Taqueria La Veracruzana

12/01/09

Amazing and affordable tacos

by ChairmanKaga at Citysearch

So far this is the all around best Taquerias in Philly I've found so far. I've tried all the others in the area of Washington Ave, and have always been really disappointed. My order of choice is the 3 tacos for $6; I usually get Campachano (mix of grilled steak and chorizo), Al Pastor (roast Pork), and Jalapeno Relleno. As with any Mexican restaurant I would highly discourage ordering chicken or any non-grilled meat. And as always the chorizo is very oily so I would order a mix to prevent taco breakage. Also common in foreign restaurants is the fatty meats. Nearly every Asian and Mexican restaurant does this, so yet another reason to order the grilled meats.

I would stay away from many of the other entrees. The lamb enchiladas are extremely fatty and the sauce is just ok. The quesadillas are just tacos with queso blanco crumbled on top--not really worth the extra $2. The burritos are enormous and really good, but again if you get a chorizo burrito, prepare for a huge mess.

You can probably get comparable tacos at most of the other taquerias, but it's their salsa that keeps me coming back. They give you 2 big bowls of salsa: one a smokey roasted tomato one, and a spicy jalapeno-avocado one. Both are excellent, but I think many gringos find them too spicy and eat their tacos dry (which is probably why they rate it low). Between 2-3 people we finish them off and sometimes need more. They also deliver pretty much anywhere in the city, but then you only get 2 tiny salsas instead of the endless bowl of deliciousness.

Unfortunately, the service here is pretty terrible. Every time I've gone, it's been fairly crowded, but even on the days it's been empty the service is just as slow. Initially, there was a language barrier, but now most of the waitresses know English. They take incredibly long to serve you water and chips and salsa, but once they finally put your order in, it comes pretty quickly. The other negative is they only take tips in cash, so if you plan on tipping make sure you bring some.

As for ambiance...it's a Taqueria. This place is for good food at a reasonable price. If you want ambiance go to a Steven Starr restaurant and spend 10x as much for mediocre food.

• Pros: Salsa, tacos, price
• Cons: Service

05/28/09

Unpretentious Mexican comfort food

by iren2000 at Citysearch

Every time I come into this place and see people getting the tacos and burritos and going out of their minds over how great they are, I can't help but softly whisper "suckerrrrrs!!". Don't get me wrong, they're tasty, but what you should be eating here are the main entrees, like the alambre, steak with cactus, shrimp in tequila sauce, seafood stew... they will truly rock your tastebuds. They're a little more expensive, but two people could share one of those alone, I make two meals out of them. I used to go to Morning Glory and Sabrina's for breakfast, but when the lines grew too long, I turned to Taqueria Veracruzana and discovered awesomeness. The breakfast items are all in the $6 or $7 range and includes free chips, salsa, and warm tortillas. My personal fav is the huevos pobalnos- a medley of poblano peppers, onion, and fresh corn topped with eggs and cream and oxaca cheese with a creamy tomato sauce drizzled all over it. There's so much food, I usually only need to eat more meal, much, much later in the day. I've been going there for about two years now and have resisted spreading the word about them.. but I don't want them to go out of business. People, don't get the burritos and tacos, they're not nearly as good as everything else. You won't regret it. NOTE: This is not "el vez" or some other scene/hipster place, it is not romantic or pretentious, also be prepared, there are, *gasp* dare I say it, real live Hispanics who frequent the joint. There are some waitresses who speak English better than others, but you can leave your Spanish-English dictionaries at home, they can all take your order. This may not be the place for you if are uncomfortable with people who speak languages other than English.

• Pros: everything else (bring your own beer/tequila)
• Cons: bathroom

01/19/09

Great value at this byob

by FoodandBeerSnob at Citysearch

The food here is cheap and delicious. The carnitas burrito is stuffed with tender, tasty pork (albeit slightly greasy) and perfectly ripe avacado. The salsa verde and al pastor tacos/ burritos also keep me coming back. In response to some of the older reviews, they do accept credit cards now, and the chips are free when you dine in. They're only $1 when you order take-out. You can have a meal for under $10, and you will be very full for hours.

• Pros: laid-back atmosphere, byob, yummy food, cheap