Looking for Mexican food that's more authentic than Taco Bell?

There will be pictures with these posts eventually, I promise. I just need to figure out how to get the photos I’ve taken from my camera to my computer. (Anyone know, offhand, how I can download pictures from a Fujifilm Finepix? It came with a USB 2.0 cable, which doesn’t play nicely with my Mac…)

Anyway, another restaurant review for now. I’ll do recipes when I can do pictures.
This time we’re going for Mexican!

Taco Riendo
1301 North 5th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122-4303
(215) 235-2294




This is my personal favorite for cheap and authentic Mexican food. They open at nine every morning, and though they do serve breakfast until noon, I’m more into ordering a burrito de pollo (chicken burrito) for breakfast. Yes, delicious chicken burritos for breakfast. Life is good.

Their food is good, and it’s cooked fresh when you order it. They’ll do everything from guisados (a sort of stew) and enchiladas to ensaladas (salads) and quesadillas. I personally love the burritos here, and have ordered most of the options on the menu in regards to fillings for those tasty tortillas. The chicken is, by far, my favorite, and at $6.50, it’s one of the cheapest on the menu (that, my friends, is a win-win). The tacos are also good – they’re tasty and filling, but for some reason, I enjoy it when my food is wrapped up in its own edible packaging.

If you don’t do spicy, you can do as my sister does and order a quesadilla with only cheese. It is, literally, a tortilla filled with cheese, folded over, and fried. That’s it. She ate it and loved it.

A few tips for eating at Taco Riendo: always, always, always start with the chips and salsa. They’re fresh-fried tortilla chips, they’re crunchy, and they’re tasty. You’ll especially want to do this if you’re really hungry, because as I mentioned, they make it when you order it. It’s gonna be a few minutes before you get your food.

Tip two: don’t bother getting a soda. Ask for a cup for water. There’s a pitcher on the counter, and you can refill your little cup as many times as your heart desires. If you’re especially susceptible to spicy foods, this is the drink option for you. (Even if you don’t order things spicy, well, everything’s cooked on the same griddle here. You’re going to get some flavor.)

Tip three: save room for some Mexican coffee. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don’t, but it’s worth the extra couple of dollars to nab some if they’re got it. If you’ve ever seen Mexico: One Plate at a Time (the Rick Bayless show on public access), then you’ve seen this delicious drink. Rick calls it café de olla, which roughly translates to “saucepan coffee.” It’s made with a blend of spices and sugars and coffee itself, and is more of a dessert than anything else. Even non-coffee drinkers have enjoyed it. Give it a try. It’s wonderful. (We’ve figured out how to make a cheater-pants version at home. Perhaps that will be a future post, if anyone’s interested.)

Tip four: this one is less of a tip and more of something you can’t forget about his place. They only take cash. I’ll say it again, just so you see it again, and so it sticks: you must bring cash to Taco Riendo. You can’t use a credit card, and though I’ve never tried it, I’m willing to bet they won’t take a personal check, either.

So why do I prefer Taco Riendo to some of the other, more popular Mexican places in Philadelphia? One, it’s less crowded than, say, Taqueria Veracruzana (which is also delicious, not knocking them at all). There just aren’t as many people who know about this great spot, so it’s rarely as crowded. Two, it’s cheap. I can get a full meal for about ten dollars, and it’s enough food to fill me up for the day. Three, it’s absolutely authentic. You can hear Spanish flowing from the windows from patrons and staff alike. I can (and often do) order entirely in Spanish, though you can order in English with no repercussions if you’d prefer. Four, it’s between Spring Garden and Girard, both of which are pretty big streets, so it’s easy to get to.

So, the next time you’re in the mood for some Mexican food that actually has connections to Mexico, head on down. I’ll be the one in the corner with a chicken burrito at ten in the morning, Mexican coffee in hand and a blissful smile on my face. Ladies and gentlemen... this is my happy place.