Roosevelt Tamale Parlor - Yes, I Was Mexican In My Past Life

Restaurant: Roosevelt Tamale Parlor
Address: 2817 24th Street b/t Bryant and York, The Mission, SF
Cuisine: Mexican/Latin
Date Last Visited: March 9, 2008
Dining Partners: My Sweety K, My Sweety K's Dad, My Sweety K's Mom, Mr. Choi and Mrs. Choi (aka the Obama Cheer Squad)

Ah yes, I was Mexican in my past life. I swear, I have had a super burrito every weekend for the past 6 weeks. =) Mexican food makes me happy. Remember about 2 posts ago, I said I hated breakfast? Well, I guess I can retract that statement. I had brunch with My Sweety K and his parent's and his parent's best friends (Mr. and Mrs. Choi), and it was a great meal.

We met up deep in the Mission. Seriously, I have never been on this side of 24th Street ever, and it was so refreshing to see. There were so many taquerias and madre/padre shops. I loved it! I envy those who call this place home because it is so rich with culture.


I really liked the happy paint colors (yellow is "happy" to me), and the historic photos on the wall. I did, however, neglect to ask how this was "Roosevelt's" tamale parlor. Theodore, not Franklin. Teddy's picture is on the take-out menus.


They do have a liquor license, so you can have your mimosa with your brunch! That margarita sounded awesome, but I didn't want to get buzzed with people I was not too familiar with yet. I mean, seriously, we are talking about courtesy and respect. How embarrassing would it be if you got drunk at your in-laws house and had to be carried out to the car? NOT COOL.


My Sweety K, being the most predictable eater on the face of the Earth, ordered a super carne asada burrito. But a burrito for brunch, that's awesome.


I took a bite of it, and I must say that this is one of the BEST burritos I have ever tasted. I am so not BS'ing you. I think I am not one who goes with the crowd because I actually thought that the La Taqueria burritos everyone is talking about was my worst burrito experience. Now this burrito, well, the rice is tasty, there are big chunks of avocado and tomato and the meat was cooked perfectly. If only this place was closer to where I lived!


This ball-looking thing is what this place is known for: the round tamale. My Sweety K's father ordered a pork one and it came with rice, beans, and a salad. I'm used to tamales being flat, but you can totally do some damage to someone if you threw this at them. He cut it open and the meat was in the middle. I do have to say that there was a lot of the maza surrounding it, so it IS very filling. I really liked the red sauce that was poured over it. No wonder people come here for these.


Now this was my dish: chilaquiles in a green sauce which came with crema and refried beans. Basically it's a dish that consists of squares of tortillas simmered in a green sauce (you can have it with the red as well, but the waiter said the green was better) and egg is mixed in. The menu was a bit deceiving because it said "chilaquiles with eggs," so I thought that a side of scrambled eggs came on the side, but they were already cooked in with the sauce.


I would have to say that this dish is awesome. Though I could hardly make out the egg curdles in it, the sauce was delicious and the additions of the fresh cheese and crema sealed the deal. I liked how incredibly light it was. People are scared of Mexican food because they think it's overly spicy and strong, but not at all with this. It does have kick, but not too much. I could have eaten my portion, My Sweety K's mom's portion, and Mrs. Choi's portion. It was odd how all three ladies ordered the same exact thing.

I would totally recommend this place to anyone who was craving good Mexican food. I am sad that it a bit far from the roads I travel, but if I am in the area, I would check it out. I didn't take a picture, but we also had some strawberry aguas frescas and they were so fresh and quenched whatever thirst I had. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive. Overall, great first impression.