Pico De Gallo

I went to this place with a group of friends after hearing how unique it was, and it sure was. The food is a bit pricey, but not outrageous. What is outrageous was that the pitcher of margaritas was $ 33 and literally each pitcher was filled to the brim with ice. The outdoor area, while unique, needs to be de-​cluttered and is a huge liability for the owners. We had to climb over the picnic table to sit on the other side which the baseboards were dirty and another group that came in after us had to move a bunch of clunk to access a table. Also, don’t hang out for long on the street around that area. While we were there a woman claimed someone stole her kid and the police were all over the street. The waiter said that they don’t even let people in the front door to avoid all the riff raft entering from the street.
Not a bad place to eat if you are okay with average service and extremely overpriced margaritas.

I’ve never had a bad time here and I don’t think it deserves 2.5 stars at all. Maybe the staff doesn’t always have a twinkle in their eyes, but I wouldn’t say its any worse than any other place I’ve been. I just tried another highly rated place on 2^nd and South, and I missed Pico De Gallo. I think their menu has a good selection, both variety wise and price wise for lunch or dinner.
The food is great, the ingredients seem fresh, and its Mexican food so what else really matters? You can go to a taco truck in south philly and get something more authentic and just as delicious as anything you can get elsewhere. So that being said, Pico De Gallo is a little cheaper than most sit-​down Mexican places, I’ve never had a negative dining experience there, and the Mexican Platters are awesome.

Run, do no walk away from this place if someone tries to bring you here.
I went to Pico de Gallo when I was incredibly hungry, anything should have tasted good. I am not that picky.
The waitstaff was really really rude, and wouldn’t bring the drinks we ordered until after our appetizers and entrees came out. We were charged a $ 4 dollar fee for sharing nachos.
It got worse when I found more than a few chunks of ground meat in my vegetarian burrito. I told the server that I ordered a rice and bean burrito and she suggested I cut the meaty bits out and continue eating my food. The manager looked at me like I was ridiculous when I complained about finding meat in my veggie burrito.
Do not go here, with weird unessecary upcharges, flavorless faux mexican food, and rude staff.

I could eat mexican food for the rest of my life, but not from Pico. The décor is quite charming but that’s about it. My roomate and I ordered just about one of everything on the menu and were terribly disappointed.
Nothing tasted authentic because there was no flavor in anything. The tacos were soggy and the meat questionable. All of the toppings on the topping bar looked like they had been there since the night before. The waiter seemed totally un-​phased when we asked for our check and saw that we had barely touched anything. I’m assuming that wasn’t the first time it had happened and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

I had been craving fish tacos for quite some time before i found myself roaming the rainy streets of Philadelphia with my hungry vegetarian boyfriend. We stumbled upon Pico de Gallo, a seedy hole in the wall with a quirky ‘dia de los muertos’ theme going on and thought «we’re young. what’s the worst that could happen?» I got the Baja Tilapia Tacos and he got the pinto bean tacos. and as much as a fish taco connoseiur I am and as much of a picky vegetarian he is, we were both thoroughly satisfied.
Chips and salsa weren’t free like most Mexican restaurants. the tortilla chips were soggy but it was humid and rainy outside and the restaurant was pretty open. The salsa was just the right amount of spicy and tasted pretty fresh.
Service was quick and friendly but then again, we were the only two people in there. Good place for people watching. A little ways away from the bustle of the busy part of South Street.
I would go back again for the fish tacos and the homey feel.

This review is for the Baja Room at Pico De Gallo, which is across the street from their BYOB by the same name (minus the Baja Room). The food was completely unseasoned and had no flavor.
We ate outside in a very cute, nicely designed patio with fresh flowers and good Latin music. We did not drink alcohol, so I can’t comment on their drinks.
We had the Octopus tacos, the bean tostados, and shrimp fajitas. No one is tasting the food before it leaves the kitchen. There is no seasoning… everything tasted completely bland. We also asked for the standard chips and salsa and our server brought us gucamole and 2 salsas which cost $ 10.00…and these were also extremely bland, no flavor, no taste. It’s amazing that someone would invest so much effort and money and then not pay attention to the basic’s of what keeps people coming back — good tasting food. Instead they get me writing a negative review… very foolish. It tells me they just don’t care or are just lazy.
There was a gentleman who was either an owner or manager who seemed to be doing nothing other than ordering around the one waiter who was serving us and other tables. Instead, he should have been in the kitchen supervising and tasting everything. They are apparently clueless. It’s unfortunate. Their BYOB across the street used to be good and maybe it still is… but we’ll never know, because we will never go back to either.

I used to come here literally once a week before it became a non-​BYO. Then it served liquor and well, it ruined the fun, but at least the food was still good. It’s back to being a BYO, which would be great except that the food was inedible on our last trip there. The refried beans were the only thing worth eating, and I’m pretty sure they came out of a can. The mole was terrible, the tamale dry, and the entire menu changed.
I should have known something was up when I called a few weeks ago to order some take out and was told they didn’t have steak quesadillas any longer. I said, okay, how about the portabello? still no. Now having been in customer service one might say, «hey we have chicken and/​or a cheese one?» OR they could have said «no, but we could add beef to a cheese quesadilla for you.»
But no I didn’t take it into consideration, just figured that they had a new server. So we went, and it was bad. Mexican food doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be tasty. And then, after the bad tamale, mushy Mexican rice, and g-​d awful mole enchiladas, we decided to order dessert. We were after all still hungry. To say dessert was a disappointment would be an understatement. I mean a fried ice cream usually means exactly that, ball of ice cream, dipped in batter, fried. A fried ice cream DOES NOT mean a giant ice cream ball rolled in corn flakes.
So yeah. It’s BYO: yay! Service was friendly: yay! Food was awful: I will never go again.
Really, call me. I live four blocks away, for the $ 20 I gave them, I will make you a delicious guacamole, some carnitas tacos, and maybe even a flan. I promise not to drown the flan in cinnamon.

I have been to Pico De Gallo a NUMBER of times in the 4 years I’ve lived in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. I have been there and enjoyed it, and I have been there and hated it.
The service and ambiance don’t bother me. It is a kitchsy hole in the wall restaurant, and as such the décor and ambiance aren’t exactly high class, but they are fun. I enjoy them. The service is good too, every time I have been there, they were nice, helpful (once the host went into the back and got us bar stools himself) and attentive. The bar tender at the newer space across the street can be snappy and rude, but she’s not the worst. Overall good service and ambiance.
The food is a whole other thing to be analzyed. The food is HIT or MISS. And when it misses, it’s REALLY bad. With Mixto so close by, I’d rather go there. Or Mexican on the Square. Both of those places are awesome.
At Pico, the chips can be soggy, the food is served often on not real plates or dishes, and the burrito’s are NOT as flavorful as they could be. Not really worth your time, unless you are hungry and near by. I wouldn’t seek out pico de gallo. However, if you live in the neighboorhood, and want to sit outside and enjoy a margarita — this is the place to visit.

I guess they get one star just for existing and having food, plus there isn’t a zero star option.
This place is eff-​ing terrible. The waitstaff seemed to have no idea what they were doing for which I’m sympathetic as there were only two of them. We never received the requisite chips and salsa despite the fact that every other table in the place got them.
I wish I had read the reviews on PDG before going because then I would have known that when you order the «Nachos PDG» what they really mean is exactly 8 chips individually topped with beef, cheese and sour cream. I’m not sure why you’d want to make that your signature house nacho appetizer but we continued anyway. My boyfriend ordered the fajitas which was listed under «Entrees». About 30 min and 3 requests for water later they came. I’m no fajita connoisseur but even I was perplexed. It was a platter with two miniature flour tortillas with the tiniest serving of fajita fixins. So just an FYI if you order the fajitas, you get two, count them TWO fajitas that are enough to satisfy a fajita loving baby.
PDG– I guess you used to be better but sadly I never got to experience so now you are forever burned in my culinary memory as that terrible f-​bomb Mexican place where I will not eat again.

I was at Pico De Gallo for Roast Pig with a whole group of friends. We went to the restaurant with very high expectations – for 235 dollars (even before tips and tax), it had better be good enough. However, the meal turned out to be a bitter disappointment.
For one thing, we made a reservation for the dinner at 3 so as to avoid the crowd and to cut the wait time, and yet it was not until 445 were we served with the roast pork. In the meanwhile, everyone at the table was starving. To kill time and to alleviate the hunger, we had to fork out extra money for the chips. To be fair, the chips weren’t bad when I was really hungry.
Secondly, the roast pig was way over-​priced. The menu said that the roast pig was for 13 people, but we only had 11 people to share the pig. Even so at the end of the meal, I felt it was not enough. I only eat moderate portion for meals, but a quarter pound of pork was hardly going to fulfill my appetite anyway. Despite all these, we ended up paying 30 plus per person and that is enough to cover a decent meal in a most of the steakhouses.
During the meal, I thought the side dishes (black beans and some mixed vegetables) were not bad. To think about it in retrospect, they were mediocre at best. I guess hunger was in the play and simply made everything delicious.
Lastly, somehow the shop owners decided that customers should simply put up with the relatively small size of their restaurant; their opinion was obviously reflected in their mini tables. Each of the tables measured approximately a foot and half in length and a foot by width. So when we sat in as a group, we literally had to rub shoulders. It was quite a horrible experience for a group.
To sum up, I would never return to the place again. It’s not worth the time, the money and the squeeze.

My «Quesadilla» was dry fried chuck smothered in sour cream and cheez-​whiz, wrapped like a burrito.
My fiancée’s taco shells were literally frozen.
Help them, Gordon Ramsay, you’re their only hope.

This place sucks. I’ve been there a handful of jobs, each time with the hopes of some positive changes… but nope!
Food: eh… bland… boring… nothing impressive.
Service: HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE.
Dear Staff: You may hate yourself for being a server at a crappy joint, but that’s no reason to ruin my dinner. Thanks.

There was a hair in my burrito purchased for take out at this place. Needless to say I will never eat there.
On the other hand if the Baja Room (bar across the street owned by same people) could be listed on Unilocal I would give it a great review. I love the atmosphere and can’t go wrong with Black & Tan PLUS a shot of house Tequila that’s surprisingly smooth all for $ 4. With trepidation I tried an appetizer and it was fantastic! Let’s review these places separately Unilocal

Had a reliable foodie friend highly recommend Pico to me when I first moved into the neighborhood block last year. Since then I’ve come through a few times to give it a try & a few second chances. Unfortunately, it’s really just not working out.
Ambiance: This was a plus. Lots of color and character on the walls. Very festive. I enjoyed the visual mishmosh.
Service: Friendly but slow and absentminded.
Food: Paid too much for very little flavor. The first time I went I picked up their beef & cheese burrito. My first impression was that it was ground dog food with cheez-​wiz (which after reading M.N.‘s review. sounds like my guess wasn’t too far off on the cheez-​wiz…) Not a fan at all. I felt pretty ill for a few hours after that. The next few times, I decided to branch out and give their different menu components a chance. I tried their quesadillas, enchiladas, taquitos, veggie burrito and guacamole. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. Fail. All of them were very bland in flavor, lacking salt, spice and heat. Come to think about the experience it was very much like bad sex. I left disappointed, underwhelmed and very unsatiated.
Drinks: Beers were a bit expensive in my opinion… Reading older reviews it looks like this place used to be BYOB — which may have ameliorated the food situation.
Some have criticized me for having too high of a standard in Mexican fare, which I understand because I have spent a chunk of my life in LA and as a half adopted Mexican daughter. But everyone I shared a meal with here also agreed that the food was subpar.
In sum, I don’t want to pay for bad sex. No, thanks.

Meh. It did the job (satiating my ravenous hunger).
I’ve had better, but the only worse I’ve had is from somewhere like Qdoba. The chips were clearly from a Tostitos bag. I ordered the chicken tacos, my boyfriend got the black bean «puffy» tacos and Shawn got the nachos. I have to agree with previous posts that the nachos were pretty disappointing; they give you about 10 chips individually covered in cheese and topped with a jalapeño slice.
I haven’t had crunchy tacos in a while, and not being the most elegant girl out there, predictably made a huge mess of them. However, they were pretty tasty! The boyfriend seemed to enjoy his puffy tacos as well.
Friendly, fast service. Poor beer selection; I prefer the Mexican BYOs. As I’ve said before, if you want really good Mexican food, go to a place that’s run by actual Mexicans, i.e. El Jarocho or La Lupe. PDG is way more expensive and way less tasty than both of those fine establishments.

Grievances:
$ 11 for two Dos Equis
Boring tiny chicken fajitas
Ditto with the once amazing rattle snake tacos of the day

This food is disgusting. I am unsure what my margarita was made with but it tasted like it was Sunny D. I had a cheese quesadilla that tasted like a college microwave special.
The service was super nice but SUPER SLOW. I gave it an extra star for how nice my server was but I think he may have recognized me from the neighborhood.

Dining at Pico used to be very hit-​or-​miss but recently it’s been improving. I advise dining in because 1) you will not get chips OR pico de gallo with the takeout order unless you request and pay extra for them, and 2) there has always been something a little off about the takeout food. It just doesn’t taste the same.
I recommend the #15 black bean /​cheese /​guacamole burrito and the #16 black bean /​portabello /​cactus /​homemade cheese burrito (I usually substitute avocado for the portabello at no extra charge). Also the fish tacos (#5) are amazing but not big enough for a meal, and just about the same price as an entrée.
The menu recently changed but all the favorites are still there and I think they serve alcohol now instead of just being a BYO. The service is very good, especially considering it’s typically pretty busy for dinner and there are maybe 2 servers on at a time.
I keep coming back because I love Mexican and it’s one block away from my home, but I would probably come here even if it wasn’t so convenient. Lastly, I recommend snagging a sidewalk table because it’s just too, too cramped inside. But the décor is cool.

The place is getting worse and worse. My friends and I went on saturday night at 9pm… there were open tables, but the hostess said a 40 minute wait. What was everyone who was waiting over at Bob and barbara’s?
It is also unclear as to whether they still have beer and tequila. So we lugged a bottle of tequila.
After the 40 minute wait speech we just went to Grace tavern up the street.
Sadly very few cheap mexican restaurants are left!

Except for the fried plantains, I have yet to be really wow-​ed with my experience at Pico de Gallo but everything at least meets some basic standard of a decent meal.
The first time I came here I had the huevos rancheros with a pork chop on the side. The eggs were good, not exceptional or anything, but the pork chop was basically a hunk of fat and bone. The second time, on Cinco de Mayo, I had the ‘Mexican Dinner.’ This is basically a sampler, but when I ordered it I joked to the girl that its kind of racist to imply that Mexicans sit around eating this for dinner every night. (In actuality, the only «Mexican» food I think is racist is the Choco Taco.) Anyway, it was okay, although the sauce for the enchiladas was far, far too smokey.
The margaritas are cheap and kind of strong. A half-​pitcher at $ 13 produced four servings, and my share of that gave me a decent a buzz. I wouldn’t say they’re great-​tasting, or even among the better margaritas you can find in Philly, but for the price, good.
Overall, not a bad option if you’re in the mood for Mexican food. But definitely not the best option.