Vegan
Organic
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Mexican
Vegan Mexican restaurant by the owners of Cafe Gratitude. Uses produce from the owners' farm. Makes food in-house including the salsa, tamales, corn tortillas. Concise, seasonal menu. Reported closed August 2023.
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2211 Mission St (at Mission District), San Francisco, California, USA, 94110
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 31 Aug 2023 by Zombiecynthia
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Added by rebeccaj on 28 Dec 2009
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282 Reviews
First Review by alexkors
TXRhody
Points +544
Great Experience - Edit
This restaurant is a must for vegans and omnis alike. The food is flavorful and interesting. We went on a Sunday during brunch. We started with their papas. I had the chimichanga and my wife had a dish with plantains. Everything tasted fantastic.
Read moreWith the appetizer, meals, and drinks, the bill total surprised us (expensive), but it was totally worth it. I would definitely return to Gracias Madre if we ever go to San Francisco again.
Guest
DominicPaul
Points +98
absolutely fantastic. - Edit
I took my non vegan cousin to have dinner here and she loved it... As for me I was in absolute heaven. The food and the atmosphere are spot on, 100% vegan, 100% amazing.. I have to be honest the staff seems a little pressie and not very welcoming. But I'll be back just for the food because I've been vegan for so many years and it's nice to have an establishment like this..
Read morePros: food amazing atmosphere nice
Cons: staff needs a little warmth.
Guest
ronitw
Points +873
Good Mexican Food - Edit
We celebrated a birthday in a group of 6. Everything went well. Food was good and we consumed lots of it. Drinks were great too - even my sake Margarita!
Read moreWe do prefer the Gracias Madre in Los Angeles though.
Pros: Good food and service
Guest
kaduhacissej
Points +122
Disappointed - Edit
I was really excited to go here, on a trip from Indianapolis (land of 1 vegan restaurant), and I am sad to say that I was not impressed; I can get better vegan Mexican food in Indy. My husband actually said “you’ve made much better Mexican food at home.” We started with some gorditas, which tasted basically like crispy hash brown patties. I got the enchiladas, which were luke warm and came with a side of delicious refried beans and very blah kale. Husband got the highly recommended flautas which were better than my enchiladas but still not worth the price or the excitement.
Read moreI appreciate the existence of this Mexican vegan eatery, however I expected better food. I don’t criticize vegan eateries easily, but I’m sorry to say, this one was a bummer.
Pros: vegan Mexican , refried beans
Cons: overpriced, mediocre food
Guest
jojocita
Points +115
a treasure in mission - Edit
Wonderful restaurant !
Read morePros: amazing service, great food
Cons: nothing
Guest
galagarza89
Points +100
cool and delicious spot - Edit
Can't go wrong with the "bowl uno". Will be going back for sure
Read moreGuest
LittleLaurs
Points +56
Fantastic Mexican food! - Edit
Truly beautiful food that felt healthy and tasted amazing! The vegan interpretation of traditional Mexican dishes is inspired.
Read moreGuest
Worldvegkitchen
Points +1383
Delicious, filling, and healthy! - Edit
Coming here is such a treat. It's not authentic Mexican by any means, but the vegan interpretation of dishes that are typically beef is amazing. Vegan mole, chorizo, and Pozole are so creative. The dishes are huge, really healthy, and super flavorful. The decor is also great. Definitely recommend!
Read moreGuest
RaphaëlTurcotte
Points +86
great - Edit
Great food and service !!!!
Read moreGuest
bbaussie
Points +143
Best Vegan Mexican Food!! - Edit
Absolutely LOVE this place!!! Came with my dad and shared the guac which was super tasty! I ordered the tacos and my dad ended up having a Mexican soup (I'm sorry I forget the actual name haha) both of which we agree were amazing! For desert we shared the chocolate ice cream and my dad couldn't even believe it was vegan! Totally coming back the next time we are in San Francisco!
Read morePros: Vegan, Super Tasty, Traditional Mexican Food
Cons: gets pretty crowded
Guest
Gibson5
Points +28
parking is Horrendous but... - Edit
So this review is a preference review. The food wasn't bad but my pallet wasn't having it. I ordered a Tamal a la cart and a quesadilla. I feel they should call the quesadilla a sweet potato taco. As that is what it was. 1/2 thick sweet potato mash in a small corn tortilla folded in half with chile verde salsa and cashew cheese or crema drizzle in top. Flavors were good but not of a taco than anything else. Tamal nope never not liked a vegan dish ever. This I couldn't do. Sorry not my
Read moreThing. My husband had the gorditas and thought is was the best he has ever had. We also had their chocolate cake and ice cream that was bomb diggity!! So I think I may go again oh yeah they ran out of beans!? Weird. But overall cool restaurant fast service. Not a good part of town but not everything is. I may have just picked things that were not fitting me. Idk
Pros: fast service , good food, it's vegan!
Cons: Tamal nothing like a Tamal , ran out of beans- must have beans at a mex restaur, parking - horrible
Guest
RomanDifebo
Points +44
gracias madre ❤️ - Edit
I've been twice and both times were delicious. It's super cute inside, the ambiance is great. The service is good. Both times live music was there for part of our dinner. The bowls are yummy. This time I personally ordered the platanos con mole negro. So yummy it also came with pickled veggies. Mmm!!
Read moreGuest
grrrowan
Points +153
Absolutely Fabulous - Edit
We went here for my cousin's birthday and I probably got to try 50% of the menu between the dozen or so guests we had. Absolutely everything was delicious.
Read moreTheir vegan "cheese" sauces were some of the best I've had. I also loved getting to eat fresh tortillas, and truly locally sourced ingredients. Highly recommend.
Pros: Great ambiance, Authentic, Truly local foods
Guest
Bea_lc
Points +573
Favourite resto in SF! - Edit
Wow! The food is so tasty and the presentation so amazing!! They also serve the most delicious horchata and Micheladas. All of this awards Gracias Madre the badge of my favourite restaurant in SF.
Read moreI loved it so much I went twice during my weekend in SF. The first time we had the sweet potato quesadilla and a kind of crispy burrito with chorizo and some other delicious fillings. The second day we had the bowl 1 and the platillo de legumbres (day 1 was better).
For dessert the chocolate cake topped with ice cream was so gorgeous as well. I wish I have had a week to try more dishes. The decoration is also lovely and the staff very nice. Be aware the area around it is a bit rough, so we took a taxi the second time around.
Pros: tasty food and huge portions , amazing drinks, nice stuff and deco
Cons: location
Guest
vegancatladyy
Points +76
good vegan Mexican food - Edit
I got the Bowl Uno sans rice today and it was quite delicious! The servers were very nice and the restaurant has a great atmosphere. I will be back the next time I'm in San Fran!
Read moreGuest
Josy57
Points +93
Good Mexican food - Edit
The atmosphere (calming with dim lighting and soft music) and the personal (helpful and attentive) are very nice. I brought my non-vegan parents there and they said they didn't miss meat or dairy for a second and that if everything was as good, they could be vegan no problem.
Read moreMy dad went for a torta with black beans, avocado, almond cilantro pesto, pico de gallo and cashew cheese.
My mum chose the sweet potato and caramelized onions quesadilla (which is apparently a customer's favorite).
And I ordered the Bowl Uno with : tempeh chorizo, black beans, guacamole, brown rice and pico de gallo, romaine, nacho cashew cheese and pepitas.
Everything was very good (though my mum found her quesadilla slightly too spicy for her liking) and the pricing was very reasonable : 48 dollars for the three of us (including a cinnamon infused horchata).
Overall, a good stop on a Mexican food lover's journey through San Francisco.
Guest
shelly
Points +293
Great Appetizers - Edit
Overall:
Read moreStick with the appetizers (delicious) and forgo the mains (average).
Within the appetizers, this is a definite (and, enough to act as a main dish): Quesadilla de Calabaza: Butternut & caramelized onion quesadilla
Pros: Appetizers, Atmosphere , Vegan
Cons: Mains
Guest
Veganlauren
Points +122
terrible service - Edit
We have been here several times and there is always a wait, even with a reservation. The hostess is not very welcoming or engaging. It usually is a 30-45 min wait for a table. However many of the tables are community seating so you will likely be eating with strangers. After the long wait, service is usually helpful and quick. I suspect this is to get people out faster and have a higher turnover rate. The food is good. Being able to have real vegan Mexican food is great. We really like the chipotle papas (a little on the spicy side) and the enchiladas. The flan was a little weird it tasted almost boozy with a strange texture. We wish that next time if we decide to come back the hostess will be more welcoming, maybe at this point, there should be two to be able to provide better service.
Read moreUpdate: 5/31/17
Sat at the bar and got ZERO service. We got in at 9:30 right on time for our reservation. The hostess couldn't find it and said "she didn't know how to work the app" to find our reservation. Luckily by this time, there was no wait. We sat at the bar and had to stop the staff for EVERYTHING to order a drink, to order our food, to get a Togo box and our check. We got pozole, it looked like it was just over salsa it was so bland. We also got the enchiladas, ehh. The most frustrating of our visit was about our app. We ordered the papas, normally when we order it we ask for just A LITTLE bit extra sauce because otherwise they are so dry. We have done this several times, it has never been an issue. Today I forgot and of course our sever was no where to be found. So when we got the order I asked about it. The girl bringing us the papas told us it would be extra, I was confused but said sure no problem. We got the bill and it was an extra 4.50$ for a tiny 1 oz container of "cheese"!!!!!!! 4.50$!!!! I asked our server about it and she said we should have asked her about it she would have been able to ask them to put a little extra on but "that's the price" literally wtf. I have been to so many vegan places; dozens, normally the charge is no more than 2$. This added into the absent service was an awful experience. I would rate it one star if I could. We won't be back.
I also think it is worth mentioning I recently discovered the owners also own a ranch/farm where they raise animals for slaughter. So I'm not sure we can really still categorize this as vegan. I'm sure it won't be long before they start putting their poor sweet cows on people's plates in madre.
Pros: l
Cons: always a wait, pokie faces, the owners also own animals for slaughter :-(
Guest
Breda
Points +420
disappointed!! - Edit
Really disappointed with the food we received! The food was lukewarm and didn't have much flavour at all. We ordered sweet potato quesadilla that was very mushy and we could not taste or see the other ingredients that were meant to be in it. The taquitos only came with two and a small side of black beans and veg which I found really overpriced at $19 considering it also had mild flavour. Happy with the server he was friendly and polite.
Read moreCons: expensive , food was not hot
Guest
Zorabe
Points +38
Need to do better... - Edit
When the food is done well it's great. But when it's not it's very poor. Tonight, I had to argue down management to replace my burnt-crusted cobbler. Eeeew!! I know mistakes happen but to argue as though it's not true takes it to a new level.
Read moreGuest
ClareBewick
Points +88
The best!!! - Edit
Oh. My. Goodness!!! I have just come back from eating here and I am in awe of what I have just eaten. Some of the best vegan food ever!!
Read moreWe arrived without making a reservation so sat at the bar to eat as they were very busy, but that was fine.
We started with the cauliflower small plate... just wow!! Tasty doesn't come close. Followed by some lovely tacos with amazing refried beans. I was completely full but managed to force in a puddding- (vegan cinnamon ice cream, how could i not?!)
The staff we very attentive and friendly aswell.
Pros: The food, Staff, The food
Cons: None.
Guest
endofcity
Points +462
Room for improvement - Edit
Having read the good reviews. I had high expectations of Gracias Madre but these weren't fulfilled.
Read moreThings got off to a rocky start when we arrived because I was massively underwhelmed by the welcome (or lack of) we received from the hostess / Maître d', who was not at all friendly and/or welcoming. Even though we'd made a reservation and turned up on time, she informed us there would be a 15 minute wait for a table. No apology. I noticed she continued her po-faced performance with other arriving customers, so at least it wasn't us..
Anyway, eventually we sat down for food. Waiter was more helpful and polite - he helped us to order, which was nice. I wasn't that impressed with the food, however. Starters were ok but I found the mains a bit bland and not particularly fresh tasting.
Booze was too expensive. I understand alcohol is expensive in America but $30 for a crappy bottle of wine is taking liberties. Places like this should take the lead and charge more reasonably for wine and beer.
Not somewhere I'd go back to nor recommend.
Pros: it's vegan
Cons: snotty maître d', shambolic service , food extremely average
Guest
Mimi_jlm
Points +20
so good - Edit
The menu has so many great options, it's hard to choose. What a problem to have! We ordered bowl uno and enchilada con mole, and both were full of flavors and lots of it. My favorite was the bowl uno - a deconstructed burrito bowl with all of the typical components. Their tempeh chorizo was a really nice addition - a bit spicy which added a little kick. The enchilada was spicy! For you spicy lovers, this is great, but for those who arnt, it's hot! All in all, I need to go back to try other items on the menu!
Read morePros: food is phenomenal , service is quick and friendly , ambiance is welcoming and warm
Cons: busy busy and so it's communal tables
Guest
WolfeLadi
Points +112
No Disappointments - Edit
Great, Great Mexican Food! quality ingredients and presentation. Delicious
Read moreGuest
Rawajuiceco
Points +43
Great food - Edit
Love how creative they are with the food they make. The open kitchen is awesome. I have never had a bad meal.
Read morePros: Outdoor seating, Bar seating, Clean
Cons: Price
Guest
CamillaDornquast
Points +25
great food, family friendly - Edit
I'm the only vegan member of my family, which when traveling includes myself, three adults, a teenager, a toddler, and a soon to be one year old. Needles to say finding a place for all seven of us to eat out can be quite the struggle. Luckily we made reservations for this place and everybody loved it, even the tots! They had high chairs and seats for toddlers and the establishment was very family friendly.
Read moreThe food was also SO GOOD! We ordered the Coliflór Frito and some nacho dish for appetizers which were all incredible! The cashew cheese is seriously to die for (even the salsa jars on the table were way above average in taste!) I ordered the flautas de camote which our waitress said was the most popular menu on the item. I thought they were good but not too interesting and I'd order something different next time. My dad got the enchiladas mole negro which I thought was a lot better. Their refried black beans are some of the best I've ever had.
Overall was a great experience and I will definitely go back the next time I am in the Bay Area.
Pros: kid friendly, quick service, great food
Guest
gmr24
Points +75
vegan mexican food! - Edit
This is a great place to eat. The atmosphere is nice as well as quiet. The staff is friendly and the food is super tasty. I tried the quesadilla which was a perfect portion, not too heavy.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2016-11-09
Pros: all vegan, friendly staff, calm atmosphere
Cons: not a lot of seating
Guest
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