El Mezcal Cantina — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Our first time here at this lovely restaurant. We went for happy hour and it was great! Oscar, the bartender made a great margarita and an awesome sangria. Alex, our server, was so professional and friendly. I always ask a lot of questions, and he was not bothered at all. The restaurant is bright, clean and the food is so very good. The wings were cooked to perfection and their “secret sauce” really is delicious! The tacos DeTrompo were one of my favorites and to my surprise they have a brick oven and we also enjoyed a most delicious pepperoni and cheese pizza. Oscar was also kind enough to let me taste his salmon, which he was being served and seeing to me it was cooked to perfection, I asked if I could try and he, just like I was family, gave me a sample, and it was so very good. To top off our anniversary dinner, we shared a most delicious chocolate flan cake, which was absolutely fresh and delicious! Judy, another server came over to talk with us and she was so very nice. So glad we visited this restaurant and hope to return again. My compliments to the chefs, the food is delicious! Alex, Oscar and Judy, thank you for making us feel...

We had such a wonderful first visit to El Mezcal Cantina this past weekend. It had been on our "to try" list since they made the Inquirer's "50 Best" restaurants in 2023, and since we visited Mexico this year we have been craving good authentic food ever since.

We arrived during happy hour and tried a few wonderful light bites: aguachiles (ceviche), tacos de trompo (al pastor), and the most delicious mushroom empanada. We weren't feeling the happy hour drinks so we splurged for a few mezcal cocktails which we were all delicious and had the authentic chapulin (grasshoppper) salt on the rim. The fish tacos for dinner were fresh and YUMMY!

Our servers were friendly, helpful, and attentive. We even chatted with the upbeat bartender about Mezcal, the Yucatan peninsula, and the new Mexican president! The inside space was bright and welcoming (outside leaves a lot to be desired, and they could use a sign instead of a banner).

We can't wait to come...

Late summer, 31C. Saturday, September 9.

It was hot and El Mezcal Cantina was on my shopping route, so I decided to stop for a drink.

Start: Water with ice. Mezcalera/ margarita.

Eat: Pork ribs, spicy.

After: Mexican IPA.

Before the bill I thought I’d try a mezcal.

Oscar said, how funky do you want to go?

I like the adventure of a cultural story. So the owner shared a story about the tequila, mezcal… there’s industrial tequila, which is what most people know, and why they have salt and lemon to douse it… you likely have a story. Then there’s artisanal. Then there’s generational.

Lamata De Castilla Nuevo León/ generational mezcal. Funky, no doubt. Smooth as. A bouquet of beans, licorice, lettuce, tropical fruit. But it’s got a kick. And it grows.

This is a place where love and work and...