Taco Riendo

My husband and I stopped by here today for the first and had the steak and shrimp burrito and I must say it was sooo delicious! We will be returning!

Amazing cash only BYOB with some incredibly delicious and authentic food. The only reason I didn’t give them the 5^th star is because I wish they delivered and accepted credit cards. But aside from that, hands down my favorite taco spot in all of Philly! Did I mention their food was delicious? :)

One word — AUTHENTIC.
Two words — Delicious salsas.
Expansive selection of tacos with Horchata and Jamaica beverages. Having lived in Arizona and traveled across Texas eating tacos… this is a great local spot. Eat in at this cozy spot… and remember to bring cash.

This place would be 5 stars if it wasn’t for the extremely rude girl behind the counter.
This was a place my boyfriend and I would frequent, until this experience. My boyfriend walked in and was waiting to place an order (along with 6 other people) while the girl working here ignored the customers at the counter and continued cleaning every table in the place.
My boyfriend talked to chef who was behind the counter about our order and the girl then snapped at him telling him he has to wait and if he wanted it to be fast he should have called ahead .
When he responded, in no way rude, to her saying she could have taken the orders of the line of customers who were waiting then returned to cleaning, she angrily told him «don’t talk to me that way» .
It’s unfortunate as this place does have relatively inexpensive and decent food, but rude staff ensures that we will no longer be repeat customers.

Been going to this place since the week they opened a few years ago. I’ve had close to half the tacos on the menu & I they are all really good. Aside from their good platters, they also carry great tortas & soups. The food gets an A and so does their service. I’ve always been happy eating here.

I had veggie tacos and the taste is amazing! Not ordinary tacos where you have the taste of flour, beans, and cheese and that’s it; their tacos is so well seasoned, and the taste is really rich and satisfying.

When you dream of food you had months ago, it is a sign your taste buds never forget a blissful and authentic experience. My experience with mexican food has been «bittersweet», many cookie cutter mexican restaurants serve liquid re-​fried beans, bland meats, and an excruciating excess of cheese, and make it pass as authentic. Then the authentic ones have excellent flavor that simply can’t hit the high notes it deserves because of the abusive use of hot peppers and similar sauces. Taco Riendo is just right, fresh ingredients, an well orchestrated parade of flavors and the street corn is just one of those things that will keep making you take an hour drive to get more. From the outside the place is very humble looking but trust me what happens inside that place is simply magic!

Good food but I think its overpriced… And its cash only. come on I go with my wife and pay $ 35 for three tacos and a skimpy burrito and two drinks. and they can’t afford to accept credit/​debit.

I don’t usually give 5 stars, and especially I don’t give 5 stars to Mexican food because it usually doesn’t agree with with me much later… however…
This is by far my favorite Mexican in the city. This mom and pop shop is family owned and casually decorated with ament cozy lightening and the smell of Mexican cuisine in the air for blocks.
The salsa con queso chips was an easy appetizer to nosh on while we waited for our burritos and the orange tangy house made salsa was amazing. I’d definitely get extra next time to smother on my burrito.
The burrito was perfectly balanced with a heaping load of meat, a pocket of cheese, bean, peppers, onions, rice and a dallop of sour cream.
My friend ordered the pork and said it was also perfectly constructed and the pork was wonderfully seasoned however I’m not a pork fan so I strayed away.
For a decently cheap 8 – 13 $ meal this place offers quite the punch of Mexican cuisine. Next time I’m definitrly gonna try one of the platters.

So after reading all of the reviews and even having some local friends tell me I have to go, I did… while I gave it a 3 my rating would be a 3.5. The staff was friendly and the ambiance was very authentic. The only taco I got that I loved was the pork and pineapple. The chorizo and the chicken, onion and avocado were good but not special and the steak and cactus was very plain and not very tasty at all. Everything was prepared well but just not a mind blowing experience. I will go again to give it a fair shot and if other things are better I will adjust my review accordingly.

Some of the best street-​style tacos I have had State side in years!
Recommendation: Chicken tacos with cactus, avocado and onion.

I found this place when taking a shortcut on N 5^th Street from Girard to Temple’s campus. The curb appeal is what drew me to Unilocal to see what this business was all about. After seeing some pictures and reading a few of their reviews I decided to bring my girlfriend there for dinner.
They don’t have a private lot. It’s mostly street parking. However, it’s in a rough area so be careful depending on the time of day. It is an order at the counter type of place. Also, it’s cash only and I didn’t see any ATMs nearby. Despite it being right around dinner time we were able to get a table immediately and place our order at the counter.
We ordered the nachos and a few quesadillas. Sort of a light dinner. Everything was delicious. I definitely want to come back sometime soon to try some of their other dishes and maybe next time we’ll take advantage of the BYOB.

Grilled pork with cilantro and pineapple. Great! (No pics because I ate them too quickly.
Chorizo tostadas also great.
Chicken and Guacamole tostada. Mild spice to it.

Came here based upon the reviews. Food was average overall, nothing special. Tried several different tacos, fish was bland, steak needed more flavor, shrimp tacos had a handful of tiny shrimp filled with rice.
Doubt I will be back but was ok for today…

Literally the most amazing Mexican in the city!
The chicken tostadas & the nachos especial are amazing! I really don’t have anything bad to say except that they don’t deliver!
Really a great little find. Fast, efficient & friendly! Certainly worth the stop! When I’m craving Mexican this is my go to & I guarantee it always will be’

This is a great place for lunch. I brought my four-​year-​old daughter here, and both of us had a good meal, which is not something that can be done at every Mexican place. The neighborhood is a little strange, though. It reminds me of the Philly I knew as a boy — plenty of empty lots, warehouses and busted Camrys.
Regardless, my daughter had three shrimp quesadillas, and after I scraped off the flavorful, yet too-​spicy-​for-​a-​toddler sauce, she ate all of it. I had three corn tortillas with differing amounts of cheese and shrimp and queso blanco, along with a Mexican Coke. The flavors were fresh, clear, and well blended.
For dessert, I had horchata and my daughter had a flan. The horchata was a real mix of Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, and milk. Very good. The flan, however, was godly. The custard was creamy, but the sauce was a super rich caramel.
It’s cash only, of which I barely had enough to scrape by.

One of the best Mexican joints in the city. The intimate location serves up fresh, authentic food daily — and it’s a byo!
We ordered the chicken quesadillas, plato Combinado, and of course a side of guacamole. All of which was delicious as usual.
Taco riendo’s homemade salsas and authentic approach (without overly greasy dishes) sets it apart from other Mexican restaurants in Philly.
Prices are fair and the service is always friendly!

Absolutely addicted to this place! Best authentic Mexican I’ve had in Philadelphia. I love the chicken tinga tostadas or the chicken burrito with avocado! honestly I’m kind of a creature of habit at this place so I haven’t ventured into other options because I CRAVE this two dishes but I’m sure whatever you choose will be delicious!
My husband and I eat here at least 3x a week either for lunch or a spur of the moment dinner plan, I have never had a bad experience with the food and would highly recommend this to everyone!
The only awkward experience I’ve had was with the «mean» girl. There is a girl who must be related to the owners because she is SO RUDE! she’s not friendly, doesn’t smile, she gets mad when you ask for salsa verde when burritos COME with it, she’s the only one who is stingy with salsa and service. This doesn’t keep me away, my husband and I just laugh now and say «oh the mean girl was there, we probably ruined her night for asking for the salsa!»
Tess is amazing! She’s always super nice and friendly!
Overall I love taco riendo and feel blessed to live so close!

Stopped here on Saturday while I was on a bike ride called the tour de taco. 20 miles, 10 taco stops. This was stop 8. I took the strategy of one at each stop which was pretty ambitious. Here I wound up ordering the taco de cachete or steamed beef cheek taco. They had an amazing outdoor space and their selection of traditional Mexican cuisine is fantastic.
The taco was perfect. Two steamed corn tortillas, filled with exactly the right amount of cooked beef cheek, and then topped with cilantro and onion as only the purest of tacos are. I seasoned it up with a bit of lime juice and the spicy orange salsa which I am pretty sure may have been chile de arbol. It was absolutely perfect. The heat was intense, but it didnt overwhelm the taco at all. This was one of my favorite tacos of the day. Everything about was in perfect proportion. Everything was seasoned right, it was just a really well executed taco. They have a nice selection of jarritos as well, so that always wins points with me.
Great spot. Definitely worth a return visit when the taco hunger strikes me again…

I like a tasty tinga. They have a tasty tinga! Taco Riendo’s saucy, smoky shredded chicken is my choice for when I’m hit with a burrito hankerin, which happens quite frequently.
Let’s talk about these burritos, eh? They’re hefty enough, but not so much so that you’ll have to cancel plans in lieu of a belly-​in-​the-​air coma. Think: a pleasant brick, instead of an unwieldy anvil up in ya guts. You’ll be all good for drinking and dancing is what I’m sayin.
Sidenote: Burritos here at the Laughing Taco come stuffed with rice and beans as part of their components, unless you’re goin the tinga route. For some reason you’ll get that nice fluffy rice, but no beans. This will be noted nowhere on any menu or chalk board. This message comes to you only from my own constant experience. So, if you want ya black beans, ask for em. I do.
The, «I heart Frijoles,» bumper sticker I sport ain’t no lie. I also request, «no lettuce,» cause hot wet lettuce is not my idea of a good time. Personal preference, friends.
Now I really need to stop talking about burritos. Ok, I will. Hey, I like their tacos too; especially the porky varieties like al pastor, or the chorizo ones that I actually prefer to a lotta the chorizo choices around town. I usually score one of me husband’s chorizo tacos in trade for one of whichever double-​wrapped corn tortilla beauts topped with fresh cilantro and onion I have ordered for myself, cause, between you and me, I can kinda hit a wall with chorizo after a taco and a half where I begin to question my decisions in life. Again, personal preferences, right? And fears. Oh yeah, but you know what else I love? Salsas.
On Taco Riendo’s sign it is stated, «La salsa hace la diferencia.» The sauce makes the difference, is right, Taco Riendo. You said it. I’m one who always asks for lotsa salsa. Always, all the time.
To my knowledge they have three varieties served on the side, and I’d say get em all and extree. They offer the somewhat basic red with a touch o’ dried chile. Then, there’s the bright, herby verde. So, you gots your good red and green, but Riendo also has a dark, sweet, smoky chipotle salsa as well, apparently, as after one of my habitual, «lotsa extra salsas,» requests with my to-​go order, we received a couple of lil containers of that tastiness too. Yay– three varieties are even better than two in my book. Each salsa on their own, I honestly might give em a shrug, however, magical things happen when you shake em on your burritos and tacos and whatever else. Those flavor spikes really do amplify the whole grubbin experience here muy mucho. I likes em. In short, I am a fan.
I don’t know why I just said, «in short.» There’s been nothing short about my Mexican food ramblings here. But I’ll add just a few more smidgens of info anyway:
This cute little place is BYOB, has some outdoor seating, and a rewards card that gets punched with every purchase of burrito or torta. I’m hurtling towards that free burrito at break-​neck speeds, amigos.