La Taqueria

Owner Miguel Jara, who grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, immigrated to the United States in 1961.[1] He missed the food from his home and decided to open a taqueria.[2] He opened the restaurant in 1973, building the space out himself.[3][4] At the time the designation "Mission-style" was not commonly used.[3] According to Bon Appetit it is credited with creating the style.[5]

The restaurant is located on Mission street between 24th and 25th, in San Francisco's Mission District.[4] Jara's parents had helped him buy the building for US$39,000 in 1972; after they died without transferring ownership to him, the business was the subject of a property dispute between Jara and his eight siblings.[6] A court ordered the building to be sold and the profits dispersed among the siblings, and in 2018 Jara and his sons purchased it for $1.7 million.[6][7]

The restaurant focuses on Mission-style burritos.[1] Ingredients include meat, beans, cheese, and sauces.[1][3] Pork for the carnitas are simmered in lard and then roasted.[8] The recipes do not include rice, which is a common component in most Mission-style burritos.[9][2] On request the rolled burritos are finished on the grill to brown them, which is known as dorado-style; the option is off-menu.[3][10][5]

The restaurant also serves tacos and quesadillas.[4][11]

In 2017 the restaurant was named one of America's Classics by the James Beard Foundation.[12] In 2014 FiveThirtyEight named it the best burrito in the country.[13][12][14] The San Francisco Chronicle called the restaurant "the Mission's most famous burrito spot".[15]

37.7509°N 122.4181°W / 37.7509; -122.4181