I recently visited El Chingon Philly, but unfortunately, my experience wasn't great. Despite the buzz around it, including being a James Beard award finalist, the service and food left much to be desired. Firstly, they don't take reservations, which isn't a deal-breaker, but the wait was much longer than promised. Despite being told a 30-minute wait, we ended up waiting for an hour and a half, with empty tables visible the whole time. We had to inquire multiple times before finally being seated.Once seated, the disappointment continued with underseasoned dishes. For a place with such accolades, the lack of flavor was surprising. Even items like birria cemitas were lacking in salt. The habanero hot sauce provided didn't add much spice either mostly mayo it seems. The sparkling lemonade was also bland, lacking the expected tanginess. If they were going for subtle favors then I guess they did a good job.While the service for food and drinks was timely, the overall experience fell short. It makes me wonder if the chef was absent during our visit. Overall, I've had better experiences at food trucks. The flavors lacked the boldness expected from Mexican cuisine, and the service, particularly regarding seating, was subpar.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Cynthia J. Roman-Cabrera
I thought the tacos were AIGHT. It could have used salt. I liked the Al pastor more than the arrachera tatemada tacos. 3 tacos were $18 and I definitely was left needing more, which is more than I’d pay. We also ordered the arroz con tres leches and that was very underwhelming. Needed more condensed milk and a pinch of salt.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tacos Pastor Tradicional
Andrew Donaldson-Evans
Awesome all around food and experience. You know it’ll be good when by 4:45pm there aren’t any tables free.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michele L
Delicious food, loved the al pastor tacos and concha dessert. First time trying a cemitas and did not disappoint!
Hands down the best tostada I’ve ever had!!The Vibes at chill and Chris was a great server. Keep up the great work!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth B.
Super cute place. Everything we had was really good including the margaritas! Definitely get the tuna. Fish tacos were delicious. Tres leches cake was amazing.
Jessica Humphries
I thought this place was good but not great. Food, atmosphere, service were all perfectly fine but in my opinion it didn’t live up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Zoe L.
I come here for the oranges. Best oranges in town, you really cannot beat them. Whenever I am in the area I have to come. Also, Justin is the best bartender I've ever had!!!
Brookes Decker
Just moved to Philly and got take our here on our first day (we were craving good mexican after our sad 1.5 year of living in Portland) and we were NOT disappointed. It was soooooo goood. Torta Milanese, Salmon Ceviche, Tacos Arabes... all top notch. Can't wait to have it again!
The food was great but i didn't love all of it. We started with the guac which came with tostadas and a rabbit tostada. The tostada was bad and bad like spinsch or collard greens in it just tasted like chicken tinga bland. Guac was great. Then we got the arrachera tatemada al pastor which were delicious!! Best tacos ever super charred flavorful skirt steak on flour tortillas. Then we got the quesabirra tacos which again were not bad but they were too cheesy and lacking flavor imo. The sparking lemonade was not sweet enough and to end things off the arroz con leche was terrible. Not sweet at all and dissapointing dessert. To summarize i loved the tacos but the drinks dessert and apps were just disappointing and my bill was 120 for 2 people which did not feel worth it looking back considering the service was SLOW and food took a while.
Amber Y.
Went back to El Chingon on a week night again after enjoying ourselves so much the first time. We decided to stray from what we ordered the first time even though it was so delicious and absolutely no regrets. They haven't missed yet and we've made our way through most of the menu. Highlights of this dinner were the Ahi Tuna appetizer, the Mahi Mahi tacos, and the dessert. I forget what they called the dessert, but we called it a "dessert sandwich." Cant wait to come back again and try more menu items.
Casey Waite
Amazing food and great atmosphere and friendly staff. Fun non alcoholic drinks too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marcella G.
So good, finally got in on our third try, its pretty small inside so in the winter months when the outdoor seating isnt open its even more difficult to get a table. We had tried on a Friday evening and then on a Tuesday (but the week of Thanksgiving) and both times they werent taking any more names. I would try and come earlier in the evening or be prepared to wait/ have a backup plan if you can not get in. That being said it is worth the wait or eating at a less popular time! When we finally scored a table I was with my parents and boyfriend. We came around 530 on a Sunday and found parking easily outside, didnt have to wait at all. My mom had looked it up online so she knew to BYOB. You can order homemade mixers and they brought out glasses with salted rims which was a real table pleaser! I had the horchata and it was really one of the best I have ever had! Super creamy, and cool, with that touch of cinnamon. The place is decorated very nicely, modern trendy, but still felt like the right vibe for the place. I had heard amazing things about the birria tacos so I ordered them for all of us to share and they were a real hit at the table, super tender and gooey cheese coming out! My dad liked them so much he got another order as his meal and my mom loved the beef to much she tried the birria cemita. They make the cemita rolls in house so the sandwiches' are really fresh and kind of above the level of your standard sandwich. I got the pollo cemita and the chicken was thin and crispy and it had really good chipotle peppers right on the sandwich. My boyfriend got the fish tacos, which he really enjoyed, said they were fresh and flavorful. We shared the pappas and they had tajin on them and were super fresh and crispy, wishing I had a few for lunch right now :) In comparison to other places with such hype its a really great deal pricewise! They are on the delivery apps so since I live in south philly I think I will try to get delivery one of these weekends when its still cold and dreary out!
Carly L.
I had the tacos Al Pastor, the agua de horchata, and the guacamole. All were delicious! The prices were reasonable. The restaurant is a very cute, rustic vibe. The waitress was very kind and attentive.
Great Food! Celebrated Cinco de Mayo there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I recently visited El Chingon Philly, but unfortunately, my experience wasn't great. Despite the buzz around it, including being a James Beard award finalist, the service and food left much to be desired. Firstly, they don't take reservations, which isn't a deal-breaker, but the wait was much longer than promised. Despite being told a 30-minute wait, we ended up waiting for an hour and a half, with empty tables visible the whole time. We had to inquire multiple times before finally being seated.Once seated, the disappointment continued with underseasoned dishes. For a place with such accolades, the lack of flavor was surprising. Even items like birria cemitas were lacking in salt. The habanero hot sauce provided didn't add much spice either mostly mayo it seems. The sparkling lemonade was also bland, lacking the expected tanginess. If they were going for subtle favors then I guess they did a good job.While the service for food and drinks was timely, the overall experience fell short. It makes me wonder if the chef was absent during our visit. Overall, I've had better experiences at food trucks. The flavors lacked the boldness expected from Mexican cuisine, and the service, particularly regarding seating, was subpar.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
I thought the tacos were AIGHT. It could have used salt. I liked the Al pastor more than the arrachera tatemada tacos. 3 tacos were $18 and I definitely was left needing more, which is more than I’d pay. We also ordered the arroz con tres leches and that was very underwhelming. Needed more condensed milk and a pinch of salt.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Tacos Pastor Tradicional
Awesome all around food and experience. You know it’ll be good when by 4:45pm there aren’t any tables free.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food, loved the al pastor tacos and concha dessert. First time trying a cemitas and did not disappoint!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pastor, Traditional, Tacos Quesabirrias
Hands down the best tostada I’ve ever had!!The Vibes at chill and Chris was a great server. Keep up the great work!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super cute place. Everything we had was really good including the margaritas! Definitely get the tuna. Fish tacos were delicious. Tres leches cake was amazing.
I thought this place was good but not great. Food, atmosphere, service were all perfectly fine but in my opinion it didn’t live up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I come here for the oranges. Best oranges in town, you really cannot beat them. Whenever I am in the area I have to come. Also, Justin is the best bartender I've ever had!!!
Just moved to Philly and got take our here on our first day (we were craving good mexican after our sad 1.5 year of living in Portland) and we were NOT disappointed. It was soooooo goood. Torta Milanese, Salmon Ceviche, Tacos Arabes... all top notch. Can't wait to have it again!
Food: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was great but i didn't love all of it. We started with the guac which came with tostadas and a rabbit tostada. The tostada was bad and bad like spinsch or collard greens in it just tasted like chicken tinga bland. Guac was great. Then we got the arrachera tatemada al pastor which were delicious!! Best tacos ever super charred flavorful skirt steak on flour tortillas. Then we got the quesabirra tacos which again were not bad but they were too cheesy and lacking flavor imo. The sparking lemonade was not sweet enough and to end things off the arroz con leche was terrible. Not sweet at all and dissapointing dessert. To summarize i loved the tacos but the drinks dessert and apps were just disappointing and my bill was 120 for 2 people which did not feel worth it looking back considering the service was SLOW and food took a while.
Went back to El Chingon on a week night again after enjoying ourselves so much the first time. We decided to stray from what we ordered the first time even though it was so delicious and absolutely no regrets. They haven't missed yet and we've made our way through most of the menu. Highlights of this dinner were the Ahi Tuna appetizer, the Mahi Mahi tacos, and the dessert. I forget what they called the dessert, but we called it a "dessert sandwich." Cant wait to come back again and try more menu items.
Amazing food and great atmosphere and friendly staff. Fun non alcoholic drinks too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So good, finally got in on our third try, its pretty small inside so in the winter months when the outdoor seating isnt open its even more difficult to get a table. We had tried on a Friday evening and then on a Tuesday (but the week of Thanksgiving) and both times they werent taking any more names. I would try and come earlier in the evening or be prepared to wait/ have a backup plan if you can not get in. That being said it is worth the wait or eating at a less popular time! When we finally scored a table I was with my parents and boyfriend. We came around 530 on a Sunday and found parking easily outside, didnt have to wait at all. My mom had looked it up online so she knew to BYOB. You can order homemade mixers and they brought out glasses with salted rims which was a real table pleaser! I had the horchata and it was really one of the best I have ever had! Super creamy, and cool, with that touch of cinnamon. The place is decorated very nicely, modern trendy, but still felt like the right vibe for the place. I had heard amazing things about the birria tacos so I ordered them for all of us to share and they were a real hit at the table, super tender and gooey cheese coming out! My dad liked them so much he got another order as his meal and my mom loved the beef to much she tried the birria cemita. They make the cemita rolls in house so the sandwiches' are really fresh and kind of above the level of your standard sandwich. I got the pollo cemita and the chicken was thin and crispy and it had really good chipotle peppers right on the sandwich. My boyfriend got the fish tacos, which he really enjoyed, said they were fresh and flavorful. We shared the pappas and they had tajin on them and were super fresh and crispy, wishing I had a few for lunch right now :) In comparison to other places with such hype its a really great deal pricewise! They are on the delivery apps so since I live in south philly I think I will try to get delivery one of these weekends when its still cold and dreary out!
I had the tacos Al Pastor, the agua de horchata, and the guacamole. All were delicious! The prices were reasonable. The restaurant is a very cute, rustic vibe. The waitress was very kind and attentive.