Amor Ala Mexicana Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Hatboro

As a Mexican American living in the Philly suburbs, I am constantly on the lookout for authentic Mexican food. There aren't too many options in the area, so I was happy to see this restaurant one day while driving through hatboro.

I was impressed with the overall aesthetic inside of the restaurant. The decor and overall atmosphere was very nice. I rated it three stars because I did not dine in so I can't speak to the experience of eating there, but even while picking up it was nice.

The staff were very courteous and friendly and very helpful. Unfortunately however, this restaurant falls short in the most important area. The food.

Everything seems like it would be right. It smells right, it looks right, but it falls really short in flavor. We ordered a tamale which was literally 99% dry, flavorless maza. A barbacoa burrito which we ordered never made its way in, and instead a chorizo burrito was given. The chorizo had pretty good flavor, but there was some really bland rice in it, along with about a gallon of sauce poured over the top of it. This may be authentic and parts of Mexico, but as my family is from Southern California, descended from North Central Mexico, I was certainly not expecting this. It is highly unusual for me to ever see a burrito slathered in sauce, so I don't want to say it's not authentic, but I certainly was not expecting it and it made it almost inedible as the tortilla was soaked, and by the time I got the food home it was a gigantic sloppy mess. The chicken tacos were also surprisingly dry, and devoid of seasoning. There were no limes included which is usually a standard in Mexican food, especially with street tacos. I only live about 10 minutes from the restaurant, but I do allow that it may have been better if I ate it fresh at the restaurant. Having taken the order home though, the chicken in the tacos was chewy, bland, dry, and I didn't even end up finishing it.

I have to admit, I was highly disappointed. I do feel like it could be much better than presented on my first try, so I do plan to return at some point. Perhaps when I have the opportunity to dine in, the food will...

Mixed experience so I will give it a 3.

The complimentary chips and salsa - the chips were nice and thick and may be made in house. The chips were good. The salsa, that was another thing. The salsa was very watery and lacked any flavor so we set that aside and just ate the chips.

I ordered the taco salad with Tinga which was pretty good. The amount was perfect and the tinga was flavorful. I recommend this if you visit.

The other person in my party ordered a chicken fajita. First glance at their plate and my first thought was "skimpy" portion. I can't say I have seen less on a fajita where some places add extra vegetables to increase the volume. There were a few slices of green pepper and minimal onions with about less than a half pound of chicken.

The chicken in the fajita was not seasoned so it lacked any flavor beyond a piece of cooked chicken. The rest of the plate was bland and unmemorable other than the lack of items received. The rice was also bland but the refried beans were okay. For the price of this plate and the flavor at this location, never again.

Iced tea was good, I would say above average for most restaurants.

Service was about average with the ambience above average for a locally owned restaurant.

Elevate some recipes/dishes with some spices and there could be more traffic...

So, I'm from a group called insane food posse. They had this on Thursday, I didn't get to try it till today. I told them over doordash, to hook me up with sauces because the posse enjoyed them. Well, did the deliver? You better believe it. Look at all the sauces. They went all out and I appreciated it.

Now onto the food.

Tacos were definitely good, not only good, the portions were great, they were loaded with meat. So much so it was falling all over the place. Some people might not like that. I do.

Mofongo was interesting. Came with melted butter on the side I believe? I'm not sure, it smelled real sweet too. Either way, it was really good. Flavor was something you would have to experience rather than it be explained. I really enjoyed it.

The empanada was great, I loved it. It was like biting into a mozzarella stick but 5x better. So much flavor and taste. The cheese was creamy and melt in your mouth like. So good. And for a delivery order, that's impressive.

The sweet plantains, they are very good. Though, I recommendation, ice cream or whipped cream with it. That pairing will definitely ramp them up. But, by themselves I enjoyed them too.

All and all I was impressed, thanks for the sauces and experience Gallo Tropical!

Will for sure...