This is the first Mexican place that I ate at while in San Francisco. I am a born and raised Texas girl and anyone from Texas knows that Mexican food/Tex-Mex is not the same once you leave the Texas borders! This place had a lot to live up to!! It is called the Velvet Cantina. It is an eccentric restaurant/bar/club located in the Mission district of San Francisco. I would describe the food as “upscale, contemporary MexiCali.”
The salsa was mediocre. It has a fruit taste to it and I am not a fan of sweet salsas. My boyfriend thinks it was apple and he may be right, but I am not 100% sure on what gave it that distinct taste.
The chips were homemade and served hot!
The queso was better than expected! The queso is made with various cheeses and I am fairly certain that they make it in house. Unfortunately, it does not compare to the likes of Torchys or Kerbey Lane! XD But if you find yourself craving queso in Cali, this is your place!
Menu description:
chile con queso
a creamy blend of cheddar and jack cheeses, tomato, and roasted chiles
The drink was awesome!! I had the “perfect margarita” and it was flawless! It is made with Herradura silver tequila, cointreau, and fresh citrus juices. I love tequila and have to say that Herradura is one of the best ones out there. My parents educated me about this premium liquor!
For appetizer, I had the chicken cornbread sopes. They were quite tasty! Even the slaw in the middle had nice flavors to it. I just wish that the cornbread tarts were bigger. They were too small to be considered an appetizer. Other than that, this appetizer had an appealing presentation and the taste was phenomenal.
Menu description:
cornbread sopes
two cornbread tarts filled with pollo asada, pepper jack cheese, refried beans, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro pesto
For the main course, I had the chicken avocado enchiladas. Again, I was hesitant on how good it would taste. Surprisingly, these are some of the best enchiladas that I have ever had. My favorite enchiladas of all time being Chuy’s chicka-chicka boom-boom enchiladas. I would most definitely order this entree again! As stated in the appetizer description, the pickled slaw was delicious, and the same goes for the slaw on this entree. It is a beautiful and flavorful addition to the plate.
Menu description:
chicken avocado enchiladas
shredded chicken, slices of avocado, jalapeno cream sauce, pepper jack cheese, cilantro pesto rice and beans
This restaurant definitely fulfilled my Tex-Mex cravings! 😛
Service- The service was about average. I do not think they refilled our chip basket and it was hard to get the server’s attention (but I think that was due to the loud music/club atmosphere).
Overall: 
4/5 stars
Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-4142
http://velvetcantina.com/
thehippiefoodie 