EL BUEN COMER >

Why is it on this list? One word: guisados. These stews form the basis of the frequently changing menu at Isabel Caudillo’s 3-year-old Bernal Heights restaurant, inspired by the midday comida corrida of her native Mexico City. At lunch, Caudillo serves up a daily guisado special as part of a simple set menu; at dinner you order the guisados family style. Today it might be pork in bright, herbal mole verde; tomorrow, it may be beef albondigas in a smoky tomato sauce. Order rice, beans and tortillas on the side to sop it up.

Pro tip: The lighter category on the menu features a tacos/sopes/tostadas section, which allows you to choose a filling — like rajas con crema, papas con chorizo, chicharron en salsa verde or chicken tinga — and choose a frame. Resist the tacos. For me, sopes are the ticket. Caudillo’s chewy-crunchy masa cakes are the perfect vehicle for the juicy, stewy toppings.

One visit isn’t enough: Not only because the guisados change all the time, but also because El Buen Comer is a different sort of experience for dinner, weekday lunch and weekend brunch. This might just be San Francisco’s best spot for chilaquiles.

Order: Sopes with various meat and vegetable toppings ($5); jicama salad with orange and chile ($7); guisados, including puerco en mole verde ($17/$31/$45), camarones a la diabla ($19/$36/$56), albondigas de carne de res ($18/$33/$46).

3435 Mission St., San Francisco. 415-817-1542 or www. elbuencomersf.com. Lunch/brunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

— E.M.