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Buena Vida Cantina, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Buena Vida Cantina

4.3
4.3
139 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM
Buena Vida Cantina is inspired by our travels to northern mexico and our love for
Mexican comfort food & street cuisine. Featuring unique dishes from Chef Erik Hopfinger and fresh Agave based
cocktails.

Buena Vida is for San Francisco and SOMA where community is ingrained in our
heartbeat. The Good Life.

Join us in The Garden, our outdoor dinning space, and enjoy everything we have to offer. Great food, laughs, good times and The Good Life.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Mexican, Cocktail Bar, Comfort Food
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 11:00 am–2:15 pm Mon–Fri 4:45 pm–9:00 pm Sat 4:45 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (415) 450-6689
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Erik Hopfinger
  • Catering
    For catering, outdoor parklet buyouts or large party requests please email our events director, Krystal Forrester, Krystal@blockpartysf.com.
  • Private party facilities
    For catering, outdoor parklet buyouts or large party requests please email our events director, Krystal Forrester, Krystal@blockpartysf.com.
  • Neighborhood
    SOMA
  • Cross street
    Between 4th & 5th Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 139 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Buena Vida Cantina delights with "amazing service" and "excellent" food, offering authentic Mexican cuisine with fresh ingredients. Guests rave about standout margaritas, "fantastic" salsa trio, and creative takes on traditional dishes. Ideal for leisurely dining, this hidden gem ensures a welcoming atmosphere perfect for any occasion.

139 Reviews
  1. Araceli

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 19, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is a hidden gem. I live close by and had never been here before. I celebrated my birthday with pitchers of margaritas that were perfect. The food was delicious but would benefit from more options. The mole enchiladas were delicious. The flan was also delicious. I will come again.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Bruce

    Phoenix

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 29, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great authentic Mexican food. Top notch spicy Margaritas

    Is this helpful?

  3. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on September 27, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious Mexican cuisine. The trio of salsa is fantastic! Their taco selection is exceptional and highly recommend their excellent margaritas.

    Is this helpful?

  4. PAFoodie

    Philadelphia

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on July 9, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food served hot and quickly. And the meal was not rushed- we felt welcome to chat and eat at leisure. Recommend!!

    Is this helpful?

  5. LisaO

    Seattle

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on July 9, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fantastic service, great food & drinks. My guests commented that their skinny margaritas are the best that they've tasted so far. It was a perfect ratio and balance of the ingredients. Witch water was extremely beautiful, tasty, and strong; hence the name. Awesome & fresh salsa trio, fish taco, lobster & steak taco, Al Pastor, Campichano, Quesabirria were all at elevated levels. The ambiance of the restaurant is easy going and classy. You can have a business meeting here, bring a date, or bring friends to dine indoor or outdoor.

    Is this helpful?

  6. KristinM

    San Francisco

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on July 8, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely delicious food. Lots of vegetarian options

    Is this helpful?

  7. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 7, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fresh ingredients, authentic and home cooked traditional dishes, but also some creative takes on things like carne asada and black beans. Incredible food. Balanced not too sweet cocktails. And the elote!! Sweet fresh corn and secret sauce. We’re going back.

    1 person found this helpful

  8. RyanD

    Coastal Georgia

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on June 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing service, the owner and his brother were amazing hosts and the food was excellent - everyone in our group of seven cleaned our plates and extremely enjoyed it

    1 person found this helpful

  9. DineFine

    San Francisco

    7 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on May 9, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Terrible experience. Table was not provided inside. Plastic cups for margaritas. Poor quality food
    Buena Vida CantinaResponded on July 8, 2024
    Thanks for visiting us, DineFine. We're truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience at Buena Vida Cantina. We strive to provide a comfortable environment and excellent service, and we're sorry to hear that we fell short this time. We also apologize for the lack of preparation regarding our drink servingware and the quality of our food. We were slammed due to the conference, and ran out of glasses ! We have addressed all issues and we are ready! We hope you'll give us another chance to serve you better. Best regards, Buena Vida

    1 person found this helpful

  10. UncleLuke

    Tampa

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 7, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Cold food, 30 minutes for drinks. Staff forgot about us multiple times. The lunch took over two hour from start to finish. The host ordered appetizers were didn’t ask for. It looked like staff were quiting mid-shift. Horrible experience.
    Buena Vida CantinaResponded on July 8, 2024
    Hi UncleLuke, we're truly sorry to hear about your recent experience at Buena Vida Cantina. It's disappointing to know that you didn't receive the level of service we strive to provide. We understand how frustrating it must have been to wait for your drinks and food, and we sincerely apologize for the oversight. We also regret to hear about the extended wait time you experienced. We have addressed these issues with our team to ensure better service in the future. We are ready! We hope you'll give us another chance to provide the excellent experience you deserve. Best, Buena Vida

    1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Buena Vida Cantina offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (415) 450-6689.

Buena Vida Cantina is rated 4.3 stars by 139 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
9:30 PM

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Buena Vida Cantina

860 Folsom St, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Between 4th & 5th Street
  • Neighborhood
    SOMA
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri 11:00 am–2:15 pm Mon–Fri 4:45 pm–9:00 pm Sat 4:45 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary Mexican, Cocktail Bar, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Erik Hopfinger
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Beer Garden, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (415) 450-6689
  • Catering
    For catering, outdoor parklet buyouts or large party requests please email our events director, Krystal Forrester, Krystal@blockpartysf.com.
  • Private party facilities
    For catering, outdoor parklet buyouts or large party requests please email our events director, Krystal Forrester, Krystal@blockpartysf.com.
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  • Cookie Preferences
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