Parilla

location: 1760 polk street (at washington), nob hill

parilla is a really standard mexican food restaurant. when i say there's nothing particularly special about it, that's not a bad thing, but it's true. the food and service are good and the atmosphere is fun. i used to live around the corner so i've been for dinner a few times, it's definitely a place i go back to even though i no longer live in the 'hood. they have really great margaritas and really great queso. the menu is pretty much what you'd find at other semi traditional mexican restaurants in the city. burritos the size of your head, cheap tacos and entrées that come with too much food. i love their tortilla soup and on this outing i had the chicken quesadilla, which is impossible to screw up.

the last time i went we ended up being there on a trivia night (wednesdays, apparently) so we formed a team. m, d and i were the bay street gang, of course. and we actually ended up winning a round! the prize? a pitcher of our choice. that's a pretty good deal.

the service can really vary, as can the drinks. i guess it just depends on how many bodies are in the restaurant and who's behind the bar.

recommendation: go for the happy hour, stay for the trivia.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: okay/yay!