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    Desforra Cafe

    4.8 (38 reviews)
    Open 7:07 am - 6:00 pm

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    DESFORRA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Desforra Cafe

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    Ham and cheese breakfast pastry
    Jordan N.

    Our first experience at Desforra was phenomenal! Pedro is incredibly friendly, welcomed us in at the door and was so helpful in answering my questions about the different pastries in the case and items on the menu. We ordered a sweet custard bola, one of the savory ham and cheese pastries, a drip coffee, and a pistachio latte (one of Celeste's creations) to-go and everything was fresh and delicious! You can easily see the care and passion they put into every aspect of their cafe and in sharing the food and drinks they grew up enjoying with our neighborhood. They also have an awesome loyalty program (free coffee every six coffees) and you can text/call their -1009 number for direct delivery service in the NoLibs neighborhood. We visit a different coffee shop every weekend and I can genuinely say Desforra is a special gem- do yourself a favor and stop by / order in if you have the chance!

    Cold Brew w/ caramel syrup and salted caramel cold foam + half/half!!

    As I was enjoying this beautiful weather we are having here in Philly, I stumbled upon this amazing place. Right off the bat the service was incredible!! I met with the owner who was so sweet and lively. I was attended by a staff member who goes by the name Allison, her service made my experience here phenomenal, made me feel right at home!! Once the food arrived my jaw dropped! The cold brew exceeded my expectations and was thoughtfully made Now to the star of the show, the steak tostadas!! You can definitely tell them were made with love, perfect ratio of steak tostadas, veggies and salsa. Definitely recommend!! If you are ever craving stellar food alongside an amazing ambience I definitely recommend stopping by Desforra cafe!!

    Offerings
    Tiffany T.

    This was my first visit to Desforra, a new cafe in the neighborhood. I stopped by with a friend on a weekday to check it out. Ambiance and vibes are there. Cute decor, good pastries, personable and friendly owners. Hot tip .. the "menu" that is there, or at least was there when we visited Friday is not a menu LOL. The owner, or who I assume to be the owner was telling us on Friday that it was bought as a decoration.. but people (including me) keep ordering off of it. I'll be curious to see what they have next time for a menu when I stop by again! Regardless, I ordered the affogato off of their non-menu, but the owner made it happen. I kept telling them I would order something else and it's not a big deal, but he kept insisting and saying it was a big deal - guy's got a funny and big personality. The affogato and quality of espresso was great. My friend seemed to enjoy her latte too. They apparently source their pastel de nata from an authentic spot 2 hours away.. he said it was the best he could find and it's worth the drive. Overall, I had a great first visit and look forward to returning with my husband to check it out. Great place to have a coffee, read a book, enjoy a conversation with your friends.. or the owner ;)

    Pastel de nata
    Phylicia H.

    Charming Portuguese/Dominican café run by a friendly couple! It's clean, bright, and inviting, though indoor seating is limited. Luckily, there are a few outdoor tables that are perfect for a relaxed visit. We ordered coffee, a prego with egg, and pastel de nata. Despite a short line, it took over ~15 minutes to get our coffee and food. The prego came out for dine-in, but the pastel was packed to-go and served cold without the usual sugar on top. Still, the coffee was smooth and delicious -- I'll definitely be back for another cup and to give the pastel de nata another shot!

    Chicken Piri Piri
    Maria N.

    The Chicken Piri Piri was so good! Hit the spot, got mine with a lil mayo and it was perfect, flavorful and not too spicy. The owner is very sweet, we also got pastries and empanadas everything was excellent.

    Bar area
    Erika H.

    Super delicious. Everything Made from scratch. Portuguese and Dominican options with Pastel De Nata, Portuguese sausage sandwiches, and great coffee. Highly recommend for any meal as they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner!

    Gabriella L.

    Such a cute spot! Stopped here on a walk with the dogs for a pastry. I forget what it was called, but it was a pillow of dough filled with guava. It was amazing!! The dough felt, smelled, and tasted fresh. The facility was very clean. They gave the dogs treats too. Very nice people, and fantastic pastries. Will be back

    Cherie C.

    Nice addition to the neighborhood. They open early so I can stop in before work. Lattes were good. The portuguese pastries were very tasty. The owner sends to really care about representing Portuguese food properly. But he also values his staff. He mentioned that the cook makes great Mexican food so he added some of his dishes to the menu. I like that. I'll be back for lunch soon.

    My favorite coffee spot to visit when I come to Philly. Delicious food and amazing staff!
    Kelsey E.

    My favorite coffee in the city! Amazing food and amazing staff we love visiting here whenever we are in Philly.

    Galáo- Portuguese latte!!! Nice flavors and strong!! Loved it
    Hector M.

    The Five Star rating doesn't do this place justice. A very eclectic Cafe with an ultimate goal of pleasing the customers!!! I came from Cali- I told Pedro(owner) that I have never had a Philly Cheesesteak before... He made my day!! I had a Caldo Verde which was loaded with nice, fresh kale & sausage! Fabulous! Food comes out warm, great flavors and presentation! A must when in Philly!! Hidden Gem

    Everything was so delicious! We got the Portuguese egg tart and the beef and chicken empanadas, and they were all so yummy! The empanadas come with a homemade verde sauce which is a little spicy *fyi for the people who prefer non-spicy.* Personally, I love spicy foods so I thought the sauce was so delicious with the empanadas! The egg tart is one of my favorites from this cafe!! The service was very fast, and the ambiance of the cafe is very cozy and welcoming. The lady at the front, who was very friendly, explained every menu item to us, and everything sounded so delicious. I will definitely be back to try out the other menu items! If you plan on visiting Desforra Cafe, you need to try the egg tarts. You won't regret it!!

    Menu
    Jody U.

    Welcome Desforra Cafe to the neighborhood! Stumbled upon this cute cafe at 3rd and Cambridge earlier this week and have already been back. The owners are lovely and the pastries are so delicious! Many of them are traditional Portuguese pastries, including a wonderful pastel de nata, but my favorite was the guava Bolla de Berlim! Can't wait to go back and try their coffee and lunch menu.

    Avocado Toast (without egg)

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    5 months ago

    I had the breakfast quesadilla and an iced vanilla latte - both were delicious. The service was great, very friendly. Would recommend!

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    11 months ago

    Excellent food, coffee, service. Love this hidden gem. They are newer and very receptive to feedback. Will be back!

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    9 months ago

    Best coffee and the pastries are delicious. nice staff that greets you with a smile and answers any questions

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    2 years ago

    Great food fresh food of a wide variety, owner & staff very hospitable, Phenomenal job on the renovation.

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    2 years ago

    I had a great experience visiting Desforra. Everyone was pleasant and the food was delicious. They will see more often.

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    South Philly Barbacoa

    South Philly Barbacoa

    4.6
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    Best tacos I've had on the east coast. They chop the barbacoa right on to your taco in front of…read moreyou. The bar has a fantastic variety of tangy, spicy, bright toppings and salsas to make your taco your own. My favorite is always the reddish orange salsa and this one tastes just like the taco places back in Texas. The tacos are hefty, so that makes up for the slightly higher than average price. They didn't have jamaica when I went so they subbed in mango juice and it was incredible, my new go-to. Service is friendly, fast and there's plenty of seating and a nice outdoor space.

    no photo added here because i was too hangry to pull out my phone to take some pictures…read more parking: hard to find, and yup, you have to parallel park most of the time in philly. service: rushed and untimely. the lady who took our order tried really hard to upsell most of everything. we got the consomme which is supposed to dip your tacos in, but it got to our table way later that we finished half of our meal by that time. food: the meat was pretty good, the rest is mid, especially the guac, no flavor at all. the consomme that lady wanted to upsell us tasted horrible and way too watery. i thought it should have been denser. there's a self-served station for you to add sauce and veggies. the horcharta was not my favorite. cash only so please come prepared. i'm not a fan of this place but my bf liked it. i'm on the fence of coming back.

    Photos
    Clean and plenty of seating.
    Clean and plenty of seating.
    Barbacoa Tacos - Takeaway
    Barbacoa Tacos - Takeaway
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    Taqueria Morales

    Taqueria Morales

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    (87 reviews)
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    Early today I wanted something neutral to eat before my evening shift…read more I have dietary restrictions and have to be mindful of what I eat. The Shrimp Tacos with no dairy & no aioli are my go to for a fresh, healthy, tasty and timely meal. I ordered via delivery, but the warm ambience is like you were invited to someone's home for a good meal.

    Excellent food, friendly service, and a small but welcoming space. Definitely coming back again!…read more My wife and I stopped by for dinner on the way to watch the Sixers get dunked on (literally and figuratively) by the Knicks, and boy were we impressed. First, we're kind of on an enmolada (chicken mole enchiladas) kick, and have been slowly touring the city ordering it everywhere it's available. We love what we've gotten so far, but most mole sauces have been more on the raisin/chocolate/coffee/lightly sweet side of the spectrum. Taqueria Morales' enmoladas were nutty and complex up front, with a lingering taste of delicious smoke and heat afterward. No joke, it was like the mole equivalent of a nice cognac. Would absolutely come just for this. Myself? I was hankering for al pastor and heard and seen that Taqueria Morales is solid on the al pastor front. Well, I heard and seen rightly, because the meat was well marinated and had an excellent balance of sourness and floral spice in the mix, and came out on what I can only assume are house-made tortillas with a side of radishes and nopales (cactus). Every bite was perfect, and that was before I added on some of the green and red salsas that our chips and guac came with. Finally, the staff was bomb. The lady taking our orders and serving us was super nice and attentive, and the kitchen was FAST. Couldn't have been more than 7 minutes from placing our order and sitting down to getting it out in front of us. It was so good I almost wished we stopped back after the backbreaker of a game to get some comfort tacos. Don't miss this place!

    Photos
    Decoration
    Decoration
    Whatever you do, don't piss up the empanadas
    Whatever you do, don't piss up the empanadas
    These tacos were awesome

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    These tacos were awesome
    Cantina La Martina

    Cantina La Martina

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    Cantina is a restaurant in a refurbished bar. It still feels like the old corner bar. Lighting is…read moresubdued but you can still see the menu. Booths and bar seating is available as well as a patio on weekends. It is located in a sketchy area but a police car is stationed on the corner. I felt as safe as I do in other areas of Philly. Street parking is available within a few feet. The cocktails were very good with many different kinds of margs and other drinks. Beer and wine are also available. We were greeted as soon s we walked in by both the bartender and one of the owners. Our server brought water as soon as we sat down. She was attentive and helpful with explanations. The food here is authentic! Several different kinds of guacamole are available. We chose the one with pomegranate. It added a nice crunch and flavor. One with grasshopper was available. lol that was a no for me! The trio of empanadas were delicious. We shared a carnitas taco platter and branzino platter. The tacos were tasty. The branzino was cooked nicely with good flavor. The rice and beans and Brussels spouts and mushrooms were all delicious. I'll definitely be back!

    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.

    Photos
    Cantina La Martina
    Cantina La Martina
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    Rosy's Taco Bar

    Rosy's Taco Bar

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    3 tacos per order. Kinda bar-ish vibes and loud Some of the…read moretacos were too salty, while others lacked salt. I remember the mushroom taco being very mushy. The hot sauces carried the dishes Maybe it would be worth it during happy hour but I left disappointed with the food.

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    Rosy's Taco Bar
    Nachos, Esquites, house margarita, virgina mango margarita, and Churros
    Nachos, Esquites, house margarita, virgina mango margarita, and Churros
    Tacos, esquites, and queso enchiladas

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    Tacos, esquites, and queso enchiladas
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    Hands down the best Mexican in the city . Nachos , birria tacos , bowls . All of it . Can't go…read morewrong . Only thing --no disrespect but the young lady at the counter when I was there with purple hair --not who you want as your "front facing " person the minute you are greeted . Nice enough , just not what you'd call a "people person" Your front of the house should be the type who greet your guests heartily when they walk through the door and are not obvious introverts who are great diligent workers --but do best back of house where their other skills are valued d enhanced .thst is not the job for her , lol. Also one suggestion: if folks spend a certain amount --maybe over $20 , with the exception of guacamole due to food cost , I would not nickel and dime them over the small sides like a little more pico --food cost on those is low and you're tripping over the proverbial dollar --to pick up a nickel --providing small portions of those items --doesn't really affect your bottom line --and really keeps people coming back . Prices are good otherwise. Good value . If you want to cut back somewhere ,the amount of ground beef on the nachos could be cut in less than half and still be plenty and that will actually cut your food cost by a small fortune

    It's fine. Ingredients aren't the best quality. Need more burrito options. Good if you're starving…read moreand want something pretty quick.

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    Additional seating
    Additional seating
    3 Chicken Tacos
    3 Chicken Tacos
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    Parking

    Desforra Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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