Taqueria La Veracruzana

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Jeff's Take:
With taquerias, quality is a crapshoot—it’s usually either going to be really good or really bad (for the latter, see Mike’s review of Taqueria Moroleon). You’ll very rarely be able to figure out what you’re getting just by looking at the place. Luckily, I tried Taqueria La Veracruzana, located in South Philly near the Italian Market, after a trusted friend recommended it. This place isn’t much for atmosphere—we’re talking Mexican wrestling and soccer playing on television and pretty harsh lighting. The important thing is that the place is clean, because many taquerias aren’t.

Standard with each meal is a generous serving of crisp, homemade tortilla chips served with two salsas—one jalapeno-based, and one smoky chipotle-based. Both are about medium-hot, and are very different from what most people are probably used to. If you prefer, you can order fresh pico de gallo or guacamole for a few extra bucks—I like to order some guacamole with the chips and then use some on my tacos as well.

Unlike Mike, I expect a good taco to be served on a soft shell. Authentic tacos are served on a soft corn tortilla—the hard shell taco is more of an American invention. Taqueria La Veracruzana serves their tacos on two corn tortillas, which is a good call, because there’s a lot of filling. The focus of the filling here is on a food country favorite—meat. You won’t find any shredded lettuce in these tacos—just a generous portion of meat, finely chopped onion, and cilantro. With a little salsa or guacamole, it’s all the flavor you need. For a price of three tacos for $6, you can mix and match your meats, and there are plenty of options. My favorites here are al pastor tacos (marinated pork with pineapple) and the chorizo (pork sausage) tacos, because they offer more spice and flavor. The grilled steak and chicken are also tasty and tender, but are a little on the bland side—of course, that’s where you can get creative with the salsas.

Taqueria La Veracruzana keeps it simple and authentic, and the results are delicious. This place has some of the best tacos in the city.







908-18 Washington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 465-1440

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