Paloma

I have to concur with the other reviews of Paloma. Honestly the food is amazing, so flavorful with very generous portions, but the concept seems a little off. My friend and I decided to try it for dinner and ended up feeling like we were on a very romantic date… heart shaped puff pastry included.
The Good:
The food is just delicious. I’m not sure what mexican-​french fusion is supposed to be, but if this is it count me in. Everything was done perfectly and came with delicious sauces, and in large portions (no complaints ever with that).
You can choose from the prix fix menu or do a la cart. Try the prix fix, and definitely get the shrimp appetizer, god whatever the sauce was is to die for.
Service is great, though we were one of two tables in the restaurant so maybe not the best time to judge. We also ended up sitting there until almost midnight and they did not try to kick us out at all.
Its BYOB!
There is lots of seating, and the restaurant is warm and inviting.
The Odd?
I can’t say anything was BAD, but Paloma represents itself as a mexian-​french fusion restaurant, which sounds strange but they definitely pull it off food wise. However the interior is kind of rustic/​nice Italian with white table cloths and candles and mexican pictures hung on the walls. It just wasn’t really what I expected?

Hidden gem in Philadelphia!!!
This place is clean and elegant. Staff is veeeeery professional and kind. And the food… OMG…the food is sooooooo good!!!
I’m a vegetarian/​gluten free and I found a few options: a soup, a salad, a mushroom flan appetizer, entrée and a dessert. All were to die for! Delicious, beautifully served, perfectly cooked and seasoned. I cannot wait to be back and bring some friends with me.
All meals are selected and prepared by the chef-​owner. His wife, who was present in the dining room makes all the desserts. A wonderful team!!!
Bravo!!!

Hmm… this is an odd one. Described as Mexican, Spanish AND French. How can that be? And it looks «fancy». You can’t really see in here from the outside. Foobooz, Uwishunu, Eater, Unilocal,no one ever talks about this place. No one will probably ever even read this :(
So here’s the deal. Have you ever been on a cruise? You know the last night, the «fancy» night where you dress up real nice and have a «fancy» dinner of indeterminable origin except you know it looked nice and you generally enjoyed it? That’s Paloma.
Another way to describe it… it’s a place your parents would think is nice. Your parents who don’t get out much, or really explore too much outside the norm culinarily. Everything here is juuuust different enough to be interesting, but toned down enough in terms of seasoning in particular to be safe and comfortable. Nothing wrong with any of this, just my observation and a smart move by the chef considering the crowd he likely serves night in night out. The average age here was probably 55. Fifty five year olds don’t read Foobooz.

Decided to try Paloma for an anniversary celebration. We both chose to order from the prix fixe menu, which was an excellent value. We both enjoyed our meals very much (especially the tri-​color fettuccini), and left very full and happy. The restaurant even provided us with a complimentary cake for our anniversary! How thoughtful. Also, no corkage fee for BYOB. We will return.

Fantastic food, cozy BYOB. The food seemed more like a Spanish (Spain) French Fusion then Mexican.

This restaurant is absolutely a must go to. Great service and the chef is incredible. Definitely do the mushroom flan.

What an unexpected delight. I had no idea this place even existed and regret not having known! Haute cuisine Mexican meets traditional French themes at this white tablecloth, charming south Philly byo. Decent stemware and a waitress who knows how to strain cork and decant like a pro. I had the lamb in red wine and chile sauce which came out braided! Yes, they braided my lamb, and everyone else’s presentation was equally as impressive. Last, but certainly not least was the owner who was absolutely awesome and terrific to chat with. A great time. Highly recommended.

Paloma is one of Rena’s, my friend, favorite restaurants, and she took me there as a birthday dinner surprise, and Yes, I had many. At first, I didn’t know where Rena was taken me. So when I got there and saw the restaurant’s sign said «Paloma Mexican Haute Cuisine,» I entered with bells on!
The restaurant was cozy, dated, but so elegant and clean in the same time. The service was good, there were only two occupied tables that night, including ours. After all, it was a cold rainy Tuesday night.
I ordered from the Prix Fixe menu. I started with the mushroom flan, and that was so phenomenal and delicious. Followed by a tender and juicy steak. I finished up with toasted pecan biscotti. Enough said!
The food was served in an elegant and refined presentation. However, I wouldn’t say Paloma is a Mexican nor French restaurant. I know for fact that Chef-​owner Adán Saavedra, is Mexican who was trained by a French Chef who is currently at Union League– 1862 restaurant.
I will come back, I was warmly welcomed and had a wonderful dinner at Paloma.
Four Unilocal

In a search for another one of Philly’s great BYOs and Mexican cuisine, a group of colleagues and I found ourselves at Paloma on a Friday evening. The menu looked good online, and as my co-​workers are always in the mood to try something new, we thought, «haute Mexican, why not?»
Other reviewers have commented that Paloma is more cuisine than Mexican, which I would definitely agree with. Even the take on Mexican flavors was more mild and subtle than I would have expected. That being said, the flavors were well-​balanced, and the food was beautifully presented (although the pyramid of rice that accompanied my entrée made me ask myself, «did I forget my shoulder pads?»)
I went with the mushroom flan (reminded me of a mushroom pâté that I made at home once, although much richer) and the rest of the party all went with the corn bisque. For our entrees, there was a the venison (a giant, manly hunk of meat) and the red fish, that was beautiful to look at, but not as flavorful as one would hope. My duck breast was pretty good (I love duck, and it’s wrapped in bacon, so it’s got that going for it), but the caramelized shallots inside the breast, that I was so much looking forward to, were underwhelming.
The desert menu is extensive, so save room if you can. We filled up the space that we had left with the Mexican brownie.
One final thought: I usually avoid the pre-​dinner trappings of bread and butter, but whatever they are putting in the butter at Paloma — it’s not to be missed. Delicious.

Valentine’s Day Delight — The food was amazing — more «haute» than «mexican». Varied menu with lots of fish and interesting combinations of flavors. Beautiful presentation. Dessert was worth every calorie. So delicious. Varied clientele made us happy — young and old — gay and straight — Servers were friendly and attentive but not overbearing.
It is a BYOB and that is always a plus in our opinion. The décor was cozy but a bit dated with fine art replicas on the walls and a peculiar dining room layout. We spent a bit of our dining conversation discussing who we wanted to bring with us the next time — Definitely a «do over» — Yum!

Had new year’s dinner here with my girlfriend and another couple. It was fantastic.
Started off with the Crab Ceviche. Crisp, fresh, light and delicious.
Rack of lamb was seasoned well and cooked perfectly. Best served medium rare.
Poached lobster with puff pastry was a velvety sauce of goodness.
Can’t wait to go back.

Everything we had was delicious. Service was fast and friendly. We’ll likely dine here again!

I have very high expectations of Mexican food. I make it, I study it, I track the local restaurants and taquerias. I am known to my friends as a Mexican food snob. A friend booked Paloma for his birthday and we were game.
I so appreciated the way Mexican and French cuisine were blended. The chef is so talented and creative and we enjoyed every bit. Desserts were equally as wonderful.
My husband and I cannot eat wheat, they had GF and most options were GF (even had GF bread budding for dessert!!) The Staff was delightful, the co-​owner/​pastry chef was livelya dn fun to talk with. the other staff was warm and well informed. I felt like I was in a fine restaurant in Mexico. I will return.

I am so disappointed to write such a lame review as we really had high hopes for our dinner at Paloma.
We booked our reservation through
and made sure to include in the notes that we were celebrating our 6 year anniversary. Unfortunately, I guess our being under the age of 30 (just barely) meant that we were not qualified to receive the same level of service as, say, the table directly next to us.
Blatant examples of this included us having to ask if there were any specials, to which we received 3 word answers – whereas the table next to us got mouth-​watering descriptions of each of the nights’ offerings (including at least 2 that were not event mentioned to us).
After placing our order, we never saw our server again – or at least did not have an opportunity to speak to her (since we saw her at other tables throughout the small establishment). Our meals were delivered by food runner or the like and no «how is everything» was even attempted.
Overall – I would rate it a C– of an experience. Although the food we got was tasty, the «doctors office» feeling of the interior was made worse by the cold, distant service.
We did the best we could to enjoy ourselves, considering the momentous occasion (at least in our eyes) but ultimately I don’t think we will make any effort to return anytime soon. A total bummer seeings as it’s in the next neighborhood over from ours and we’re huge fans of BYOB’s. There’s plenty more out there though so we’d much rather give our business to the other more gracious options out there.

Enjoyed dinner here last week with a group of friends celebrating my retirement. Had about a quarter of the restaurant reserved for our party. This is a byob and we brought along some first rate wines that were a perfect match for the excellent food we received. The Crab Ceviche was full of tasty fresh jumbo lump crab with avocado slices on tomato slices. Every one enjoyed the Corn Chowder, a truly excellent soup. The grilled black angus filet was cooked perfectly medium rare and the chipotle cappuccino sauce was a different but delicious change. The desserts are all made in house one better tags the other. A great meal with great people in a very nice location.

Very tasty. BYPB. Mushroom flan was great, filet was tasty and cooked great. Had sorbet trio– delicious. 4 stars– Leaving still a little hungry.

Delicious and incredible flavor combinations. We had the red cactus soup special and the tuna tartar special as appetizers. Both fantastic. For entrees it was the salmon special with the most delectable carrot purée sauce. And the paiche. A very soft delicate and mild Amazonian fish. And the service was very knowledgable and attentive. A definite place to recommend and return!

Are you looking for a place where the food is soo good it blows your mind?! Paloma did just that, it blew my mind!!! Paloma serves a french cuisine with Mexican ingredients. The atmosphere is elegant, not stuffy. This place is a great spot for a romantic dinner or a special occasion. The noise level is low and you can hear each other speak. Which is great! The servers are very attentive, and patience. I had the best crab meat at Paloma. We ordered the crab Castillo, wow it was amazingly good. I wish we would have ordered two! For entrées I had the chili relleno, the best one I’ve had EVER! It wasnt over cooked and the puff pastry on the outside gave it a really nice touch. The medley of flavors and veggies inside the relleno were so good it was like opening a present! My guy ordered the branzino which he let me try and I was totally blown away on how delicious it was. Lastly dessert, I ordered the Mexican brownie. It was sooooo good and warm I wanted MORE. It was paired with a gelato which I was not crazy about. It had a strong taste of amaretto and I hate amaretto. Next time I’ll ask for the Mexican vanilla. We also tried the sorbets, I was told the the strawberry habanero was pretty epic! It was cold and sizzling hot at the same time. I didn’t try it, too spicy for my liking. Paloma is a byob so we brought tequila with us. I’m not big on tequila but my margarita was really good. It was the perfect balance of tequila and sour mix.
The pastry chef is the wife of the owner/​chef, what a friendly, warm, welcoming lady! She takes such pride in her desserts and it shows both in flavor and presentation.
I can’t believe we waited sooo long to try Paloma, I was really missing out! I will be back and SOON.

My friends took me here for my birthday and it was a beautiful experience. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. The owner, who we discover does the desserts, was super inviting and friendly. The server was very attentive and patient, being we were the only people there, considering it was the coldest day in Philadelphia in the past 20 years (literally).
We all chose from the preset menu, I had a salad and steak which where both delicious, the steak was cooked perfectly to temp. My two friends had the soup of the day, a carrot/​ginger soup and the crap cake, which they both agreed were delicious. When you order a crap cake, you always expect a deep fried patty, but this was fresh!
The ambience was relaxing and each dish looked like a work of art. I attached pictures of the food, and the personalized bday dessert! We all went home satisfied and full. I believe it was moderately priced at $ 35 for the menu that includes an appetizer, entrée, & dessert. Always helps that it’s BYOB too!
Thank you to the owners, husband, who does the cooking, wife who does the desserts, and server, John, who patiently hung around while we took our time enjoying our meal, on such a slow night (due to weather).

Other than a bit of an identity crisis, Paloma is fantastic. Honestly, it’s been quite some time since I’ve felt compelled to tell so many people about my dinner. Paloma defines itself as «Haute Mexican,» while Zagat and Unilocal both give a nod to French. Honestly, it’s a fusion restaurant that does have leanings towards Mexican with the glazes and spices, whatever you call it: it’s damn good.
I dined at Paloma on a thursday night, and it was oddly empty inside; only two other tables. Still, the décor is nice. Steve, our server, has an excellent knowledge of wines. Bring a few bottles and he’ll be able to pair one best with whatever you order. The service overall is fantastic.
During week days, Paloma runs a 3 course fixe prix menu at an even-​better-​than Restaurant Week $ 30. it’s BYO to boot, so this is really one of the finest places you can dine on a budget. Even the regular menu is filled with reasonably priced options.
I started with the mushroom flan and my date had the Caesar salad. Both were great, just depends on how you want to start you meal. The portion on the salad was generous.
I had a 12 oz New York strip in a red wine reduction. The chef recommends medium rare, and I heartily second that. This dish is fantastic. My date had the salmon glazed with hoisin and chipotle, which was also a really great choice. Any dish will likely be of high quality.
Bottom Line: I can almost taste my food again by just writing this. Bella Vista BYO offers delicious food with one of the city’s best «bang for your buck» deals. Get here soon.