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Categories: Bars, Mexican, Ethnic Food [Edit]
Neighborhood: Market EastDon't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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I discovered El Fuego while working downtown for a certain car sharing operation that shall go un-named. It's fast and like most Mexican take out joints you get a boatload of food for under 8 bucks. I instantly fell for the pulled spicey beef quesadilla. There's no frills and there's no buffet style line like other places in the city but it hits the spot. Plus I really don't mind supporting a small local restaurant as opposed to a corporate chain.
One day I discovered the new location at 21st & Chestnut, which looked so welcoming with the tables outside and the huge indoor space. I got a frozen margarita which was basically a spiked slurpee with chips n salsa for 5 bucks during happy hour. It was airy and un-crowded, I sat up front by the open windows with a great view of the street. Neither place will knock your socks off but for a simple cheap meal I don't see what's not to like.
Where else can you find fresh Mexican food that offers beer and good guacamole?
I'm a wimp with spicy food, but their food is a little hot for me, but I can deal with it because the food is so fresh and tasty. The staff is top notch. The line is usually out the door around lunch time so go early or later.
Tip: They offer good happy hours specials
Better than Qdoba.
As far as I'm concerned, there's only one thing to order here: the set of three mixed soft tacos. I usually end up going with a chorizo, a spicy beef, and a veggie. The tacos are easier to handle than the massive burrito but have just as much food, and you get the added bonus of a little variety. The meats, veggies, and beans are usually good. The salsas can be a little bland, but I guess that's why they have hot sauce. Bonus also for using local ingredients.
They get an extra star for their beverages. Jarritos! And beer! That puts them way ahead of Qdoba or Chipotle.
This place cannot be more boring. The meat is overcooked and chewy, flavor is lacking complexity. Save your money and go down straight from here to 6th & washington avenue to the taco trucks.
I was not impressed by this place. To me it was like a Chipotle but with a fancier sign out front. I got a spicy beef burrito and the beef was the only thing slightly different then every other boring burrito place. Like a previous reviewer said, the menu is quite limited and in my opinion boring. The food was decent enough but I wouldn't go back here again.
The burritos are fresh enough, but the menu is quite limited. Overall, very average with poorly wrapped burritos. Not sure why anyone would go here instead of Santa Fe Burrito nearby. Also not impessed by paying 7 for a veg burrito- you could do better!
I went here for one of my first lunches as an office worker in center city. The business lunch crowd is a beast, but the capable and friendly guys behind the counter move the line along fast enough. The line also afforded me the opportunity to study the menu......which in fact I didn't need, because I'm familiar with Chipotle.
yeah, it's a Chipotle-esque experience (the great Fordian assembly line of burrito-fixin), but I especially appreciated their delicious guacamole, fresher-tasting veggies, and the nice guys working the counter. It's probably a cooler place to hang around and eat than Chipotle, too, just not during the noon-1pm crunch time -- however, Washington Square park just across the intersection was a lovely al fresco place to enjoy my veggie naked burrito.
Ever since the disappearance of South Street's The Joint (where have you gone and why haven't you called?), I've made El Fuego my burrito go-to. If you go in expecting authentic Mexican (see: Taqueria Veracruzana), you'll be disappointed here. But make no mistake, El Fuego is, er, on fire?
If I'm prepared to call it a one-meal-today kinda day, I head to Fuego and load up my chicken burrito with all the fixings. What's great is that this place is locally owned, their ingredients are prepared by actual hands the day/night prior, their meats are cooked on-site and you can opt for the Negra Modelo or Dos XX over a soda.
This spot beats Qdoba and Chipotle any day. Now that the weather's on its best behavior, I say you go there, grab a burrito and head to Washington Square Park to bathe in the sun and your glorious new purchase. Or don't bathe in the burrito, but do eat it.
I have been here only once but I loved it. I had the quesadilla with spicy beef? and it was just what the doctor ordered!! It was cheesy, hot, and too much! I left feeling sated with a smile on my face.
I see the negative reviews and I hope my future experiences there are as good as the first!
Next to American Immortal or whatever it is, this place gets too many hipsters. That being said, those hipsters know where to go for a decent, quick burrito. It's not the best...not by a long-shot. It's still sort of "factory made." But it's good.
Go to the Chestnut location for a smaller crowd. The nachos are also really good and huge.
Oh, and they serve beer. Can you believe they have a happy hour?!
El Fuego was pretty good, in my opinion. Chill atmosphere, whatever whatever, and the food wasn't bad at all.
BUT my major major complaint, and this is only validated after having just gone to Chipotle for the first time - is that they seem to have awfully inflated prices. Almost 10 bucks for a burrito that I got at Chipotle for 6 something, and the quality wasn't so much better that I was okay with the over-pricing.
It's much closer to me than Chipotle though, so we'll see if I return when I am greatly craving a burrito.
OK- truth in advertising: I live right near El Fuego, so it is sort of a staple when you you need take-out for dinner. That said, I find it to be excellent for what it does. Myself, I prefer the naked burrito (maybe I just like saying the word "naked" when I am ordering...). Beans, rice, a choice of chorizo, chicken, different kinds of beef or grilled veggies, and all the other fixins makes for a heckuva tasty meal (I like to do a combo - chicken or chorizo and grilled veggies...). Definitely in a different league than Qdoba down the block. All fresh ingredients, and very friendly staff. Yes, I could do without being charged $2.50 for a dollop of guac, but I'll live. Only wish they stayed open a little later - they close at 9 (sharp!) and often I am dragging home a little later and really would like a shot of El Fuego...
This place has the best vegetarian burrito I've ever had. Of course it's not authentic Mexican, but I don't suppose most burrito places are.
The interior is very modern. The staff was nice enough. For some reason they were playing movies on mute with smooth jazz on the speakers. I think this place is trying to be Chipotle, but I don't mind.
The service was fast, the food was very fresh and delicious, although the price was a little high for lunch. I'd highly recommend this place.
I'm a unhappy that they charge the same for a veggie burrito as one containing meat, and I sometimes find it comical how bad they are at rolling a burrito...
but the ingredients are fresh and tasty, the shop is cute, and this being Philadelphia, El Fuego is miles better than the competition. Especially the competition right down the street...
I always walk/ride by this place and last week I decided to stop in. I ordered the chicken tacos and they were pretty good. Certainly not the best I have had but better then Qdoba or Baja Fresh. The service was friendly and the restaurant was really clean. It was a quiet day so it was nice to sit in the front window and people watch. Next time I'll try the burritos for sure.
Its a real good Burrito yo!
Chorizo burrito what fuckin what! Nicey Spicy too. I recommend it. Also, they've got this naked burrito thing which seems to be all the rage. Seriously, this place had a line the rivals all the junk cheesesteak jawns and more then half the mutha fuckas in line got that naked burrito shiz.
I like it. I like it alot. They have beer too. Aw. Fuggin. Yeah.
After traveling to southern California numerous times, I've been spoiled. El Fuego isn't great, but it's good enough.
I agree the preparation of tacos/burritos in rushed and sloppy. It's as if they want to project that as part of the experience. Tsk. Tsk. Take your time and make it right.
Good, not great burritos but you get a lot for your money. Like, a real fucking lot...I got a chicken w/peppers, guac, veggies, etc and it lasted a lunch and a half.
It was a little wet and the chicken was pretty meh...
overall, this place gets 3 stars for quantity over quality.
This is the place the pushed me over the edge into becoming one of those nutty people who turns to the internet to settle a score.
I truly can't believe anyone who would rate this place five stars, because it's nothing but a poor man's Chipotle. I know the "assembly line" concept of making burritos is nothing new, but this place has faithfully reproduced Chipotle's selection of fillings and store layout, only with lesser quality ingredients. Neither the salsa nor the "spicy" beef are even remotely hot, the guacamole is a rip off at $3 for a tiny scoop in your burrito, and there was no mention of any sort of commitment to organic or sustainable farming, which is a high priority at Chipotle.
They should have named this El Candle. Sadly, there wasn't any fire in my belly or in my head after eating here. The previous couple of reviews were positive enough for me to give this place a try. It is kind of sandwiched between Tuscany Cafe and some other buildings on Walnut. The place itself was sleek with stainless steel, hardwood floors and pounding hip hop music playing. The music annoyed me, not because it was hip hop, but because it was loud and the music seemed to reverberate up in the high ceilings. It made talking difficult to say the least.
I ordered 2 spicy beef and 2 chorizo crunchy tacos with an order of chips and guac to share with my buddy. The guac wasn't overly spicy or flavorful. In addition, the chips were heavy and without much flavor on most of them. A few chips seemed to have some lime flavor crystals on them but not too many. I've had better chips at Qdoba and for far less than the 4 bucks for guac and chips.
I was a little annoyed with the way they "constructed" the tacos. Shoveling all the toppings on like its a pizza instead of tacos was a little ridiculous. I know they were busy, but still, a few seconds more for some real effort? In fairness, the ingredients in/on my tacos were all pretty fresh. However the spicy beef tacos weren't very spicy. In contrast the chorizo tacos were nice and spicy. The tacos were fairly messy so I had plenty of fork food after I was done.
Frankly I don't get why there were so many people there today except that 1. Its a Friday 2. It was a really nice day
Go to Qdoba and save your money. Or take some time and go somewhere good.
Post note: I"m still tasting the chips hours later. Nothing like greasy corny aftertaste.
This Burrito place is good, though it does not beat Chipotle both in quality and price. I would choose chipotle over this and all the people who have eaten at both the places will agree with me on this.
One major advantage is its location and quick service. There is no other burrito place close to this. Food does not taste as good as chipotle may be due to the ingredients they use. They are not that fresh.
It costs almost $10 when compared to $6 at Chipotle with lot of options.
Easily the worst burrito I've ever had, the morons there don't know how to wrap and everything tasted sour. Basically a super low quality Qdoba with less options and a higher price.
I don't know what all the rave is about this place, but after ordering a burrito from here, I walked away truly disappointed. This place made me probably the lamest burrito I've ever had.
One burrito is I think $6.65. While it was plenty big, the only thing hot were the beans, and it fell apart after two bites. I don't know about you but I prefer my burritos hot and slightly crispy. The only thing they put in the panini press was the tortilla, and that was for a split second.
If you don't order out, they place the giant burrito in a tiny plastic tray, which I found ridiculous since eating the thing can get quite messy. The place itself is small, dimly lit, and hardly furnished.
This was a sad day in my burrito-eating history. There is nothing special about this place at all.
This may be the closest thing to a SF burrito, but it is still not very close.
I was so excited to go to this place based on all of the positive reviews of their California style burritos. Maybe I hit them on an off-day, but I left disappointed.
I was encouraged at the sight of the steam table holding all the delicious fixings for an awesome burrito. The prices even seemed manageable (not SF cheap, but acceptable). I ordered my burrito and salivated as she loaded it up, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, a healthy dose of guacamole...then, lettuce. Lettuce is great on a burrito, but romaine lettuce in big spiney pieces? Not good.
I got mine with the "hot" chipoltle salsa. Unfortunately, this salsa was not hot and I ended up having to douse the thing with Tapatio, and nobody wants that. The burrito, though big, was wrapped quite loosely and poorly and fell apart as I ate it, this coupled with the use of big hunks of lettuce was quite troubling to me.
I may give them a second chance. Maybe.
Sally F. - You need to get yourself out of this tasteless city and have yourself a real burrito.
Best burritos I have ever eaten. I have only had the quesadillas and burritos here but I assume the tacos are just as good. The burritos are huge and taste great. The ingredients are always fresh and well prepared. I have had all the possible burritos and they were all phenomenal. For those who want a healthier option, they have "naked" burritos, all the burrito ingredients in a dish instead of wrapped in a tortilla. I haven't tried that but it seems like a popular option. Usually packed with the business lunch crowd from noon to 1 but there is a decent amount of space to sit and eat in-house. This is a great place to grab lunch or dinner, prices are comparative or lower any similar establishment and the quality is second to none.
Opening a second location soon at 2401 Chestnut!!!
Gee whiz, I'm insulted. I feel so pandered to as a burrito enthusiast. I would love to see el fuego set on fuego, I should have known better. You almost never let white people bring you ethnic cuisine. This place is way overpriced. $2.50 for a Jarritos? $2.50 to spoon a dollop of guacamole on my burrito? Shame on you for the blandest burrito I've had. The spicy beef was so tasteless and strangely textured I actually scooped it out of my burrito (a first!) and left it sitting in a freaky pile. The spicy salsa wasn't remotely spicy, either. Never should have come here. And the fact that they bill themselves as "California" style is an affront to my home state. Have you ever been to California? You can throw a stone in almost any city and hit a good burrito place. Don't go here, support local your local taquerias!
If you would have told me that they do California style burritos and tacos in Philly, I never would have believed it, but El Fuego knows the formula and works it to perfection.
The first time I had one of these modern Cali burritos (and I was born and raised in Southern Cal) was at a joint in San Francisco back in 1995. It was a small place that had a line out of the door. Everybody worked at a frenetic, almost Soup Nazi, pace. Great place. I think they invented the formula.
Here's how it works. You've basically got a taco and burrito assembly line behind the counter. Start with the big or small flour tortillas, then several types of beef, pork, chicken, fish are in big steaming pans. The smell is terrific! Then all the extras and ingredients you could hope for. Black beans, refried beans, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, onions, sour cream.. the works. The guy assembles the whole thing in front of you, expertly (and miraculously) folds all of that deliciousness into something you can actually grab and lift without it falling out (after your fifth bite though you're on your own) and puts it in a little brown paper bag or red plastic basket.
They've got original Mexican soft drinks. Jarritos (but no Jamaica.) and you can stuff yourself for only 10 bucks. Service is fast and there are some tables in the back and a big plasma playing.
The only problem with El Fuego is that you might not get a seat during the rush.
In my never-ending quest to find the perfect Carnitas Tacos (see my last meal on earth), I was fortunate enough to stumble across El Fuego. While unfortunately, they don't have Carnitas at all, I found a delightful treat in their hard-shell tacos-- I had Chicken and Chorizo tacos, and I've been there twice so far.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
El Fuego is discreetly nestled just up the block from Washington Square, in fact I'm surprised that I stumbled across it in the first place. I would think it would be less than easy to just find El Fuego if you weren't looking for it, signage is not so prominent. You walk in to see a fairly small, narrow layout, a massive line that can get sloppy sometimes (as in it lacks as formalized a process as Qdoba or Chipotle), and fresh, delicious Mexican food being served up in much the same way as the afforementioned chains. You tell one of 3 or 4 servers what you would like on your food and they build it for you right there...it's not the best way in the world, but it works. Oh yeah, and there's no outdoor seating, which they could totally benefit from, they really ought to do that soon.
THE FOOD:
Other reviews here claim some of the food is a little wet and messy...I LIKE THAT! Hahaha, half the charm of Mexican food in my opinion is the cleanup job you get to do after you finish the main part off, almost like a second meal. I thought the Chicken was pretty good, it didn't knock my socks off, Chorizo I don't usually eat, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I thought it was very good as well. I would take El Fuego's tacos over Qdoba, but nothing beats Chipotle yet, except my Mom's special recipe! They also feature a respectable beer offering, so you can enjoy a nice import from south of the border as well. Their menu is run-of-the mill-- burritos, tacos, quesadillas. That's about it...don't go there expecting some immersive experience, it's not authentic Mexican, it's Cali style Tex Mex...which I happen to love regardless. Price-wise, it's a tad more expensive than other similar joints, but nothing to kill your wallet.
THE SERVICE:
Service is mostly attentive, although I am not 100% on the cleanliness of the whole operation...not that I have huge issues with that, but neatnicks might take issue with that. Their ordering to process is relatively easy, although they could firm it up a bit (hey, at least it's not some exasperated worker calling numbers out, waiting for the absent-minded moron to come claim his grub by about the time it's reached room temperature).
THE VERDICT:
Seeing as how there isn't a Chipotle in Center City (yet...let's keep praying folks), I would happily go to El Fuego in the meantime, and I'd recommend it to lovers of American-style Mexican food. I wouldn't recommend it to people worried about a messy meal, or who were looking for truly authentic Mexican experience.
Unlike other burrito places in the city the portions are huge and the ingredients taste fresh. I frequently travel to Southern California and while the burritos taste better, El Fuego does an excellent job.
Coming from California, I've had my share of good Mexican food. It is very difficult to find a decent burrito anywhere out here. El Fuego is as close as I've come in Philadelphia. Their burritos are huge and quite tasty. Far better than Santa Fe Burrito.
This place is great for soft and hard tacos. You get to order at a salad-bar-esce bar where you can pick all your toppings and extras.
Make sure you get guac and chips to start, but be warned everything here may be a bit more spicy than you are used to. You can sit in the back of the restaurant, or at a bar facing the window where you can watch passersby coming from Washington Square.
I think this is a great little place to get real fajitas and tacos without traveling to Little Mexico.
got a chorizo quesadilla here today. meh.
kind of saddened by lack of toppings (from what I saw). the chorizo was pretty ok, kind of tough. my friend got soft tacos. so much water and so drippy. very saddened :(
ALERT! A second El Fuego is opening up around 21st and Chestnut!
Spanish for..."THE FUEGO." Best mex food I've ever had. It's like Qdoba or Chipotle or steroids.… Read more »
Ok so there are a lot of reviews on here from people that actually eat those stupid rice filled burritos from the chain restaurants like Qdoba, Chipotle, etc. Do me a favor and go to the Southwest...pick a state...or even better, go to Mexico and go somewhere authentic, i.e. not a Qdoba, Chipotle, etc. and find me a burrito filled with rice. It won't happen because its not natural and its dumb...and...(last and)...its not delicious.
The real beauty behind a burrito though is that its simple and anybody can get their burrito the way they want. I want to say that people who like rice in their burritos are dumb...but that's not what burritos are about. They're about taking the most beautiful form of bread in the world, "the tortilla", and rolling it up with whatever you want! Some people, like Tim at work, want to put bacon in the burrito, others want yummy chicken, steak, chorizo, lengua, carnitas, chicharone, beans, and of course even (not yummy) rice in theirs. I can't give El Fuego 5 stars because there wasn't anything special or amazing about the place or the food, but, you do get to pick whatever you want to put in it (with limits, no penguin or kiwi), the tortillas are good, the guacamole is good, they have a few options on salsa, are authentic enough to have Tapatillo on the counters, and the guys behind the counters weren't jerks. Unless they were from New Jersey and I couldn't tell, then they would still be jerks, just subtle jerks.
Oh yeah...the burritos are HUGE too, so that's nice too!
My friends and I stumbled upon this little place while walking around Philadelphia for First Friday. When I first walked in I was unsure how much I was going to like the food and the atmosphere. There was rap music playing (off of the workers iPod) and there was a disco ball as the main source of light. I became more worried that I saw a burrito was only going to cost me $6.95. I thought, "That must be a terrible burrito if it is in the city and only cost $6. When I began to eat I was surprised to discover that it was delicious. It was not greasy or oily like so many burritos are. It had a great combination of flavors and felt healthy. It was so large that I couldn't finish it. We also bought the chips (you have to pay for them on the side) but they were great as well!! Next time I am in the city I will definately stop by this place for a quick bite to eat.
along with others, i don't quite get the fascination with this place. the burritos are ok. nothing spectactular. i think they are skimpy with the toppings. don't get fooled by the 37 pounds of rice they throw on the burrito. seriously, they give you like half a teaspoon of sour cream and then give you a look like "don't you even think about asking for more sour cream jerk off!"
also, don't get the crunchy tacos.....i've had them twice. i work like 1 block away from the place and both times the crunchy tacos were no longer crunchy by the time i went to eat them no more than 5 min later.
all in all, it's ok....better than qdoba, but def not as good as chipotle or baja fresh.
I'd been looking forward to checking this place out, given all the rave reviews on Yelp. While not the worst burrito I've ever had, it definitely doesn't compare to California burritos, or even burritos from Baja Fresh.
We had the spicy beef burrito and the steak quesadilla. The steak quesadilla was OK, except that I had to instruct them to put the salsa *inside* the quesadilla, which by the way, is how it's best done. The meat wasn't super fresh or high-quality for either the burrito or the quesadilla.
Service was OK. One of the women working was chit-chatting with a friend the entire time and seemed pretty unhappy once more customers came in and she actually had to serve them. The person helping me was nice, except that she ripped the tortilla when rolling up my burrito and then re-made it by dumping all of the ingredients onto a new tortilla. This sucked, because it meant all the ingredients were unevenly clumped throughout the burrito, and it could have been prevented if only chit-chatting employee #1 hadn't overheated the tortilla and made it too stiff to wrap.
Overall, food & service is comparable to Qdoba, although it is definitely not as gross and fast-foody in terms of decor if you want to eat there.
HUGE burritos. great for a quick lunch
In terms of getting a California burrito on the east coast, this is one of the closest restaurants I've found. Being a native San Franciscan I find it hard to get a good burrito in Philly, but El Fuego has the formula right. They stuff the burrito full and you're usually not hungry for more. They just need to add some refriend beans and some yellow rice and they'll be on target. Be careful, the hot sauce really is HOT! Enjoy.
Yummy yummy yummy. A favorite lunchtime spot. Modelo with a lime and a Vegetarian Burrito please! Also try the chips and salsa. I dont know what they do to their tortilla chips, but i can never get enough of them. They are some of the best. The guys running this place are always friendly, always willing to do something different for the finicky vegetarian (me) and always serving up the best burritos i have had in philly. I love the family style seating, and watching people make fools of themselves trying to stuff giagantic burritos in their mouths gracefully (while I try and fail similarly to do the same) is always good lunchtime fun. In short, this place is a good choice. Try it!
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