Jessie S.
Yelp
I'ma native Californian, so I've been warned about the Mexican food in Philadelphia... the people saying such things are snobs. Taqueria Amor was a solid first experience, but by no means perfect. Each region will have its own take on food, and that's not a bad thing. It's not TexMex, authentic Mexican, not Cali fresh style. But it IS delicious, like most of the food in this amazing city.
Burritos are only available on Mondays, so I took advantage of the timing to try the carnitas burrito for $13. The meat was good quality and flavorful, but it lacked that "fall apart in your mouth delicious" quality that I've come to love. The burrito came with avocado, black beans, romaine lettuce, tomato, and Mexican rice. The price was high for the portion size, which I was expecting. No complimentary chips and salsa, no band, no abuela expertly hand-crafting tortillas, either.
Now that the bad is out of the way, I want to focus on what they did right. Fun Goonies themed decor and bright colors, big open spaces with lots of seating indoors and out, a full bar, and the staff were total sweethearts. I requested tapatio, which they didn't have. The server did bring me a variety of salsas and a bottle of valentines. The habanero sauce was spicy enough to satisfy my craving for heat, and the burrito was just big enough to not leave me hungry.
The location in downtown Manayunk is cute, convenient, and safe. There are a ton of cute shops nearby so you can take a stroll after the meal or walk along the Schuylkill.
This was a pretty good experience and I have to say, "hey man, nice shot" to the owners. Worth a visit, for sure.