Donaji

This Mission District restaurant began as a tamale catering company, and fresh masa runs through much of its Oaxacan menu. The tamales are steamed until tender, with fillings that include chicken, cochinita pibil, potatoes, or cheese with poblano. Start with a chicken tamal, then look to the sopes, which pair crisp masa with pickled cabbage, guacamole, and beef brisket. The restaurant’s dark mole is another feature of the kitchen.

Picks from San Francisco Chronicle and The Infatuation

The Infatuation. An Oaxacan restaurant in the Mission. Fork-tender tamales, fried masa discs piled with brisket, and tlayudas thin enough to make you wonder how they hold their toppings.

Picks from The Infatuation