05/28/09

Unpretentious Mexican comfort food

by iren2000

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

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

08/26/08

Nice Find on Washington Ave.

by Fallout818

Good tacos for a great price. Also good burritto's. Cheap and Cheerful. So you can not beat it. Although they did not have pineapple juice. So why did someone say that they did? Oh well. I never thought that pineapple's were native to Mexican food anyway. Or are they? Who cares? My Boyfriend just said my review was crazy. I think he is crazy. Plus he did not even buy me dinner what is up with that? I need to play my Wii.

• Pros: Tacos
• Cons: Kind of a strange neighborhood

08/09/08

The best Mexican food in Philadelphia

by claytonjones

No exaggeration, not coming from someone who hasn't dined out much. I've ate at most of the Mexican spots in Philly, and Veracruzana is always the best. Every burrito I've had there has been outstanding. The rice and beans are the best I've ever had. The service is good, the prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the horchata is fresh. Not to mention the place is open late, until midnight if I'm not mistaken. If you're looking for great Mexican food in Philly then pull up a chair at Veracruzana and dig in.

06/08/08

real mexican food on the east coast

by sujitiyer

unbelievable and authentic mexican food.. growing up in texas, i can tell you this is one of the few places in this city that serves real mexican food... as far as people who can't deal with the workers who don't speak as english as well... get over yourself.. don't ask for authentic good food and then be insensitive to people who come here who work hard to make a better life for themselves and in the process feed you really good food..... so learn to speak some spanish or learn some tolerance.. oh and they make the best al pastor tacos in philly.. a true test of real mexican food

05/02/08

Authentic and great-tasting food, cheap, quick service...

by Sammielynn

I read the rest of the reviews and for quite a few, I asked myself if these people had eaten at the same restaurant as I had. American cheese? Where did that come from??? The quesadillas and whatnot appear to have Oaxaca or some other kind of Mexican cheese. Oddly enough (but in a good way), they give you extra unmelted cheese on the side for them, along with the other fixings.

Chicken and shrimp as fillings for either tacos or quesadillas work well, but I'm dying to try the chorizo - it looks really good. Tacos come three to an order, as do quesadillas, which are double tortilla-ed. If you think that's not a reasonable portion, you can (A) ask for another order, 'cause they're cheap or (B) learn to stop eating so damn much.

No, they don't speak English here. And honestly, I think if you come to the U.S., you ought to. At first, I was mildly irritated, but I quickly got over it. They're all pretty sweet people and you may have to tell them things more than once, but for me, it hasn't been much of an issue. They're quick with the service. Plus, while you wait, you get free tortilla chips with red and green salsa. The guacamole is extra but soooo worth it. The portion is huge and can be shared, topped with cheese, and tastes very fresh.

Whenever I eat here, I'm always satisfied and never hungry. Waaaay better than Taco Hell and the like.

02/16/07

DO NOT DO DELIEVERY IF YOU CAN'T SPEAK SPANISH

by adkphl

I work at a nearby condo and ordered food from here (had never eaten their food prior to) and 2 hours later I had to walk two blocks to get my food -- it was suppose to have been delivered. The guy tried very hard, even called me twice: The problem? He could not speak English. Perhaps the restaurant could take him to an English as a Second Language class - only because their food is INCREDIBLE, their service is good and friendly, and because I need them to get my food to me on time the next time I order. Seriously, this place has amazing food (whoever hated the burritos obviously does not know a thing about authentic Mexican food) -- give it a shot.

• Pros: great food
• Cons: delivery guys does not speak English - this is The U.S.A.

12/15/06

Not Great, But not Bad.

by el_chicano

This is a decent Mexican restaurant. The portions are ok, except for the burritos that is a excelent portion. The Tortas de Milanesa are to small for the price. Do not really like that the Tacos are not sold individually. Plus the cheese they use is not Mexican cheese, its like American or Swiss which takes away from the flavor it should have. The service was OK, the food tasted good, except for the pork being extremely salty. The green salsa is excellent the red was not bad either. Would recomend this restaurant for someone looking for good Mexican food in Philly. Just remember Cash only.

• Pros: Decent food, Big Burritos.
• Cons: Street parking, cash only, so-so serivice, small restaurant.

10/26/06

this is the best?

by ktodaaren

Not too long ago a friend of mine told me all about TLV and how "they had the best burritos, ever!" Well after eating there I realized he hadn't eaten out very much. Now I don't want to discourage you from giving it a try, I mean the portions are hugh and the food is eatible, but it isn't exactly authentic...no one in Mexico uses American cheese....except for McDonald's. The burritos are packed with large chunks of veggies and meat and the salsa verde was very tasty...so you won't leave hungry or broke! And as far as atsmosphere it would be classified as comfortable. They did have orange crush in a bottle ... i thought that was really good!!!

• Pros: cheap eats!
• Cons: chips aren't free.....

10/07/06

Not recommended

by mcaramenico

The service is horrendous; it took 20 minutes to get water. The waitress was rude. The food was not great. I tried the vegetarian burrito and it was not good. It tasted like a hoagie--it had American cheese(!), lettuce, tomato, beans and rice. From now on, I will stick with La Lupa. La Lupe has the best vegetarian burrito ever--better cheese and amazing vegetables.

• Pros: good salsa and chips
• Cons: awful service, sad burrito