SFReview
photo credit: Mary Lagier
Garaje
Garaje does a few things well: there’s great beer options, it’s a good place to kick back and watch sports on TV, and they serve the only affordable late(ish)-night eats worth having in this part of town.
As for the food, you’ll probably enjoy it, especially paired with the excellent beer. It’s basically Mexican from the school of San Diego, meaning they’ve plumbed the depths of what one can stuff french fries into and tested the vertical limits of piles of guacamole on top of everything else. The best options are the zapatos, or pressed cheesy burrito-type things, stuffed with guacamole and—you guessed it—more french fries.
Everything besides the zapatos comes down in the category of okay, but not great. The tacos seem to believe, in their little tortilla heart of hearts, that if they were just filled with more stuff, at some point, they’d be good. We’re sorry, tacos, but this is not true. More is not more.
So, should you go to Garaje? For sure. As long as your plan is to wash down an avocado-meat-french-fry concoction with a killer IPA, while watching a Warriors game. We’ll be back for exactly that purpose.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.
Food Rundown
Zapatos
Our favorite thing on the menu. Basically a pressed Mexican hot pocket. We vote for Cali steak because the steak is well-cooked, and you want some fries in there.
Tacos
In a word...polarizing. These are gigantic, piled high with meat, vegetables, and guacamole. So much guacamole. They are nothing like the tacos you’ll get in a Mission taqueria, but we don’t begrudge them that.
Carne Asada Fries
Basically the tacos on top of a pile of fries. With melted cheese. Not bad, but we didn’t find ourself housing the whole thing.
Cheeseburger
A solid burger, but doesn’t pass the In-N-Out test. Said test being, “price adjusted, would you rather eat this than a double-double?” Most burgers don’t pass the In-N-Out test. Doesn’t mean they’re not worth eating.
