El Vez
| Address: | 121 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA |
| Phone: | +1 215-928-9800 |
| Site: | elvezrestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 12PM–12AM 11AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
KE
Keith Cohen
I should have written this last week. It was the first time I was ever in El Vez. I dont usually eat out. Last week I walked in, was greeted warmly and was offered awesome suggestions from the hostess Lana. She was polite and helpful and I really felt appreciated. My waitress last week Rachel was equally as polite and helpful and I had a wonderful experience. I was so hungry I really couldnt make any decisions. Off Lana suggestions I had chicken tacos, Mexican salad, chips and salsa and Lana even suggested Churroes for dessert...for the first time...coffee...one of the best meals I had had in a long time....I gave Rachel a decent tip on a $30 dollar check and had even set aside $2 dollars for hostess Lana because her suggestions were great and I appreciate positive customer service. I dont usually tip hostesses and was going to give her the $2 dollars. I waited few minutes to tip the hostess last week after my meal. But she was busy or ended her shift so I left. So the past week I looked forward to coming back. As I walked in today I heard one of the hostesses immediately make a snide comment to Lana, "oh its that guy!" Which in turn made Lana flee her work station. It was appalling and so disingenuous. No welcome back. No nice to see you again. It was so rude and upsetting. I am not sure why I was treated so poorly. I feel really disappointed and embarrassed that I was going to actually tip the hostess. I called the manager who did care enough to listen to me. But I dont think I will hear back from her. I will not be going back to El Vez again.
RI
Ritesh Shah
Solid option to quench your Mexican cravings. You dont have to be in Philadelphia long to learn about El Vez. The Steven Starr flagship establishment seems to have good word of mouth marketing and delivers with a good mix of Tex-Mex staples as well some funky twists on dishes you probably have had at other places. I would say to definitely try it at least once - its a tourist trap to fall into but no need to continually dive in. The restaurant is in a busy area so parking is a nightmare! Garage parking is available nearby, or you can try to circle towards Old City or the other side of Broad Street and see if you can get lucky. Walk ins are typically an hourish wait (:/). We ended up waiting the time, but they do expect the full party to have arrived prior to seating so it was sort of annoying to just twiddle around until our names were called. In regards to the food, go for the margaritas and nachos and stay for the vibe. The inside is decked out with mosaic tiles on the walls, and a hanging bike over the middle bar. Theres also a photo booth to leave your mark! The portions are ample though the prices are a little much for the ingredients being served. I would say the service was OK. I felt we were being rushed through our meals at times in order to turn our table. I understand they were busy, but no need to put a time limit on us! Overall a fine spot, nothing too extraordinary but worthy of your visit at least once =P!
SC
Scott Biales
Amazing margaritas. I have gotten several types and find the house "El Vez" is the best. The Golden Margarita was too strong and not nearly sweet enough. For the premium price, I would not suggest it. We started with an order of the Mama Nachos for the table and all 4 of os loved them. My parents split the CARNE ASADA ("grilled flat iron, creamed corn and jalapenos, tomatillo escabeche, guajillo steak sauce") and they loved it. The creamed corn that was served with it was AMAZING. I would ask for a side order of it if I didnt get the dish. My girlfriend and I split an order of POLLO ANNATTO ("poblano cornbread with ancho chile chicken relleno"). The stuffed pepper was great, as was the cornbread. A wonderful dish. Both dished were suggested by our waitress and I was VERY PLEASED. Other times Ive been here Ive had their tacos and enchiladas. Though they were good, the portion size was small. An entre is the way to go. Also, the guac is amazing.
A
A Private User
One of the best Mexican restaurants in Philly hands down. Although its not traditional Mexican they do a great job of cooking up innovative new takes on the classics such as crab and lobster tacos with mango salsa. They also make fresh guacamole to order, though at $12 a serving its way over priced. There is definitely something for everyone here with poultry, meat, seafood, and vegetarian options. The drink menu is solid for a Mexican place with the required margaritas and tequila. The restaurant again takes a new twist on the old favorites with blood orange margaritas, pomegranite margaritas, no tequila margaritas, and some interesting sangria combinations. Service was pretty attentive except for refilling the water. The only things that keep this place from getting 5 stars is that it is amazingly loud and there are way too many smokers for my taste given that the bar is in the center of the tables. Be sure to check out the photo booth if you go in.
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Ionut Stefanescu-Sturz
Food - great. Decor - great. Thats where the "great" ends. These people take reservations left and right without actually considering the available seating. As a result - a big cluster of unhappy customers waiting for their tables (heard one of them saying they had a reservation for an hour before), clogging the area around the other (occupied already) tables. As a result, everyone feels under siege and the noise level approaches a ordinary tavern. The actual table service was very good, considering they had to make a slalom around these unhappy waiting customers. Their guacamole and their tacos - highly recommended. Desert - the flan was excellent. But even considering these pluses, we have decided not to return there too soon (if ever) just because we felt uncomfortable with all these people standing around us, and having to make sure they dont tip over our drinks by mistake.
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A Private User
Went there for lunch on a warm spring day. Atmosphere was great, got immediately seated though the place was hopping. Got outstanding guacamole with awesome chips, mixed with goat cheese and pistachios--a weird combo but incredible. Also got mahi-mahi-tacos which were so-so and a vegetarian portobello/corn/sweet potato burrito which was huge and tasty. Plantains on the side which looked great but tasted just average. The lunch was about 50 bucks without alcohol which is very high for lunch and for what we got (meals were in the 12-14 range rather than 7-9 dollar range, guac was 16). Id go back but would get more sides and avoid the taco. Fun lunch and tasty overall but not worthy of all the stars. Service was all over us--available, but not pushy, and they must hire the best looking people in Philadelphia to work there, men and women.
AM
Amana Choudhri
Really cool, trendy and hip restaurant with a really fun atmosphere. There is so much going on in here with the velvet booths, gold bicycles on top of the rotating bar and cool wall decor that the food isnt as memorable as the ambiance. Great menu options and a bunch of different guacamole options. We opted for the guacamole with crab meat, it was a little salty but delicious. The chips and nacho were great too, the salsa was some of the best Ive had. They do have a great lunch selection and offer a two course lunch option with a soda for $17. The appetizers and tortilla soup were really good but our main entrees were just ok. Tortilla for the black bean enchiladas was too soft and the tomato sauce on top was too creamy, I didnt like it. Vaca frita burrito was underwhelming. Waitress was aloof and robotic.
