First visit back to El Vez in over a dozen years and I am happy to say it is still a great place…read morefor dinner. The decor is eclectic and vibrant even though it looked largely as I remembered it. There is a large, round bar in the center of the dining room with friendly and efficient bar staff. If you like tequila and margaritas, this is the place for you. They also have some Mexican and local beers on tap. The menu offers a variety of creative tacos, nachos, and enchiladas. The guacamole is also excellent, even though they stopped making it table side many years ago. Service was very good. I also thought the total bill was pretty reasonable for a center city restaurant.

El Vez was SUCH a vibe! The margarita was delicious, the chicken tacos hit the spot, and the…read morechicken nachos were absolute fire, served on large plate so every chip had perfect ratio of toppings. But the creamy poblano corn rice?! EPIC. Seriously, I could have eaten an entire bowl of that by itself. Fun atmosphere, great food, strong margaritas, and the vibes were HIGH. They do take reservations and we were seated quickly. Exactly the kind of spot you want to stumble into in Philly, and in a cool neighborhood with lots of walkable spots nearby. Would absolutely go back!

Came here for lunch. Driving and parking is fine in the day. As others mentioned its not a good…read morearea to walk around. Inside I enjoyed the decor and vibe. Staff very friendly. Good: old fashioned, tri-mix of guac (liked the truffle one), steak tacos. Not so good:coco tartare app, I thought most of the other tacos were tried were very okay for the price and would not recommend (shrimp, pastor (one of my least favorite versions of pastor), one with habaenro (not spicy at all). Would have enjoyed some actual spicy salsa to go with it. Overall, I sadly can't really recommend it.

I can't believe I am giving Cantina La Martina a ONE star review! I couldn't even muster a 2 given…read morewhat they gave me to eat tonight. I ordered the carnitas tacos and churros. The meat in the tacos was so dry that it was hard to chew and swallow. Some of the pieces were cooked to a crisp. No amount of salsa could make them better. I'm sorry I didn't take photos of the tacos, but trust me me I get no pleasure from leaving a bad review for this place; I am not lying or exaggerating. I thought they were going to be one of our local gems. I choked down a half a taco, gave the rest to my husband and he couldn't eat them either. The churros actually had raw batter in the middle and the outside was rubbery and hard at the same time. You could barely bite through it. I'm a cook and I know that that is about keeping the oil at an even temperature to get the inside done and not overcook the outside. Someone in the kitchen did not know what they were doing. The thing is, I have had their food before and it was pretty good. I don't know if there is a new chef or what happened, but I can't trust them after this experience.

Stopped in for Happy Hour and had an amazing time! The food and service were great! We sat at the…read morebar and had great conversation with our bartender and the owner...extremely friendly! Definitely will be returning!

Had a lovely dinner here with friendly service. Cute themed restaurant in the heart of society…read morehill. I loved the enchiladas and the tortilla soup that was poured tableside.

Popped in for a quick Michelada while waiting on my Angelo's order. Glad i did!! Being a native…read morefrom Texas, I know micheladas are hit and miss when traveling. This one was a HIT. I saw the little black liquid (assuming jugo maggi) bottle come out and I knew it was on! Full custom mix, and it was fire . Can't speak to the food but the michelada was great!

Came here for happy hour and it did not disappoint. Great vibes, snacks, and drinks. I recommend…read morethe nachos.Those were packed with all the standard toppings, and they packed them on high! The wings were meaty and saucy. The jalapeño margarita wasn't as spicy as I'd like, but it passes. They also played classic 80s, which didn't fit the theme, but it brought back fond memories. 9/10.

solid spot for mexican food, plus points for convenience factor with reservations!…read more i live a 5-minute walk from el rey, so i have been a few times over the years. while it's not my favorite mexican place in the city, it's convenient, especially when you have a big group. there is plenty of seating, and they take reservations even for happy hour which is rare. the food here is decent. while it's nothing spectacular, it satisfies the craving and is a solid bite. the last time i went, we were able to order a mix of happy hour menu items and regular menu items since we were there for an early dinner at 5p. our table shared the chips and guac, and i ordered the brisket quesadilla. i was actually pleasantly surprised by the quesadilla, it was packed with meat and quite flavorful. my boyfriend got 4 tacos from the hh menu, and it's nice to be able to mix and match tacos. at ~$3/taco, the food here isn't exactly cheap, but its standard for the city. definitely no dollar taco though. our server was sweet but a little odd. he was talkative and kept making comments on how well we did finishing our food. not sure if it was a jab at our appetites (which i think is normal?? idk i don't think we ordered that much food lol) but we didn't mind the banter. made for a fun joke afterwards. the restaurant itself is decently sized with both outdoor and indoor seating. there are a few booths along the sides of the restaurant, a bar near the entrance, and a string of about of tables in the back which would be great for big groups. the decor is fun and quirky, makes for good conversation pointing out things on the walls. i would come back again for the convenience factor!

Loved the ambience, decor, and the service. We were ravenous when we went in and immediately got…read moreseated (2 people) on a Friday night. We got the vegetarian nachos (4/5) and the margaritas (guava 4/5, mango 3.5/5). The toppings on the nachos - beans, salsa, cheese and jalapeños were delicious. It felt like they skimped on the jalapeños but oh well. The guac (extra with the nachos) was wonderful! The drinks were both a little too sweet with excessive ice - a little expensive because the glass is filled with too much ice.

This is THE PLACE for good Mexican food in the University City area! Soooo gooood and very…read morereasonably priced for the amount of food you get! The service was quick and friendly! The restaurant itself is small although I've found this is pretty common in the area, but still had plenty of seating along with outdoor seating. The decor is well themed!

Lovely spot close to UPenn, great placement to walk up and down Spruce! Loved the California…read moreBurrito there was so much flavor in it! Service was speedy but lacking in connection, I love supporting Latino businesses and this is one that gets it right for sure! Lots of seating! Many nearby shops to explore! Complimentary tortillas!

I have not ordered from here in years. They have a lot of…read moremenu options. Great portions Cost effective Flavorful Nice ambiance Dine in or take out Several desserts Fresh , timely and kind service.

Had a party of 5 birthday celebration so we sat ourselves down outside for a perfect night out…read more It's BYO which was perfect for me as I had a Costco sized añejo tequila and made fresh squeezed key west limeaid, pineapple juice, sparkly water and for the non drinker they made it a Virgin. also Los Gallos Hortchata is delicious Rounds of chips, excellent homemade verde and Roja salsas, guacamole the ceviche special was just ok could have had more seafood, but I wouldn't get it again. But everything else was amazing. We got a bunch of orders of Queso Birria I think one of my favorite in the city, sopes, and lots of tacos. Perfect night out

A friend and I went here after work for their Happy Hour. The food was AMAZING! I had the chicken…read moretacos and they were so flavorful and good. I also had the corn off the cob and that did not disappoint me. I will be coming back and bringing my coworkers. It's such a relaxing atmosphere and the staff are GREAT as well!! I can't wait to come back!!!

YUMMM!! Such a great space. Tons of seating and projectors up all around so you can tune in no…read morematter where you are sitting. Staff is friendly and checking in often, without being overbearing. My crew got the queso which was good but could have had a bit more flavor. Our tacos were GREAT though and have almost too much filling. Sometimes you'll see a set of three tacos on a menu and you aren't sure if it will fill you but trust these ones will. Our drinks were great but did take a little bit of time to come out.

Dollar tacos (note- this is a drop on a random weekday) is arguably the best food deal in philly…read moreand this has bumped up the score a bit. Tacos are decent, but at a dollar a taco I really cannot nitpick. Staff are nice and cool vibe inside

Happy hour Monday through Friday which includes $6 margaritas. Great vibes and friendly service…read more The appetizers are great and in my option better than the entrees

Great little Mexican spot...actually not that little tho on inside! Great happy hour options too…read moreand decent selection of vegan items.

Stopped here during a street festival and was able to snag seating outside. We started off with a…read moretuna tower (unfortunately cannot find this on the menu, so maybe it was a special). The portion was small for the price. We also got tacos and the meat was not juicy, but still flavorful