El Chingon Philly — Restaurant in Philadelphia

El Chingon is doing something special with its food and flavor profiles. The aguachile ahumado was a true standout: smoky, vibrant, and unlike anything I have had recently. The ceviche tropical was another hit, super fresh and beautifully balanced, with a leche de tigre that was bright, citrusy, and drinkably delicious. We also really enjoyed the elote, al pastor tradicional tacos, and pollo taco, all well executed, flavorful, and satisfying.

One of the highlights of the night was the cocktail mix that you can pair with your own BYO mezcal or tequila. We went with the tradicional extra spicy version, which was bold and beautifully balanced. The slight effervescence from the Topo Chico gave it a refreshing, crisp lift that made it even more enjoyable.

There were a couple of misses. The charred crab tostadas leaned too fishy for my taste, and the Mexican sweet bread dessert was unremarkable and did not feel like it measured up to the creativity or quality of the rest of the menu.

The biggest letdown, though, was the service. While every staff member we encountered was kind and well intentioned, the overall experience did not flow well. We ordered everything up front (which many places request), but the pacing was rushed and awkward. Three large dishes, elote, ceviche, and aguachile, were dropped all at once, overwhelming our small table. I asked the kitchen to slow it down, but the crab tostadas came out immediately after, clearly already prepped, and there was literally nowhere to put them. We ended up asking our server to hold the dish.

There was a nice pause before our tacos arrived, which we appreciated. But once we finished, no one cleared our plates or checked in. Since we were on a date night, we did not mind lingering, but when we tried to order dessert and coffee (an espressonada) around 9:20, we were told the kitchen had closed at 9:00 and the coffee machine had already been cleaned. No one gave us a heads up, no one came by for a final check in, and that lack of communication left us disappointed.

The food is easily an 8 out of 10. But the service, though sweet, was more of a 4 or 5 out of 10. Having worked in hospitality and dined out often, I know how much timing and communication impact the experience. El Chingon has serious potential and a talented kitchen. If the service can match the quality coming out of the back, this place could...

🇲🇽 El Chingon and Isgros - South Philly - El Chingon is a postage-stamp sized eatery that has lively but not in a kitchy or overdone way, decor. Our server was very gracious and great at explaining and recommending various dishes. We ordered the guacamole, posole, chilaquiles, 🦐 shrimp ceviche, tres leches, lemongrass tacos and jamaica. Almost everything was extremely delicious and flavorful.

The highlight was the smoked shrimp ceviche, 🌶 not for the faint of heart spice-wise but had some complex and spicy notes in it..... very memorable. The posole was surprisingly not good, they didn't use a pork broth as a base as is tradtitionally used so it was missing one of the key flavor components and just tasted off. We did let our server politely know we didn't care for it ( and had only had a few spoonfuls) so surprised she didn't take it off of our bill. The tres leches cake was good but forgettable.... I wish I had tried some of their homemade ice-creams with flavors like marzipan etc. The one major negative about the environment was it was freezing. We were sitting next to a drafty window and there were no other tables available for our group and we couldn't wait an hour for a table that wasn't next to the door and the windows. We just wore our heavy coats during lunch I would come back here since some of the dishes were outstanding but not on a cold day. 🌮 🇮🇹 When I'm in South Philly, I can't escape the gravitational pull of Isgro's ( that place is kryptonite for me ) , one of the best traditional bakeries in the city. We got almond horns, baba rums, caramel walnut tart, pignole cookies, rainbow cookies etc 🥮 🍰 Everything fantastic as always.

Overall a great culinary day in...

If you're looking for your basic tacos and burritos, this is not the place for you! However, if you want authentic flavorful Mexican fare, make your way over to El Chignon. Tucked away in South Philly, those in the know would probably prefer to keep this gastronomic adventure below the radar. But I can't resist sharing it. For those who plan to drive, please remember South Philly is a parking challenge to say the least. And El Chignon does not take reservations. So pack your patience. But once you're in and seated, you'll enjoy incredible food, great service, and an upbeat atmosphere. Mexican street corn kicked things off. Once you take a bite, you won't put it down until you're done. The aguachile scallop appetizer( aka ceviche to many of us)had heat but the thinly sliced chayote cooled it down perfectly. The special avocado stuffed with crab was creamy and rich. The tacos were bursting with flavor. I went the traditional Al pastor route. And don't even think of leaving without dessert. The poblano ice cream was a unique must try and the arroz con tres leches did not disappoint! Note, El Chignon is BYOT(tequila). With it, they make margaritas that are the perfect accompaniment to your meal. At some point, owner, Juan Carlos, makes his way around to greet you and check on your experience. It all adds up to such...