El Tonayense’s Tasty Street Tacos

Long before there were creme brulee carts, kitchenettes, and little skillets, there was El Tonayense.  Seriously tasty and seriously cheap street food.

You can play it safe and enjoy the traditional pollo: chicken; asada: beef; carnitas: fried pork; or al pastor: marinated pork. Or you can be less pedestrian and try the more adventurous lengua: tongue; cabeza: head and cheek; tripitas: tripes; or buche: neck.   These don’t actually faze me a bit since feasting on barbequed chicken intestines and sizzling chopped pig cheeks was part of growing up in the Philippines.  Either way, it’s all good Mexican street food.

$1.75 buys you a tasty taco.  Served on unpretentious paper plates with pickled peppers, these tacos are best enjoyed sitting on a pavement and watching the world go by.

Catch the taco truck right outside Best Buy at 14th and Harrison in SoMa or visit their shop at 24th Street and Shotwell in the Mission.

The Lucha Libre Look

As we were walking down 24th Street in the Mission after indulging in delicious Dynamo Donuts, we stumbled upon a colorful array of Lucha libre masks at Mixcoatl.  Lucha libre is Mexican free wrestling.

Luchador for Halloween, perhaps? Or maybe Jack Black?

Mixcoatl sells traditional and contemporary Mexican art and jewelry in the Mission.

Dynamo Donuts

Glazed. Chocolate Glazed. Custard filled. Creme filled. Cruller. Cake.  Donuts are one of my favorite things.

And the list just got even longer now that I have discovered Dynamo Donuts at 24th Street in the Mission.

Over the weekend, I feasted on vanilla bean, coconut, lemon pistachio and maple glazed bacon apple.  Okay, I know it’s a bit too much but you really can’t blame me. I was literally a kid in a donut store!

The saltiness of the little chunks of crispy bacon complements the sweetness of the maple glaze very well, which made the maple glazed bacon apple an instant favorite.  And the lemon pistachio donut definitely tasted as good as it looked.  The lemon icing and toasted pistachios were incredibly tasty.  They have taken donuts to an entirely new level.  Now, I can’t wait to go back and try their banana de leche, the donut is filled with dulce de leche and bananas and then tossed in sugar.

The coffee is equally tasty, too.  Beans are from Four Barrel Coffee, which is also in the Mission.  You can find Dynamo Donuts at 24th Street between York and Hampshire and Four Barrel Coffee at Valencia between 14th and 15th.

By the way, donuts are calorie bombs.  I’m not a party pooper but it’s good to treat yourself to a donut every now and then but not everyday!  It’s all about portion control and having a sugar fix every now and then!

Balmy Street Murals

In the middle of bustling Mission neighborhood, tucked away in quiet Balmy Street between 24th and 25th, you will find the colorful Mission District Murals.  Balmy Street is home to over 30 vibrant murals painted on building walls, fences, windows and garage doors.

The murals are widely diverse in theme and subject matter.  There are cool and funny cartoon-like drawings and there are paintings that speak about social, economic and political issues relevant to the equally diverse Latin American community in the Mission.

The inner city mural arts organization Precita Eyes Mural Arts gives public tours of over 60 murals in a ten-block walk in the Mission on Saturdays and Sundays, which cost between $10 and $12.  Private tours during the week can likewise be arranged.  They also sell maps of the Mission District Murals that you can use for a self-guided walking tour.  The cost is $3 plus tax.  Here is a link to learn more about these tours.

Check out more photos on my Flickr page.