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Don't Just Wish Someone A Good Holiday, Give Them One With Chili's.
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I love the decor at El Vez, from the mosiac'd column outside to the plush velour booths in the interior. The piece de resistance in the decor is the bike that rotates over the bar.
I figured I was in an establishment that began with "El", so I decided to start with a margarita. It was pretty good, especially since I switched out the Cuervo for Patron.
We started off with a De la Hoya guacamole. Holy Mole, it was fantastic! I had the ceviche as an app, and the shrimp enchilada as an entree. Here is where El Vez lost a star.
The ceviche was actually sashimi, not the normal ceviche I've had in the past. It was good, but just ceviche. The shrimp enchilada was OK. I've had more flavorful stuff from a Taco truck, so that was a bit disappointing.
Service was stellar. The waiter has just the right amount of friendliness, knew the menu, and could describe the differences in the guacamole, other than just listing the ingredients. It was a solid A_OK experience.
I would go there again for drinks and guacamole.
El Vez is exactly what I needed after a work week from F&@#^ hell !
Aye Yi Yi Papi Chulo !!
Bloody damn good Blood Orange Margaritas - CHECK!
Chunky, smooth, freshly made mounds of guacamole - CHECK!
Lively, trendy, squeezed to the hip, rockin' atmosphere - CHECK!
Sweet Jesus good, authentic with a twist Mexican food - CHECK!
A large round bar surrounding a hill of many Tequila options and a Golden Lowrider Bike on display - CHECK!?
Listen.. Steven..Stephan, Suzie Starr.. whatever. It's GOOD! ;-)
This New Yorker will be returning for sure and it is certainly worth the 2 hour drive to Pennsylvania.
A definite spot to bring friends out of town & start their Philly tour with a bang!
It was a great drunken start to my "Philadelphia Gone Wild night"!
I do have to say that what I enjoyed most about Philly on my recent trip there was the food and this place was one of my favorites. My friend and I happened to wander past it on our way back to the hotel and decided to stop in for dinner since I was craving a margarita.
We started off with their chips and salsa, and it was amongst the best I have had. The salsa was tasty and I loved the texture of the chips.
We questioned our sanity after ordering the $15 guacamole, but the waitress said it was their specialty so we went for it. I've paid not too much less for a whole heck of a lot less guac and this was great so I'm ashamed to say it was worth it. We had the Cesar Chavez style and the balsamic sauce was the perfect compliment.
For my entree I had the Hurache De Vegetal which was black bean corn cakes with grilled nopales, chayote and poblano with salsa roja and charred-tomatillo sauce. I'm from Chicago so I'm used to good food, but I have to say this was one of the top 20 best things I have ever put in my mouth. So much interesting flavor and texture!
I had the Pink Cadillac Margarita which was absolutely perfect. I would have tried more drinks if I wasn't already feeling the effects of this one.
From the Charo face bar stools, to the photo booth, to the swank bathroom, to the incredibly friendly and helpful server, this was a great experience.
Hey El Vez! Can you mail me some of those corn cakes???
Exactly what I expected at a Stephen Starr restaurant. I had been avoiding them since moving to Philadelphia three years ago. Not that I had heard bad things, but there are just too many independent establishments in Philadelphia to warrant what I had heard was a chain-restaurant feel from any of the Starr establishments (fyi. the chain-restaurant feel was spot on at El Vez). But when a group of friends are in town for a conference and one decides that El Vez is THE spot they heard about and wanted to try for weeks. Well, I'm glad to oblige for an out-of-town friend.
The margaritas were OK. Fairly watered down but not overly sour mixed either.
The crab and cactus salsa was seriously disappointing but the accompanying green tomatillo salsa was bangin! The red salsa on the other side was too smokey for my taste but again OK.
The only real highlight of the evening (apart from that tomatillo salsa) was the entree special. It was a short rib taco (to put it simply) and was amazing. The spices were right on and the meat was cooked really well. Unfortunately, it was the evening special so I can't really count on it being there ever again.
Since the highlight was the special and the tomatillo salsa and everyone else felt their dishes were fairly mediocre I probably won't be back for the food. The atmosphere was fun and they were accommodating for our group of 12 (albeit brutally slow) so if in a similar situation it is a good option close to the train stations and hotels by Market St. Apart from that though, I think I've satisfied my Starr quota for now.
Given my modest mean, I don't generally eat out a places in El Vez's price range. When I do, I'm often disappointed, leave thinking, "Really?" and feel guilty spending a week's worth of groceries on a single meal.
Not the case with El Vez.
I was consistently impressed with the food and actually understood why I was paying a bit for my food. The dishes seemed to be perfectly spiced and combined flavors in unique ways.
I didn't have problems with service as other folks mentioned. Our table (for 2) was ready much earlier than expected (though, we were told over 2 hours wait). Our server was attentive and fast.
The big disappointment was the volume of the music. I'm not some old curmudgeon - I enjoy live music of the loud variety - but I just don't understand why El Vez, or other food establishments, choose to play music at a volume that makes conversation difficult.
Overall, the food is great but a big minus one star for the ambiance.
Being that mexican food is one of my favorite culinary genres, I tend to be pretty critical of establishments who take a higher end approach to it. Luckily, El Vez pulls it off masterfully. Their presentation alone on dishes is something incredible. While anyone can drizzle sauce on a dish, they do it in an artful type way.
The cocktails are pretty solid as well. I had the red sangria which was alright but the guava mojito was the tits. So sweet and amazing. Had to cut myself off for fear of not being able to enjoy my dinner.
Apparently, this place is well known for the guacamole part of their menu. Consists of 5 or so different types. We had the Cesar Chavez which was quite good, the only downside is at $15 dollars, I thought it was a little overpriced. Granted, I loved it but it just seemed a little steep for me.
For my entree I had the red chile and chicken enchiladas which totally hit the spot. Perfect in every way.
Some notable aspects of this place is it also seems to be a hotspot for people to get together for cocktails and hang out. Lots of people dressed to impressed but didn't mean you had to be to. Another thing is the wait. We were told the wait was going to be around an hr and this was at 9pm. We ended up waiting closer to 20minutes.
Now that I've found my mexican spot, I'll be coming here on the regular.
First time I came here, I vowed never to go back. Service, food and overall dining experience was awful. But I've been forced back by friends for birthday dinners and each time the experience improved. I don't want to say its pretentious because that is a strong word, but it is a Stephen Starr and i guess it is consistent with what Starr is going for? anyway, i don't willingly go here but what they do for birthdays is really nice (tequila sherbet shots).
I love El Vez!
I've been here multiple times and their guacamole never disappoints.
Bazooka Limon - This is my all-time favorite guacamole dish. It has goat cheese, pistachio, chile flake and roasted tomato. I request it without the goat cheese because I'm lactose-intolerant. It's great without the cheese.
Indian Red Lopez - This is another great guacamole dish. It has spicy crab, cilantro and salsa roja.
Guava Mojito - By far, they serve the best mojitos on the face of this planet. This drink will blow your mind.
Will I return to El Vez? You can count on it!
Bright, flashy pop culture-like decor, and what they're really known for is the guacamole. I would say the nachos are healthy portions, but pretty addicting.
Again, Philly, I love the communal bathrooms...! Nice touch.
Went on a Saturday night, and was told there'd be an hour wait. A seat magically opened at the bar just at that moment (thank god -- my heels were killing me), so me & the boy settled in to a nice little spot. Delicious, strong, tequila-laden margs took the edge off while we waited. I had the pink cadillac and the pineapple canella. A hulking mortar-and-pestle-style bowl of traditional guacamole also curbed our appetites. It was really fresh, and full of bright green avocado chunks, which I love. A bit too citrusy, but still really good.
The wait was exactly an hour. By the time we sat down, I wasn't hungry, which ended up being a good thing. I ordered the chicken tacos, and, having never been to El Vez before, didn't realize they were served in petite portions. I was fine because I'd filled up on guac, but had I been starving, this totally wouldn't have cut it. For his dinner, the boy ordered macho nachos, which made me jealous, even though I couldn't look at another tortilla chip after all that guac. They were loaded with black beans, which I kept stealing off his plate as I picked around the shredded steak.
We left stuffed, happy, and a little tipsy.
So everybody who goes here gets the guacamole. It comes out with chips and salsa. All is good. But who needs food (the entrees tend to be overly small) when you get all of this? First time I ate here I got an entry, and then couldn't eat it all. This time I just got the Guacamole. The prices are a tad high, but worthwhile due to the popularity of the restaurant. The decor is kind of funky...not what I would call Mexican, and it does tend to be noisy, but the service has always been good.
PROS: Guacamole and chips are outstanding.
CONS: Funky decor, a bit loud, small portions on entrees, and relatively expensive.
The food at El Vez exceeded expectations. The guacamole was good. The taco platter was excellent, especially the fish tacos. The drinks were above average, but not anything earth shattering.
El Vez is a fun place, and it was packed. However; our table wasn't ready until 20 minutes after our reservation. The service was OK, but I expect at lot better service with my overpriced mexican fusion.
This was a great place to take a big group of people. I would definitely go again, but I would never go here on whim. Its just too overpriced.
this place is right around the corner from my office, and after a long day what's better than a huge pitcher of margaritas?!
this place makes the best margaritas, i love them! however, i will warn you: they are stroooong! i like to think i'm a girl who can hold her liquor, but man... two of these and you'll be giggling away and slurring your speech, i don't care how seasoned of a drinker you think you are! that said, hopefully you're cabbing it or walking home like i am, so it wont matter.
i've been here a few times for lunch or dinner and i've gotta say i'm not a huge fan of the food. but take that with a grain of margarita salt because my idea of mexican food is usually of the taco bell variety. either way, their chips and guac are PHENOMENAL. seriously, sooo good. and they make it table-side which is i guess a big deal. woo. i barely noticed, i was too busy enjoying my drinks. one thing, there's limited space at the bar and they are weird about letting you sit at a table for just drinks. outside seating rules though, and they even have heaters.
my personal recommendation: the frozen blood orange margarita or cadillac margarita on the rocks, chips and guac for the table.
final verdict: awesome happy hour spot!
This is strictly a drink review - went for margaritas.
I'm a connoisseur on the least expensive margaritas, my palate can not distinguish between the best tequila and the average. I certainly can tell the difference between average ones.
I like it salted "do you want salt," "yes", yet i comes out with the tiniest bit of salt. "Do you want a bit of margarita with your ice?" Sure I like to overpay for my drink.
Price for the neighborhood not for the drink.
Also the Tangerine cocktail with mint leaves did not taste much like tangerine -more like lime.
I came here over the weekend. I'd say the best dish was the appetizer...you gotta try the guacamole with the truffles-the earthy taste adds so much to the advocado. It was delish.
However, everything else was just meh. The margarita wasn't too special. I had the spicy shrimp with tamale on the side. I didn't think it was all that special. The prices were expensive, and I wasn't too impressed.
Recently tried El Vez for brunch for the first time and discovered a new perfect brunch combo - shared guac & chips and a crab omlette & poblano home fries.
As with all Starr restaurants, the food is good in a fun atmosphere. The brunch was good, but best deal at El Vez though is the weekday lunch special - salad, enchilada & a drink for under $15.
Such a good way to finish the day. Got the Zapata drink which was absolutely delicious and we all shared the guacamole sampler and nachos. I have now discovered two of my new favorite pairings. Guacamole with balsamic syrup but all guacamole's were great and loved the baked chips. Also strawberry puree with basil, I didn't like my original drink and they were nice en ought to change it up for the yummy Zapata. Good decor and good for groups.
Went here after the Yelp Apothecary event(which was awesome!) and really enjoyed it. We ordered a bunch of different apps including the goat cheese guac which i loved hell put cheese and avocados in the same dish and I am all over it like a fat kid on a cupcake!
Also the seared tuna with the pineapple salsa was phenomenal i couldn't get enough. We did get the shrimp quesadillas which were probably my least favorite the felt a little dry to me. Enjoyed the outside table which was key cause it seems like it can get a little loud in there.
All in all a very pleasant experience!
In terms of environment, El Vez is a Chuy's knockoff (if you're from Austin then you'll know what i mean). Expect a full house with lots of people having a good time. That's good, but does create a loud atmosphere with people angling for open seats. The staff was super friendly.
Ultimately I felt like the food didn't live up to my high expectations. Weird, since it's a Starr restaurant. The food was good, but the fusion direction didn't work for me.
I do suggest that you give this place a try. Go with an open mind about the menu -- less Tex-Mex and more gourmet fusion -- and bring a group of rowdy friends. You'll enjoy it.
Super overpriced fake Mexican food with crappy drinks and a photo booth. What do you think the two stars are for? The photo booth is the best part of El Vez! My friend Alexis and I would sometimes walk into El Vez simply to use their photo booth to take funny pictures.
I had a terrible margarita here, one of those frozen-mix concoctions most often found at nasty dives like Fat Tuesday *shudder.* I wanted a rum drink, but since all the frozen drinks are pre-mixed, it wasn't possible. The margarita was orange flavored, more like artificial flavor, and sickeningly sweet.
Boo on this Starr mistake. Get real Mexican food in South Philly. Believe me!
The food is okay, by no means terrible, but for some reason I go here at least once every couple months
The blood orange margaritas are usually to DIE for, and although the food (esp. the guacamole) can get pricey, they are pretty large portions.
I'm not sure what they marinade their mushrooms in, but it ruins the texture of the portebellos that come with the vegetable fajitas
They do have sweet velvet booths, and a little picture booth that my boyfriend and i take pictures in every time we go
We went there last night for the first time for dinner. Started off on a bad note because I had made the reservations just over 4 weeks ago via opentable. I had requested a velvet booth and when we arrived we weren't seated in one. A friend in our party questioned it and we were told they were held for reservations and large parties. She then clarified that we were a reservation. Someone else was sent over to our table to explain that we could be put on a waitlist for one of the booths, um, no thank you. This person reiterated that the booths were for large parties. We were a party of 4. While dining there I noticed two parties of just 4 people in the booths. It is not something I feel is worth ruining your night or getting all bent out of shape about, but I have no idea what happened to my request given I made my reservation so long ago. And the stance that the booths are only for big parties, is not exactly the truth since I sat there looking at a party of 4 in a booth. So, it's a "whatever".
Food was great. We had de la hoya guac that was great. Salsa roja and the chips that came with were great. We also had a mexican pizza app.
Everyone loved their entrees. We ordered carne asada, enchilada sampler, and mahi tacos. We also had red sangria which was very fruity and sweet. It was a good tasting drink but I prefer my sangria to be much less sweet and to still resemble red wine. I won't hold that against them, I don't like sangria at too many places when I go out. I have only eaten at two restaurants where I actually liked it. I like it the way I make it at home. We drank two pitchers between 3 people and no one had anywhere near a buzz so, I felt it might have been watered down. We spent $46 on sangria alone so I was hoping to have felt like I actually had a cocktail in the end.
I am giving El Vez an A Ok not a Yay I am a fan due to the service. Our waitress took a long time to even come over and get our drink orders. She wasn't around a lot checking in on us. We ran out of sangria and had a hard time reordering it because we didn't see her. She never cleared our app plates (both the plates we used to eat and the plate the app was on), guac bowl, chip bowl, etc before our entrees came out so we literally had no room on the table. Even after our entrees came out our guac bowl and a few other things still sat there until the end of the meal. She never told us the specials either. I assumed there weren't any specials, until I heard the waiter behind us telling his customers about them. He was also very on top of his customers and it made me wish I was sitting at a booth/table assigned to him.
I will definitely go again. I would like to try some other mexican restaurants in the area to compare. We had a good time due to the atmosphere, the food, and the company. I was not happy with service at all. When I eat here again if I have a lackluster service experience again I will not be back. No one is perfect and places have off nights but I do not think it is terribly hard to make sure your customers know you exist. There are a lot of bad reviews on service for this place so I get the impression this is a fault they have that they need to work on.
Food did not disappoint. I must point out that a manager did come over and make sure we were happy. That was a saving grace. I am not one to throw people under the bus or be uncomfortable in front of a server after I tell their boss we weren't entirely happy so we simply said all was well.........because at the time all was well. And truth be told our server didn't do anything horrid, she was just a bit inattentive. The servers running the food for our table were professional and efficient. I appreciated that and the manager visit.
Will be back.............
Oh El Vez, why do you sometimes do me wrong? I'm pretty picky when it comes to Mexican - and El Vez is NOT the best Mexican in the city, but we all know that. (I'm not comparing it to the South Philly gems or anything.) It's what it is - a fun place to eat with awesome atmosphere. We don't exactly go here for authenticity. (If you want that, head to 9th Street...)
My 3 beefs:
$18 for guacamole. Really dudes? How did you think that would go down? I can get double the guac in South Philly for a third of the price. It's so over-priced it's ridiculous.
Food is up and down. I've been 4 or 5 times with friends and the quality of the food fluctuates. The Mahi-Mahi tacos are always amazing, but everything else... eh?
Last time we went, we were celebrating a friend's birthday. We ordered two pitchers of margaritas at over $30 a pop. Now, we weren't going out with the intention of getting trashed. But after 4 margaritas each and relatively empty stomachs we were barely tipsy. No - we weren't even buzzed. Again, we weren't at El Vez to get trashed, but the lack of alcohol in the drinks must have been substantial. I'll get buzzed off of one beer on an empty stomach!
My likes:
The atmosphere. For what it is, it's fun. And the photo booth? Classic.
If they could reign in the guac prices, up the alcohol in the drinks, and have consistency with the food - I'd be all about this place. It's a shame really.
Spent a wonderful summer evening catching up with an old friend at El Vez. The outdoor seating was perfect, I'm not that familiar with Philadelphia, but the area was hip, lots of great looking people made for great people watching, and everyone was friendly and was having a great time.
The food and drink were okay, but this place is definitely more about the scene. The chips and guacamole were to die for... but by the time we actually got around to ordering entrees we were in a bit of a tequila haze and didn't really eat much.
We enjoyed the photobooth inside, made some new friends, and had an awesome night out in downtown Philadelphia.
After having dinner at another restaurant one evening, my friends were all craving some guacamole, and I of course was craving some yuengling and some special photo booth time.
This particular time the waitress wasn't overly friendly and kind of snipped at us a couple of times. As if shes not used to getting people ordering just drinks and guacamole. Gimme a break!
I had tried the food here several other times, and always really enjoyed it. So they definitely get a few stars from me for that. Sitting outside on a summer night just makes the experience that much better.
I will admit I did get lost going downstairs to the restrooms, but they definitely are nice as well.
I always shell out a few bucks and take a few photo booth pictures as well. I'm a huge sucker for these, especially ones made on real film, none of that digital crap. Go for the photo booth, stay for the guacamole ;)
I was really not impressed with this place at all. I've heard a few people say it was great, but maybe that was a while ago.
The atmosphere was pretty cool and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Dim lighting, but I kind of like that.
I started with the Tortilla Soup for an appetizer. So much salt in there, I thought I was drinking an actual tortilla.
I finished with the flavorless Carnita Tacos. They came out kinda cold, meat was dry and flavorless, and I think they forgot the Orange Morita sauce on two of my three little tacos.
I managed to sneak an Adobo Tuna Tostada from my friend, which was actually pretty tasty. I would recommend trying those.
For a drink, the cinnamon infused "El Diablo" was pretty tasty. Thumbs up there.
Overall: the small portions and lack of flavor make you regret the price you're paying.
the first time I came here 2-3months ago I made the mistake of NOT making reservations on a friday night, well needless to say I was told i would not get a table for 1.5hrs. I then packed my butt and moved to a diff establishment.
I made reservations (thru open table) this time around. Tho my rsvp was for 8:15pm, we still had to wait an extra 10mins. The place was crowded but the crowd died down dramatically around 9pm'ish.
My hostess was attentive and friendly but their was soo much noise twas hard to understand when she was trying t describe the menu. Maybe her voice was just low.
We were just a group of 4. I ordered the cuchi-cuchi cocktail which was good. I love all this coconut. I was gonna go for the Sangria as my 2nd drink but I didn't need to because I just drank my friend's glass...twas stronger than I expected. Good thing I didn't order it as a 2nd drink because I would have been super super tipsy.
So we shared the guacamole & nachos- 1 order was good enough for all 4.
My meal was the crispy mahi-mahi tacos and I ordered the corn on the cob as a side. Twas okay, def not bad but not WOW either. I felt the tacos were a bit dry as I found myself have to use the left over salsa from the nachos to eat the tacos.
The corn on the cob was actually disappointing. The best one is the Grilled Corn mexican style at Cafe Habana in NYC --their corn on the cob is the HAWTNESSSSSSSS.
El Vez's version was lack luster...no kick just a lot of cheeeeessee.
I wouldn't order it again def NOT.
I would not recommend this place if you want to "talk", tis a bit loud...but either its a fun place to try. Glad I finally tried it.
I went here with a group of about 5 friends about 2 months ago and had a fabulous time. The atmosphere was awesome (the round booth was fun!) and totally loved the photo booth. The service was top notch (our waitress was very attentive and patient). We all loved the steak nachos!!
Now....the downside. The food was great, but it didn't blow me away. I got chicken enchiladas and it was alright. My friends were a bit turned off by the size of the portions..tiny for the high cost. I would go back...but probably with my husband for a drink and those steak nachos.
I want to give 3.5 stars but will give 4 because I know I'll be back for drinks again.
Fun for out of towners as a quick pit stop - not a final destination. Let's call it what it is - the Disney Land of Mexican restaurants. It's a high energy place where you can enjoy a private booth, some tequila drinks and fresh guac (however overpriced). If you want to show guests what a Steven Starr restaurant is like, this is a safe bet on a weekend night.
Pitfalls: The food is not authentic, nor light in the least bit. I've never eaten a vegetarian meal here that I enjoyed - always too salty & greasy. The atmosphere is crowded and loud - both in sight and sound. The outdoor seating is sub-par for Philly standards; you lose out on the draw of the atmosphere by sitting outside. There isn't great protection from the sun & Sansom St. smells a bit!
Perks: I've always had a good experience with their frozen blood orange margaritas or pineapple canellas. The juices are fresh and as a result the drinks are tart & strong. On my last visit our table of 3 shared a pitcher of pineapple canellas which was perfect to start off our night.
It was more like a 3.5*, but i really liked the service and i had a great experience here, so why not....4* it is
1) Bazooka Guacamole- YUMMY! Guac with goat cheese, fried shallots and the chips were quite authentic, not the usual nasty type. Very different and flavoful
2) Shrimp Ceviche- YUMMY! Super fresh, citrusy and refreshing
3) Shrimp Quesadilla- Small-lish but good. Very flavorful
My friend and I had brunch at El Vez on Sunday. The prices on this menu are pretty reasonable, but after ordering one drink each (a bloody mary for my friend and a mimosa for me), plus an order of guac, things added up quickly.
The guacamole was delicious as always. I find it interesting that many people complain about the price or compare it to what you would get at Distrito. Yes, it's expensive, but it's only a few dollars more than Distrito's version and they give you twice as much at El Vez. I will continue to pay the inflated prices for what is easily some of the best guacamole I've had in the city or elsewhere (my mom holds the title of #1, though).
For my meal, I had the huevos and chorizo, which is a build your own breakfast taco deal that comes with warm, soft flour tortillas, nicely portioned sides of guac, sour cream and pico, a large side of black beans and a generous pot of scrambled eggs with (surprise!) chorizo. I never really got the whole breakfast taco thing but I'm starting to dig it lately. I loved my meal and had more than enough food (I would suggest ordering two totally different things and sharing with your breakfast buddy).
When my friend pulled a 15% off card out of the dregs of her purse, our bill dropped drastically and we felt that we got some major bang for our bucks.
I dig El Vez. Their guacamole is kick-ass and the blood orange margarita is as yummy as the… Read more »
Yes, you will pay $12 for about 6oz. of guacamole, but the $7 sangria is well worth the cost. This is hands down my favorite Sangria in the city. The red is spicy with all the right fruit and finish. The white is a little to sweet to drink for extended periods of time but good for a change now and then. Happy hour is the best time to go, but be prepared to fight your way to the bar.
Let me say right off that Stephen Starr doesn't do much for me. I'm more impressed by the steak than the sizzle, as it were. In lieu of the reviews I've avoided writing about Jones and the Continentals, and as a general rule about that tier of his restaurants, El Vez was pretty decent food that costs slightly more than I would prefer to pay.
The girl and I started by ordering a pitcher of their Blood Orange Margaritas, which were tasty and, most importantly for a place like this, looked good. Several middle aged women who passed our table asked what they were. I'm not sure if we had an option but our order was served frozen rather than on the rocks.
I ordered the two-course prixe fixe with the tortilla soup and braised short rib burrito. The soup was okay but the chicken in it looked a little gnarly and it was too salty for my tastes. The burrito was delicious--the short rib was nicely flavored and very tender--but a little small. (Though that could just be the lunch portion.) The refried beans it was served with bordered on being flavorless but the salsa verde helped with that. Overall, pretty okay.
The girl had the mahi mahi tacos. I didn't get the chance to sample them personally but she couldn't find anything to complain about after she finished eating them, which is pretty much the highest rating I've ever seen her give. (If she's reading this: I'm kidding.)
We ended with the churros. They were actually really good and came with a chocolate dipping sauce. I would recommend these.
Overall, it was not a bad lunch, just more than I'd be willing to pay. I have no idea if I'd go back since there's plenty of other places I'd rather go for Mexican food nearby.
Atmosphere: fun, buzzy, colorful--a great place for a fun meal with friends. We sat out on the sidewalk, perfect on a gorgeous early autumn evening. Inside seemed pretty loud so I was glad to be out on the quieter street. Another benefit of a sidewalk table: you get to do some great people-watching during our meal.
Service: I loved that they took our cell phone number so we could wander around the neighborhood while we waited for our table. Better still, when they called and we were several blocks away, they held our table for us with zero attitude. Awesome. Our waitress was super nice--answering questions, getting us what we needed, and even noticing when my friend's bad was a little too out-in-the-open. Plus, she didn't look at me disapprovingly when I ordered my third margarita (or I was just too drunk too notice).
Food: On our server's recommendations, we got the De la Hoya guac. It was delicious, and not as garlicky as I'd feared. Chips were good but a little too thick & greasy for my preference. The complimentary salsa they came with was pretty awful--didn't have much taste at all, no spice, not even a decent tomato flavor. Because we have trouble making decisions when we're hungry, my friend & I ordered the taco sampler and the enchilada platter to share. The tacos were phenomenal--flavorful, fresh, and interesting without being wacky. My favorites were the sea bass (hint of cinnamon), the grilled beef (perfectly cooked and tender), and the chicken (savory and wonderful). I appreciated the use of corn tortillas, which I prefer to flour (except for the mahi mahi which comes rolled tight in a flour tortilla). The enchiladas were quite good, but nothing special compared to the tacos. I liked the black bean best; my friend preferred the chicken. If I came here again I'd probably go for one of the salads and split the taco platter.
Drinks: Blood orange margarita was tasty. But then, I love anything frozen and containing tequila. I always expect blood oranges to have this exotic flavor and am a little disappointed to find it pretty close to a regular orange but maybe a little sweeter and less acidic. For my second drink I tried the El Vez margarita--it was more ice than anything else, so I switched back to the blood orange. My friend tried the Pink Cadillac margarita--that wasn't bad. The drinks aren't super strong--I have a pretty low tolerance for alcohol and I was only a pleasantly tipsy after three.
Verdict: I'm definitely a fan. El Vez is a great place for a fun meal with friends.
Why do Steven Starr places suck so much?
This place was kind of a joke. The food was bleh, the service meh, and the people there, clientele and servers were blah...
Went here after a game one night, sat outside in the warm, beautiful night air, and just wondered...Why? Why? Why am I here?
Very cool place - LOUD. With a great big round bar in the middle.
So they are known for their guacamole - 4 or 5 kinds to try. And I guess if you are known for guac you can charge $13-$21 for it AND if you place it in a huge bowl that is actually really shallow - ie, not much in the bowl - you can totally get away with charging that.....
The "original" was definitely delicious. And for $13 it should be.
The tuna tostada appetizer With pineapple salsa was not great but was ok. My friend said their white sangria was good.
I would come back to try their various taco plates as well as margaritas and other guacs. It's a cute place!
My huevos rancheros were delicious... as was my dessert and my coffee. Food was artfully prepared and portions were an ideal size.
Atmosphere is perhaps nothing to write home about, but it's not too bad. Colorful and vivid but in a sort of dark way, I guess.
The waitstaff were saccharine and obsequious, so I was thinking about taking off a star, but the service was great! I will definitely consider returning. Although I'm not sure how excited I am about a chain kind of restaurant.
I think I had a one or two day span between my visit to Jones and then to El Vez. I think I'm Stephen Starred-out for the time being.
I've been ogling this place for so long. I think it was the funky seating that did it for me whenever I passed by. And the allure of kitschy (sp?) decorations with multicolored lights.
Holy moly, that was a lot of guacamole! My friend and I could not finish that bowl and we both went in with large appetites! At least we can say it was worth the $12. The chips are fresh and hot for the most part. Sadly, we had a guacamole craving the other Friday night from drinking but dinner hours end at midnight, so note well if you need to satisfy such cravings.
Hmm let's see. It took me a while to figure out what my friend ordered. Ok, here we go. He ordered the huarache de vegetal, which was basically a black bean corn cake on top of a lot of stuff (looking such things up on wikipedia)..nopales (from prickly pears), chayote (gourd), and poblano pepper. It was a large amount, probably adding to why we didn't finish our guacamole. I ordered the mahi mahi tacos. They were just enough to fill me up without making me feel huge and I enjoyed the flavors in the remoulade. Too full for dessert and went on day I needed to study a lot so no drinking, though from what I saw, the drinks looked delicious.
Will definitely be back, even if it is just for guacamole and drinks. Groups love coming here. In fact, I think a whole high school class ~20-30 people came. So apparently highly recommended by many. I guess I don't blame them.
After a long day of sightseeing in the City of Brotherly Love, dinner at El Vez was a welcome conclusion to an exhausting day.
Why El Vez? It was two blocks from my hotel. Lucky for me. When I Yelped nearby places and read that this place served fish tacos, I was sold. Another bonus was that they are on http://opentable.com, so I was able to reserve a table 1 1/2 hours before showing up AND earn 100 points!
I am so glad I made the reservation as this place was packed... and on a Wednesday night! The only negative thing I can say is that it was so loud in there! I guess that is a sign that patrons are enjoying themselves!
After reading through several reviews I knew I had to try the blood orange margarita. It was good, but not OMG good. I probably would of ordered another if they weren't $9 each. That's almost an order of fish tacos. And what about happy hour? When i popped in at 5 pm last night as I was passing by I asked if they had one and the hostess said no.
We had the original guacamole served in the huge mortar bowl which I think they do to make it look like there is more than you think. The only improvement I would recommend is that for $13 they could make the portion larger AND prepare it at your table like another overpriced Mexican joint in DC. It was very good, BTW. Also good were the fish tacos. they are about the size of those McD's snack wraps, but instead of paying $2.79 for two, you get to pay $11!! Not quite a deal, but as I said, very good.
If they started having a happy hour and charged $5 for their margaritas, then I'd say this would the place to go. Paying $5.50 for one taco would be easier to stomach, especially with discounted alcohol to wash it down.
Don't listen to what anyone else says here. The guacamole will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Not listed in the menu is an option to get a guacamole sampler, where you choose three of your favorites. For $22, you get 3 good sized helpings of any of their amazing guacamoles. Enough to feed four people, it's definitely a good price.
The drinks are delicious and will definitely get you going.
This is definitely a place I frequent as often as I can. Sure, it's not as cheaply priced as the Cantina on Passyunk that all of these reviewers seem to have a hard-on for, but I've definitely never had a bad time, a bad drink, or a bad meal at El Vez.
Thursday's & Friday's with…
Upper Darby, PA
1/2 Prices at Happy Hour
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Market East
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Olde City
Category: American (New)
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