El Fuego

Doesn't Recommend

mediasavant

Joined 5 years ago

Decent Food Served by Jerks. The burritos are OK. A cut above Qdoba but not far. Nice, pretentious ambience, complete with table candles in case you wanted to take a date there. Problem is the staff are all meatheads, especially Pete, the Long Island-born chatterbox who is either always checking his e-mail on his iTouch or bad mouthing customers at a volume they can hear. (If your girl is remotely hot, guaranteed Pete will give her a once or twice over.) The Argentinian isn't worse in this respect. He'll roll a great burrito without ever having to take his eye's off a set of lady lumps. The manager, a tall, lanky white dude is the coolest one, but my buddy worked there and said they hire people for "training," then fire them after a couple of weeks after paying them $5 an hour as "training pay." Judging from the turnover, sounds like they get a lot of cheap labor.

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aphyllis

Joined 5 years ago

great quick lunch spot. read a few recent reviews and felt compelled to post one of my own as a frequent lunch customer. service is quick and solid. the guys have personality and character. that is a added value on top of the killer burritos. the mood, music, decor is unique. much different from the chains. something i value. nothing but love for this spot.

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JayEL

Joined 5 years ago

Good Food, Ignorant Staff. The food is always fresh and full of flavor. I would recommend this place to anyone who wanted some good mexican food. The only problem I have with this place is the staff has something ignorant to say about everyone that walks through the door. I might not know that person but still only god knows what they say about me.

Doesn't Recommend

madeofstone

Joined 5 years ago

Worst Burrito I've Had in a While. This burrito was terrible, first of all these guys don't know how to wrap a burrito at all, it fell apart the second I opened the tin foil wrapping. Second of all for the price I paid I might as well have gone to Qdoba or Santa Fe. Also taste-wise the burrito had a really funky taste.

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jenjimlef

Joined 6 years ago

great burritos, and they reheat well, too!. Great, pleasant service, and the burritos were wonderful. My family ordered a variety with spicy beef, steak, and chicken, which were all stuffed with rice, black beans (refried is an option), lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and sauce. I loved the chicken, personally. They did forget my extra side of hot, but so did I after ordering 9 burritos, and gave me fresh tasting chips on the house. The guacamole was delicious. The burritos were so huge that the leftovers I had planned for were even more, and reheated very well. My kids had some for breakfast, and my husband took a half burrito to work. My kids were already letting me know what they want on their burritos ( unbelievably, they want more of them) the next time we get in Philly.

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jmcdo

Joined 6 years ago

interesting neighborhood spot. yesterday i discovered this small burrito shop on my way home from work. i walk down walnut every day and i never noticed it was there! its simple and the atmosphere is fairly minimalist but i really enjoyed my chorizo and chicken burrito... soo much so that i plan on bringing my husband next time i go to el fuego.

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hogan_paul

Joined 7 years ago

quality mexican. i recently moved to philly from san diego and have been looking hard for a good burrito spot. el fuego is pretty much the best this city has to offer....

the burritos are substantial and the quality of the food is fresh.

the thing that i don't understand is why nobody stays open past 9:00 to serve the bar crowd? hello philadelphia, most people need to eat before they drink their faces off. maybe el fuego will read this and take a cue. but then again this is philly-- home of delightful snacks such as cheese steaks with cheese whiz?!

in the meantime keep pumping out those big burritos.

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j_portis

Joined 7 years ago

good stuff. el fuego is the areas saving grace. with washington becoming more and more gentrified i am happy to see that there is a place that is affordable, cozi, and has quality food. i dig the music and the flat screen which always has soccer playing. if only they had some more vegetarian options i could drag my girl out with me. definately good pregame for a night out with the boys. cheers

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andrades

Joined 7 years ago

scooter guy and the lunch crew. i have been going to el fuego since they opened almost three years ago. as with most new businesses there are things that need working out and el fuego was no different. i can remember when they first opened lunch lines spilled out into the street. i am sure that such high volume resturaunts have a relatively high turnover. el fuego has managed to keep virtually the same staff for the past few years. perhaps that's to do with the scooter guy who me and my co-workers often see around town. we think he is the owner. but with that staff i am sure that he doesn't have to do much work!

on the other hand the lunch crew holds it down like a well-oiled machine. only difference is that they are incredibly human and have plenty to say if only you become a "regular" as i have become almost by default.

the food is filling and very flavorful. the reasonale prices are just icing on the cake!

try this little burrito heaven and have your lunch become more than an hour break between monotonous office tasks.

cheers

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pumpkin112

Joined 7 years ago

great food, great service. Talk about a massive burrito! It's probably one of the first burritos I've had in the city that didn't fall apart. The prices were great, especially compared to the amount you get. The music was pretty cool too.