carnitas or GOOD sit down mex

Help! (of course :-) My folks are in from the gulf coast of Mississippi where they can and do get wonderful seafood and BBQ (and previously enjoyed all the N.O. offered) but...no good mexican food. My mom, as well as the rest of us, would love to find the carnitas of her dreams in SF (and likewise for me in the East Bay) and/or a very good sit-down Mexican restaurant in SF. Seems as if this may be a rarity in the Bay. Any possiblities?

I've been to Otaez in Oakland's Fruitvale nabe--they serve passable carnitas on the weekends. ONCE it was wonderful--crusty and carmelized on the outside and so moist on the inside. Usually it's just a good porky pork roast. Their corn tortillas are OK when, as they usually are, hot and fresh-fluffy, almost flaky so I assume there's a little baking powder in the masa.

This is my first visit to Chowhound. I can see it will 'eat' up huge amounts of otherwise usable time

[finchycocoa]

Chilango on Church Street. Best Carnitas hands-down. I think they use Niman Ranch meat. Second best, La Taqueria.

-----
La Taqueria
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Chilango
235 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114

In the East Bay, I always go to El Taco Zamarano, a restaurant on the corner of International & High St. It straddles the parking lot of the big Mexican supermarket at that corner (there's also a taco truck that is an offshoot of the restaurant).

Go inside the restaurant, get seated at a table, then ask for the carnitas plate with corn tortillas. Munch on the complimentary chips and salsas, then in about 6-8 minutes, you will receive a huge platter of the following:

1) Whomping portion of carnitas - crisp and salty on the outside, moist and smooth on the inside. Chowhounders who have met me at some Chowfests can attest that I'm not a light eater, and I have more often than not had to admit defeat and ask for a box to take this home to complete consumption the following day.

2) Guacamole in a lettuce cup - good.

3) Seasoned rice - nice and rich.

4) Refried beans with jack cheese melted on top - fine.

5) Whole stalks of green onions - must have for that authentic taste.

6) Separate platter of corn tortillas - you must order their corn tortillas, as these are homemade and absolutely divine. These are nothing like the thin, mealy corn tortillas that you buy in packages. These are thick, flavorful and made to order. The last time I had these, my dining companion took a bite of the tortilla wrapped around carnitas/guacamole/beans/salsa, gasped in delight, then proceeded to flag down the waitress and place her own order of carnitas (boxing up her initial order of carne asada and devouring half of my carnitas order while she waited for her carnitas order to arrive).

It's been about a month since I ate there, so I've made myself hungry just typing up this post.

Ah, Zamarano! It's been a long time since I've been there --- thanks for the reminder about those wonderful tortillas. Is the Hells Angels' clubhouse still across the street?

He said this one was at the intersection of International and High, in the parking lot with the Mexican market.

There's another Zamorano at 4032 Foothill that is indeed near the Hell's Angels HQ.

According to the google, the former is "Taqueria Zamorano" and the latter is "El Taco Zamorano Restaurant."

Ruth is correct about the names and locations. One time long ago, I wanted to phone in an order to go. I looked in the phone book, and chose the wrong Zamarano. Went to the one on Int'l & High, and they looked at me funny when I said I was there to pick up my to-go order of carnitas. I had to wait for them to prepare it, and while I was waiting I realized that I'd ordered from the Taqueria. After I paid and left with my order from El Taco, I went over to the Taqueria and paid for the order I'd originally called in (it was the right thing to do, and who was I to complain about more carnitas??).

El Taco's was far better IMO after tasting them side by side, and from that night forwards, their phone number has always been in my cellphone.

Okay, that just confused things even further.

According to google, the one you described "on the corner of International and High" is Taqueria Zamorano. The one on Foothill is El Taco Zamorano Restaurant.

Just to clarify -- the one you recommend is the Taqueria Zamorano, on International at High. Right?

Sorry to confuse things here. I have the Int'l & High location in my cellphone as simply "Zamarano". I'll probably be ordering some carnitas from them later this weekend, so I'll report back with the exact name on their menu when I go there.

Thanks for the clarification --- if it's programmed on your phone, it must be good!

[Eugene Park]

Just went by EL Taco Zamorano Taqueria at the corner of International Blvd and High St. Security gates are locked up all around it, lights weren't on and the phone number is no longer a working number. I did notice someone was sitting by the window when they turned their head to look out. There was a notice posted in the window about their beer/wine license being suspended by the ABC, but that had been in the window when I ate there last month.

I am crushed, to say the least. My wife, who was with me and normally abhors fatty foods, even admitted their carnitas are too good to resist.

I expect they'll reopen, and I can only hope the new operators will offer the carnitas.

I have mentioned it in a thread below, but I really like the carnitas at Los Cantaros in Oakland on Grand Ave. off Lake Merritt. They are not really a "sit down" place as you order at a counter and then sit and they bring the food to your table. However, if you are in the East Bay I would recommend at least trying them to satisfy your carnitas craving. I usually get the crispy tacos with carnitas. The crispy taco shells are not those lousy store bought taco shells.

Chava's is good sitdown Mexican. 2839 Mission, closes at 8pm.

The carnitas platter at Tres Agaves is excellent and quite popular. I'd suggest going before 11:45 am for lunch or making a reservation for before 6:30 pm for dinner, so you can beat the crowd, when service can get a little bit spotty with the heavy crowd.

Most of the food there is excellent.

Link: http://www.tresagaves.com/