Taqueria La Veracruzana

As I continue my search for authentic Mexican food (without actually having to travel to Mexico) I thought I'd try the place where Jose Garces supposedly goes to get his taco fix-Taqueria La Veracruzana. The first thing I noticed upon entering was that the decor was a bit better than the average taco joint. I then took the liberty of standing awkwardly in the doorway for a full 2 minutes waiting for some sign of what the "system" was here. Should I seat myself? Wait for a server? Order at the counter and then sit down? I also couldn't tell which tables were really even available because many of the vacant ones hadn't been cleared yet. I went to the window, asked if I could just sit anywhere (which seemed like the system? I'm still not sure) grabbed some menus and we were on our way.

The server was really sweet, although she was overwhelmed with the million things she had to do at once. She spoke english pretty well so we avoided any ordering problems. She brought us some tortilla chips with red and green salsas. The salsa verde was refreshing and spicy while the red salsa was more earthy with a strong chipotle flavor. Since we weren't organized enough to have brought-our-own we went for the nonalcohlic drink list which contained cokes imported from Mexico. I could not tell the difference between the Mexican version of a Coke-a-cola and the American one, but I did appreciate that it was in a glass bottle. I don't know why but it just seems extra special and vintage.

The Tacos al Pastor came three to an order. The pork itself was seasoned with spices like cumin without any heat. However, it seemed as though the pork was shredded instead of shaved off of a spit like a traditional taco al pastor which was kind of dissapointing. However, the addition of fresh pineapple gave it a nice sweet note. The taco as a whole was pretty dry. B-. Parrillada Nortena- Nortena Syled Grilled Meat was a heaping portion of grilled beef, chicken, and Mexican sausage with cactus, onions, cheese, and sacapostlena sauce. The beef and chicken were fine. They had a nice grilled flavor, but it was not surprising that they were on the dry side. The sausage mixture was the best of the three meats. Covered in chihuahua cheese and sauteed with vegetables, I wished this was the only meat in the dish. One of the reasons we chose this dish was for the cactus, which neither of us had tried before. I couldn't really distinguish the flavor with everything else in the hash, but I did notice it reminded me of okra with that kind of slimy mouth feel. I didn't mind it though for some reason. The pico de gallo was a fresh addition. B.

To top it all off we ordered the Chilaquiles Rojos which were under the breakfast part of the menu, but were still available for dinner. This was another heaping portion, with enough food for 3 people. The red sauce with soaked tortilla chips sat underneath a mound of shredded (and dry) chicken. The red sauce had a real kick to it, which I really appreciated. The queso fresco and sour cream rounded out the dish to cut the spicyness and add a creamy texture. B-.

Tacos, burritos, quesadillas and the like are all around $6-$7.50. The larger dishes are more in the $12-$15 range. The dishes were what I would expect from this sort of Taqueria. It lies somewhere in between the Qdobas and real Mexican street food. Something with a hint of Mexico to keep the actual Mexicans coming but not enough to make them stop yearning for chilaquiles the way mom makes it.

Overall: B-
Taqueria La Veracruzana

908 Washington Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19147

215-465-1440