Poc Chuc
Categories: Spanish/Basque, Latin American [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission2886 16th St
(between Shotwell St & Van Ness Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 558-1583
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Thu 10:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
97 reviews
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
"I've had Peruvian food at Fresca and Limon... both of which are great. But Piqueo's was just different. The menu offers a wide selection…" read more »
22 Reviews for Poc Chuc
I love their poc chuc and pollo pibil... they are my favorite things on the menu. Their homemade tortillas awesome, infact everything on their menu is awesome!! Great food, great prices and the service is imecable! Maybe I'll see you there soon!
OMG this place is incredible! It is another SF original and there is definitely no other place like it in SF. You must try this place!
I read the incredible yelp reviews and just had to go to this place and give it a try myself.. We walked in and I was thoroughly disappointed by the appearance of the place. I was disappointed for a lot of reasons, the layout of the place is kind of weird and it just didn't have a very inviting and appealing environment.
So, the meal started off with some initial skepticism on my part and I was immediately won over by their food and service. Their food...authentic Yucatán with the most amazing flavors and freshness.
We had the most incredible personalized service and just amazing food....seriously, there is no other place that we could have gotten this kind of food in SF. It made me feel like I was south of Playa del carmen and enjoying some great authenic Yucatán food.
You must try it yourself...we will definitely be back and we've already told a half of dozen of our friends that we've discovered another gem right there in the mission.
Yuum,
Went here for the first time tonight. Was a little more expensive than I had expected, otherwise would have gotten five stars.
The big sampler that you share before meal to start was excellent, the empanada was especially delicious; apparently they are offered at lunch for $2/ and I would def. be back for that!
The Poc Chuc entree ($14) was equally delicious, particularly the roasted onions (almost sweet, with that delicious roasted flavor I normally only get with an outside BBQ) and the black bean puree. Mmmmm.
My friend's vegetable taco plate ($7) looked like a good deal, and I really would love to try the mole next time.
Like I said, a tad expensive perhaps, from what I expected. Also, the pace is pretty slow (don't be afraid to ask for water, check, etc) but I actually like this. Very relaxing, would be a cool date place. Also, service was stellar, very friendly.
I know nothing about authentic Mayan food, but I do know good food and Poc Chuc is it! My friend and I went in late Tuesday afternoon and were at first a little apprehensive being that there was only one other couple there, but then again it was an odd time. Well once we got out food, our worries were out the window and so was my failure of a diet. My friend got the Poc Chuc and I opted for the appetizer sampler ( the name escapes me, sorry). We both also got tasty Horchatas that were served in these GIANT 24 oz mugs. The price here is very reasonable for what you get. My friend's Poc Choc ( grilled pork) came grilled onions on a big platter with a side of rice, black beans and warm tortillas. My sampler consisted of 5 appetizers served on a bed of mixed greens. The plates here range in the price of $9-15 for lunch. In all, our tab+tip was $33. Both me and my friend were super glad we made the choice to come and are definately coming back again. Poc Chuc is located a little ways from all the restaurants at Mission and 16th, but worth the walk.
Wow.
I went to lunch on a recommendation from a friend. After that, I've been to dinner twice. This place is outstanding!!
The food is delicious and made with love. Yummy Mayan and Spanish fusion; hand made tortillas; great aguas frescas. Service was above average.
Try the $2 empanadas...you wont be disappointed.
They're closed on Wednesdays and accept all major credit cards.
You can make reservations online as well as phone-in.
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great carne asada tacos, and a flavorful tender chicken dish. also tried their poc chuc (pork) dish, but it seemed dry.
charming interior. a bit hard to find, and not the nicest of neighborhoods - but the restaurant and food is worth coming back to!
the tacos are $3 each, and 2-3 of them would make a full meal - so its a bargain too :)
Great restaurant, in part because of the unique cuisine. Mayan fusion gets me hot. Service was super sweet. They gave us a round of sangria for free...I think because it was almost closing time and they were low on their signature rice. The Poc Chuc is extremely tasty: thinly-sliced pork, with black beans, fresh tortillas and the aforementioned rice. Props to the Yelper who suggested making the Plato Vegetariano version of their five-appetizer plate, my girlfriend was way into it. I couldn't convince her that she didn't just pick from among the five appetizers for the $10 price. Yeah, five autentico apps for the price of some hipster chef's experimental creation. With all of the over-priced, over-hip spots popping up just east of Mission Street, this is a refreshing alternative. The simple, colorful interior has a nice palette...though it's none too fancy. Bring your real food-lovin' peeps to this one, not the poseurs!
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A friend highly recommended Poc Chuc for its "traditional Mayan" cuisine. I was intrigued by the "traditional Mayan" description, so had to try it. I had the combination appitizer plate, as I wanted to sample a bit of everything they had to offer, as well as a soup with chicken and macarone. I don't recall the name of either, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything. Very fresh, very yummy, and beautifully presented. My only criticism would be that the soup contained perhaps a bit too much macarone, but tasty nonetheless. The service was fast and very friendly; however, the communication a bit difficult. She did provide us with complimentary drinks -- a beautiful red, fruity concoction in a wine glass, which was totally yummy, but due to the language barrier, I have no idea what it was or how to order it again. The gesture, however, was generous and appreciated.
Oh man! Delicious food. The combination appetizer platter with things I don't know the name of is amazing! I've been here a couple of times and every time I come, I am completely satisfied with my meal. Have ordered the chicken, pork, fish, and beef dishes and all have been amazing! The horchata is what brings me back to this place over and over. sooo good! oh yea, the black bean puree...mmm. Fast and friendly service. A lot of street parking at night in the area. The restaurant is never really that crowded when I go so it's pretty low-key and quiet, good for a nice conversation and a peaceful dinner.
Yum! Great food for a great price!
This place is always packed at lunch time, but miraculously I have never had to wait. Small space that can probably fit 30 people. The kitchen is open and the room can get a little hazy from the smoke and a little warm, but everything else is fantastic.
I have come here on a couple of occasions with my coworkers and every time all our plates have been licked clean. The price is right too, I always get empanadas and another one of their appetizers... $2 each! They have daily specials which always look good and my coworkers have always enjoyed their main dishes. The staff is very welcoming but can be a little slow with the bill.
Last time I was here out bill was $50 for7 people!
The freshest Mexican food I think I have ever eaten. The tortillas are phenomenal, the meat was not dry or overcooked. I usually feel a bit gross after Mexican, with this place I left simply happy and full.
The pork tacos are amazing. Actually, everything was amazing, even my lemonade.
Pros:
- Made with love
- Good Latino: non-Latino ratio (a very good sign)
- As cheap as conveyor belt burrito
Cons:
- Mexican Coke could have been a little colder
***
Please don't mess this one up!
Poc Chuc is a little hole-in-the-wall gem! I've never had Mayan fusion food so I was extremely excited to see what it was all about. Walking in I was taken aback by how the decor was really bare-bones but in reality it demonstrated how this experience would be the real deal without all the flash.
For starters we shared the "appetizer sampler" which was amazing. Of the five items on the plate my favorites were the empanada and the salbute. The tortillas are obviously freshly made because it truly makes a difference. And thank goodness they provided a small stack of tortillas and refried beans on the side. I couldn't get enough!
For my main entree I ordered the seared duck breast topped with orange-honey sauce & served with sauted Napa cabbage and mashed potatoes. I'm a big duck fan and this particular duck was seared to perfection, leaving an extremely moist breast meat. And the cabbage was also prepared without mistake.
I heard that the slow braised chicken thigh is a crowd pleaser so we'll definitely be back for more! Poc Chuc is definitely a repeat in my book!
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Allow me to take you into a journey through the ancient Mayan civilization where everything that seems is, just isn't and isn't is just-is. A land of beautiful land of poc's that chuc all day and the newly quietus Chichen bear Itzas. A magical mythical mystery muddled momentously by mortal memory maiming...
Alright, I'll cut the crap. The whole experience felt like a giant LSD trip. Damn, those ugly-dressing hippies were definitely onto something in the 70s. Here are a few highlights from my short 1-hr stay:
- CLEANEST bathroom in the mission
- SECRET vegetarian menu
- TASTIEST Horchatas north of the border
CLEANEST bathroom in the mission - Yes! squeeky clean interior. And, they even have liquid soap to wash your hands. I was kinda disappointed by the water pressure though, but I digress...
SECRET vegetarian menu - Their 'Platillo Maya' transmogrifies into a 'Platillo Vegitariano'. The variety from Salbute which is like a mexican spring roll to their empanadas and panuchos all had a really great black bean filling in them.
TASIEST Horchatas - I'll be honest. My 1st experience with horchatas was so horrendously bad, that even raw cow milk would taste like a whipped-cream covered chocolate milkshake in comparison. BUT, the horchatas at Poc Chuc were so ridiculously good that I had to resist getting my third glass of it.
I'll let you in on another hot and saucy tip: their habanero salsa (green) is obscenely spicy. A couple of hits and I felt like my mouth had entered the war zone in Basra. It was so damn spicy that I had to chow down a couple of plain tortillas and hose it down with plenty of horchatas and water.
(A friend of mine wrote a really nice message on my wall asking me to review more veggie-friendly options in the city. So this one was especially dedicated to him)
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What a gem of a place! A true find!
It all started one day when my partner and I were on the 22 on the way home and Poc Chuc caught our eye. It's in a weird location - on 16th between South Van Ness and Shotwell. That's really not an area we leisurely frequent, but we decided we needed to check this place out! I think it was the sign that said "Mayan Cuisine," which we had never tried before.
We made reservations online, but we probably didn't need to since it was 5:30 on a Saturday night and it really wasn't busy. I do have to say, though, I made the reservations on their site and they answered me right away. So even before we got there the great service had begun.
We walked in and immediately it felt that we had walked into another country. It's not fancy, but very homey, with deep rich colors on the walls and just enough kitsch to let you know this is someplace special. We got to sit by the window in our own little alcove and the waitress, honestly, could not have been sweeter.
We started with appetizers and noticed the category "Platillo Maya" for $10.00 then a list of various things. We thought each was $10, but no, that was for the entire platter! A Mayan Indecision Plate - I love it!!! Everything was simple and delicious and we both especially loved the Salbute and the Empanadas. You must try this little sampler dish. It's a great way to try a lot of little things over conversation. (Beware, though, the lighter salsa is really spicy. Just a little dap will do ya. But, umm, umm, good!)
For our entrees, Joey got the Seared Duck and I got the Tiger Prawns. The duck was served over the most amazing cabbage and served with mashed potatoes and was cooked to perfection. Usually when I order duck it very "fancy" but this was very homey. The prawns were served with a medley of grilled vegetables with rice. Also cooked to perfection. The rice was so simple, yet so delicious. Honestly, this was a great meal.
While we were eating a woman came over to us and asked us, in broken English, how we liked it. Of course we gushed and she was so pleased. I asked her if she had made it and she smiled from ear to ear and answered, "Yes." There was something really special about that. She really was pleased we liked it and we suddenly felt even more at home.
This was a great place for us to go to get out of our Castro bubble. The Mission truly is one of the few places left in the city that really has character and unique little finds. I recommend this place highly. If you want to have a cool night, have dinner here then head over to the Mission for a night out. For you gays, there is that gay bar right between Mission and Valencia and for you straights there is a horn o' plenty of places to go right around 16th and Valencia.
This really was a truly San Francisco experience. Not a place you would probably take Aunt Agnus and Mom when they visit, but a place you go when you really want to do something different. For us, we will definitely be back.
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home made tortillas.
incredible service.
Holy shit! This place is incredible! I'd walked by it about 5 million times and not gone in (mainly b/c I was burned by the yucatecan place that's kitty-corner to Little Star Pizza on Valencia), and I can't believe the food I've been missing out on. Fresh, delicious tortillas, superb rice, perfectly stewed chicken and salsas that really pop with savory goodness. Went here with a couple friends and shared the Platillo Maya appetizer sampler, pollo pibil, poc chuc and relleno blanco. The appetizer plate included an empanada, salbute, panucho, tostada and a tiny flauta-like totilla roll. It was a riot of perfectly crisped, very toothsome and flavorful tortillas loaded with great toppings - shredded turkey, black bean puree, stewed tomatoes with citrusy bursts throughout plus tomato and habanero salsas. Really sensational. All the mains were equally well executed and tasted like they were cooked with care.
As I ate myself into a food coma, I wondered why this place isn't beset with herds of foodies angling for tables every night. I realized why this was when I went to the bathroom. In there, there was a vase with cheap, fake flowers still sporting a big white tag that proclaimed, "MADE IN CHINA $3.50". And then, as I was walking back to my table, I passed by a woman who was matter-of-factly forming little balls of masa from a huge bowl of the stuff and pressing them into tortillas. Basically, this restaurant expends more energy on the food than it does on PR and fru-fru (imagine that!). Which is great for anyone who happens by this rather forlorn stretch of 16th street and ambles in, and unfortunate for all the people who are missing out on some of the best Mexican food in the Mission.
And yeah, it's a bit on the spendy side if you're used to tacos for $1.75 from Tonayense. But given the quality of the food, it's an amazing deal. If this place had some fancy-ass hotshot gastro-wunderkind tracked by Michael Bauer fans, you'd never be able to get in and you'd pay out the eyeballs. But they don't. They just have great food.
So this place used to be called Chichen Itza (so all those reviews should apply.. really I'm not the first to review).
anyway, we went there for the first time today on a whim; decided on tacos for lunch and this wasn't as far a trek as el metate.
Easy parking and took a quick glance at the menu. Saw tacos on the specials of the day list so in we went.
We had the poc chuc (seemed like we should try it) as well as a turkey and a ground pork taco.
Service was quick and friendly. The tacos came on one plate and were quite good. The shredded turkey was served with pickled onions on top. The ground pork was on top of bean puree, with a smokey tomato sauce and fresh slices of avocado on top.
The poc chuc was a substantial portion of grilled pork served with sauteed onions, shredded lettuce, and more of this fantastic smokey tomato sauce/salsa. The server brought out a side of black bean puree and some fresh tortillas.
I should also mention the corn tortillas with the tacos were also handmade and fantastic.
Total with 2 drinks was about $20. Portions of the poc chuc were substantial enough that, when combined with the 2 tacos, we had more food than we could finish.
The flavors of everything just worked incredibly well. Nothing tasted overly greasy or heavy.
While we were there the placed filled it; it's clearly popular for Sunday brunch.
Definitely want to go back and try some more of the dinner selections.
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It was a standard night. Late leaving work. Late leaving the gym. Hungry and faced with a 9:30 dinner time. I was planning on seeking out a burrito a few blocks away, but when I passed Poc Chuc and saw their menu, figured I'd give it a shot. Glad I did.
This place was reviewed in the Chronicle a few months back and was given high marks. It's in an unassuming spot near 16th/Van Ness, easily missed, but worth the trip. I went with the braised chicken that came with rice and a black bean puree, and it was really good. The chicken practically fell off the bone, and the puree made for an excellent topping on the burrito I made back at home.
All in all, very good eats (and I was home earlier than planned).
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I just tried the place out with a friend today. It was excellent!!!! She had the Plantain appetizer and I had a chicken dish served with rice, black beans and tortillas. This was the best chicken I have had in years. I will be back.
I've written reviews before, but this is the first place I've ever rushed home and gone straight to the computer to review. The food is excellent and the service was both out-going and efficient. I've spent a lot of time in southern Mexico and the food at Poc Chuc is as authentic as it gets. We especially loved the Poc Chuc entree and the empanadas. It's not a chic or romantic spot, but Poc Chuc is definitly one of SF's best spots for delicious (and inexpensive) food.
fast, friendly service. the turkey tacos are delicious and simple. not overloaded with too much stuff. real, fresh ground turkey. its byob and ive heard rumors that they serve sangria too. bathroom was fairly clean and decent. definitely more satisfying than the shrimp tacos i had from pancho villa the other day.
they are closed on wednesdays!
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