Colibri

Colibri is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The food is awesome - homemade guacamole tableside, and their tortilla soup comes in a kettle. The ambiance is always fun and it's always crowded! Definitely one of my favorites. Pros: great sangria, guacamole Cons: crunchy chips are extra more

Colibri Mexican Bistro brings authentic tastes from central Mexico and delivers them in a deliciously classical way, but with nice modern touches. It advertises itself has having the most comprehensive tequila collection in the Bay Area. With 350 tequilas to choose from, ranging to $85 a pour ultra-premium anejo tequilas, my guess is that claim is probably true. The interior is a pleasant take on Old Mexico, with dark wood banquettes, wrought iron fixtures, and earthy colors of ochre and sand on the walls. I was there on a Monday night, 8 pm. The place was busy and fully occupied, but not crowded, and the noise level was quite tolerable, even with live music. The musicians played appealing Mexican or Spanish music without once crossing into silly mariachi territory (no "La Cucaracha"). I ordered a tasting flight of the featured monthly tequila, Jimador. The flight, for $20, gave me a one ounce pour of blanco, reposado, and anejo styles from the maker, along with a small glass of a spicy tomato juice and some lime wedges. Freshly made, warm corn tortillas arrived with three sauces: a spicy chile salsa roja, a medium-heat fresh tomatillo salsa verde, and a sweet mango salsa. All were delicious with the tortillas. Moving from spicy to sweet with the suble earthy sweetness of the tortillas was a nice set of starting flavors to go with the tequilas. I ordered an antojito, Tostadas Tinga, which was three small crisp corn tortillas mounded with a spicy shredded chicken, a little queso fundido and a bite of avocado. All of the flavors were well balanced, and the creaminess of the cheese and avocado kept the spicy chile sauce with the chicken from being too much. This was best with the blanco tequila and lime. The distinct agave tastes mingled very well with the chile. For my main course, I ordered Pechugas Rellena de Huitlacoche and Nopales Asados. Huiltlacoche, or "cprn truffle" is a fungus that grows on ears of corn and is considered a delicacy from Aztec times to now. Fresh huitlacoche is very hard to find outside of Mexico, although frozen and canned forms are available. It has a slightly sweet, earthy flavor that is unlike any other mushroom I've tasted. The huitlacoche was stuffed inside a properly seasoned and cooked chicken breast, with just the right level of brown, slightly crispy exterior and flavorful, juicy meat. It was accompanied by a timbale of sauteed zucchini, fresh corn, and herbs, also tasty. The Nopales Asados was sauteed cactus paddles, thinly sliced portobello mushrooms, garlic, fresh oregano, and olive oil. The fresh oregano nicely complemented the vegetal taste of the cactus. This course was nicely complemented by the reposado. The smoother, more complex, slightly woody notes of the reposado played well with the earthy, meaty, slightly salty tastes of the chicken and huitlacoche. I finished my meal with Caballeros Pobres (literally "poor cowboys"), which is a Yucatan bread pudding, served with a brown sugar ("piloncillo") and cinnamon honey sauce and vanilla ice cream. Colibri bakes the bread pudding and then slightly fries the slices, making for a wonderfully warm, surprisingly light dessert, that was just-right sweet, even with the vanilla ice cream. I accompanied the dessert with the last of the anejo tequila, whose complex, mellow, agave and oaky notes stood up to, but did not contradict, the flavors of the Caballeros Pobres. Service throughout was attentive but not obtrusive. Food was delivered hot, without excessive waiting, but the entire meal felt properly unhurried. A wonderful experience all around. Pros: Food, decor, tequila collection, atmosphere Cons: None more

Why bother with Dinner? I mean, it's so overrated. You can skip dinner, when you have a delicious tequila fortified brunch, complete with a few fresh blackberry margaritas and a to-DIE-for chicken mole. Throw in some huevos rancheros, a few more margaritas, some sopas, and you've had yourself breakfast, lunch, AND dinner--all for the thrifty price of brunch. Bonus points if they are showing classic Lucha Libre movies on the TV screen at the bar. While you may kill yourself getting in/out of the small area they allot to you for seating, and the theater crowd does make getting a reservation a lot like battling La Mummia, the food does make up for it. I promise. Pros: Blackberry Margaritas; Lucha Libre Films Cons: Reservations are Often Scarce for Dinner more

Well prepared Mexican food from a few different regions and an extensive tequila selection, maybe one of the best in S.F. Great place for a date or groups. Pros: Great food, huge tequila selection Cons: none more

Colibri is one of my favorite places to go before a show or for a quick after work margarita. They have amazing food but the portions are s... more

Colibri is one of my favorite places to go before a show or for a quick after work margarita. They have amazing food but the portions are s... more

I had no idea how many varieties of tequila there were until I stepped foot in Colibri. Granted, I don't know how good any of them were exce... more

A true SF gem, head here after a long day at work, to celebrate, or anytime you're looking to unwind with a great margarita. A close seco... more

My fiance and I were looking for a good brunch place and found good reviews for a place called "Dotties"--only the line was out the door and around the corner!! So we walked back to Colibre's Mexican Bistro which was located right next to our hotel, and it was the best decision we made on the whole trip!! The food was amazing!! Both of us really enjoyed the three types of salsa served at the beginning of the meal, with real homemade corn tortillas...yummy. I had the Huevos Rancheros and literally could have licked the plate clean it was so delicious....I highly highly recommend this place for Brunch, Lunch or Dinner. Simply perfect!! I eat a LOT of Mexican and Tex-Mex...and I would place Colibri in my top 10..maybe even top 5. maybe top 3!! :) Pros: Amazing food Cons: little on the expensive side--but worth it! more

I'd suggest giving this one a wide berth. The service was shite and the food was pretty ordinary. A good restaurant if you enjoy ordering steak med... more

I enjoyed this restaurant quite a bit. At the very least, they gave me a free sample of huitlacoche, which was worth trying because the taste is u... more

We came from Seattle on a weekend trip and decided to eat here b/c it reminded of us of our trip to Costa Rica. The Mole tasted good but everything else was not memorable. First off, our waiters seemed inexperienced and dropped our plates on the table along with the salsa and made a big mess. No big deal, but then the food came out and we were surprised at how small it was. There were 4 tiny pieces of chicken on my plate and nothing else. We ordered a side dish of cactus and that was the oddest thing ever. It tasted like over cooked beans. Not our favorite place. more

If you are looking for great gourmet mexican food you have to check this place out. Not only do you get good size portions but the people are very friendly. Three of my friends and I went there recently on a Friday night and even though it was busy we were seated 5 minutes after we arrived (we had reservations) The tapas were excellent such great flavor. I had the beef mole and that sauce was full of flavor I was salivating after the first bite. It is pricey but well worth it. Best of all the margarita rock! If you are cheap and count on your toddler to determine if it is good food or not like in the previous comment left stick to going to "Chevy's" man! and by the way having the gratuity already calculated in the bill is standard for a party of usually six or more. Read your menu where it usually states this. Pros: Great food, excellent service, waiters very attentive, and awesome drinks Cons: Street parking is bad, public parking is expensive, make reservations or you will have long wait. more

The facts: - $10 Guac, prep tableside - with 1.5 avos, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, j'penos and TABLESALT (yep, the harsh tasting, Denny's pairing, throat thirsting, Table Salt). Tableside prep. is a gimmick for a bland tasting Guac. and that just doesn't justify a 10dollarbill. They can do better than that. - $12.50 margaritas - This place ain't Gramercy Tavern - nor is it close to a Manhattan cocktail spot or San Francisco for that matter. They must've knew most over 21 would not go to a mex place w/out sippin 'ritas - Ca-ching! - $14 Carnitas. 6 chunky pork nuggets on a plate. I like the simplicity of it, but there' nothing to brag about. Tender from hrs of braising, and nicely caramel colored outside, possibly from a quick dunk at the fryer - $18 Chicken stuffed mushroom w/ crema sauce (daily special). Taste good, but it's nothing mexican/ latin - and anyone who have had a decent al fredo sauce can nod their head when they taste this dish. $18 for a chicken entree on small plate? - $7 Tres leches cake - it is what it is. Whether you get it at safeway or a mexican panaderia in downtown san jose, this one is no difference. -$7 Coffee Flan w/ tequila. If only I had a camera to show it here. The edges of this flan looks as if the cooks (i doubt they have pastry chef back there - although the price suggest they're at par w/ Boulevard, Citizen cake and the like) had been having fun with his pairing-knife to get the flan out of its tinfoil mold. Then they put a flower-shaped carved strawberry on the side for that 80s presentation look. This place lacks compassion of true latin cooking, and they priced their menus way over their game. The City is full of other places with open doors, decent drinks and better fare. Total bill came to $92 before tip - for dinner for two (1 appy, 2 ritas, 2 ents and 2 desserts). Our waitstaff is very sincere the whole time and it appears his colleagues are too from our observation in a busy friday night. Pros: If you want to drop $100 for dinner for two w/ drinks in El Torrito - this is a better deal for ya Cons: If you want to drop $100 for dinner for two w/ drinks - Pls go to the Mission, dt.San Jose or Concord more

Just had an amazing Sunday brunch at this friendly & attractive restaurant. My companion prounounced his chilaquiles "the best he's ever had", and my huevos poblanos were excellent as well. We both continued to eat well past the point of being full. Will definitely return and highly recommend. Pros: Great brunch more

This Mexican restaurant in the Theater District is a bit of bliss. The atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable. Service was prompt and courteous. The food was a mix of American and Mexican. The guacamole, which was made at the table, was delicious. The cerviche was heavenly. We had several small, tapas-style dishes, which was more than enough at 10 p.m. Pros: Great food, prompt service, relaxing atmosphere Cons: Parking more

I followed CitySearch to this restaurant for Lunch during this Labor Day holiday. This restaurant has a 5 star rating??? Joke!!! I have to say this was the worst Mexican food I ever had. The size is so small, and the taste is well below average, and be careful they pre-charge you gratuity for a group of 4 adults and 1 toddler for lunch! The lunch menu is not that big. We ordered from the Especialidades (lunch Special or house special?): Mole Poblano, at $13 I got 3 pieces of chicken meat cover by a type of black sauce, and a cup of rice. To illustrate how small this meal was: The chicken meat is slightly bigger than the chicken nut you can order in Wendy's. The rice is worth of two bites. The chicken meat did not give a fresh taste, and the sauce on it was not impressive at all. Camarones Con Chorizo: This was jumbo shrimp covered by black sauce. The size was not large enough that my mother didnot feel she had enough food. Tilapia a La Veracruzana: We ordered two plates, one for my wife and one for my dad. The size of the dish is ok, but the fish fillet appeared to be oil boiled. I tried to feed some fish to my kid and he was rejecting it after 3 or 4 tries. We recently started feeding him whatever we ate. Typically, he is excited whatever new food. Before our dish we were served with bread (or you may say tortilas?). The bread was kept warm and tasted good. So we requested more to fill the stomach. We got our bill with the gratuity of over 16% pre-calculated in the total amount. I wasn't shy to show it to the lady who picked up the bill. She was quick to remove the gratuity without say anything. It is hard to say whether the pre-calculated tip was a mistake or typical. I left 10% tip, in thinking that the waitress might be new to this restaurant and the pre-calculated tip was a mistake, but the food was really NOT recommended. more

Colibri is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It's a gorgeous space and has delicious drinks. The food is great too! I've been there about 4 times and have had fantastic food each time, although the last time I went our service was terrible (the waitress left because her shift was over and didn't tell us or pass our table off to another server!). A little noisy and distracting (they have black & white mexican movies playing at the bar), so not a great date place but definitely fun! Make reservations because this place fills up fast. Pros: Beatiful space and yummy drinks Cons: a little loud and service can be slow at times more

Yes. it's true! There are lots of lovely places in San Francisco to do brunch but the restaurant Colibri is a must vist. First of all, the decor is stunning. The bar is eye candy. and the staff are warm. The food is oin par with on that excellence. Their brunch is affordable. Skip the alcohol. if on a budget and make sure you have an open table reservation for the points. This is not Tex-Mex food. This is gormand Mexican. we hadn't been here in a while and today we are so happy to have made it back. Their quesadilla appetizer is an delicious original and comes with several sauces; a brown sauce, a green chil and a pineapple. Try the carne grilled asada cactus and problanio dish. There's no way you can go wrong. You'll need a box fior leftovers. My friend had the chorizo and eggs which was also very good. Their Bloody Mary is a spicy welcome surprise. We'll choose Colibri for brunch often. Colibri is spanish for Hummingbird! Don't miss this buzz. Pros: Everything! Cons: Parking is difficult as might be imaginedd since it's close to Union Square. Take a cab or bus. more

This place was amazing. The food is authentic Mexican with wonderful flavor and personality. I loved it and will go back again very soon! It is great for 2 people but if you can round up a group then you can order a bunch of stuff and eat family style, which I recommend since everything is wonderful. I hope this place keeps up the good work and continues to be such a stellar place to eat, drink and be merry! Fun decor as well! Danielle more