Tacos Oscar

Tacos Oscar may still be fairly new to Lower Haight, but the East Bay taqueria with a cult following has had ties to the neighborhood for over a decade. Before launching his current career as a chef and restaurant owner, Oscar Michel previously played gigs in the area with his former band. “I used to book out the Peacock Lounge and hang out at Mad Dog and the Fog,” he says. Years later, Michel finds himself back in the neighborhood, partnering with beer and wine bar Woods—which occupies the former Mad Dog and the Fog space—to serve a seasonal menu alongside Woods’ offerings. “I like Lower Haight,” he says. “It still has that old San Francisco grit that I remember.”

The partnership came through his longtime friend Mikey Yoon, who owns Lovely’s, a popular East Bay burger spot. Yoon partnered with Woods in late 2024 to serve his nostalgic burgers, hot dogs, and fries out of its Cole Valley location. If you’ve walked through that neighborhood on a weekend, it’s the spot with the line down the block.

But five months after launching in Lower Haight, Michel says word is still getting out about Tacos Oscar’s new San Francisco outpost. “We did open during the worst time of the year, so that put us in a bit of a hole,” he says. “It’s still kinda slow, but starting to pick up.”

The slower start is slightly surprising for a spot that’s a favorite of industry insiders and the everyday eater alike. Tacos Oscar was just ranked No. 19 on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 Restaurants list, and is also listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand guide. Now, its menu is finally within reach for San Francisco diners, without driving over the Bay Bridge.

Tacos Oscar launched via pop-up at a friend’s music studio opening party in 2014. “At the time, I was always talking about being tired of working for other people, and my buddy really pushed me to ‘stop talking about it, be about it,’” Michel says. “He took me to the Coliseum flea market and paid for a three-burner propane stove and all the food.” The tacos at that party were free, with guests invited to contribute to a tip jar. By the end of the night, it held nearly $800—more than Michel made in a week at his desk job. “That’s when I realized this is something I could actually do.”

For the next three years, Michel and his business partner, Jake Weiss, hosted pop-ups across the East Bay.

Fans followed them from one location to the next.

Nowadays, that setlist continues to shift with the seasons. Visit their Temescal or Lower Haight locations and you’ll find various veggie-centric offerings, double-decker quesadillas, and often a well-placed fried egg. Some things don’t change, though. “The bean recipe we use today is basically my grandma’s recipe from when I was growing up, with some tweaks,” he says. What ties almost all the dishes together are hand-pressed tortillas made with masa sourced from La Finca in Oakland.

That same intentionality extends beyond the food to how they operate. Michel emphasizes a steady approach to growth, prioritizing stability for the business and his team. “I’d rather pay my staff a living wage and keep them around,” he says, noting that turnover often stems from underpaying workers. At Tacos Oscar, the goal is a workplace where employees can speak up, contribute ideas, and avoid burnout. The environment is purposefully relaxed rather than rigid, a choice Michel believes leads to better food and service.

As the business grows, that philosophy remains central, with plans to increase pay and eventually offer benefits like health insurance to all employees.

Looking ahead, as business allows, the team plans to continue supporting both the East Bay community, where they got their start, and now San Francisco. In Oakland, they’ve hosted fundraisers for organizations like Planned Parenthood and the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a longtime partner that supports displaced children in Gaza. Oscar and the team are also collaborating with Temescal Brewing on an upcoming beer. Proceeds will benefit CALMA, a local organization that supports laborers, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and migrants.

One could argue that the blocks of Haight between Pierce and Webster contain the most interesting stretch of food in the city (the SF Standard did just that last year). As word continues to spread, Tacos Oscar is beginning to find its footing in the bustling Lower Haight, contributing the same mix of food, music, and community that defined its success in Oakland.

This post was written by Mikey Tom, a nine-year Lower Haight resident and author of Fond, a Substack on food in the SF/Bay Area. You can follow him or Tacos Oscar on Instagram at @mikeytom or @tacososcar.