Where to Find the Best Margaritas in the SF Bay Area

My regular readers know that I love a good margarita or 'margie' as I affectionately call them.  On our most recent trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, we had the chance to sample a few different ones and I thought I'd do a comparison.

The margie above it from Los Charros in Mountain View, California.

The list of margaritas was quite lengthy but I'm a purist and opted for a house margie on the rocks with salt.

The bar area featured all sorts of the usual Mexican restaurant kitsch.

A huge variety of tequila was temptingly on display.

The verdict:  Los Charros offers a solid margie with a nicely salted rim in a festive glass but it's not quite as tart as I prefer.

Next up we have Casa Lupe in Sunnyvale.  The margie was sizable with a nicely salted rim.  It paired well with chips and salsa but had a little too much of a 7-Up flavor for my liking...

I did enjoy my chile verde platter and the fun atmosphere inside.

Casa Lupe is a bit tucked away in a strip mall so it can be easy to miss.

The verdict:  A respectable margie but I would like to see real lime juice substituted for the soda.

Finally, we tried The Little Chihuahua in Noe Valley in San Francisco.  I've been to the Little Chihuahua a number of times and it's my 'go to' place for a margarita in San Francisco.  For about $6.00, you get a pint sized glass full of margie goodness.  It's nice and tart and has lots of orange pieces floating in the glass (a bit non-traditional but it works!).  They also do a perfectly salted rim.

The verdict:  My favorite margie in the Bay Area at the moment...

There you have it, folks!  San Francisco is full of surprises, but I'm not surprised at all to find awesome margaritas. We'll have to try another three on our next visit in the name of investigative journalism ;-)

SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Looking for more Mexican food and great cocktails in San Francisco? Why not try Padrecito SF for brunch?