After a long day of shopping with Alison, we ventured over to Northern Liberties to check out Taco Riendo. We'd heard good things about it, and knew it was the sister restaurant to Las Cazuelas, so we were excited to sample some of their offerings. They've been open a while, but oddly the restaurant hasn't supplied menupages with their menu.

I enjoyed this awesome apple soda called "Sidral Mundet". The friendly and helpful woman behind the counter told me it was her favorite, so I decided to give it a try. She was even nice enough to replace the bottle for me when I broke the neck trying to get the lid off. It was delicious and refreshing after all that shopping.

We started with some chips and salsa. The salsa was green and little bit spicy, but not nearly as hot as the green salsa you're served down at Taqueria Veracruzan.

Sopes are hands down my favorite dish to order, I love the crispy but thick masa shell. You can get the sopes topped with chicken, steak or shrimp. I chose the grilled steak and it was placed on top of black beans, Oaxaca cheese and more of the green salsa.

I also ordered a chicken taco (I was hungry!) but what arrived at my table was a steak taco. Not what I ordered, but delicious all the same, presented simply with chopped white onion, cilantro and a fresh lime wedge to squeeze on top. The tortilla was fresh, possibly made on the premises. The steak was tasty, but not nearly as flavorful or tender as the grilled steak down at Taqueria Veracruzan.

Alison tried the chicken quesadillas and called them tasty, but again, in comparison to Taqueria Veracruzan, there was no contest.

We're happy that we don't have to get down to South Philly to get Mexican food, but I have a feeling when we're up for something truly delicious, we'll still make the drive. The atmosphere at Taco Riendo was far superior to any of the places down on Washington Ave, beautiful wooden tables, traditional art and an open kitchen are all positive features of Taco Riendo. For a decent taco and an awesome apple soda, the short bike or trolley ride out to 5th and Thompson is also much more manageable.

Taco Riendo
1301 N 5th St
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 235-2294
Hours:
Mon-Thu 9AM-9PM
Fri-Sat 9AM-10PM

$ Very Affordable