El Mil Amores (“The Thousand Loves”) is named after a 1954 Mexican movie of the same title, and opened in spring of this year. The film is a classic of the era, starring Mexican actor/singer Pedro Infante, and no doubt near and dear to the heart of Chef Andrea Becerra, who’s originally from Mexico City.
Chef Becerra, along with co-chef “Chucky”, from the Yucatan, has in a few short months, created a neighborhood gem, a place where families and friends can congregate to eat delicious, beautifully prepared Mexican food for breakfast and lunch. El Mil Amores is only open until 5 p.m., but it offers a lot of take-out, and their hearty food travels well.
The space has been renovated from the previous longtime occupant, Doña Teres, an old-school taqueria, and now has a modern, clean vibe, with its Day-Glo pink door and stylish, white-tiled interior. It still feels warm and cozy, however, partially due to the continuous loop of black-and-white Mexican films playing behind the counter, as well as the music of a variety of Mexican crooners floating through the air. It feels like you’re visiting your abuelita, if your abuelita were to prepare classic Mexican dishes with updated, vibrant touches.
On our first visit, the BF ordered the huevos rancheros.
A stunner. The ranchero sauce was smoky and spicy, sprinkled with cotija cheese, and served with crispy potatoes. The depth of flavor in the sauce elevated this well-loved, homey dish to new heights.
I over-ordered, of course, wanting to try everything. First, I got the tres leches pancakes to share.
I’m not one for sweets for breakfast, but ay, Dios mio! These were the most delectable pancakes, resting in a creamy pool of dulce de leche and gilded by powdered sugar and fresh fruit. The luscious squiggle on top tasted almost like a cream-cheesy frosting, buttery and sweet, but not overly so, and our server said the chef won’t even tell her what the secret is. I kept coming back for bite after bite of those luscious cakes, but had to stop when my huevos en ahogada arrived.
“Ahogada” means drowned, and in this case the chunky chicharrones, crumbled savory chorizo and slivers of nopal swam in a tangy chile verde sauce, sided by a flavorful black bean puree with queso fresco, well-seasoned cilantro-lime rice, and what appeared to be house-made tortillas for scooping everything up. There was such a rich wealth of flavors and textures going on, yet nothing was lost in the mix. There were no muddled flavors; everything tasted fresh and distinct.
On our second visit, I ordered a mango agua fresca that was a little too sweet for me. It was also huge! Portions here are very much on the large size, conducive to sharing or taking a good part of your food home for another meal.
The BF got Chucky’s breakfast burrito:
He opted for spicy chorizo for the meat, in addition to the cheese and fluffy scrambled egg. The hefty burrito comes as a mojado, bathed in a citrusy tomatillo salsa, topped with a tangle of pickled onions, and those addictive roasted potatoes on the side. I found the burrito exceptionally tender and delicious. The BF had no problem finishing the whole thing.
I went with one of the specials of the day, chilaquiles with short ribs and macha sauce.
The short ribs were the thin-cut, flank style and, despite being very tender and satisfyingly beefy, they were difficult to cut and eat in the bowl. But if you see this on the menu, get them anyway, and just dive in with your hands. Whatever difficulties I had in eating them were more than overshadowed by their excellent flavor and chew.
The tortilla chips were a perfect variety of crispy, tender and delightfully soggy — as they should be in any self-respecting chilaquiles dish. My only other quibble was that I’d been led to believe by our server that the macha sauce would be very spicy, as she preemptively asked if I wanted the sauce on the side. No, thank you, I said. “Pero pica,” she said (“But it burns.”) Apparently, I had my gringa face on, but I insisted: Bring it! In the end, the kitchen went with a light hand and I asked for extra. The house-made macha sauce itself was very good, smoky and slightly spicy, and they also brought a little side of an avocado sauce that was lovely, but with only a hint of heat.
Overall, the flavors of all the dishes we tried were fantastic; everything tasted clean and bright. The care with which the food was plated was also notable — we eat with our eyes first, after all — each dish was pretty as a picture. Prices are completely reasonable for such huge portions. The service was warm, inviting, and very efficient. I only wish El Mil Amores were open for dinner.
There is much more to try on this ever-rotating menu. I’m dying to go back for the chipotle eggs Benedict and the concha French toast. And if you’re really hungry (or hungover, or both), the CDMX breakfast is a must: Chilaquiles with your choice of meat and an order of concha French toast. The lunch menu (served all day) offers up a couple of Mexican-style burgers and salads, pork ribs in adobado, chicken Milanesa, and enchiladas suizas.
Chef Becerra knows how to elevate her home country’s cuisine, and her love for Mexico shines through in all the sauces that she makes herself. There is a romantic yearning for home at El Mil Amores, and we’re fortunate that Chef brought some of hers to us in the Mission.
El Mil Amores (Instagram)
2780 21st St.
San Francisco, CA
Sounds delicious! Glad to know about it.
Would you please include a cross street when giving a location like this? That way I can know directly where the place is, without having to go look it up somewhere else.
Good point . 21st and Florida
GR8 Yelp review, sounds Elite!