I've driven by often and when I read an article of the chef brothers, and their background in the culinary scene in Philly,I had to go. So happy I did! Solo Saturday date pre movie night so I went to get some puebla flavors. Cute little spot with an open kitchen. Decor is straight from Puebla and the music makes you feel like you were transported from Delco to Mexico. Staff was great! I ordered a Jamaica agua Fresca which was delicious and the cóctel campechano which is shrimp and octopus cocktail. They forgot my pulpo but gave it to me on the side which was fine. It comes with 3 tostadas. Everything was very fresh and the sauce it was in was so good. Nice light and refreshing starter. I loved the plates as well. For my entree I chose the carnitas tacos 3 to an order with radish on the side and red and green salsa. The tacos had picked purple onion which was really good and fresh guacamole. The tortillas were so nice and you can taste homemade. The carnitas was really good too. Well seasoned. I will have to come back to try the other menu offerings. It's simple done very well! Gracias! FYI I had read somewhere they were cash only but not true. Parking can be limited but if you drive around you'll find something eventually. Definitely worth a visit. Buen provecho! read more

This is Puebla cuisine at its best. One of the 3 major Mexican cuisines: Merida, Oxaca and Puebla . The food is authentic, mole is brought from grandmas in Mexico, tortillas home made in tortilla press, Recommended and frequented by my best gourmet Mexican friend. The food and service is amazing. Had bessopes huaraches, guacamole, mole, carne asada, enchiladas, mixchote chicken,shrimp cocktail, and cocktail cameecheno. All were authentic and delicious. Had rice pudding, bread pudding and the flan. Bread pudding and flan were favorites. Hands down best Mexican and most authentic in town including Philadelphia area. Wonderful Mexican music and slightly energetic ambiance. Good for groups as well as couples. A big plus: BYOB. read more

Tlali - Mexican Near Me - Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania

Tlali- Upper Daby - West Chester Pike - My new favorite local latin lover.... I love going to South Street to the Mexican restaurants there, but the parking is of-so-painful (or expensive in the nearby lots) This place reminds me of Blue Corn in terms of it's offerings and authenticity (but with a lot less tinsel). We came in and were greeted warmly. We got the octopus cocktail, cemitas (no translation - just Mesican rolls for sandwiches) roasted park oaxaca cheese sandwich, jamaicas (sweet tea from special mexican flowers) and salted branzino with made-right-there blue corn tortillas ... my normally extremely picky shrunken human described all the food as "heaven". so fresh. Such a great find if you are just a chicken quesadilla person but if you are on the more adventurous side and don't want all the cliche Mexican dishes ( burritos and tacos) then this is the perfect place. Blink and you'll miss it, it's small and not a bunch of tables inside... probably a great place acoustics-wise to go since it's small and at this point not crowded. (ALthough I hope by posting this that will change). Follow them first on IG or FB to see the dedication and soul that goes into the dishes... his mama in Mexico makes the mole sauce and then sends it to them to finish cooking. I loved seeing the post showing how they pounded their own blue corn to make their own tortillas and watching their marinating and roasting process for their meats.... ingredients matter and so does Tlali - our new favorite find. read more

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Hands down one of my top 3 Mexican restaurants in Philly, absolutely worth the short drive! Tucked away in a sweet little storefront, Tlali is an intimate, approachable, and elegant gem perfect for a solo bite or special occasion. Immediately upon entering from the busy street you can tell this place is the culmination of a lot of experience and care. Everything on this menu is fresh, made from scratch, and so delicious. Even the tortillas are made the traditional overnight Indigenous way which makes all of the difference in the world. I recommend ordering either an aquachile, coctel campechano (shrimp and octopus) or the albondigas meatballs in chipotle as a starter. If you are with a group be sure to order one of the moles (either the ribeye or the branzino both of which they make from scratch) for the table. Don't skip the flan and cafe de olla. read more

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I had the best meal on Friday night here! I heard about this restaurant a while ago on FYI Philly and finally made it. I like Mexican food, but wouldn't say it's my favorite. I went in as skeptic and thought it would be fine. I was so wrong, it is spectacular! We ordered the Bistec (steak tacos), and the Michmole (salted branzino). We asked the waitress what else we should get and she recommended the Aguachile Negro (ceviche dish). We ordered conservatively just in case it didn't meet our expectations. The steak tacos were the best I've ever had. Instead of meat chunks, it's thinly sliced steak that is perfectly seasoned with guacamole, salsa rojo, onion and cilantro. The branzino was perfectly cooked, flaky skin and soft, moist fish. Accompanying the fish were died potatoes and sliced cactus in a sauce. The best are the freshly made tortillas that come with the dish. The waitress said the dish is supposed to be eaten with the tortillas so I made small bites and topped it with the salsa verde. So good! I saved the best for last...the aguachile negro. That is one of the best ceviche dishes I've ever had. It was so unexpected to get a dish like that from this tiny restaurant in Upper Darby. It's terry thinly sliced fish (not sure what kind), thinly sliced cucumbers and habanero broth. I don't know what was in that broth, but it was so good I could have drank it alone. The entire dish was so refreshing, perfect salt and tang to it. It also came with freshly made crispy tortillas. The tortillas and dipping sauces can't be overlooked because they're all homemade and so flavorful. The waitress was so great. She explained the dishes to us we were curious about and recommended that spectacular dish. It's a small restaurant with an open kitchen area so you can see the chef cooking. On our way out, we said we'll be back and we almost went back on Saturday night. It's just that good! read more

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Absolutely excellent dinner. We ate there and ordered al pastor tacos, birria tacos, the ribeye with cactus salad, and a soup. We ended up bringing a bit of the ribeye home, but we're generally happy with the size of the order. Everything was delicious but I have to call out the ribeye and al pastor especially. They were amazing: the tortillas, the bread base of the ribeye, the seasoning of the meat. Really fantastic. The food came out as it was ready, so be prepared for that. Service was very nice. And the seating area was small and intimate. My wife and I enjoyed our date. It's a definite recommend. I hope they're a very successful business. read more

Excellent!! We had the Res En Mole Poblano ( Ribeye steak with mole) and the Michmole ( salted branzino). Both were outstanding but the ribeye was my favorite. It was so tender and flavorful. The best mole I have ever tasted. Not sure if it's possible but next time I might ask for extra. We used the homemade blue corn tortillas, also outstanding, to lap up every bit of mole on the plate. We also ordered the Al Pastor tacos, the guacamole and flan. All of the food was fresh, delicious and the presentation beautiful. The only thing missing was a margarita on the rocks with salt. It is a BYOB but they don't have margarita set ups. The ambiance is nice and the service good. If I didn't live 45 minutes away, I'd probably eat there once a week. We will be back soon. read more

Went here for a casual dinner and were blown away by both the quality of the food and the friendliness of the service. Everything was served in traditional barro (clay) dishes, which instantly made it feel like being back in Mexico. We ordered the horchata by the pitcher, sopes for appetizers along with the bistec and carnitas tacos. The meats and vegetables were excellent, but what truly stood out was the freshness and quality of the tortillas which were easily some of the best I've ever had. We'll definitely be back again soon! read more

Tlali - Sopes - Mexican Near Me - Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania

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This is what Mexican food would taste like if France had a better military. Superbly seasoned but true to the Puebla roots. It's what every taqueria would be if it could. Looks like any dive, but you're here for the food. Pricier than you'd expect (more entrees than small plates) but when you taste it you'll understand. It's NOT your average taqueria. read more

Our first visit. They were a bit quiet on Sunday afternoon. Very welcoming and friendly when we arrived. It's a small-ish space, but not cramped. We started with the empanadas and my wife and I both ordered the enmoladas. Everything was fantastic. The mole on the meals, as well as the sauces served alongside the empanadas, insanely flavorful. We're already looking forward to our next visit read more

Not your everyday Mexican. Second visit since first time was worthy of a second. Re-ordered the branzino, as good as the last time. Served over some cactus salad. First time for the shrimp and octopus in a tomato avocado mix. Similar to a ceviche except seafood was cooked. Not shown was a salad that was pretty plain. Homemade tortillas are the best. Tiny BYOB in Upper Darby, pleasant server, street parking. read more

Tlali - Shrimp and Octopus. - Mexican Near Me - Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania

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This sweet spot opened 3 months ago and it is truly great. We started with Dorito Nayarit - shrimp, avocado, onion and tomato on crispy flour Chicharrón crackers - yummy! Then we had the Al Pastor - slow roasted pork on corn tortillas with pineapple -omg!!! And then perfectly cooked ribeye steak in Mole -- wowzers -- GO and try it! Alberto won't steer you wrong! read more

Tlali - Al Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania

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Incredible! Super intentional flavors and authentic food. A cute place that you might not go to, but if you do, you lucked out. Literally everything we got was delicious from the guac, to the aguachile, to the tacos al pastor and birria. All the decor and ceramics are beautiful and endearing, too. Our server was so kind as well. 100% going back to try more food. Chef clearly has mucho talent knowledge and experience in both La comida Mexicana and downtown high end cuisine. read more

My husband found this gem from a spotlight from the Philadelphia Inquirer. I must say this was the best Mexican food outside and in Philadelphia. Adorable stop with super sweet team and DELICIOUS food! I could not find one favorite dish, I loved them all from the Birria tacos, to the octopus ceviche, to the roasted chicken, we ordered 10 dishes and they were all terrific! Everything was so fresh. Even though I was full from trying g everything, it did not feel heavy. Felt great after and could not have been happier with our first visit (sure many to come). This chef has some future in-store! And our waitress was nice as can be! Cannot wait to come back. read more

I have dined her twice recently and both times we really enjoyed the food. Everything was delicious. My husband loved the birria tacos. My son commented that the guacamole was the best he has ever had. I had the fajitas both times and really enjoyed them. The service was excellent. read more

I'll get right to the point. The food top quality, fresh and delicious. Just the homemade corn tortillas alone are worth going there for; mine were made to order. After that everything else was Insane!!!!! Service the Best!!! Ambiance: you don't have to leave Philadelphia to experience a Mexican Casita!!! read more

Food is excellent, I highly recommend this place. Our friends went and said it is one of if not the best Mexican places near to the Penn Wynne/Lower Merion area. We went last night, the guacamole was superb, some of the best. I have had. All 4 of us had various forms of the tacos - chicken, brisket - and all were great. Definitely recommend, we we need more great places like this close to the Lower Merion/Havertown area, I highly recommend! read more

We stopped by to taste the food prior to placing a large catered meal for the holiday and so glad we did before ordering. The lauded rib's eye was tough and the salted branzino was a bit smelly so probably not fresh. The servers were very welcoming but the quality of the entrees left much to be desired. The 2 items and a tamarind soda cost us $86 at lunch time! read more

Tlali is a brand new gem of an ambitious Mexican restaurant on a quiet block on West Chester Pike easily accessible to West Philly and the Main Line. Philly's Mexican restaurant scene has made big progress from generic tacos, burritos and margaritas, and Tlali is a worthy addition. We loved the huarache with cactus salad and a tomatillo salsa,and the Agua negro of kampachi. We're eager to go back and try some of the other unusual offerings. The two brothers who opened this restaurant are accomplished cooks. The dining room is simple and clean decorated with lovely ceramics from Puebla. It is byob and cash only, but I hope people will wander a bit further afield as they'll be rewarded with delicious and authentic Mexican cooking. read more