These 5 restaurants serve up authentic Mexican food right here in Philly

ByChandler Lutz WPVI logo

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Presenting 5 of Philly's Mexican restaurant gems

We hit some local Mexican restaurant gems serving authentic brunch, lunch and dinner from South Philadelphia to Kensington.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- As part of our cultural food tour around Philly, we hit some of Philadelphia's Mexican restaurant gems.

First up, Izzy's 33 in South Philadelphia. Chef Isrrael Romero created a menu with 33 of his favorite dishes, including the fan favorite Churro French Toast and the Mexican Breakfast Stack.

Also in South Philly, Chef Jennifer Zavala is gearing up to open her first brick and mortar shop on Passyunk Ave called Juana Tamale.

Named after her years of selling tamales from her food truck and her dad's nickname for her.

Juana Tamale is set to open in September with a limited menu of Birria tacos, Churros and her Mexican take on Ramen noodles.

Chef Aurora Hernandez of San Miguelito Mexican Cuisine is known for her hand-pressed tortillas. Aurora and boyfriend, Adolfo Florencio whip up some classics in their kitchen, such as marinated pork, beef, and fried fish tacos to the specialty San Miguelito Platter.

El Purepecha recently received a worthy upgrade. Owners Chef Alex Medina and Janneth Sinichi are happy to continue to serve their loyal customers some of their favorites like chicken fajitas and al pastor.

Medina also makes a Michelada behind the bar which starts with a beer stein rimmed with black salsa and dried chili peppers, topped off with your beer of choice.

Another new spot, Sor Ynéz has locals flocking to their bar seats. Their cocktail menu includes favorites like the Selena, with pickled watermelon, and the Frida, which is a charred corn margarita. You'll find a ton of vegan and vegetarian options like the Sikil Pak and the 'Alt' Pastor, which is marinated cauliflower in pineapple instead of pork.