This place is a home run. Glad to have stumbled onto the restaurant when they first opened in 2012. They are the same today - after all the accolades and awards - as when they fist opened. A truly friendly family owned success. I try to go as much as I can. I love all their items. My go to is their birra tacos. But I love all their seafood specials. I usually bring some tequila and have them make their very good margaritas. All their workers are so friendly. All the family members we've met are lovely and always engage and say hello. Please give it a try. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Came back for another birthday, very happy with the service and the food. Tried some new things and while they weren't my favorite it was all really flavorful and worthwhile! I love when places doesn't compromise on flavor just because they have gained reputation! I brought some friends and they too enjoyed the food. read more

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It took us SO long to finally make it to El Chignon after hearing about it from so many people (and embarrassingly only living a few blocks away). We made reservations for a Friday night, but despite those, we still had to wait a bit. No big deal at all, there's just limited space to wait inside so be prepared (would have waited outside but it was November and cold!). The restaurant itself also really isn't that large, so it feels a little crammed at time but that helps make the experience more fun (in my opinion). The decor is on theme - very eclectic and modern while leaning into the Mexican vibes. El Chingon is a classic Philly BYOB, so definitely bring your favorite drink - we paired our meal with a few local beers. Our server was helpful in providing some recommendations but staying out of our hair for the most part. We kicked off our meal with elote, which was excellent. The sweet corn so nicely paired with the salty cheese and spicy tajin, but the topping didn't seem overpowering. I loved that the corn was still on the cob too! We also ordered the choripapas at the recommendation of my brother-in-law. These were dense and SO full of goodies - from cheese to avocado to chorizo, each fry was covered in deliciousness. Would not have opted for this nor expected this on a Mexican menu, but it simply worked. For our mains, we heard the cemitas were all the rage, so we each opted for one - I went for the clasica with chicken, and my husband went for the pierna adobada (both at the rec from our server). Both were excellent! The bread was so soft yet substantial enough to hold all the ingredients. I really enjoyed the aioli that topped mine, as well as the quesillo and avocado. The chicken wasn't too overly breaded, but there was so much of it that it was falling off the sandwich (def not a bad thing)! My husband really enjoyed his too, loving the inclusion of pineapple and red onions alongside avocado and speaking highly to the quality and tenderness of the pork. After kicking off with our corn and fries, we couldn't finish our sandwiches, so we took the other halves (and the remaining fries) home with us for the next day to continue the experience. Needless to say, we were also too stuffed for dessert, but certainly would love to return to try those options. The prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality and quantity as well as the uniqueness of the meal. El Chingon is certainly deserving of all its accolades, and I'm excited that they also have a 2nd spot in Fishtown open now! We're disappointed that it took us so long to visit in person, but so glad that we did. Can't wait to return to try more menu options! Thanks for a great meal!! read more

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Randomly put our names on the waitlist at 5pm on a Saturday and were seated around 5:45, which given how popular it is was great. Got a lovely outdoor table and our server was super friendly, explained the dishes really well, and recommended some vegetarian options we hadn't even considered. Shared the Remolacha (marinated beets in a goat cheese crema with candied sesame seeds and charred avocado on a spicy base) and the Clasica with portobello. My husband who doesn't like beets much really enjoyed the Remolacha! Spicy, creamy, chewy with nice crunch from the tostada chip it was served with, very different and fresh. The sandwich was tasty - I liked how thin the mushroom was pounded and it was nicely breaded and fried, plus the accompanying salsas made it even better. Good experience! read more

El Chingon - Clasica Mushroom - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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This restaurant is beautifully decorated. We sat in the middle Long high top table. The service is great. We ordered Elote, Al Pastor, and charted crab tostadas. Elote- was very tasteful Al Pastor- tasteful, juicy Charted crab tostadas- very tasteful and fresh Highly recommend this restaurant. I ordered a coke with my meal. read more

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A lovely little pop of Latin color in Philly. The inside is riddled with Mexican decor, volcanic rock, and greenery. Service is friendly. Larger crews could be fitted with proper reservation but it seems to be the perfect date spot. BYOB and there are mixers to give your meal a pinch of festivity. I've been trying to maintain a calorie deficit but wasn't able to maintain that with this meal yesterday. Worth it. All food was delicious. We went on a double date with my SO's sister and her husband. Good diversity in favorite dish so rest assured that your meal will be tasty. We started off w the guac and tostadas (not pictured). I mean there's a limit to how good a simple guacamole can be. This one was pretty tasty. It had some sort of black sauce on top. Tasty and we were all ravenously hungry. The tostadas were not oily and they even gave us extra tostadas to finish the guac. There was green salsa and red salsa to accompany us throughout the meal. The red was smoky, flavorful, and salty. The green was creamy and light. We ordered two cemitas (a variety of Mexican sandwich) and two sets of tacos (three each). I tasted the vaquero sandwich. The beef in the one sandwich was thinly cooked and dry. The cemita bread had a crispy exterior and soft interior. The meat had a pleasant bite w a satisfying chew. This was my SO's brother-in-law's favorite meal. I think it is a special so it may not be available when you go, reader. This next thing I tasted was the pork/guac sandwich (I forget the exact name but it's a standard cemita) the contents were creamy and mushy. If you like pork belly, the meat was fatty and similar. The sandwich went well with the red salsa. This was my SO's favorite. We next turned our attention to the black corn taco with pan-fried cheese. There was a lot going on in this taco. You could certainly note the texture of the shrimp. It was tasty but my least favorite portion of the meal. It may have not needed the cheese. My company agreed. My last bite was the gringo tacos with the pork. The tacos themselves had a good chew as they were glutenous and a well-developed sour dough flavor. The pork was well-cooked in strips with a satisfying chew and a rich fatty aftertaste. I think these went well with the green salsa. read more

El Chingon - Cemita vaquera, Cemita Arrachera Tatemada al Pastor, al pastor Tacos Gringos, squid ink tacos w/ shrimp and cheese. - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I hadn't heard of El Chingon until a friend (who had been there before) suggested we go there for lunch. I had been in the mood for Mexican food, and was curious to see what the restaurant had to offer. We started with the Tuna Aguachile, seared raw tuna, with cucumbers, onion and cilantro. It was very good; the base was an hibiscus-habanero, but wasn't too spicy (I'm in the 'mild spice' camp). Next, we had the Tacos Arrachera, which had cut up skirt steak, charred with black recado, a traditional seasoning paste, with grilled red onions, and cilantro. El Chingon provides two salsas, green and red to add to the tacos. The tacos were good - I should have gotten guacamole as I'm used to having it with tacos, and it would definitely have added more depth. The last dish was the Warm Crab Tostadas, which is a creamy mix of blue crab, dijon, charred onions and cilantro. It was unique, I hadn't anything like that before; it was also good, but I may have preferred it a little less creamy, to highlight the crabmeat. We enjoyed the lunch and I felt it satisfied my craving for Mexican food! read more

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Such an amazing visit to El Chingon! Everything from the start of the meal to the end was delicious and flavorful. We started off with the guacamole which was super fresh. For our main courses, we got tacos and one of the specials, a burrito. Both portions were huge and paired with their salsas tasted amazing. We had to end the night with the arroz con tres leches which was the perfect bite for dessert. Our food all came out super fast considering how busy it was for a weekend. Definitely stop by for a restaurant with delicious food and a fun vibe! read more

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I tried the birria tacos, and they were absolutely delicious! The service was incredibly friendly, and the location is perfect. The atmosphere made me feel like I was back in Mexico for a little while. I'll definitely be coming back... read more

The salmon ceviche was hands down my favorite item we tried. The tradicional al pastor gemita was good, but the meat was a little dry. The Quesabirria cemita really missed the mark because it was kind of flavorless and the consume also lacked flavor :( Ambiance is cute and service was great though! read more

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An outstanding meal with plenty of leftovers that shockingly improved a daily later. The lamb taco special was like the best gyro on earth. The remolacha is among the top 15 best things I've ever eaten in this city. Brilliant aguachile and a perfect traditional marg with the mezcal we brought. The concha couldn't have been better. The cemita was a bit too heavy but as next day meal, yes yes! Lovely service and plant-forward bright environs read more

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Get a cemita (puebla style sandwich)!!!! They are SO GOOD. This restaurant is definitely more on the higher end style Mexican food but it's definitely worth it. It is a tiny cramped place but it's very homey and the food gets you warm and fuzzy. It was also pretty loud and hard to hear the people sitting across from us. But overall, wondering experience and amazing food. read more

El Chingon - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Wonderful flavors all around! Went for lunch the day after Christmas so it was relaxing and not crowded. Can't wait to come back and try more or get brunch during the weekend. read more

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This was for thier fishtown location Got the steak and a pork one. Great flavors don't really bave much to say definitely flavor wise probably the best i have had in philly. Tortillas are sourdough and were phenomenal texture wise. Only slight issue is 17-20$ for three tacos is rough but the amount of meat is pretty decent, way better portions than chipotle haha read more

El Chingon - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

EXCELLENT quality food and experience. wow. we got a selection of food to include different styles of food. the quesabirria tacos: and sandwich were delicious! the papas starter was a flavorful spin on potatoes with tasteful topping. the place is BYOB, and it's a nice intimate place. we had great service and attention. recommend this place! read more

El Chingon - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Wowowowow. Where do I begin with my experience at Chingon. We went for lunch on a weekday and decided to share a bunch of things. I had been at an event the evening before where I got to try some of their food, so I knew this would be great. Our server Narissa was super nice and helpful as we decided what to eat for my farewell to Philly meal. We started with the Ceviche Tropical as well as the warm crab tostadas. The salmon from the ceviche was excellent. I also have never met a crab tostada I didn't like, so I loved this one. One thing about the tostada - it has avocado but the menu does not mention that it has avocado, which would normally be fine but my lunchmate has an avocado allergy. Perhaps something to note on the menu for the future. We didn't mention the allergy, and based on the great level of service we received I am sure they would have said something if we did prior to. Moving on to mains - as a hungry bunch we opted to for two orders of tacos. We got the arrechera tatemada tacos which feature skirt steak, recado negro, onions, cilantro, and salsa macha. Whatever this peanut salsa was it was absolutely divine and I would like to have that near me always. We also ordered the choriqueso. In what world is queso and chorizo paired together not amazing? These featured sourdough flour tortilla, house made pork chorizo, house cheese, onions, and cilantro. I enjoyed pairing all this food with the table salsas that were served in tiny little jars that were adorable. I loved my experience at El Chingon, it's a small unassuming spot but worth several visits as the flavors and charm make it a lovely spot to grab a meal. read more

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I really wanted to love the food at El Chingon but liking it will have to do for now. I ordered tacos al pastor, and a side of guacamole. The tacos were fine, but I hardly tasted our found pineapple in it. The tacos were also incredibly greasy. The guacamole was fine though I would have liked more flavor than mashed avocados. The portions of both dishes were great, though the tortillas for the guacamole were over fried. This restaurant gets a lot of hype and I had high hopes. I'm disappointed but will give it another try at some point. read more

Omg their tacos are fantastic! The arrachera tatemada al pastor was SO GOOD. The green salsa was also amazing. I tried both the cemitas and tacos version, and I think the tacos are better. The one drawback is the price. $20 for a sandwich that isn't quite big enough is way too expensive. I would definitely still come back though. read more

We had dinner at El CHINGON over the weekend; reservations are easier to make; parking on the other hand, is not. You can probably park in the Acme parking lot near by. Once arrived, we were seated promptly. We ordered Guacamole, squid salad and Mexican corn for appetizers. The Guac is ok and the other two are excellent. For main dishes, we had the classic pork taco and the special steak taco. Both tasted great, seasoned to perfection and came with big portions. Overall, great restaurant, would certainly go again soon. read more

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I love a good twist with a restraunt and this one has a good one. Bring your own beer and for only $3 a pop they will add mixers that completely transform them. Quality beer is not needed. We brought cheap light beer and the mixers they added to them made them taste like a coctail. We got all three: spicy classic, cilantro lime, and ginger. The cilantro was surprisingly our favorite even though my wife doesn't like cilantro. It was very vegetal but in a very fresh too. The staff and atmosphere were spot on too. The map of Mexico build into the brick wall and large bar down the center was a great addition. Everything was fast and friendly as well. The food prices were a little high so we didn't get food but it looked good. Overall a great spot to mix it up on a date or with friends. read more

El Chingon - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The coffee had a different spices taste but it was fine. The sticky cake was flavorful and burnt in all the right places. I was served dessert before the main course which does not bother me one bit. In fact I think every restaurant should have a policy stating that food may not come out at the same time or in a certain order, lol. Some people make too big of a deal on that and I just want good food, lol. This restaurant hosted Manna bakery. People waited in the cold 30 minutes early and the entrance didn't start until 15 minutes late. Staff was super friendly and food is delicious. The brunch maybe should've had bigger portions, maybe, but no complaints otherwise. Bakery vendor Manna's bakery maybe should've have pre-orders and pre-payment available if possible. I would come back to the restaurant or bakery but depending on the logistics, maybe not my first choice. read more

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The food here is outstanding. I ordered takeout and they packaged everything perfectly and beautifully. The fact they could have a beautiful dish presentation via takeout was impressive. Foodwise, the best bites were the Remolacha and Warm Crab Tostada. Unique flavors and just absolutely delicious. Pairing beets with sesame was genius, just accentuated the earthy flavors. And the tostada had ample real crab and the flavors were so good together. We also got the shrimp aguachile which was only ok. Didn't really hit the aguachile spot for us. For mains, we got Al pastor tacos and pork shank pibil style. Both were really good and the pork shank was very impressive and tender. Overall a great and unique meal! read more

Mexican owned restaurant of course a good go to, food was really good and it's hard to find cemitas this good! Iced Horchata latte was amazing and the Choripapas were great! Waiter was nice and checked in often and the vibe of the place was awesome and so cute! read more

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Just a fantastic restaurant. Michelin star fantastic? Eh. But worth every penny. The quality and portion sizes are excellent for the price. Low key environment, staff are happy and provide good service. There are a lot of good restaurants in Philly, but almost none of them are worth the price. Not only is this worth it, but I would have been happy to pay more. Classico milanese sandwich was good, it was the one I was most looking forward to but actually my least favorite. The guacamole is unbelievable. It's the perfect expression of avocado. Amazing. Tacos adabe were delicious. Tropical ceviche - the flavor was merely good, but the quality of the fish was outrageous. Shrimp tacos - phenomenal. Some sort of rabbit tostada - really interesting! Not a highlight but still very good and worth trying. Chicken wings - best I've had. Hibiscus drink - actually a little too sweet but otherwise delicious. All this for $80/person and we were so stuffed we brought home probably 1/3 of the meal! Probably could have spent $50 each and been quite happy. I went to Friday Saturday Sunday two years ago, and while the food there was better quality, I was barely full by the end of it and simply wasn't worth the price. Honestly everything about this restaurant is great. Looking forward to going again! read more

This place is fantastic. Highly recommend getting there early on a Sat/Sun in order to get to the brunch options as well. The bananas french toast is absolutely delicious. We also had a Cemita sandwich - the choriqueso. The bread to meat ratio was exactly what I wish more places had. Also wish I had a larger stomach and a larger wallet :). Overall, will definitely be visiting again. read more

Stopped in for an early dinner and had the most amazing meal! The service was very quick and the staff is very friendly. The two of us split the tuna aguachile, elotes, crab tostada, a cemita, and some birria tacos. We were very full but it was the perfect amount of food to get a good taste of the menu! We loved everything we tried but the tuna was a standout bite for us. It was incredibly flavorful and light. The hibiscus base stains easily, don't wear a white shirt like I did! read more

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The food here was bland. The first thing we had was the guacamole, which was probably the best thing we had. It comes with this black sauce on it. The guava juice was pretty good, but you've gotta drink it fast otherwise it gets too watery. The chicken tacos and the fish tacos were so bland. We put as much lime as we could, and they were still tasteless. I asked them to make a cheese and chicken quesadilla for my daughter, and that was actually pretty tasty! Overall, this place is disappointing. Everyone in there was super friendly, but I will not be going back. read more

This spot has been on my list since it made the NYT top 50 restaurants last year. Finally got to stop in! We ordered the special for the day and a cemita ala mexicana. The special consisted of 3 "tacos" - chicharrones, papas con chorizo, and frijoles. I was surprised at first that the chicharrones wasn't crispy- it was more like a chicharrones mash than full pieces. It encapsulated the flavors of chicharrones perfectly without being greasy at all. The papas con chorizo tasted more like just potatos- I would've wished for more chorizo flavor. It paired very nicely with the pickled peppers the dish came with. The frijoles had a depth to them that I didn't know you could achieve with beans. Cemita ala mexicana had some phenomenal bread. I can see why others were ordering their sandwiches. It was light and fluffy. The eggs were done perfectly, but I felt like it wasn't too special. That bread though... I think next time I will have to try their other cemitas. The mini salsas they provided were phenomenal. The red one tasted smokey and almost chocolatey with heat. The green one was lighter and had almost an avocado like flavor to it. read more

El Chingon - Special - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

El Chingon is a good spot, but the prices are honestly shocking for what you get. The food is solid, but nothing about it feels exceptional especially when Philly has no shortage of incredible Mexican options at far more reasonable prices. It's enjoyable, the flavors are fine, and the vibe is nice enough, but the value just isn't there. For the premium they're charging, you expect something memorable, and this didn't quite hit that level. read more

Went on a whim in Mothers Day not knowing what to expect and El Chingon was fire. I had the Birria sandwich and my partner had the birria tacos and they were delightful and fulfilling! We also had the papas chingonas which were like elote style fries. Everything was soooo good and affordable. Service was quick and efficient, Chris did his thing. Ambiance was really nice aside from the racists we were sitting next to but that's not the restaurants fault so they get 5 stars. Well done. read more

El Chingon - Birria Sandwich with consomé and birria tacos with consomé - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cannot wait to return to this spot-- the hype is REAL! BYO, friendly service, and great specials (we loved the soft shell crab cemita and squid ink tortilla shrimp tacos). Prices are on the higher end, but we left full and with a taco leftover. Interior is casual and the atmosphere is lively. They don't take reservations, but we were able to get seated (as a party of two) right away during dinner service on a Friday. Seems like it could be a challenge for group seating, but it's definitely worth the wait. read more

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Nice corner location and it wasn't too hard to find parking. Cute aesthetic with exposed brick and plants. Friendly staff! Main reason for the 5 stars is the food!! Everything we ordered was delicious, which is not always the case, even at top rated restaurants. The shrimp was very refreshing and tangy. The meat in the tacos and sandwich was perfectly seasoned and had a nice smoky char. Will definitely be back! read more

Went here for the first time this past weekend...food was incredible. Service started out a little slow but rebounded nicely... Guacamole Amazing Beira tacos and pastor both outstanding Tuna was excellent although I thought the presentation sold the chef short of showing their true talent... hardest part of that dish was the sear on the tuna - which was covered by beautiful sliced cucumber and micro cilantro but show the skill it took to sear that tuna! Either way can't wait to go back! read more

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i havent been to many mexican restaurants that serve more than just tacos and enchiladas, so el chingon was a fresh offering with its seafood options. the server unfortunately misheard our taco order so we got the birria instead of the pulled pork option. the birria was rather lacking a kick. but the tuna aguachile was impeccable service was slow even though it wasnt busy read more

El Chingon - Tacos Quesabirrias - Sandwiches Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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My first time to Philly and we loved this dinner spot! We were looking for some place between downtown where our hotel was, and the Phillies stadium. This was only a ~10 minute walk from the train stop and well worth it! We did not know so many restaurants were BYOB, so we were not prepared in that department and would have loved a margarita, but the food was so good! It's an adorable corner, smaller inside more intimate space, I would guess around 10 tables. Our service was fast and friendly. The guacamole was so good. Tacos were a little greasy but the flavor was incredible. I would definitely go back! read more

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My friend and I came to check out El Chingon last night as it's been on both of our lists for a while! We came on a Wednesday night without reservations and were seated immediately. The ambiance is very cute and clean, I loved the decor in the restaurant and bathroom, and service was very timely, sweet and friendly. The food didn't hit for me though, left something to be desired. I was very excited to try their cemitas and I appreciate homemade bread so much. The menu on the website is slightly out of date, cemitas run for $18 vs $17 now FYI. I tried the portobello milanese Clasica. It was so bland.. it really needed some heavy dose of seasonings and salt, and the papalo aioli it was allegedly served with, really had no flavor. The textures of the sandwich were great though, nice bread, creamy avocado, crispy portobello milanese - just... so bland, was honestly surprised how flavorless it was. My friend said she felt the same about her al pastor cemitas, and also wished there were a bit more than 2 tiny sliced pineapples on her sandwich. We also shared the $8 elote, which was okay but I'd recommend the $5 elote at alma del mar - the corn seemed fresher and I liked the seasonings more. Overall I had a very mid experience, but I would consider returning to try other items if I was in the neighborhood. read more

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Popped in for lunch on a weekend. They have a brunch/lunch specific menu as well as an all day dinner menu. We opted for items on the latter including Ahumado Aguachiles, the Arrachares sandwich, and Arabes tacos. Everything was excellent with large portion sizes and great flavors. As someone from southern california, I've always beena bit sleptical of east coast mexican food, but this place really is deserving of the hype. Service was also great and we had no problem getting a table inside during lunch. Only minor complaints would be the horchata was a little on the watered down side and parking is tricky, but overall will definitely be coming back! read more

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My friend and I came here for dinner one rainy night before an event. We both were excited to try this place after it being on our list for awhile. The decor inside is very cute and vibrant. This place takes no reservations but we were able to snag a table for two. My friend and I order the elote appetizer and two cemitas (hers was mushroom and mine was al pastor). The elote appetizer was okay. I felt like it did lack flavor and it was overpriced ($8!) for a corn cob split in half. We got our cemitas and dug in. My al pastor cemitas was a little dry. I felt it needed some sauce to cut the dryness. It was good but it needed more seasoning as well. With it being al pastor I expected to see more pineapple slices with the meat but I got two tiny slices on top of my pork. My friend said her mushroom cemita needed more flavoring as well. Overall we both thought the food experience was underwhelming. It was also expensive ($17-18 for a cemitas) but mid tasting food. read more

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Have to preface by saying I got this as takeout and it was still absolutely delicious The crab tostada was a top 3 bite of all of 2025 for me and the cemita was amazing It's a tiny little spot and the staff was all smiles. Can't wait to come back and try the food fresh in house read more

I loved this. We got the calamari cemita (special), shrimp aguachile, al pastor tacos, and guac tatemado. I loved everything -- the guac was perfect, and the char is a really great twist to it. I'd probably do a different cemita next time, but the bread was incredible and I'd love to try a less creamy version. The aguachile was also amazing, and the tacos were my wife's favorite item (although possibly fourth out of four for me). read more

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