Taco Heart — Restaurant in Philadelphia

In TX this is a 4/5. For Philly it's a 5/5.

Tldr: lived in NE TX my whole life. This place is good but I didn't think AS good as other reviewers seem to. It was tasty but pricey and could have been a little more seasoned but it hit the spot and mostly satisfied my desire for texmex (definitely the closest I have had in PA) Highlights were the chorizo queso, migas taco, and the salsa Verde.

Disclaimer: I am TX born, lived there my whole life until recently, so I have probably unrealistically high standards that will probably never be met. And tbh the thing with food is that it is about an experience. Being outside of TX is automatically going to make it hard to live up to it because I'll always be looking for that specific moment. I'm also NOT from Austin. I'm from the Dallas area and their styles of texmex are different. All of that to say, I am aware of this and want you to take my review with that in mind.

We got three tacos (two breakfast one lunch), two drinks, and the puffy chips with the chorizo queso. The chorizo queso was probably the highlight. I wanted it to be like Bob Dip (which is a queso from a well known Houston/Dallas chain called Matt's) it was similar but it reminded me more of something I've had at Torchy's (an Austin based TX chain). Honestly the whole place was very similar to Torchy's so if you are an Austin expat looking for a Torchy's experience, this is the place for you. I however am not a big Torchy's fan. Like its good enough but it is very Austin and ultimately my preferences lie in more Houston/San Antonio style, and my most controversial opinion is that I like a lot of places in Dallas (don't hate me I'm just from there). The tacos were good. I liked the migas one best but also tried the Carinne's Fave and it was fine. The beans were not as seasoned as I would have liked (based on the menu I am guessing they did not use lard in it for vegetarian/vegan reasons which I get but lard does just make beans so good). The salsas were also pretty good. My husband said it was the highlight for him. The red salsa had a nice smokey flavor and the green one I liked best. Although I thought they both could have a little more kick.

Overall, I think this is a good spot. Like I said probably the best you can get in Philly from what I have tried so far but I mean of course it's just never gonna be exactly the same. I was disappointed they didn't just have like classic street tacos (meat, onion, cilantro, lime) because that's what I miss the most. Decked out tacos with tons of toppings are nice but if it's a good taco I think it's just not necessary and again I think this is more of an Austin style of doing things because every time I'm there it is so hard to just find a good straight forward street tacos and not something with 6 different things on it. Anyway, thats just a heads up I guess if you're looking for something along those lines.

The last thing I will comment on is price which geez this was pricey. I know the Northeast is just more pricey in general and the economy, inflation, etc. etc. but we spent $50 altogether. And the priciest part was the chips and queso ($15). So I mean definitely going to be just like a special occasion thing for us (we did get a Mexican coke and a topo and that was $4 each. I imagine it's gotta be shipped in special though so I get it). I also imagine the amount of vegan options drives up the price for everything else a bit. Idk I'm not complaining just...

This review is really tricky for me. I was pretty amped at the prospect of breakfast tacos in Philly after loving eating them during visits to Austin & San Antonio. Those tacos were delicious, flavorful, and simple. And each place made delicious red and green salsas you could add to your heart's content. The sauces were the heart and soul of the places (so much so that the restaurants compete with each other for whose is the best).

Taco Heart's menu is weirdly busy (with lots of very similar tacos that probably don't need to be distinct from one another). The tacos themselves are pretty under-seasoned and crazy small. And they give you a comically tiny salsa on the side. I tried three different salsas and they were underwhelming in flavor and mild as water. I guess they may have spiced up the taco if I got more than 0.25 oz or whatever. I do want to give a shout out to the tortillas which were very lovely. I could totally just eat a stack of their tortillas with butter & some avocado slices and be happy as a clam.

I don't know. I don't want to really get into a 'bang for your buck' argument. Operating costs and rents are insane, hardworking employees deserve pay, no one's forcing people to come here, etc. We've all done this dance. But I had to eat three of these tacos to make a decent breakfast. With tip I paid 22 dollars for the pleasure. That all being said I would have happily parted with that much money if the tacos & salsa were delicious, vibrant, and exceptional. They just weren't great on their merits and it's a bummer.

I'm sure this will get buried under the pile of gaudy five-star reviews and I'm happy that everyone is...

My boyfriend has been craving a good California-style breakfast burrito lately, and while Taco Heart specializes in tacos (not burritos), their menu had some serious potential to hit that same flavor profile—so we gave it a shot.

When we arrived, it wasn’t too busy, but don’t expect lightning-fast service. The wait clocked in at around 25 minutes, so we recommend ordering ahead or just kicking back and enjoying the mellow vibe. Ordering is done via kiosk right when you walk in, and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier—super helpful if it’s your first visit and you're staring down the menu a little overwhelmed.

We tried a few of the breakfast tacos, and the Migas taco was hands-down our favorite. The crispy chips folded into the eggs added the perfect crunch and flavor—total standout. We also did a build-your-own with refried beans, bacon, cheese, and pico. It was solid, but the pico had a heavy lime kick that wasn’t totally my boyfriend’s thing.

The Troubadour and the Chorizo & Egg tacos rounded out our order. We weren’t wild about the chorizo—it was a bit lacking on the seasoning for our taste—but nothing was bad by any means. And shoutout to the house-made tortillas, which were warm, fresh, and perfectly chewy. They held everything together like a champ and brought serious flavor of their own.

All in all, we’re really happy we gave Taco Heart a shot. It scratched that Cali breakfast itch in taco form, and we’re already planning to come back and experiment with more combos. Cozy, friendly, and flavorful—what more could you want on a...