Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I live in the SF Mission, but I don't really get the obsession with the Mission burrito- the rice heavy carb monster that has become the cliche for Mission taqueria food. I think a better, more authentic beast is the mission taco- and if you look at what most of the hispanic population eats, I feel reasonably sure you'll find it significantly more popular. A huge $7 super burrito loaded with dairy when you can get by just lovely with two $1.50 tacos with two bucks left for a chelada on your lunch break makes the burrito kinda the gringo food.
That being said, I swear that the best tacos in the mission come out of a taco truck- El Gallo Giro at 23rd and Treat. Their carnitas are particularly spectacular. Their one downside is that they close in the evening, while a hallmark of most brick and mortar Mission taquerias is the fact that pretty much all of them are open after midnight or better and within staggering distance of bars. Then again, considering that that Hell's Angel got shot about a block away, perhaps it's just prudence. Although, I've been known to drink on the bar at the corner in question and stagger to Taqueria Vallarta (nothing to write home about), so what does that say about me?
Oh, and whoever said Pancho Villa was any good must have had an entirely different dish than the three or so I sampled. I thought they sucked. I'm also fairly fond of La Corneta and Can-Cun, though I swear that my favorite California-rice-and-beans burrito joint is still in Santa Cruz, where I used to live. No joke. Jalepenos, down at the end of Pacific or (more often for me) the Soquel location. I still sometimes miss their chicken mole, though now I know many places that make superior chili verde.