“ I had not heard about this spot until recently when I was in the neighborhood with a friend and she suggested going here. They were about to close in 20 minutes, but we stopped in to see if we could still get a quick bite. They were gracious enough to let us sit down and order our fish tacos. The tacos were so delicious. The beer battered fish was crispy and perfectly cooked. I would love to go back here and try some of their other tacos. Also, I love that they give you a whole flight of different hot sauces. Being a hot sauce girly that was like heaven for me. Each one was so different and so spicy. I loved it ! ”

“ I had lunch here for a work outing. Most of us didn't even know of this restaurant. I guess they re-opened recently. The place is pretty big & has indoor & outdoor seating. There's a bar inside. The place was decorated nice. They had colorful flags streamed across the room. The chips come with 3 varieties of chili sauces. One was a habernero sauce. They all were good. The guacamole was good too; but, I thought it was quite small for 5 people. I literally could've finished off the guacamole by myself! The food was really good. I got the Baja Fish Tacos. An order came with 2 and it was a decent amount. It was tasty & there was plenty of fish. It's not fried to the point where you have more batter than fish. Everyone liked their dish & most couldn't even finish it. The portions are pretty good size. Our waiter, not sure if he was the manager, was "Carlos". He was great! He told us about the restaurant, their other locations, & that they catered events. He was super knowledgeable, helpful, & nice. I would come back here again! ”

“ I have been twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and can confirm- great food, AMAZING STAFF, with indoor or outdoor seating. By far my new favorite place for Mexican- next time, I'll try the margaritas. I got the salad with Carnitas and it's a big serving - more than enough to split or save a bit for later. The carnitas are not greasy, not dry but instead perfect. My table mates had tacos and and between that, my food, and the chips and dip we all ended up taking stuff to go at the end of the meal. Don't consider this place a 'mission burrito' counter- it's got far more options and honestly some of the best staff I've seen at a restaurant in a long long time. ”

“ I came here for a work luncheon and we sat outside in the parklet. I would've preferred to be inside but it was a nice day. We ordered drinks and appetizers for the table. We had esquites, guacamole & the trio dip (2 of each) for both sides of the table. I thought that each appetizer was really refreshing and good. My favorite would probably be the esquites. It was creamy and crunchy and paired well with the homemade chips. Everyone ordered their own dish and I got the flautas. They were tasty but a little bland. I would love to try another main the next time I come in. I feel like this would be a fun lounge to hang out in with some friends before a night out. Our server was a bit quirky but they made us feel at home. We ordered desserts and had plenty of left overs and they asked if we would give our uneaten food to a homeless man, which we were totally comfortable with. Their selfless act definitely left an impression on all of us. I would definitely venture back here. ”

“ We live right across the street from Buena Vida, and finally got around to trying it. The storefront is a bit tucked away, so on a rainy day, it was hard to see the restaurant/tell if it was open. However, once you open the door, you enter a really vibrant and cheerful atmosphere. We were greeted by one of the owners, and he was super nice and sat us down pretty quickly. We started with the chips as well as the guac (here, we messed up, didn't realize guac also came with chips). The salsas were absolutely amazing; the green one was my favorite, as it had a really nice tang with a bit of spice. The yellow/habanero one was quite spicy, and the red one had a real smokey flavor that was awesome. Really recommend getting the chips and salsa! The guac was good as well, with a very heaping portion, but nothing too special. We got three tacos: the baja fish, the al pastor, and the campechano (carne asada). The baja fish was quite strange; they used salmon instead of white fish (as it says on their menu). Not sure if they just ran out, but salmon doesn't really work in a fish taco, and I wish they had given us a heads up about this. The coating was also not super crispy. The carne asada was decent, but a bit too chewy and stringy for my taste. The al pastor was really good though; super tender and juicy, with nice flavors. Decent pile of pineapple as well! Will definitely stop by in the future! ”

“ So lovely to find such a gem near everything in San Francisco! We walked to Macy's afterwards and the couple we ate dinner with went to Oracle Arena. The food was delicious! We had tacos (great variety and good portions) and the other couple both had the birria plate. However, we all enjoyed the cocktails the most. The variety of margaritas allowed us to try a few each, and since it was happy hour, we indulged... Ambiance was cozy and the service was friendly while attentive. We will be back, probably every time we are in that part of the city. ”

“ We had the best time coming in to Buena Vida Cantina for dinner with friends! The staff was so nice and so helpful to our group. We all thought the food was super good too! The bathrooms are very clean as well. ”

“ Went here around 12pm on a Thursday and it was basically empty. We sat outside because it was a really nice day. Service was great! The guy always checked on us and seemed very happy. The food. Ummmm wow. Everything was amazing. I ordered the salsa trio, LOBSTER AND STEAK TACO and the quesabirria taco. Salsa trio: the salsas had a kick but it wasn't too spicy. The chips were amazing! It had seasoning on it, was thin and tbh it's one of the best taqueria chips I've ever tasted. It's a must have! Quesabirria taco: had 2 layers of tortillas and the outside was crunchy. Full of meat and it was tender af! Dip it into the sauce.. you won't regret it! Lobster and steak taco: it was filled with meat but difficult to eat since the tortilla was wet, so I had to use a fork and knife to eat it. Also for a $19 taco, I expect it to be more worth it? It was good but not my fav esp for that price. Overall, definitely going to come back to try more things! ”