By far one of the hottest restaurant openings in 2024 was Elena’s Mexican Restaurant.

Coming from the same owners as Original Joe’s and Little Original Joe’s, popular old school Italian joints, Elena’s Mexican Restaurant isn’t going to be the most authentic Mexican food but more Mexican-American cuisine. Since it’s located in West Portal in San Francisco, the area is more suburban and the restaurant’s vibe feels different from the typical restaurants I dine at in the city. The restaurant itself is pretty large with a bar area with giant flat screen televisions playing sports games.

For some reason, the restaurant has been extremely hyped up since opening last year and reservations are tough to come by even though they are open everyday all day. We had a 2:45PM reservation which is late for lunch but as you can see from the photo, the restaurant was still completely packed. The menu is extensive and everything sounded enticing so we did read a few reviews to get an idea of what we should try and what to skip.

We got a few cocktails to start. I got the seasonal spritz with Condesa prickly pear and orange blossom gin, St. Germain, citrus, and sparkling water where I honestly couldn’t pinpoint the flavors and I personally wanted it to be sweeter. The coconut margarita had Herradura silver tequila, Siglo Cero Pox, rum, triple sec, lime, and agave with coconut shavings around the rim of the glass. We both agreed that we wanted more coconut flavor in the cocktail.

We were both really pleasantly surprised by the complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were extremely fresh, light but very crispy, and the salsa had a nice charred flavor without being overpowering and not too spicy.

The guacamole was also another winner. Very fresh with lots of lime and cilantro, hints of serrano, and finished with a layer of salty Cotija cheese and vibrant pickled red onions.

I saw a lot of people online order the fried calamari and rock shrimp so it must be good right?! Well it was pretty delicious where the calamari and rock shrimp were nicely fried and very tender still. The shishito peppers were a nice touch and the spicy arbol aioli just elevated the entire dish. While this isn’t Mexican cuisine, it still hit the spot.

Gobernador tacos are one of my favorite types of tacos and they did a pretty great job at these. Stuffed with shrimp, poblano, and cheese, these tacos have a super cheesy crust that go so well with the pickled red onions and the salsa verde.

The weakest savory dish was the chile colorado which was still overall good. The stewed pork in the guajillo sauce just needed more of that rich depth of flavor from roasted chilies and aromatics. I did enjoy the refried pinto beans and rice and they gave us an assortment of corn and flour tortillas.

Crunchy yet airy warm churros were dusted in cinnamon sugar and served with a luxurious chocolate sauce. If they were served with cajeta I would have loved these even more.

Chocoflan can either be great or mediocre as it combines two desserts into one: chocolate cake and flan. The chocolate cake was super moist and the flan was silky smooth. My only criticism was that I wanted more of that caramel that’s usually served on top of flan.

Since my expectations for Elena’s Mexican Restaurant were slightly low, I was very satisfied with our meal there. Service was great, vibes were lively, and the food was overall well executed. This would be a great spot for a large group as portions are large and shareable. While the restaurant is overhyped, if you’re able to snag a reservation, I would try it at least once. Therefore my rating is an 8/10.