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    El Merkury

    4.3 (218 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    EL MERKURY ATMOSPHERE

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    Taquitos
    Amber K.

    I went to the location in reading terminal and these taquitos were so delicious I needed to leave a review. The shell was so crunchy and the pickled veggies made it very refreshing. I will definitely be coming over to try at the main restaurant one day

    Jeongmin H.

    Their pupusas were solid. Great combination of flavors and pretty good amount of food. It was easy to share as we were trying out lots of different vendors within the market.

    Josie

    Stopped by for lunch and had a great meal. You order on the computer and the food is ready quite quickly. I got the nachos with guac + black bean jalapeño pupusa. I was very satisfied with the nachos. Pupusa was alright. I was super full. I enjoyed the Latin playlist and open windows. Next time I want to try one of their drinks + churros!

    Pupusas
    Alicia J.

    Had been craving pupusas for a while and this seemed like the best (and perhaps only) spot in Center City. Unlike the homier spots where I've had pupusas in the past, El Merkury is a spacious and modern fast-casual restaurant with touchscreens to order from, which may make it more approachable to newcomers but somewhat less cozy than a more longtime family-owned kind of place. Though you don't talk to anyone to order, someone serves your food to your table and even waits to serve your dessert until after you've finished your meal which makes it feel a touch more personal than your usual counter-serve spot. I got an order of two pupusas, one with loroco (an edible flower used as a vegetable) and cheese and one with pork. I liked that they were topped with some pickled onions and salsa to give some crunch and bright flavors. Of the two, I preferred the loroco and cheese as the cheese imparted some moisture and tasty fattiness, though I would have liked more loroco. The pork one was somewhat one-note and I think I'd get another filling with cheese next time, either the bean and cheese or pork and cheese. A surprisingly filling and satisfying meal for not too much money though. For dessert I split the "South Philly," a churro sundae with vanilla ice cream, Nutella and caramel sauce, and cannoli chips. It was a visual treat and the churro itself was perfectly crispy! Would be happy to come back to try another churro sundae flavor, and maybe one of the combo meals.

    Monica T.

    Had a delicious lunch at El Merkury! Conveniently located in Center City a couple blocks from Rittenhouse Square. They have screens to place your order but the friendly staff is on hand in case you have questions. For ease in meal ordering, they offer a couple Combos. I enjoyed the Pupusa (Chicharron Pork) and Tostada (Pork Mechada), and 2 Sides (Cheese Baked Rice w/ jalapenos & corn, Guacamole). I have zero complaints about any of it - it was all delicious. There's plenty of seating to sit at as you enjoy your meal and fun music. Can't wait to return. PS. Don't miss out on the insane churros -- some offered with ice cream and toppings!

    pupusa and taquito meal deal with a tamarind water
    Jackie M.

    What a delight to eat here! I love that they have screens to order on, it's really nice to have a fast casual place like this. I ordered around 5pm and sat by the window. The food came out really quickly and they brought it right over to me. I ordered a beans and cheese pupusa, a roasted squash taquito, banana chips, and avocado salsa (they call in guacamole but it's not a traditional american guac). This was part of their meal deal for $13.99. I thought that was a fair price for the amount of food. I also ordered the tamarind water, which was very refreshing. The food was very flavorful and just different that what I usually eat. I can't decide if the pupusa or the taquito was my favorite. They also add some pickled veggie accoutrements. Very delicious. I will definitely be back - but maybe I will check out their location at Reading Terminal next.

    Samira A.

    This is a cute spot with plenty of seating and a clean bathroom. They offer self service computers to place your order, which is convenient. Since I was in a hurry, I only ordered a build your own salad, which was fresh and tasty. I chose spinach, pinto beans, zucchini, and carrots, and they provided a generous amount of cilantro dressing, perfect for coating all the veggies. The flavors here are great, and the prices are very reasonable. I look forward to coming back to try more items.

    Pupusas

    Waited about 15 minutes for my order. The pupusas looked great and were nicely presented, and the price--2 for $14--is a solid deal. Unfortunately, they were a bit lacking in flavor. That said, the staff was super kind and which I really appreciated.

    Outside
    Manta K.

    El Merkury is a vibrant casual restaurant which serves Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras food. The menu has items like pupusas, tostadas, taquitos, and churros. It's an easy process to order off of a touchscreen and your food is prepared quickly and when ready your name is called. We appreciated that dietary restrictions are clearly labeled. Most of what we ordered was very tasty however not sure if we ordered the wrong pupusas as the bean ones were a bit bland. The tostada and taquito were delicious though. We loved the bright cheerful interior and were sad we were too full for a churro. Docking one star for the bland pupusas but will definitely be back and will try a different one and will adjust my rating. Please give this place a try it is very unique!

    Sharvani M.

    Good food! I've had taquitos from their Reading Terminal Market location before and they were quite tasty and crisp, and same experience this time except tried a few more items. The butternut squash taquitos were probably still my fave for how crispy on the outside, savory on the inside they were. I also really enjoyed the beet tostada, but didn't love the black bean pupusas. The toppings ar generally the same on each item (pickled onions, lettuce, salsa) so the real flavor comes from the filling or stuffing itself and the toppings add to it. Plenty of vegetarian options - I would come back here for a little snack but probably not a whole meal.

    Got the churro on the side
    Angela B.

    Just go to your neighborhood churro man lol =========== I was excited for the churro, but even fresh it wasn't that good :( vanilla soft serve with nut brittle, goat milk caramel sounded better on paper. The churro was pretty hard on the outside and wasn't really moist on the inside. For $7, you get a sizeable amount, but I didn't even enjoy eating the churro by itself. Even Jack in the box churros are better. When I called them on the phone, they didn't pick up and I let it ring forever. As I entered, they were serving one customer so I'm not sure what occurred here.

    Gloria L.

    First, I would go here again just for the churro desserts! That was the best dessert I've had in a while, and they have such a broad selection of flavors of churros and soft serve ice cream. Based on my first experience, I think I would enjoy all the flavors. Of the other foods we ordered my favorites were the taquitos and empanadas. I also loved their plantain chips and guacamole. I was excited for their pupusas since not many places serve them but they were fine--nothing super exciting.

    Pupusa & Taquito Combo
    Cookie W.

    Fast food, quick service, friendly staff. Self seeting area Taquito (5/5) - One of the best taquitos in philly, fried perfectly. Thicker than traditional Pupusa (4/5) - Soft, flavorful, we got vegetarian Tostada (3/5) - Average

    Churro w ice cream

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    5 months ago

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    3 years ago

    Great place for lunch! We had nachos with pork and a churro. It was busy and the food came fast. We will be back

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    Food is great. Service is very dependent on the day. If you can order online, that's ideal.

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Mixto Restaurant

    Mixto Restaurant

    3.8(1.5k reviews)
    0.9 miWashington Square West
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    Just found out about Mixto and tried it the day before they closed. So sad to lose a place like…read morethis, the food was so good and there aren't a ton of Latin/Caribbean restaurants in town. Sat outside and had a passionfruit lemonade, pernil rostizado, it was beautiful.

    I came in for lunch on a solo date and asked if I could be seated outside. Although there were open…read moretables available, the staff seemed a little reluctant and initially offered me a seat at the bar. I preferred to sit outside, so I was eventually able to grab a table and a menu. It took a little while for someone to bring water and utensils. By the time they came over, I was already ready to order. I ordered the bistec encebollado and was impressed by the portion size! they give you a generous amount of steak. Unfortunately, the steak had quite a bit of fat around it, which isn't my favorite. When the food arrived, the rice was packed into a small cup, which made me think everything would be served hot. Unfortunately, none of the food was warm. Everything was room temperature and lacked flavor. Because it took a while for my meal to arrive, I got the impression that it may have been sitting out before being served. I ate it as it was because I didn't want to wait any longer. Taste-wise, the steak needed more seasoning, although the beans were good. Overall, the meal was average. After finishing, I asked for both a to-go box and the check. About 10 minutes later, the check arrived, but no box. One employee, William, really stood out. Whenever he stopped by, he was attentive, friendly, and on top of things. I appreciated his service and how proactive he was in checking on guests. Overall, the service had some delays, the food temperature was disappointing, and the flavors were underwhelming, not sure if I'll try this place again.

    Photos
    Mixto Restaurant - (photographed by Dave Hong)

    (photographed by Dave Hong)

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    Mi Tierra Colombia - Empanadas de carne y queso y piña colada  Beef and cheese empanadas

    Mi Tierra Colombia

    4.1(97 reviews)
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    Very small restaurant with a lot of pretty wall decoration and a large take out service…read more I enjoy trying new places and experiencing food from different cultures. This is a great place with authentic cuisine. We started with the chicken Empanadas which were crispy on the outside and full of delicious flavors on the inside. I'm sorry we didn't try the beef and cheese ones...maybe next time. The seafood paella was full of shrimp, octopus, mussels and chorizo over seasoned rice with fried onions, red peppers and peas. The chorizo was so good I got a few to take home. The ropa vieja was beef which was slow cooked to the point of falling apart and melting in your mouth with potatoes and a side of rice. There were three in my party and we all had at least seconds and still had some leftovers. Very enjoyment meal and would recommend.

    Took a little trip across the bridge from PA to Joisy to pick up some items order online. Thanks to…read moremy fellow yelpers, found this restaurant for lunch about a 3 minute drive away. Man, I could eat at this place every week and be a happy camper! The food was sooo flavorful and delicious. Every item on our plates was cooked well and seasoned to perfection. Despite not speaking the same language, we were able to communicate our needs and received good and friendly service from our waitress. The other diners all seem to be enjoying their meals. And, our portions were big enough to enjoy the deliciousness at another meal. Would return without hesitation!

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    Aqimero by Chef Richard Sandoval - Tomahawk

    Aqimero by Chef Richard Sandoval

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    Aqimero is a beautiful restaurant located at the Four Seasons. They have a great bottomless brunch…read moremenu (which includes unlimited brunch cocktails) so our party of 6 was eager to come and check it out. Our server Lewis was great. However, I felt as a party of 6, we were getting shortchanged. For example, there was a table of 2 next to us that was also partaking in the bottomless brunch menu. They were served one bowl of yogurt to share as a starter. Our table of 6 was served TWO bowls to share. Not 3, but 2. I felt similarly regarding the seafood portions we received. It's almost as if we would have been better off dining as 3 tables of 2 to get the full value of what we were paying. Aside from that, the seafood is high quality and fresh. My brunch burger was good, and I enjoyed the cocktails as well. However, I think the only way I can recommend this brunch is if you have a party of 2 or less.

    I had amazing time here on Women's Day weekend. I was a part of a large party and we opted for the…read moreendless bubbles and brunch. The food and the service did not disappoint. My favorite course was the croissant with the whipped cream and carmelized banana. Our server was excellent at refilling our beverages without asking and I appreciated that they took the silverware between courses. I will definitely check this place out. If you were looking for an upscale brunch in Philly and I would return.

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    Bar Bombon - Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos

    Bar Bombon

    4.1(917 reviews)
    0.3 miRittenhouse Square, Penn Center
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    Went for dinner here on my recent trip to Philly. Super casual vibe, pretty crowded when we went,…read morebut the service was still fast and really friendly, which made a big difference. Staff felt genuinely welcoming. Food was super flavorful across the board. We got the loaded nachos with jackfruit and the chili stuffed dish - both were honestly delicious. Nothing felt like it was missing just because it was vegan; everything was well-seasoned and satisfying. Overall, loved everything we ordered. Also random note, but I was obsessed with their plates... lowkey wanted to take them home lol.

    We walked in on a Saturday night and got seated almost immediately, even though it was pretty busy…read more Honestly, we were just looking for a dinner place and were shocked that it was vegan! We ordered the Peruvian yuca and sweet plantains to split. I'm not a huge fan of aji amarillo and felt there was too much of it (I would've preferred it on the side), so the yuca wasn't my favorite dish, but it was still a solid appetizer. The sweet plantains were delicious, a classic, and exactly what I expected. The aioli was also nice, balancing out the sweetness. For my entree, I ordered the oyster mushroom tacos with the citrus salad. The oyster mushrooms were perfectly fried, but I felt like they were the slightest bit bland and I didn't love that there weren't any sauces to go with them. The citrus salad is interesting in that the "citrus" is a lemon-based dressing(?), but it's actually mostly tomatoes.

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    Bolo - Panna cotta & cream cheese custard

    Bolo

    4.2(139 reviews)
    0.1 miRittenhouse Square, Penn Center

    Came here for dinner on a Thursday evening. I didn't realize until after booking that there would…read morebe live music. The idea of it sounds nice but in reality, the music was too loud which made it difficult to chat and communicate with the server. The problem is the small space with a whole band. The music wasn't disruptive but just loud. I think it's nice to listen to if I wasn't trying to chat. There's happy hour menu 5-7PM with items from three large categories: ceviche, skewers, and fried starch. They don't post their HH menu online. We ended up ordering: caderas skewer, bacalaitos, short rib carne guisada, seafood asopao, vaca frita The server was nice about pointing out how our order of one regular appetizer with an entrée is already more expensive than going with their prix fixe with comes with an extra dessert. She allowed us to only have one prix fixe for the table, and she applied our most expensive entrée to it. Appreciate that! Skewer - I thought we ordered steak but it came out to chicken. Slightly frustrated about the language barrier. I legit tried to google and translate to find out what's what, and the quick search turned out wrong. bacalaitos - This was solid. The crab dip wasn't too creamy and filling. The chip was a bit oily but it was sturdy in holding up the dip. Kinda cool how the fish is in the chip. Short rib - It was tender. The red wine sauce was earthy. I think they gave too much sauce and it's a little too thin for what it is. A piece of food dropped from my fork and it created a big splash on my white shirt....I know it's my fault but I do think they can provide less sauce especially when there isn't bread or starch to soak it up. The variety of potatoes was pleasant. There were purple and yellow ones which all had slightly different tastes. Since we got the prix fixe we ordered the flan dessert. The server gave us complimentary buñuelos because we were celebrating a birthday. They only had three desserts on the menu, and my group struggled to decide which one to pick. Two of them didn't like coconut, so it was easy to eliminate one of them. I'm glad the complimentary dessert wasn't that one. The flan was the denser side with obvious air bubbles inside which indicates too high temperature and overcooking. The pickled papaya wasn't additive in terms of tartness or sweetness. The buñuelos came out warm. It was kind of bland without the sauce, but the sauce itself wasn't unique either. Overall my friends like the food. I think it's solid but could use some fine tuning. I was more bothered by the environment. I'm open to trying this place again but I might prefer to try new restaurants when I visit Philly next time. Also I think they're a bit pricier amongst nearby options. They have a 3% credit card surcharge which is added to the food subtotal, and tax is applied on top of the surcharge as well.

    Loved our happy hour experience at Bolo. The happy hour menu is full of options and a great deal!…read moreThe service was good too. Will definitely return to try the full menu! Pro tip: Get the happy hour sandwich! You won't regret it!

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    El Merkury - latin - Updated September 2026

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