El Taco

Best Mexican food I’ve had in Philly btw! Cross posting because this el taco deserves just as much if not more praise than the other location. Although smaller, this el taco is my go to as they’re usually more consistent with remembering everything in our order. But even if they forget anything, el taco is never a disappointment. Portion sizes are great seasoning is amazing always fresh always hot always on time. My wife and I order here all the time, and our baby cat gets a piece of chicken every time we do. We all love this restaurant so much keep being amazing y’all.

When I tell you, EL TACO is absolutely AMAZING! 🌮 My partner and I come here all the time, and every single visit is outstanding. The food is always fresh, flavorful, and perfectly made you can really taste the love they put into it. On top of that, the customer service is just as awesome as the food. Everyone is friendly, welcoming, and makes you feel right at home. This is hands-down one of our favorite spots, and we’ll definitely keep coming back again and again!

These were really, really good tacos! They were fresh and tasty. The fries were good and the place was clean. Came back for a El Burrito and it was really good and very filling.

Outstanding service, friendly staff and very fresh tasting street tacos. The proximity to our Airbnb is what drew us in and I’m happy it did. Great prices and the tacos were so good and freshly made. We were in and out with food and full and satisfied so quickly. Definitely recommend if you’re near University City.

Great food! Lots of good vegetarian options. Service was very friendly. Dined in and the food came on a ceramic plate. Eating area was clean and well stocked.

We don't live in the city so when I tell my kid I want tacos. She knows we need to go here. Love this place. I get the corn tortilla shrimp taco everytime. Delicious! Just watch how you order. Everything you need comes with it. I messed up the first time I ordered there and ended up with extra toppings. I may not have been the only one because now they have signs warning people. I've seen folks dine-in or use sidewalk seating. Quaint place, easy street parking. There's a park a block away so we typically eat there. It's quiet and not crowded. Tacos in the park!

I typically do take out from this location of either chicken or ground beef tacos. The staff is efficient & friendly, the order is always ready when I arrive with no issues or mistakes, and the food is overall great: good sized portions for the price and a good balance of veggies and meat in each taco.

Good food, good prices. Nice staff. Small location and easy to miss. Needs more seating. Loaded fries and burrito were yummy. Limited selection of desserts (only has tried leches mon-wed) and no coffee esp Mexican coffee which was really hoping for. Empanada overpriced. Hard taco too hard to eat n not enough acid and meat.

Huge fan of El Taco as we know; food is so filling and truly always really packed in there; however was disappointed with the service. Apparently you are not able to place an order over the phone at all and some of the links on the website are broken. This was disappointing to learn.

I had the Buritto Bowl with blackened shrimp, chicken marinated in pineapple, creamy chipotle sauce and a side of creamy cilantro. Food was good at 1st fork full. Very Authentic and tasty. I didn't have a chance to take a pic before I dug in because I was starving. I did take a pic of the inside when I got full. I wasn't too happy about the size of the side. It was too small for the price. Not even enough to feed a toddler. I took a picture of it next to my bottle of water so you can see what I mean. Over all, what I had was tasty and enough for 2 days for me. Oh, it's also a BYOB.

Excellent for fast counter service - good portions too. Had shrimp nachos (get junior size, otherwise feeds 2ppl), quesadilla & tacos - all yummy. Only negative, the horchata was bit pricey.

Amazing food, shrimp and sweet potato's burritos are Devine but my fav, street corn. If you're looking for fresh tacos and Mexican dishes, this is the place.

Wowwwwww! I've been to ET a handful of times, and though my family always orders nachos, until today, I never really got to eat more than a morsel. It was always a pretty pretty good morsel. It left me wanting more. Today, I finally took matters into my own hands and hit ET solo. At long last I'd get my nachos without having to compete with my family of nacho hounds. Na-na-na-nacho meet mmmmmouthohhhhyeah. Wowwwwwweeeeeee!! Nacho nirvano! Each perfectly crisp and structurally sound chip ship is layered lovingly with fresh, simple, vibrant ingredients and finished with a creamy chipotle sauce that hits like Aaron Judge. Unpretentious. Unrivaled. Understand? Pro tip: go soon and go alone. (BTW, everything else is kickin, too!)

Our office loves to go on Taco Tuesday and it's a dollar off tacos on that day. I love the quality here but the up charge on all the different meats is absolutely ridiculous. Plus it seems like no one promotes or understands the rewards program. I'll still go every week but do a better job on service please. Keep the quality exceptional. I also recommend the scorpion sauce. Hot as heck but so worth it.

I got a burrito and ordered on the kiosk. Most additional things you could add are a additional cost, even cilantro and lettuce on top of the $9.95 for the burrito is too much. The food came out fast. The first bite of my burrito was good but the more I ate the more it just was rice and beans and became super bland and boring. I wish everything in the burrito was evenly distributed. Not much seating

Good tacos. The name makes it sound very basic but they have good food. I like the crispy tacos and they're always made fresh

Came to El Taco because I was in the area and wanted tacos. El taco is clean and the staff were welcoming and friendly. The menu was a tad bit confusing but the cashier was helpful. I got 3 shrimp tacos. They were ok. Just a simple flour tortilla with iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa and shrimp.

El taco is a staple for everyone in ucity! If you ask someone for Mexican food recommendations, they will likely say El Taco. This location is close to Drexel, and a new one opened on Penn's campus. Their food is consistently of good quality, and the meat in their burritos have always been juicy. I got their salad and burrito with chips on the side, and it did not disappoint! Overall, I would definitely recommend!

Food is always tasty and a good portion. But they consistently forget sides that I've paid for. So I just keep extra salsa and sour cream in my fridge that I get at the grocery store.

Babay!!! Set my soul on fire. I have never ever in my life had a taco like this in my life. Maybe I need to travel more, but I was so happy I had to pull over and eat it with my husband in the car. Chicken Tinga-absolutely exquisite. Beef-delish Plenty of toppings- fresh and crunchy Will I return? Yesss!

"I like it, I like it alot" - Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber What's not to like about this huge football sized Burrito from El Taco? Has ample stuffing that pours out if you do not hold said burrito with perfect form. What I liked most about this burrito is it has very small minced in jalapeño pieces giving the burrito some added flavor. You definitely need to pour your sauce selected on the burrito as well otherwise it will be lacking flavor. I didn't think I could finish it as the El Burrito is massive but after reading this establishment has a challenge to finish an item from their menu called the El Macho Burrito and you get your picture taken and put on a wall if you finish it in under ten minutes dam I love the spirit of this place. I highly recommend if you are in the area as I unforunately had to pay $17 for a $7 burrito as I had it delievered via Grubhub. But if you are looking for something that will absolutely fill you up you will find it on their menu. My Sombrero goes off to you Mr. El Taco!

Amazing food, I took my family here and we love it! I recommend this place for authentic Mexican food!

Ordered beef empanadas tonight. I've been wanting them for a while now. Salty for my liking. Never had them before, so don't have anyone's to compare them to. I will not be ordering them again.

A good taco Spot, good portion sizes full of flavor. I personally got the 3 tacos (carne Asada) with creamy chipotle. The creamy chipotle sauce could really be eaten alone it was so good and it brought the entire taco together, the carne was good, nicely cooked. Definitely want to try other menu items. Caramel Churro was also good, and bless the free refills.

Tbh gentrified Mexican food is always hit or miss and imma have to say this one def missed. I got the 3 tacos for $7-8 (I forgot the exact price) with chicken and corn tortilla because if you want to get carne asada (or several other meat options), it's an extra few dollars. They don't allow you to get single or double tacos, only sets of 3. You get to choose one sauce and any additional sauce is an extra 50 cents, which I thought was kind of whack LOL. Anyway the tacos themselves looked super loaded but most of it is lettuce, pico de gallo, and onions+cilantro. The cheese was shredded cheese (like the "3 color Mexican blend" from grocery stores) which is how you know it did not smack lmao. The chicken itself was fine but overall put together, it was a huge no :(

Let me set the vibe. El Taco is that old friend. The one you smile at when you see in passing, but sometimes you lowkey forget about. Yet, when y'all catch up, it's a pretty wholesome time. Welcome to El Taco! I've had their chicken tacos ($8.45) multiple times and they're a staple. Three tacos for $8.45 aren't going to blow your mind, but they're classic and make for a tasty and filling bite. The creamy jalapeno sauce was a nice touch, but it didn't carry a kick, so I'll upgrade to something spicier next time. I've had the El Burrito Bowl ($11.95) before and I could only eat 85% of it, bc it was too dense and salty towards the end for me to finish. My stomach is also weird about oil heavy foods, so I didn't eat all of the fried tortilla bowl. If you're still hungry after eating a loaded halal then this is for you! They had horchata as a seasonal drink and it was my first time having it. The horchata was a nice lite cinnamony milk drink. I'd probably get it in a smaller serving and not with tacos.

I ordered this not realizing it came in an actual taco shell like the classic trump jawn, but oh well. The food itself was tasty and the meat tender, etc. Definitely enjoyed my meal after not eating all day too. The initial salsa they gave me was weirdly watered down but thick and kind of tasted like apple sauce. But then I went back and asked for hotter sauce and they hooked it up for sure. Maybe the first was made for weak university students idk haha My only downside is that I changed my order slightly on the bowl and they charged me twice as much to do so, which I understand cuz it was extra meat and two kinds, but rhey could have given me the option of smaller amounts of each meat which is kinda what I was hoping for. I understand they wanna make extra bread when I substitute and make their job slightly more difficult. But twice as much more difficult? not sure. Either way like I said food was good lol so im happy

After multiple tries for good takeout Mexican we finally found El Taco which not only provided good food but consistency in both quality & service. There is a limited menu with tacos, burritos and empanadas but all are well made, tasty and consistant. I alternate between carnitas tacos & beef empanadas. Tacos are over stuffed with meat and well seasoned. I like the creamy jalapeno sauce. Luckly they sell by the squirt bottle. Recently I discovered the empanadas which are large and stuffed with a spicy beef surrounded by nice flakey crust. I havent tried the dessert apple one yet but will next order.

El Taco, you are convenient, but I probably wouldn't go super out of my way for you. I stopped in last Friday with my buddy before heading out on the town. The goal for dinner was simple: tacos. El Taco was a 5 minute walk from where we were staying, so we decided to give it a shot. They have a couple of tables outside for people desiring a patio. Walking in, the shop itself is pretty small. There's a big chalk menu on the wall that's easy to read. You order at the counter and then take a number and they bring your food to you. I think the experience would've generally gone better if they had margaritas, or even just some light beer. Alas, I moved on because, you know, the prices are reasonable. I got the El Taco: 3 chicken tacos and I added sour cream to my order of course. It was also reasonable to add rice and beans for just a couple of extra dollars. The tacos were decent, but I was desiring something a little more fresh. Especially the salsa and I wasn't so crazy about the seasoning on the chicken, making them just okay in my mind. Other perks: they have public restrooms and they recycle. So yea! Maybe next time?

We have gotten delivery from El Taco many times in the 6 months we have lived in Powelton Village. It's a dream come true as we love hard shell tacos. I usually add beans and rice sides with a beef empanada for the next day's lunch.

We had a great experience at El Taco & Burritos. This is a great spot for casual dining, especially for Drexel students (it's located right on Drexel's campus). El Taco uses all fresh ingredients. The salsas are also homemade, which is great! Everything was made to order, yet extremely fast. The servings were also quite generous, and the prices were very reasonable. One recommendation we have is to not over order, since the portions are quite generous. The guacamole was so fresh, creamy & delicious. Great to top the tacos or burritos with. Their standard size burrito is huge!! The crispy edges on the tortilla wrap added the perfect crunch to this loaded burrito. Overall highlights of the meal: Soft shell tacos Creamy cilantro salsa Guacamole All fresh ingredients We will be back soon to try the quesadillas and churros! - @Coupleatss on Instagram

I went for the first time and it was delicious! I started with a taco salad with steak and it was fresh and flavorful. The steak was pretty good for the price and the salad was fresh along with the rice. I wish that it was tossed a little more because it took me a while to realize that there was rice on the bottom. The shell was delicious. I was worried that it wouldn't make it home but they wrapped it carefully so it made it home, all in once piece. I also got a beef empanada. It was fried perfectly with delicious sauce to dip it in. Overall, it's a great, quick and cheap mexican restaurant. It is also BYOB. Be sure to stop here on Tuesday's because they also have some specials.

Best taco spot in Center City! The El Taco with beef and creamy chipotle is wonderful. The shells are crunchy but not the traditional breakable shells--much better. The apple empanada is a perfect add on (basically apple pie in empanada form coated with cinnamon sugar). Highly recommend!

What a great addition to Philly!! 6 years living here & my biggest food complaint is the lack of good Mexican food out here. Coming from Texas it's been a real struggle, Tex mex is a lot to live up to. Still waiting for some decent enchiladas to pop up but El Taco gets it right with the tacos, quesadillas & burritos. We ordered through door dash & the food was fresh and really satisfying. I had the burrito which was massive, I was bursting at the seams trying to eat it all. I love that they have grilled veggies as a vegetarian option. The guacamole is solid & only a buck more to add on. The salsas are delicious & fresh. My friend had the taco fries which looked amazing, again huge portion! We were definitely pleased and will return to try more items. If they keep the quality consistent this place will do very well.

Ok! I didn't want to leave a review, but It's time! I have been going to El Taco since they opened, I would usually order the chicken tacos or el nachos and if I'm in a rush I would order the guac on the spot. Here is my complaint, I ordered the chicken tacos and the chicken was warm to cold and the corn tortillas were cold also the chips and salsa I ordered salsa tasted bad maybe on its way to expired and the chips were cold. I order and picked my food up with in 10mins. I have had the same cold tortillas a few times with my order. I also asked could they warm the tortillas the employee over the phone seemed not to care. When I order the nacho or Nacho fries it's hot and fresh, but not the tacos. I like the restaurant I think Drexel needs a break from chipotle but only if the service and food is better which it should!!! I am not the one to complain but I don't understand why as a restaurant that is only open from 4pm-9pm would be OK WITH SERVING COLD FOOD WITH A SMILE. It makes no sense please have more pride in all of what you serve otherwise more of the Drexel community may consider chipotle or anything but El Taco!

El Taco is WOW. When I first walked into the restaurant, the decor of this place really impressed me. You can really tell that the owner is really detail oriented and that is reflected in her staff and food. I tried the chicken tacos on flour tortilla with pico de gallo. It came in a set of three perfectly sized. I also tried the Mexican fries. The Mexican fries contain: black beans, cheese sauce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos. The portion of the fries were huge. I'd definitely recommend splitting that with a friend. Both items were very delicious! I only wish that they also carried churros and traditional Mexican drinks such as Horchata or Jamaica.

We came here twice so far and both times have been absolutely amazing. The sweet potato tacos are SO delicious. They have such a great flavor to them! These are by far my favorite tacos that I have had in Philadelphia. The first time I had the creamy chipotle sauce, and the second time I had the escabeche (pickled veggies) on top of the sweet potatoes. I highly recommend both. I also had the Mexican fries. They're HUGE! As a French fry fanatic, I happily endorse them. We got carnitas on top, which my husband enthusiastically gobbled up. The staff is super friendly and really interested in making sure their customers are happy. The decor inside is beautiful (a big change from the Jimmy Johns that was there before). For just opening, their doing an amazing job. I plan on going back more next week!

The portions feed me for two days and it is always delicious and quick to be ready. I try to order it weekly.

I ended up ordering from here tonight when I missed the delivery time for my usual taco delivery place. Unfortunately for my old go-to, the food from El Taco was amazing and might be my new first pick. I had steak tacos, carnitas tacos and chicken tacos, an empanada and side of rice and beans. Everything was seasoned perfectly and delicious. The empanada was even still crispy after delivery. There were 10 different sauces but I only got to try 4. I think I was able to get more, I don't know, but there wasn't any option to order more sides of sauces when I ordered using Grubhub. I hope they add the option to add on extra sauces and also I hope they add chorizo to the menu. Those are really only the things I would change about this place. Delivery only took about 30 minutes on a Friday night. Can't wait to order from here again!

Best Mexican food I had in Philly while there for 4 months. Both in store and delivery is great.

I like the burrito basket. I haven't tried their other Savory offerings. I'm sorry to report that I didn't think the Apple dessert was worth its cost.

Yesterday was my second time going to the Penn Campus location. Love the shrimp tacos and the guac and chips! Why are you closed on Sundays?!

ONE WORD ,, OUTSTANDING ! Coming from SOCAL,, it's hard to find quality authentic Mexican cuisine ! Will order again !

First time here. Got take out. Chicken burrito was ~7.50, other meats are +$1. I had the creamy cilantro salsa added in it. I had this burrito a week ago and haven't stopped thinking about it. Can't wait to go back. Maybe try some of their tacos. Chipotle and qdoba could never.

favorite spot to eat when I'm in Philly! Food is delicious and portions are HUGE. Definitely recommend

The serve pretty good tacos. Wait isn't too bad. I ordered the shrimp tacos they charge an extra $5 just for 2 pieces of shrimp per taco which is ridiculous. First and last time ordering those I'll just stick to the chicken tacos which are regular price with no extra charges

Great service. Delicious tacos, knowledgeable staff. I will definitely eat here again!

Food was delicious! Had low expectations that it would be even close to authentic since it seemed like a trendy, Americanized place, BUT! Honestly one of the best burritos I've had in Philly!! Knocked them down a bit because they upped their prices and charged 25 cents when we asked for extra sour cream after getting our food which seemed extreme. But the food was very very good.

Let me start by saying I've been ordering from El Taco since 2020 At their Powelton location. I never had any issues with customer service or my order being wrong BUT ONCE and when I took my food back it was re-made. The customer service TODAY? Right this minute? TERRIBLE, the general manager I think his name is Chris, who was very rude the moment I explained to him my issue as to how I misread online which caused me to mis-order and for my order to be corrected he basically told me "I got what I got". His attitude was terrible when I asked about his customer service and told him it was terrible and what about the customer being satisfied he basically told me he didn't care about my opinion so I gladly told him to EAD before I hung up. Things transpired on my return to the store and as of today they will NEVER EVER get my money ever again. Whoever hired him should be fired right along with the general manager because he was extremely rude.

This place rocks. About time we got a Mexican food place on campus. The food is good, reasonably priced. A descent size menu. They even have a burrito challenge for those of you who can eat a lot and like free food. It's also a pretty good place to come for specials like Cinco de Mayo. But because it's on campus they don't have alcohol. Maybe they are trying to get their license? It would totally be worth it!

Had the crispy tacos last night!! This was my first of many more to come visits!! These tacos were the best tacos I've had ever hands down! The shell was deep fried the chipotle cream was EVERYTHING! Great price and tacos were not skimpy! I definitely recommend this spot

Absolutely delicious campus staple. On Tuesdays (and really in general) it's so cheap...3 soft shell chicken tacos with toppings for just over $8. Don't skip the caramel churro at the end, it was amazing! Staff is kind and there's seating inside. It may be a wait because it's usually crowded, but it's worth it.

Let me start off by saying the food here is great! The service, however, is not. While the food is always flavorful and fresh, the service is sub-par. I have ordered here on 5 different occasions and each time my order never fails to either be "lost" or incorrect when received. I have waited at least 30+ mins on two separate occasions to receive my order when people that had ordered well after me were served first. On every occasion something about the order was either swapped or missing. Take for example tonight: We ordered hard shell tacos with a side of salsa and a side of guac with extra cilantro. We were charged $5 for the salsa, but the guy behind the register failed to ring up the guac even though we had to repeat the order to him 3x. Once the order was received, we did not realize until we were home that the salsa failed to make it into the bag. Instead, we were given a 2 oz side of the guac (mind you in past experience the side of guac typically came in 4oz portion) and a side of creamy cilantro sauce. If this had been a one-off occurrence I would not be so annoyed. However, this has become a consistent pattern with every visit and I am debating if it is worth it to go back. Every visit costs around $12-$14 just for the order to be messed up. Essentially: Food is good, but make sure to double check your receipt and order before walking out the door!

i'd really recommend this place! i'm a drexel student and it's close by to my dorm, so that's a plus for me and others in the area. the interior of the restaurant is welcoming and pretty. i frequently get their nachos and they're enough for two people. no joke. it is in general a bit pricey but i'll vouch for these nachos. so good!!!

I ordered shrimp tacos & chips with cheese. I couldn't even eat the chips cause they was so damn hard & the shrimp tacos was a 4 out of 10.

Great customer service which is why i gave the 2 stars. Good super bland with no flavor. I got the chicken tacos on soft shells. shells not in house made, tasted like missions brand shells. chicken with no type of season or flavor. I also got a chicken burrito for my friend which was the same. super bland. it looks like an authentic mexican crew but it seems as if the food has been modified to bland regular "white people taco night" type of food. would not recommend if you are looking for mexican flavors.

This food is not only fantastic but also extremely authentic. The strawberry churro is out of this world! The chips will hypnotize you and you'll eat an entire serving without realizing, crunchy, light, without being too filling.10/10 recommend!!!!