La Mula Terca

It was Cinco de Mayo ... I read the reviews in the 'Inky" and Mr. LeBan had this place on this list of preferences for Mexican food that does not replicate the franchisees of 'THE BELL.'

Reservations were made and the first challenge if you are not used to Philly streets is navigating your way to La Mula Terrca through an array of narrow one-way streets usually partially blocked by local residents' cars. If you can find parking (On the street folks so work on your parallel parking before you head out to eat.) within 3 or 4 blocks of their location by all means PARK!!!! We lucked out on our second trip circling the restaurant and parked within sight of this small corner eatery (Groups definitely won't fit in.).

La Mula Terca has limited seating but gives a warm welcome. On the day of our visit there were tables set outside along the street but we chose to eat indoors.

So, here's where the loss of the star happened ... if you read my opening few words ... IT WAS CINCO de MAYO ... and one would think, hope, and dream that a amazingly special restaurant featuring Mexican food would offer an extensive menu of choices (Ok, not as extensive as the many Americanized-Mexican restaurants around the nation but still a menu with perhaps more than a handful of options.) but NOOOOOOOOOOO! I have to admit that the VERY LIMITED menu made choosing everything rather simple.

I did ask if the corn for the Mexican street corn (elote loco) was fresh and I was assured 'fresh and sweet' so it was ordered! They did not have the highly recommended 'Spicy Mango Guacamole' (See note about the limited Cinco de Mayo menu.) so we went with regular GUAC & Chips.

So, this is merely a note but for some a concern. The really tasty and fresh GUAC is served with six large chips rather than a basket of small fried corn tortillas. SIX!!! But they worked for us because we could do the mathematical division necessary to calculate that meant 3 chips a piece and we did have spoons to deliver the excess yummy GUAC to our mouths.

The Elote Loco was so fresh and so good ... every spec of seasoning was consumed and it was a predictor of the entrees to come!

The Tres Tacos Spicy Mango Chicken provided perhaps one of the very best bites I have ever had when ordering tacos. YUMMYNESS heaven, which made me forget about the limited menu because we had struck gold.

The second entree was the highly recommended (By the Philadelphia Inquirer's food evaluator no less) Churrasco Steak and it was deserving of all the accolades!

As we headed back to the narrow streets of Philadelphia and whatever traffic nightmares might await navigating this community we knew the right choice had been made for Cinco de Mayo knowing it would be a good choice for dinner on any other occasion as well!

Interestingly enough I was having a conversation about Philadelphia's Mexican food scene and now I have a great spot to recommend to anyone interested. Came to La Mula Terca for Hispanic Restaurant Week and I'd say it was a great decision.

A cozy indoor/outdoor spot located deep in South Philadelphia. Getting there is an adventure in itself but I'd say it's worth the trek.

Amazing and authentic Mexican food that everyone will enjoy. I can't lie, the first thing that caught my eye was the BYOB option (which the group heavily indulged in), but every was more than meets the eye. The establishment has their own mixers available for purchase. Everyone has their favor but out of the 4 my favorite was Hibiscus. Tamarind was a close second but still amazing none the less.

The food also gets an A+. The group order more than a few starters including chips and guacamole. There was also an interesting Mango guac that offered a little more to the flavor than I expected. Meats in all dishes were seasoned well and cooked perfectly. Had to take leftovers from being so stuffed.

Highly recommend. Great place with great food and even better people.

The food here is well presented And ingredients seem quite fresh. Dishes are well thought out in composition.

I ordered Lamb Birria and Shrimp Montaditos.

The shrimp app was so good. Soft baguette. Shrimp were plump and juicy with a firm snappiness. The garlic butter on the bread mixed with the salsa roja reminded me a lot of my meals in Quintana Roo.

However, the Lamb Birria underperformed. I will grant that this is how it is served in Mexico. But, it was too sticky and dry on the bite. I do not understand the boiled lamb. It was stripped of all it's gorgeous fat and tenderness. And nothing was left but a chalky mess to grind one's teeth on.

Still giving 4 stars because almost every other ingredient on my plates were perfect. Please please improve the lamb. Cure/brine and do not boil more than a minute or two!

This is definitely a mixed review since there were some real positives and some real lows. We tried the guacamole, the lamb tacos and the huevos racheros. The guacamole was okay, but tasted more like fillers than actual avocados. It needed some extra acid to cut the creaminess of the guacamole. The huevos rancheros were not good. It had a very strange taste and the eggs did not taste fresh. They seemed overcooked and hard, definitely not what I'm used to when getting huevos rancheros. It needed something light and fresh to cut the heaviness. Lastly, the lamb tacos were AMAZING. I wish I had gotten a few orders since they were so good. I think we just tried the wrong items, but the tacos definitely make me want to return. I think next time I return I'll stick to the tacos.

Was looking for a place with birria tacos and this was the first restaurant that came up. I've been told that South Philly is the way to go when it comes to Hispanic food, and this place exceeded my expectations! We got the chips and guac, birriadillas, birria tacos, and the steak and it was all extremely tasty and full and satisfied. Our server was very accommodating, especially when the steak came out a little rare for our liking, so he took it back immediately and came back with it replated with extra sauce which was great. Only negative thing I have to say is that it wasn't super easy for us to get there, but that's a minimal complaint for amazing food.

To the owners:
You have a great product, but not enough of an attraction for this area right now. I would love it if you used the same menu as Cafe Y Chocolate. I really think it could help and the area needs your food.
Keep up the excellent food and service!

We had a lovely dinner here on a weekend. The restaurant is small and family owned.

It is BYOB which we didn't know but probably needed after spending all wkend drinking in Philly. They do have have mixers for your cocktails if you wish to BYOB.

For starters we had the elote corn delish and just the right amount of spice and crema. We also had chips and guacamole, yummmmm.

I had the port tacos with lots of red sauce, delish and so filling. My friends had the birria lamb taco and it was everything you want in birria taco- lamb was perfectly seasoned and the consume held all the flavors together.

We especially enjoyed the family owned cozy feel. It was a young lady and her dad working and they were both fantastic and kind. Can't wait to visit again soon and keep on eating our way thru the menu.

My first experience at La Mula Terca was at a private catered event at the restaurant and included a second restaurant catering. The private event was a lot of fun and they did a great job accommodating everyone. All of the food and dessert was amazing. My favorite was the Enchiladas Verdes O Rojas as I love corn tortillas, queso fresca and green sauce. They are super yummy! But unfortunately they are only offered during brunch. The churro ice cream sundae is also yummy.

As for my second and most recent visit, my family ordered food for takeout. I had to try something new since we ordered for dinner.

I tried the Cilantro Pesto Shrimp tacos. It was good, BUT the shrimp weren't de-tailed and I discovered that upon my first bite. It was not enjoyable. I had to take all the shrimp out of my 3 tacos and eat them separate to avoid eating the tail. I was surprised by that. If I had known in advance the tails would be on the shrimp, I would've expected it and been fine with it. The tacos also had some sort of hot pepper in them and the seeds were also in the tacos. This was NOT mentioned in the description on the menu. They ended up being quite spicy and I can't do spicy. It makes my nose run, burns my throat and upsets my stomach. I pushed through and ate all 3 tacos since we ordered for pick up.

I finished my meal with a hot pain in my stomach unfortunately. Thank goodness for tums! The spanish rice and beans also had very little flavor as opposed to the catered event, their spanish rice is actually just white rice with corn.

Getting to La Mula Terca may be a daunting task, rife with narrow streets, poorly lit corridors, but once you arrive, expect an authentic feast of a lifetime. It's BYO and CASH ONLY!

Must get: lamb tacos (with soup), shrimp cerviche, guacamole, breaded fish appetizer
Meh: mango chicken tacos, roasted corn salad,
Missed: mole, cactus guac, dessert

First of all, we're all about the quiet dining experience, and if you want to enjoy amazing food without the rowdy byo crowd, then come to La Mula Terca during the weekday. We honestly loved almost every dish we ordered, with the favorite being the lamb tacos with the accompanying soup. The shrimp cerviche was actually quite bland, in comparison to all of the other dishes, and the fish was surprisingly gently breaded and fried, as the waitress mentioned, a hidden gem of the menu items. I was definitely not a fan of the heavy corn salad (too much mayo) and I honestly thought the mango in the chicken taco diluted and confused the taste buds too much (too much noise, not enough harmony). The lamb was incredibly scrumptious, dripping with intensity and the serving size was reasonable for the price.

Food: 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
Ambiance: 3-4 stars
Price: 4 stars (CASH only)

Over the years, my mom has compiled a list of random restaurants (including bunches of places I've never heard of) around Philly, and we finally had the chance to start tackling it. First up: La Mula Terca, which certainly set the bar very high. Our server was very friendly, the food was homey and tasty and stick-to-your-bones filling, and the prices cannot be beat.

I had the lamb birria tacos - the meat was tender and so well-seasoned, and the tortillas tasted handmade. I would have like them double-wrapped - I took my time enjoying the tacos, so by the time I reached my last one, the taco shell was falling apart. My mom had the churrasco, which was overcooked and too salty. She also struggled a lot with the jalapenos in the salsa, which I personally didn't find very spicy and actually liked quite a bit. We shared the arepas, which were really, really good. The corn cakes tasted fresh and were dense yet fluffy - just a very pleasing texture. The beef filling was great and the hoja santa cream was delicious.

We also very much enjoyed our "Tahitian" (hibiscus) margarita, which La Mula Terca will make for you ($5 for half pitcher, $10 for whole) if you bring your own tequila. (They're a BYO so if tequila's not your thing, beer and wine are fair game too.)

If it wasn't so out of the way, I'd come back here all the time. As it is, I'm already looking forward to my next visit - our whole meal cost us only $60 (and we had lots of leftovers!) and we were so stuffed at the end, we had to pass on dessert, which I really, really want to try soon.

Tip: cash only! They do have an ATM in the store if you forget though.