Chavas is a very lovely place to eat. The food is delicious, the prices were great and the service was excellent. I especially like the artwork on the walls. If you have a chance, give them a try, you won't regret it

I recently was in a production of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" where I played Perchik, the American Revolutionary who Teyve invites home to teach his daughters in exchange for food and shelter.I was in the Mission a few weeks ago with a 2 friends of mine, one who who played Teyve's eldest daughter Tzeitel and the other friend played Chava, (pronounced HAVAH), the book worm. My friend who played Tzeitel broke into song when we entered the restaurant with a scarf on her head acting like Yente the matchmaker. She sang these words: Chava, I found him. Won't you be a lucky bride! He's handsome, he's tall, That is from side to side. But he's a nice man, a good catch, right? Right. You heard he has a temper. He'll beat you every night, But only when he's sober, So you'll alright. The people in the restaurant thought we were crazy. The owner named Chava (pronounced CHAVA) came over to take our order. We shared some Nachos Frijoles and I had the Camarones Rancheros. The food was delicious. I don't think the owner Chava got the joke.

I was pleasantly surprised that I stumbled upon this place while walking through the mission looking for lunch. I ordered a shrimp quesadilla with a side of rice and beans. All of the veggies and shrimp were cooked fresh on the stove, and seasoned to perfection. It tasted super yummy, had just the right amount of cheese and spicy. I was really surprised I didn't need to add anything to it, the cook did a great job! Even though the prices are steep, and they are CASH ONLY, I'd still give this place 5 stars. If they got a better POS system that accepted credit card, and didn't charge you a $3 ATM with your bank charging you $2.5 on top of that, this place would get 6 stars. Be warned, bring cash!

I'm afraid Jamie W. and I are creatures of habit when it comes to eating cheap Mexican in the Mission. With the endless choices, we always seem to come down to the same four places - El Farolito, La Corneta, Taqueria Cancun and El Zocalo. That's why it was a bit of a stretch for us psychologically to consider going to Chava's on the next block from El Farolito. We came here early Sunday afternoon, and it was quite packed with families feasting after going to church services. We were about to leave until the zaftig hostess cleared a side table just for us. Chips and salsa immediately came to our table (see photo), and we could tell they were freshly made in the kitchen. Always a good sign. There was a lot on the menu, although it looked from the other tables that the most popular menu items were big bowls of soup. But as usual, we didn't follow the norm. Jamie went into his comfort zone and ordered the $7 Super Nachos with Beef, which were fine but really didn't stand out on their own (see photo). I decided to take advantage of the weekend-only availability of goat. Yes, goat... so I ordered the $10.75 Birria al Horno con Arroz y Frijoles (Goat with Rice and Beans). Accompanied by their steaming hot, housemade flour tortillas, the goat was quite savory with a consistency similar to pot roast. Before I finished my second self-service soft goat taco, the waitress delighted me with a huge bowl of Birria (see photo). What a treat. I immediately put all the remaining goat and rice in the hearty broth. Really delicious. The soup is definitely worth a return visit. FOOD - 4 stars...the birria is definitely the standout here - and get the goat if you're here on the weekend AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...looks like pretty much like every other formica-dominated Mexican Mission eatery SERVICE - 3.5 stars...bonus points for giving me the complimentary soup TOTAL - 4 stars...best to eat here on a brisk day, livestock optional