El Fuerte de Loreto Philly

Got brunch here with friends early in the morning. The blueberry French toast was very filling and delicious! I sometimes get tired of an entree after a few bites in, but every bite was good! They had enough compote and fruit on it to make it yummy. Service was a little slow but attentive to my coffee levels, so much appreciated. The ambiance was very family friendly.

This place is awesome! The hospitality is top-notch, and the servers are great. It has a small, cozy vibe that's really welcoming. Plus, the food is delicious! It takes a little while since everything is made fresh, but it's totally worth it.

Our second time here today. Last weekend for brunch and today with a group of 8 for dinner (made reservations). Excellent service, very friendly and accommodating, especially for the children 🙂Food came out hot and was delicious. I had the enchiladas and my husband had the steak fajitas, that came out sizzling. Definitely our new spot as we live in the neighborhood and really enjoyed everything.

Came for Sunday brunch. Very popular and was packed. I suggest making a reservation. We were lucky to get a table for 3. It's family run, the portions are large, ingredients fresh and each dish was nicely plated. The service is friendly and extremely attentive! A must visit!

We went the other day for the first time for breakfast. My husband had the South Philly Omelette and I had the Huevos Rancheros. Both were presented beautifully and served hot and made to order. The staff were more than accommodating and the food was very good. We treated ourselves to dessert and OMG, so very good …tres leches and chocolate lava cake. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner and look forward to returning to try other foods on their extensive menu.

This place has amazing service and the staff makes you feel at home. We were not so pleased with the food. We came for dinner and everything was mediocre. The nachos were simple, the steak fajitas were mostly peppers and onions and lacked seasoning. We ordered two fajitas and one seemed to have more meat than the other so perhaps an uneven distribution issue in the kitchen. I am still curious about their brunch bc the pictures looks great

I went this past holiday weekend with a group of 15 and we were given much care and great attentive service. The water was always refilled, utensils replenished and then the food arrived and it was very tasty. I ordered the fish sandwich which was well presented and the fish was light. My husband got the steak and shrimp special. I got nachos to start with. Don’t be afraid to order off the dinner menu when it’s lunch! Service was very nice, our group was loud and rowdy but they understood we were together to have a good time.

I’m so glad I found this spot! The eggs were super fluffy, the tortillas were nice and hot, the salmon was cook d perfectly & the coffee was great. Great food and even better service, I’ll definitely be back.

Got brunch here with friends early in the morning. The blueberry French toast was very filling and delicious! I sometimes get tired of an entree after a few bites in, but every bite was good! They had enough compote and fruit on it to make it yummy. Service was a little slow but attentive to my coffee levels, so much appreciated. The ambiance was very family friendly.

We came with a large group for a friend's birthday. Service was fantastic. They did a great job with our large party and setting up the tables in a way that made sense logistically for the whole party and restaurant. The 3 stars is for the food. I was disappointed with my eggs that were served over hard, instead of over easy - and the server even took the time to confirm everyone's egg preferences! My friend who ordered the huevos rancheros also had hard eggs which is disappointing as it's the main part of the entree. Overall, I likely wouldn't return based on the food experience, but I wouldn't be opposed if a friend suggested to come.

Review for El Fuerte de Loretto Philly El Fuerte de Loretto Philly continues to set the bar for what a truly exceptional dining experience should be. As always, the atmosphere was warm, inviting, and full of character. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with genuine hospitality that made us feel right at home. The space is welcoming, vibrant, and clearly built around community and comfort. We've dined here many times, and not once have we been disappointed. Last night's meal was no exception. The appetizers were outstanding--wedge salad, octopus, tacos, and the standout of the night: the softshell crabs. Absolutely spectacular. Every dish was prepared with thought and care, and the flavors were bold, fresh, and beautifully balanced. If you haven't tried the softshell crabs yet, you're missing out--highly recommended. A heartfelt thank you to John and his lovely staff, who always go above and beyond. Their attention to detail, warmth, and consistency are what keep us coming back. El Fuerte de Loretto isn't just a restaurant--it's a place to gather with friends, share stories, and enjoy food that makes you feel good. We look forward to many more visits in the future.

Holy wow this place is GOOD. Hubby and I shared chilaquiles and steak&eggs. I wish I could bathe in the chimichurri sauce that was on the steak. Best bite so far in 2025. The savory red sauce on the tortillas was so perfect with the cream and avocado. Still thinking about that steak....

Such incredible brunch! We really enjoyed the food here and they made it feel like family with the service! They were quick to bring our food out and the vibes felt very homey. This really hits the Mexican brunch spot!

Nice location. The food was very very good. Service was good. The food did take a long time to come out but it was Mother's Day. It's a BYOB until they get their liquor license. Make sure you make a reservation.

Mexican brunch always hits the spot! Stopped by for brunch and ordered the churro pancakes and chilaquiles. Portions were large and very filling. The owner was very sweet and came in to check on us to make sure everything was good. Can't wait to try other items!

Amazing service, amazing food, amazing atmosphere.. this is the star example of what a small-biz restaurant should be! I went here for brunch w/ two friends and made reservations- it was packed (a good sign), but didn't feel crowded. My only recommendation is they could probably fit even more seating if they adjusted the tables/maybe did a high-top area? As for food, I got the salmon omelette w/ poblano peppers and provolone - absolutely divine, so filling, and the roasted potatoes on the side were perfect. Would definitely return. Also, my friend ordered turkey bacon and they gave her pork on her omelette, but they apologized profusely and fixed it immediately.

The restaurant accommodated us as a walk in. The place was small but it wasn't cramped. I got the blueberry french toast that came with strawberries. It was good but no blueberries! The steak and eggs were not good. The I make better chimichurri at home. Fries had no salt. Overall I am not sure why it is a 5. I would say 3.5

If I could give this place a 4.5 stars I would. Overall, my experience was great! A cute little byob with good value prices and lots of options. I thought the food was good but I was not blown away. I got an omelette and my partner got the French toast. He claims it's the best French toast he's had in the city and described it as "perfectly cooked and not too eggy". I got a side of the turkey bacon and it was nice and crisp, which is impressive for turkey bacon. Toast and potato sides were nothing to write home about. Service was kind and quick. My only comment is that I wish they would turn the music down in that spot - it was a lot of early 90s pop and far too loud for the few guests that were there. I think the only reason this place wasn't full was because we went during the heat wave.

This little spot hits your Mexican soul deeeep!!! From the atmosphere, to the service, to the food the place has to be one of the best places I have experienced. The food tasted extremely flavorful and was made fresh. I hade the chilaquiles and they were very well prepared-hint ( go with the over easy fried eggs-the creaminess in the egg goes well with the red sauce). The churro pancakes with fresh fruit is delish. I love this place and will def visit it again, and again...hoping you guys give it a try.

Good food. The dulce de leche French toast was described as a signature dish. It was just ok. Not very flavorful. My wife had something else, more spices and flavors, and hers was delicious. 4 stars as an average.

Sunday breakfast was at El Fuerte de Loreto. The outside of the restaurant is colorful and gives happy vibes. We were greeted immediately. The inside is decorated so cute! Our waitress explained all of the dishes that were not on the menu. We never had to ask for a coffee refill, the coffee kept flowing! I ordered Chilaquiles in red sauce (Fry Tortilla Chips In a Savory Salsa, Queso Fresco Sour Cream, Avocado & Fried Egg Huevos). So delicious!

FOOD HERE IS AMAZING. Staff is super friendly and will explain to you in detail any dish that you ask questions about. I also like that some of the dishes on the menu were less common to me, yet still AMAZING! I believe the name of the dish I had was huevos Tijuanense. So good

We came in about an hour after they opened. The place was empty so we chose a cozy spot. I just had water with lemon and my friend had tea. We were attended to promptly. The food was delicious. I always get huevos rancheros if it's on the menu. It was great. My friend enjoyed her steak and eggs. The only thing that comes to mind about this place was steak. My friend and I felt the steak was of a lower quality just by the look and taste but other than that great food. Will definitely be back.

On Sunday morning this place was crowded. My husband and I were lucky to be able to get a table. Friendly staff and owners. The food took forever to arrive. Nice plating of my mole enchilada. My husband's ham and cheese sandwich was huge. We enjoyed our breakfast there. I will definitely come back to try their dinner.

Table of three for brunch in a friendly bright spot! Staff was welcoming and friendly. Seating was basic but ample. Food was the highlight. We all liked what we got. Brunch menu is not huge. I wouid say that $18 for two churro pancakes was a bit high. The fresh fruit was good. My hot chocolate for $6 was a miss (as in Swiss miss) and while the hand squeezed oj was good... the $8 price tag tasted a bit sour.

Breakfast was good. I had their special this week, which was pineapple pancakes. The pancakes were great, just a touch dry on the inside, making them a bit difficult to slice into. I informed the waiter and he was nice about letting the chef know for the future. My husband had a fish sandwich that he liked, though he didn't rave about it. We both felt our meals were adequate, though not amazing. I did like how attentive our waiter, perhaps the owner or manager, was. He checked in us and was very kind all throughout. Because of this, I'd like to return and try some other dishes. It is a really cute place.

Food great 10 Service fabulous 10 Ambiance cozy 9 The appetizers were delicios and big. The food came ver timely and great presentation. Our waitress very friendly and engaging. The whole thing was pretty flawless With affordable Prices!

Delicious pancakes, more on the sweeter side. Loved the way the home fries were cooked; crispy squares. I could do without the cheese on top of the omelette but rather would prefer it inside and I wish the veggies were more diced. Overall come here for the pancakes, they won't disappoint.

This small business needs more recognition. The French toast is the best I've ever had and the eggs Benny was also Their service is pretty good. There was only one other table, in here when we went so our server was very tentative and gave great recommendations. I would say it's a no frills spot it's a BYOB and the food is good so the ambience is fine

This place is a delight! We needed to celebrate a birthday but the birthday girl was coming from Harrisburg and ended up needing to cancel. However, my two friends and I did NOT cancel our brunch reservation and instead of celebrating a birthday, we celebrated a really wonderful place to have brunch on a Sunday. The owner was fantastic! He took time with us, opened our champagne for mimosas and kept it chilled on ice. We ordered three specials with mole and oh my! This was some of the best mole I have ever tasted. My friend told me that I MUST include that her iced coffee, when brought to the table, was served with an accompaniment of cream and simple syrup. She said that this touch is always desired but rarely happens when ordering iced coffee. We hung out in the cutest space with great ambiance, enjoyed our food and our drinks and the beautiful hospitality. The owner explained that he and his son opened this spot about a year ago, so the place is fairly new. Definitely make a reservation and go! I can recommend the great service, the ease of a BYOB and a wonderful brunch!

Enchiladas at 10:30am? Say less. Good vibes, extremely nice and attentive waitress who made sure our meal was 100% correct . Can't wait to go back w friends

This was some of the best food I've ever had! The space was quaint and nicely decorated. The server was very attentive and the chef/owner came out, greeted us, gave an amazing presentation about the specials and his card to book larger parties (we expressed interest after trying the food). The juices were fresh pressed too! Peach, orange and mango, also, it's BYOB! Can't wait to try lunch and dinner

I went here for my birthday brunch and I can't wait to go back! It's a BYO but there's no corkage fee and they gave us some mango juice to go with the Prosecco and it was delicious. The food was incredible - we ended up ordering two French toasts because they were so delicious. The service was incredible, attentive, and quick. It's a beautiful little spot with great decorations and music. Can't recommend highly enough!

This Mexican restaurant is a small family owned business. My wife and I came for brunch and were greeted by the owners father Johnny. Great man with impeccable customer service. The food was spectacular. I got the Omelette Toluqueño which had a nice spicy bite accompanied by their home fries. My Wife had the Huevos Motuleños that definitely brought a kick. We shared the Pennsport French Toast topped by DELICIOUS fruits. If nothing else, make sure to jump on that French Toast. We will definitely be returning for their dinner menu.

Wow!!! We were in Philly for the day and dropped in for an early dinner based on Yelp reviews. The food was extremely fresh and very well executed, and the staff were friendly, helpful and attentive. We had chips and salsa (different than most, very fresh, excellent flavors), mussels (wow, the red broth with chorizos...crazy good), and fish tacos (honestly, the best we've ever had and we've eaten our fair share - and get this, even the tortilla was a highlight). We'll definitely be back - and next time for breakfast / brunch. Bravo...!

I cannot tell a lie, took the missus here and we absolutely loved this place. Energy, food, waitstaff were all top notch. Highly recommend!

The food was delicious at El Fuerte and the staff were kind and attentive. The restaurant was cozy and was nicely decorated for the holidays. We will return!

Wow, easily one of the best breakfasts I've ever had in Philly! We had the three colors enchiladas and they were all so delicious. Really wonderful service and a cute atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

I enjoyed the meal here. I had huevos rancheros. The only thing I didn't like was how the server explained the whole menu to menu to me when I asked about two items, because I didn't need all that information. All in all it was good food and good service and I would definitely come back.

What a fantastic place to get Mexican breakfast. I got the Chilaquiles with Steak and was pleasant surprised to see the big chunks of steak compared to some measly strips like other places. Steak was also cooked perfectly as requested- medium rare. Staff was extremely nice with prompt service to refill your water and coffee. Went with relatively large group (6 people) and were able to get seated immediately. Would highly recommend this place and hope this place continues to get the traffic it deserves because the food was delicious and beautifully plated.

Excellent service, delicious food, and a byo! We loved everything we ordered from churro pancakes, French toast, egg dishes, and Mexican breakfasts. We highly recommend!

The food was amazing and the staff were wonderful! Everything was flavorful and delicious and beautifully presented. We had the dulce de leche French toast and the huevos tijuanenses and both were incredible.

If I could give El Fuerte 10 stars I would. This is my favorite breakfast spot and they make the best French toast I have ever had. All of their sweet and savory dishes are so good, they taste like they use high quality ingredients and are really flavorful. The service is always amazing too. We love El Fuerte!

My wife and I took a red eye flight from the west coast and we were just hungry. This place caught our eye and we thought we'd give it a chance for our first meal in Philadelphia, specifically for breakfast. The building is super cute and Mexican decorated. Limited seating, but looks like a quality dining experience. We were greeted by one of the staff (possibly the manager) and he was excited and happy to seat and serve us. They treated us like long lost family. I got the South Philly omelet and it was cooked to perfection. Everything was seasoned perfectly. Nothing tasted dry or over/under seasoned. Since it was our first time, they also gave us Dolce De Leche French toast. That French toast was unbelievable. It has little sauce, but it didn't need anything more than what was on the plate. It was perfectly moist, sweet, and just perfect altogether. It may look like a little hole in the wall, but they really upscale their food and service. Would make this my first stop again for breakfast.

Fantastic breakfast! Small little spot in south Philadelphia, the service was incredible. I got the steak and eggs and my wife got the French toast. Everything was amazing! Not a thing was wrong. 5 stars for us, will be back to try more menu items.

Stopped past on a weekend trip to Philly. The food was absolutely delish! Highly recommend the churro pancakes and for sure their fruit smoothie. The staff was so friendly and accommodating, I felt like I was eating in someone's home. A wonderful experience and delish brunch, will be back when I'm in town.

For context, I ate here on a Sunday early afternoon. It seems to be popular with the locals and rightly so. It is located in an idyllic part of Philly, and they offer outdoor seating as well. It is a happy place, with bright colors reminiscent of a lovely beach front restaurant in Puerto Vallarta...they also play 90s music in the background, for the nostalgic millennials. It was a busy time of day but I was seated immediately, with no fuss about me being alone. They treated me great, didn't make me feel awkward for sitting alone, and the food was just out of this world. I ordered the fried fish sandwich, with a side of seasoned fries. The fries were really seasoned, with the perfect balance of salt and spices. The fried fish was beer battered, so you got that depth of flavor that you do not get by simply slapping flour of fish and drowning it in crisco. It was not oily at all. I picked a piece with my finger and there was no oily residue. The waitstaff was attentive and they offered me hot sauce on the side. It was not overpowering but added an extra dimension to the sandwich. I describe it as a party for the taste buds. So if they offer you hot sauce on the side, do say yes. The bathroom is small and clean, and noticed the waitstaff checking that things were in order in there: no bits of toilette paper on the floor or spillage. You sense a team spirit among the whole staff, from the hostess to the waiters and the cooks. The venue serves Mexican cocacola...the one with real sugar....the one that doesn't cause cancer, the one that doesn't cause kidney failure. At the expense of sounding like an uncouth whale (I'm thick boned) it was like tasting fine wine. So much delight in such a simple but well made meal. And just like that, I fell in love with Philadelphia.

The food is authentic, fresh, and delicious! The service is warm, welcoming, you never feel rushed. They greet patrons with handshakes and treat you like family at their dinner table. We will be coming back!

What an amazing place! We happened upon this restaurant over the weekend & I am SO happy we did. There are some restaurants you go to where the care and love in the business is apparent, and this is absolutely one of them. The service was fantastic, the server took time to explain different dishes to us and we had a lovely conversation. The salsas are homemade and phenomenal. My only regret is that I haven't found this place sooner, definitely check it out!

As soon as you walk in, the staff is very inviting. Breakfast is on point. We'll come back to try their dinners for sure. It's byob and cash only. The place is a bright green and nicely decorated inside and out.

The place! Hidden gem. I didn't take pictures of my food because I was too busy eating it! Our waiter was great! He explained the menu in detail and was very attentive. The inside of the restaurant was small, but not tight. There was more than enough room to move around without disturbing another table. THE MUSIC WAS GREAT! We table was a party of 4, each of us adored the waiter because he spoke to the table, not just one particular individual at the table. Definitely will return.

Great food! They have authentic Mexican options to choose and then more American style breakfast options. Definitely coming back to try other items from their menu. Service was on point, food came very fast and efficiently.

My neighbor and I walked over to El Fuerte for lunch and had a great experience. We ordered the Enchiladas and the fried fish sandwich. Both were fresh, presented well and tasty. The place is nice and clean and the staff is VERY kind and friendly. I would highly recommend going in if you haven't already.

Amazing Mexican food, we were in need for a restaurant like this in the area, the service was friendly. Ambiance 10/10 as well!

I've been going to El Fuerte de Loreto since it first opened in 2023 and there's no other place in the city that I frequent as much. The food never disappoints - the dulce de leche French toast is absolutely unreal. Service is exceptional and friendly. Coupled with the ambiance, they make it feel like you're being served at home.

Went yesterday with my wife. We had the red velvet pancakes , french toast and more!!! Everything was amazing good and fresh , coffee was constantly being refreshed and staff were very friendly. We are coming back with more folks - this is a must go brunch / dinner spot

Such a wonderful experience here! Brunch was amazing, the staff was so kind, and they created such a good atmosphere in the restaurant for my sister's birthday. I would definitely go back!