Tonalli Philly chefs honor their small town in Mexico with new spot for pizza and more

ByNatalie Jason WPVI logo

Monday, October 2, 2023

Tonalli Philly chefs honor Mexican roots with new spot for pizza

Tonalli Philly is a new BYO that showcases dishes from San Mateo Ozolco, Mexico.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- When lifelong friends Odilon Sandoval and Israel Cortes were growing up in the small Mexican village of San Mateo Ozolco, they had no idea that decades later they would be combining their culinary skills to open a spot together in South Philly.

Tonalli Philly is a new BYO that showcases dishes from their homeland, and skills they learned coming up through the ranks of the Philadelphia restaurant industry.

Braised lamb shank and shrimp tacos marinated in a tequila sauce share the menu with pizzas and nachos.

'Tonalli' translates to 'sunshine' in Odilon's mother's language of Nahualt - so when she told her son "it's time for the sun to shine" on him, that became the inspiration behind the name.

The spot has free parking, and is open every day except Monday.