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    Desforra Cafe

    4.9 (40 reviews)
    Open • 7:07 am - 1:36 pm

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    DESFORRA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Desforra Cafe

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    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!

    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!

    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

    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!

    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.

    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.

    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!!

    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

    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.

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    6 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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    1 year ago

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

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    11 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

    4.6(751 reviews)
    2.5 mi•Passyunk Square
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    It's the place to go for authentic Mexican tacos. It's owned by a famous James Beard Award winning…read morechef. Cristina Martinez's lamb barbacoa and handmade heirloom corn tortillas are featured on at least 3 Netflix shows. It's a restaurant that we couldn't pass up, and it totally lives up to the hype. First of all, it's cash only. There's an ATM machine conveniently located inside the restaurant. The ordering process was easy. We were greeted immediately and handed a menu. The service here is fantastic! The staff greet you with smiles and warm welcomes. There's lots of indoor and outdoor seating. We were there at an off peak time so there were no issues finding a table. My husband ordered the 3 taco deal. He chose steak as the protein. I had 2 individual tacos so that I could try the barbacoa and cochinita pibil. We also split the guacamole with handmade chips. It came with 2 tasty hot sauces. I could definitely taste the jalapeño in the green sauce. My husband loved all the spicy toppings and sauces. It was exactly as we thought it would be in terms of flavor. Especially the cochinita pibil which is something we had previously in the Yucatan. Everything was so clean and fresh tasting. The technique in making the barbacoa truly brings out the full flavor of the lamb. The value was there considering the amount of protein in each taco. The toppings were all fresh and delicious. The nopales (cactus) was a new topping for me. I had a few on the side to try it. It was a nice addition to the barbacoa. I can't forget to include the mango agua fresca and complimentary cake in this review. The aqua fresca was the best I've ever had. The mango was all natural. I didn't detect any artificial flavors. I believe the cake was apple cinnamon. They make different ones daily or seasonally. It was the perfect ending, and not too sweet. Don't miss this gem in South Philly. It's on 9th Street and just south of the Italian Market area. It was totally worth a special trip. I'm so glad we got to experience it for ourselves.

    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.

    Photos
    South Philly Barbacoa - Clean and plenty of seating.

    Clean and plenty of seating.

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    Barbacoa Tacos - Takeaway

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    Cantina La Martina - Brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3:30pm !

    Cantina La Martina

    4.4(112 reviews)
    1.9 mi

    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.

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    Cantina La Martina
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    Rosy's Taco Bar

    Rosy's Taco Bar

    3.9(442 reviews)
    2.3 mi•Rittenhouse Square
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    7/10 Absolutely loved the atmosphere, service was QUICK-- the music was great, and overall it had…read morea really nice vibe. They have a great Taco Tuesday deal with $1 tacos, offering carnitas and chicken tacos as part of the special. The carnitas tacos were seasoned perfectly -- 8/10. The only thing that would elevate them even more would be adding pico. The chicken tacos were a 4/10 unfortunately. They lacked flavor and tasted like plain boiled chicken placed on a tortilla, which was disappointing. We also ordered the Tres Salsa and chips. Out of the three salsas, the green and red were the standouts and packed the most flavor. For drinks, we ordered margaritas on the rocks ($5, plus $2 additional for flavor). I tried mango and passion fruit -- the mango tasted more like orange juice, while the passion fruit maintained its flavor much better. If you're looking for a family-friendly indoor/outdoor spot, this is a great option. I noticed a good mix of couples and singles, which made for a nice atmosphere. Bar seating is limited at night, and outdoor seating closes around 7:00 PM. Overall, for Taco Tuesday, I'd give it a 7/10 -- great atmosphere and deals, but food consistency could use some work.

    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

    Rosy's Taco Bar - Tacos, esquites, and queso enchiladas

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    Nora's Kitchen - 3 Steak Tacos + extra onions and cilantro

    Nora's Kitchen

    4.3(218 reviews)
    1.9 mi•South Street District, Society Hill, Fabric Row
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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

    I usually have the fish or plant-based chorizo bowl for takeout…read more Well I am not only hungry but exhausted. Management was kind to grill the shrimp instead of fried for my burrito bowl. Made fresh and timely. Dietary restrictions are accommodated. This was my first time dining in and felt warm and comfortable. Nice background music while looking out the window at South Street.

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    Nora's Kitchen - Additional seating

    Additional seating

    Nora's Kitchen - 3 Chicken Tacos

    3 Chicken Tacos

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    Desforra Cafe - coffee - Updated October 2026

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