La Torta Gorda San Francisco

We recently headed to SF for a short getaway from the city. Not only was the weather perfect in SF, but as you can imagine, so was the food. After days of gorging ourselves silly on as many crab legs, oysters and sashimi we could get our hands on, we stopped by La Torta Gorda one early afternoon in the hopes of curing an exceptionally nasty hangover from a particularly intense evening of mini putt (s/o Urban Putt!).

Guacamole

The translation for the name of the restaurant literally means ‘the fat sandwich’. Trust me, this is no exaggeration. The width and girth of the tortas are impressive, jaw-dropping even. Despite our better judgement, we all went for the regular size which is, by the way, enough to substitute two to three meals, depending on your appetite. Wowza.

The restaurant was peacefully quiet that afternoon, allowing us to have the patio to ourselves. The cheery greenery, the bright sunshine plus the pleasantly spicy guac made for a great start to the meal.

Al Pastor Torta

Carnitas Torta

China Poblana Torta

The Al Pastor torta was stuffed with pineapples, avocados and marinated pork with hints of sweet and salty coming together nicely. The carnitas torta was a classic, composed primarily of deep fried pork, onions and avocados. The standout favorite was the china poblano torta, oozing a wealth of melted Oaxaca cheese, charred strips of steak and grilled cactus, unlike anything I’ve had before. I came the closest to finishing this bad boy off – pretty sure I gained a couple pounds from this meal alone. Worth it.

La Torta Gorda is a family-run diner, complete with bar stools, greasy/delicious food, TVs and a beautiful patio out back. Hugely recommend making a stop here. The Mission area that surrounds the restaurant is beautiful, unique and worth checking out. Plus, a great way to walk off the enormous meal you just ate!