown potatoes roasted in olive oil and smothered in cashew nacho cheese. this was by far the best dish on the table, and i have been fantasizing about it ever since. seriously, this cashew cheese has got to be the best tasting nondairy cheese ever..it was so thick and full of flavor. the small round potatoes were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of oil. they tasted so rich and fatty, bust in such a delicious way. i know i will be ordering these on every visit to gracias madre, no matter what.
Platillo de Legumbres: Two side dishes of your choice, served with rice, beans and tortillas $13
for our entree, we split the “platillo de legumbres,” a plate served with the choice of 2 side dishes along with rice, beans, and tortillas. for our sides we got the “hongos” (sautéed mushrooms with garlic) and greens (seasonal greens with garlic and chiles). both sides were excellent, and so were the rice and beans. the beans especially stood out because they tasted like old school mexican restaurant beans that are usually loaded with lard and other unmentionables. seriously authentic-tasting good stuff.
the basket of corn tortillas was huge, and they were fantastic as well. warm, soft, and homemade.
Pico de Gallo $4
we ordered a side of pico de gallo as well, because we thought it would go great in the tacos…and we were right! so colorful and fresh, and such a huge portion. it made for the perfect topping.
gracias madre doesn’t stop at food though…they also serve eel river organic beer ON TAP as well as a selection of bottled brews, soju, and a full organic wine list. we had been boozing at monk’s kettle before eating, so we skipped the alcohol. i know i will be enjoying a draught beer with my mexican grub next time, though.
Eel River Organic Beer on tap
as we sat at the bar for ages and got completely stuffed on incredible food, a mariachi player took the floor and started circling the restaurant. how cool is that?!
eating at gracias madre is seriously like eating at a nice, “normal” restaurant. lots of booze, entertainment, and a very comfortable space…it doesn’t feel like your typical vegan joint. plus, the food is downright phenomenal. i am counting the days until i get to eat there again.
gracias madre
Tags: bay area, caesar, mexican food, organic, potatoes, san francisco, sf, tacos
2211 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Mon-Sun 11 am – 11 pm
13 responses to “gracias madre: amazing vegan mexican food in san francisco” 
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what a great review and pictures, thanks, QG… I’ll be sure to check it out.
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I would be the happiest girl in the world if Gracias Madre would open an NYC location. It would be huge!
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Wow, those tortillas alone are worth the flight to San Francisco.
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I love it there so freakin’ much. Except the food is so good and filling, I can never eat enough of it. Haha.
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I tried going here on my last trip to SF but the wait was an hour long. But I am dying to try it!
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Hands down my favorite spot for dinner in SF.
Their quesadilla is life changing as are their garlic mushrooms!!!
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Mr. E. Vegan December 1st, 2010 at 15:19
Started by the owners of Cafe Gratitude. Speaking of which, when will Cafe Gratitude open? While I’m at it, whatever happened to Plum Bistro Seattle’s expansion to Los Feliz? And what’s the news on Dave Andersen’s “hollywood area” restaurant? Answer me. I’m hungry.
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You NEED to try their quesadillas. I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed by the Platillo de Lugumbres or the Empanada BUT the quesadilla may have been the best thing I’ve EVER eaten. So delicious (spicy butternut squash filling).
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Gauri Radha गौरी राधा December 1st, 2010 at 16:33
I hope one opens in Los Angeles soon, that looks marvelous!!
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Gracias Madre rocks. The first time we went there, we waited 2 hours for a table. It was well worth it for the tortillas and mole enchiladas alone. Mmmm, I am about 2.5 weeks away from my next trip to SF and Gracias Madre!
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so funny–we just went to gracias madre for the first time a couple of weeks ago (LOOOOOVED it!) and i just blogged a review myself the other day. what a delightful wavelength we are both on! 🙂
3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
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[…] comes to us from tettes, who recently hit up gracias madre in san francisco. as of recently we are HUGE FANS OF GRACIAS MADRE….so we were super excited to receive tettes’ glowing review. here […]
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[…] news, they’ll be serving some of the menu items from their sister restaurant gracias madre (one of our favorite places EVER)!lilliam over at mondette stopped by the new cafe gratitude location and swiped a copy of the […]
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[…] at gracias madre 0 March 3rd, 2011quarrygirlbay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco you guys already know how much we LOVE gracias madre, san francisco’s entirely vegan mexican restaurant.welp, we checked them out […]
toby December 1st, 2010 at 12:53