Pedro’s Cantina – SoMa
128 King Street
San Francisco , CA 94107
(415) 896.5644
See larger map and more nearby
VdV Rating: 4
Food: Mexican
PRO: Great, affordable Cantina-style food, awesome space, good tequila selection
CON: Not much
Watch out, Tres Agaves, Mijita and the rest o’ ya, there’s a new sheriff in town. And it’s a…300-lb. hairy, curly-tailed, cloven-hoofed yet adorable sombrero-toting swine named Paul Cardi…ooops! I mean named Pedro El Pig!
(Imagine if you will, a pig speaking with a Mexican (or Hispanic, Latino or whatever does not offend anyone) wait I just did parenthesis inside parenthesis) accent “Heeeey Tres Amigos, I mean Agaves, I lift my squat leetle leg and urinate on your second-rate bush you call agave.” And if Eric Ruben were still there, I’d spray some of my caustic pee on that mealy mouthed d-bag too”.
Hey man, ya can’t F around with Pedro. Especially when Pistol Pete Osborne, the King of King Street, has his back. First MoMo’s, then Pete’s Tavern, and now, Pedro’s Cantina. WTF is he gonna do next? Norwegian street food? We’re in!
So yeah, this cool joint opened Friday, and the VdV crew also had a VIP sneak peek Wednesday and Thursday before. OK, we snuck in. Anyhoo, wow. Pedro’s is f’ing ginormous, period. And done up right, gringos. Big ‘ol space, warehouse style with ceilings all the way up, a mezzanine, tons ‘o TVs, great natural lighting (as opposed to Pete’s which has more of a ‘let’s hunker in the bunker’ sports bar vibe) and…a bar that I swear on my dog Buster’s grave, is perhaps the biggest bar I’ve ever seen. How big? Hell I dunno. How big is the sun? If you put astroturf on top you could play a legal game of Arena Football. Let’s just say that. ‘Cept we wouldn’t let arena footballers in ‘cuz they’re wussies.
So, Pedro El Pig has big aspirations. I like it. Aim high, go high, and all that motivational crap. So do they bring it, Cantina style?
Well first, Pete brought in the A-Team. No not that A-Team, ‘tardo. Paul Cardinale, Tony Heiva, Rachel Bonfigli, Pete Jr. and Damon Hall running the kitchen for starters. All MoMos or Pete’s alumni. Meaning…Not their first rodeos, bitches.
VdV DIGS Pedro’s menu. Live it. Learn It. Love It. Oh yeah…Eat It. It’s cantina. They’re not trying to be all high brow yada yada like T.A. They are hearing the sub-11,000 Dow Jones Industrial Average and hitting a sweet spot bigger than a manhole-size tortilla.
OK, I’m about done. If you have bothered to notice, VdV likee. Here’s some standouts:
I am a fan of the Pedro’s Margarita, all mixed up with Jalapeno and Fresh Lime Juice, served on the rocks.
We also loooove they have Clase Azul. If ya don;t know it…get to know it. And Fortaleza Blanco! Like Butterscotch pudding. If pudding tasted like tequila.
But first, if we may. If you can’t serve some serious chips & salsa, just roll up the tents and go back to your single wide. We, if you can entertain us here, actually…consulted, if you can humor us…on the salsa. That’s right. Pete, speak up! We helped right?! Anyhoo, we set the bar high, and they hit it like the Fosbury Flop. The way Fosbury did it, kittens! And for all of you born before 1969, that means they nailed it.
More? Well, ya can’t really run afowl. What? So, get anything, like the Crispy Tacos ($7), three small Chorizo-filled numbers with nice spice and..wait, it’s THREE kick ass tacos for $7 bones, what do you care what more is in it!? Just get it!
We’re also into the Street Style Tacos ($3), soft tortillas filled with your choice of meat (chicken chile rojo, chicken chile verde, machaca beef, pork carnitas, pork chile verde or grilled prawns), altho the Machaca Beef and Chicken Rojo are our faves, and the Quesadilla ($6) with Chicken Chile Verde, Jack & Cheddar Cheese.
Really? Seriously?! Eat it all. It’s good food in the neighborhood.
