Colibri Mexican Bistro

Jen and I stopped by downtown San Francisco for lunch on a layover, and we made a beeline straight for one of her favorite Mexican places in the city – Colibri Mexican Bistro.  The restaurant gives off a sleep post siesta atmosphere during the day, and the perfect setting for a rambunctious and lively watering hole at night.

The guacamole here is good. Damn good.  Like trade your sister who made you walk home every day after practice because she was too busy making out with some jock during high school good.  The menu says it’s made fresh at your table, which I never witnessed, but I’m always one to believe that guacamole is one of those rare foods that’ll instantly tell you whether or not it’s been made fresh or from the day before.  Fresh guacamole just has a je ne sais quoi that guacamole savants like Jen can tell whether it’s the not so fresh…stuff.

Anyways.  Behold. The sacrificial stone mortar of guac.

The guacamole arrives with hand searingly-hot homemade corn tortillas and a trio of salsa, which started one of the most beautiful guacamole soft taco binges I’ve ever been involved in.  Well, except for the soft taco binge of ’86 when I had that chance encounter with those midget twins from Wisconsin while high on unicorn meat and absinthe, but that’s a story for another day.

We also split an order of the Tamalitos Colibri, a small plate of corn dough stuffed with Oaxacan cheese and drowned in tomato sauce, queso fresco, and white corn.  The end result was something that tasted like it came straight out of Chef Boyardee’s private recipe book.  Not a bad dish per se, but with a flavor that so strongly resembled something you ate after class in grade school (or college, for some of us), it wasn’t a big hit with either of us.

For our entrees, Jen ordered the Huevos Rancheros.  Two eggs cooked over easy on a blue corn tortilla, served with salsa molcajeteada and the smoothest refried beans I’ve ever tasted.  I mean Barry White smooth.

I opted for the Caritas omelet, a generous portion of juicy pulled pork, wrapped in eggs and then dressed with sala ranchera, served with more of those Barry White refried black beans, Oaxacan cheese, and potatoes.  BAM.  Awesomeness.

And just to make sure we had enough food (in fact, the waiter wanted to make sure just how much food we were getting into here), I also put in an order for the Torrejas Colibri – a homemade cinnamon coated Mexican pastry that’s somewhere between french toast and bread pudding without being either, served fresh berries, mango, and left to drown in a pool of honey agave sizzurp.  Er, syrup.

Brunch here was exactly what I needed on our layover.  Lots of homemade foods, worth the venture outside of the airport that serves up little more than TSA approved reheated meals of flavored gruel, in your choice of consistency.  Prices here are more than reasonable

Colibri’s my new favorite go to spot for Mexican in San Francisco.  Now I just need another opportunity to visit.

See Colibri on a map here.

Recommended For:

• Guac Jocks
• Vegetarians
• Mexican Delights (that’s not some weird nickname for a sex position)
• First Dates
• Second Dates
• Fresh, Homemade Tasting Food

Not Recommended For:

• 21 Consecutive Tequila Shots
• Singing “My Little Buttercup” to your fellow patrons
• Zone Dieters
• Deliciousness Defiants