Hidalgo

Soledad and her husband had the night off so the kids ran the show. Service was as slow as could be and we found the food to be mediocre at best. Too pricey for this to be excused and you could sense the disappointment from the other diners that were present. The experience takes a major hit if Soledad is not at the wheel.

I love, love, love this place. Authentic Mexican BYOB. The tres leches is home made and wonderful. So moist! I’ve been here many times and at its old location in Secane. The food is fresh and delicious. The owner sings periodically and that is a treat. It’s a little small inside so be prepared but the food is flavorful and I recommend ditching the menu and trusting in the specials which never disappoint.

Major hidden gem! Great BYOB. Soledad’s homemade Tres’ leches cake Fridays and Saturdays is not to be missed. Food is amazing. Seriously, best meal of my life level…
Yes, if you want water, you have to buy it… Oh well. 2 can eat here with app/​2entree/​2desert easily for $ 50. Please check it out, worth it.

Great great great! I grew up on great mexican and when we were younger, my parents always took us to this great place in Philly called El Mariachi. They eventually opened other locations and all of the brothers split up and eventually they closed. The owner of this restaurant is the sister to the Mariachi brothers and her and her husand are the nicest people! The food is excellent! You MUST bring your own tequilla and so you can get the margaritas which are served a the classic hand painted clay pot and are DELICIOUS. I lived in Springfield for a year and we were there many times, my whole family has been as well! If we didn’t sit and eat, I ordered it to go! Parking is limited and it’s small but you definitely can NOT judge a book by it’s cover on this one.

Most delicious Mexican food. Let Soledad sing for you. Bring your tequila. Leave with a full belly.

We’ve visited Hidalgo twice and can’t wait to go back again. Service is top notch and the food is delicious. Kid friendly, and it’s nice to get tasty Mexican food that isn’t a chain. We’re looking forward to their move to Media so we can visit even more frequently. The mole is amazing and just about everything about this spot is housemade. I asked for hot sauce, and it looked as though even that was house made. Delicious flan and tres-​leche cake, horchata, you name it, Hidalgo has it. Generous portions, so be prepared to bring leftovers home for lunch the next day.

Fresh, authentic Mexican food!!! BYOB or bring tequila for a perfectly made margarita by Soledad! This is not Tex/​Mex food! Enrique (the chef) expertly makes every dish with absolutely delicious flavors! You also must try Soledad’s tres leche cake. It is to die for! Support your local family restaurants!

Amazing, fresh, authentic Mexican food. Owners are lovely and the food and atmosphere satisfying.

After a positive prior experience, my husband and I were really excited to return to Hildago tonight for a late Friday dinner. We drove 23 miles roundtrip and wasted over 1 ½ hours of our night for them to work really hard to do absolutely nothing, serve us nothing, explain nothing, and make no apology.
If you don’t read on, just head to Taqueria La Michoacana in Norristown for a MUCH better experience!
There was a term used in Delco when I was growing up, «ig’nant» i.e. «ignorant» as in when someone behaves in a foolishly rude way that is counter-​productive to their own goals. Tonight Hildago was totally, toally ig’nant!
Shortly after we left home, my husband called to order takeout at 8:15pm, well after the dinner rush, but still plenty of time before the kitchen closed. We gave the 3-​course order, and the young woman took hub’s name and number. She said it would be 30 – 35 mins. That is just about as long as it takes for us to get there, so it worked fine.
We arrived at 8:50pm, on the longer end of their time estimate. My husband went in, gave his name for our order and they acted like they remembered exactly who he was, and the food would be ready in a minute.
When we arrived, there were 4 occupied 2-​top or 3-​top tables in the restaurant (all parties were at the end of their meals, mostly just talking and sipping a drink, no longer eating anything).
Considering that they had about 12 tables in the whole place, even if they had been slammed the minute we called them (by people who magically order, eat, drink, pay, and leave, in less than 35mins) there still would have been time to get our order mostly done by any 2-​man kitchen staff (who we saw in the visible kitchen). But somehow that never happened.
My husband sat waiting for 10 minutes ON TOP OF the 35 minutes we’d already been waiting for the order. No one came over to explain the delay or apologize. He was ignored. The 2-​man kitchen staff looked busy, but we’re not sure what they were busy with because none of the tables were awaiting food, and our order did not even appear to be in progress (they put the takeout together on the counter visible to everyone in this small establishment, and NOTHING was there).
The Señora of the house attended the 4 tables, which became only 3 tables shortly after we got there, after a couple paid and left. She was basically putting things in take-​home containers, and giving people their bill.
After 15 minutes of being ignored, my husband thought he heard the kitchen mention they needed to START our order. This was all he could gather since he was not being tended to at all. No apology nor explanation as to where our $ 50 takeout order was the whole time. Finally it became clear to us that they had not made the order, and were not going to. It was bizarre.
If they don’t want to do takeout they should have made that clear on the phone before we spent an hour and a half of our time, and wasted gas on a 23-​mile trip just to get their food. Had something happened after they took our order, they had our number to CALL us to explain. Yet even when we got there, they IGNORED us after the initial «oh, you’re here for that takeout…» and let us sit for 15 more minutes (a total of a 50-​min wait) for NOTHING.
We just finally left… with nothing. They didn’t care. It was an amazingly disturbing and disgusting experience. Who does that? Thugs?
After we left, my husband thought they would call to apologize. Nope! Nothing.
I knew better. They were ig’nant.
I understand a «mañana» attitude, but this was way beyond being laid back, or even lazy about things; this was downright malignant. If they were (or had been) packed, I could certainly forgive a 5 – 10 minute delay once we got there, provided someone smiled at us & apologized for it. But to ignore people when you’re ¹⁄₃ full, & promise a food order wasting 50 minutes of someone’s time for nothing? Plus waste their time/​mileage to drive home empty-​handed? Really? Totally hateful attitude, not to mention disgracefully unprofessional.
«Wow!» is all I can say. This encounter was just amazing; a piece of work! They effectively drove us away… with nothing.
We went home, and then headed to Taqueria La Michoacana in Norristown. Food was delicioso and ready exactly when promised. People were friendly, made eye-​contact, and we were greeted by both the hostess and the bartender who got right to our food and gave it to us nice and hot.
Not sure what the heck happened with Hildago tonight, but they made it clear they did not want our business (after a 4-​star Unilocal review). They worked really hard to earn 1 star tonight.
You’re welcome, Hildago, for my prior review. Since you have no website, I took a lot of time to photograph your menu & add 7 close-​up photos of it to Unilocal to help you gain business. I took those down, since I no longer feel right about encouraging anyone else to go through what we did tonight. You can post your own menu, or do nothing, you’re good at it.

This is a family owned and operated business and they make you feel home. I loved that she sang! The food was very good and you can pick how hot it is made. We will defiantly be back!

I came back to Hidalgo with a group of eight — four kids and four adults — and we had a terrific time. Two ordered chicken fajitas, two ordered pork tenderloin with chorizo sauce. The tenderloin was wrapped in bacon and was juicy and quite flavorful. We all enjoyed large margaritas (bring your own tequila). The tres leches cake was moist and a perfect ending to a great meal.
The kids enjoyed quesadillas, and their food came out quickly (faster than the adults), which we highly appreciated given their limited attention span.
We would certainly come back, what a great spot in a neighborhood where you might not expect such a good find.

Sigh… We wanted to love it here. Really, we did. We lived on the US Border with Mexico (in Hidalgo county, no less) for over three years and fell in love with real Mexican food. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to find a restaurant that comes close since we drove away from the Rio Grande Valley a few years ago.
One of our daughters was craving Mexican, so after reading Unilocal reviews on this plane several times, we decided to give it a try. The parking is awful, but once we got settled in a spot, we were seated in an teeny table by the only server in the restaurant. The tables set for 4 really should only sit 2. Our 2 adults/​2 kids didn’t fit comfortably at all!
They brought out a tiny basket of chips and a small bowl of delicious pico de gallo to start. It was great. The chips were definitely home made. We decided to order my most favorite Mexican appetizer — queso fundido which is basically broiled melted cheese with chorizo in it. There was very very little chorizo in it and they served it with 3 corn tortillas (for our 4 guests). We wound up eating up the remaining cheese with what little amount of chips we were given and wound up asking for extra chips. They brought out a new basket with the amount of chips that we should’ve been given in the first place — and were eventually charged $ 2 for the extra chips on the bill.
It took an extremely long time to get our entrees. My husband and I both ordered carne a la tampenqenia (I’m used to it being skirt steak with a cheese enchilada) but it was a leathery thin cut of meat that had decent flavor but was just a crappy cut and over cooked, even though they did ask our cooking temperature and we requested medium. It was accompanied by a tamale that was super dry and a chicken enchilada which was probably the best thing on the plate. The black beans were good too. It was most definitely not a good dish overall. My daughters had cheese enchiladas and they were good. Not necessarily worth the price, but good.
The restaurant is very small, and got cramped and busy while we were in there. We were hoping for it to be much better per previous Unilocal reviews but we were very underwhelmed.
I think this restaurants reviews are inflated because if the byob/​byot aspect. I’m solely basing my review on the food and service. and I was not impressed.

I know this is a long review. Please read it.
I entered this restaurant with high spirits. With the great Unilocal reviews at my back and and an atmosphere of home, I was sure this would be a place of repeat experience.
Unfortunately my authentic Mexican dreams were crushed.
Let me break it down:
The place is run by an elderly Spanish lady who is personable and kind. Nachos were ordered for the appetizer and no complaints. Went into the entrée with high expectations.
Main course comes out.
It is chicken with tomato/​peppers/​rice/​refried beans and potato.
The chicken was over cooked, the rice was undercooked, the refried beans were too dry.
I wasn’t too upset about this.
But listen, gather round and listen to this.
I KID YOU NOT, instead of potatoes, they used OREA-​IDA French fries.
I swear. This is not a joke. I initially was in denial and tried to think of justification.
The train continued to crash. Now the nice lady described earlier started singing for tables (granted she has a nice voice). But the music is turned up so loud that you cannot hear the person across from you speaking.
Melded in with the singing and music was yelling and angry words from the kitchen.
If you don’t believe this, I encourage you to check it out for yourself. Seeing is believing.

Very good food and obviously prepared by people who love what they serve and do. Don’t expect it to be quick. From what they told me everything is cooked from scratch, to order, and the time it takes to eat reflects that. That’s not bad, just be aware you will be there for a while if you are eating.
The margarita was massive. Since it’s bring your own tequila i got a good before and after of how much they used in two drinks. Yikes :-) but the margarita was very good.
Dinner was very good. My wife had a flank steak that was overcooked and a little tough but otherwise all the food was really good. I had a pork dish cooked in banana leaves that was tasty. Tres leches cake was amazing for dessert.
Will definitely come back

Erik G on 8÷5÷14 has no clue about food but he is right on about the margaritas and tres leches cake, they’re amazing. Was my first time at Hidalgo tonight and all four meals were excellent. We’ve been to many great Mexican restaurants and some not so good. Hidalgo definitely landed in the great category, not just for food and #1 margaritas, but also the fabulous service, friendly servers and the obvious pride this family takes in serving their guests.
The red snapper with avocado sauce was best we ever had, enchiladas con mole were great and the chile relleno was classic. Ended the meal with crepes de caramel and the homemade ice cream with churros, delicious!
Highly recommend this restaurant with one caveat. . leave all of your «normal» expectations of what Mexican food and servers should be at the door. With a truly open mind you will have a truly positive dining experience to remember for a long time. You will certainly return again. Be sure to bring a designated driver if you plan to have a 2^nd or 3^rd margarita. Lol

What the heck are the hours of this place? I drive by here all the time and it never seems to be on a consistent schedule and the hours definitely do not coincide with what’s listed on the internet. There were a couple times we drove here to eat and they were closed when they should have been open. Eventually we did make it here during open hours (we called first). Finally!
Honestly I was a little disappointed with my Hidalgo experience, most likely due to all the hype surrounding this place.
The interior is really beautiful and not at all what you would expect from what you see in passing.
My guest and I started with the guacamole. It was good but nothing about it stood out. My entrée was the chicken enchiladas. I found the chicken to be a little dry and the sauce a bit one-​note. My guest, in an effort to observe Lent (obviously this was a poor choice in timing to go out for Mexican) ordered what I believe were enchiladas stuffed with potatoes. She said it was ok. Neither of us bothered to box our leftovers.
The shining star of Hidalgo is their margaritas and I’m tempted to bump the review up to 4 stars in honor of these divine concoctions. We came prepared with a new bottle of 1800 for the occasion. The owner took our bottle to the kitchen and emerged with 2 huge glasses full of the BEST house margarita I have ever had. It was so delicious — perfectly sweet and citrusy, packing a punch without being overbearing. My guest and I were definitely a little tipsy after finishing those… and weren’t surprised when our tequila was returned to us. Nearly half the bottle was gone! Holy crap! No wonder we were buzzed… but how did our drinks not taste like they were 50% alcohol? It’s a mystery.
The owner did sing while we were there — LOUDLY — for a larger group celebrating a middle aged gentleman’s birthday. He looked uncomfortable. We probably would have been uncomfortable as well if we hadn’t just downed half a bottle of tequila.
That said, the owner is very kind and really takes pride in this establishment and her food… which did lead to her being slightly pushy. We had to say no to dessert 3 separate times… though I wouldn’t mind returning for some tres leches cake at a later date (and another margarita or two).

There is some manner of arcane magic being performed here.
The meal that my dinner companion and I absolutely ravaged was a kneejerk, split-​second decision based on our mutual frustration with choosing the perfect dinner.
«Screw it, we’ll just go through the drive-​thru at Taco Bell and then you can get whatever you want!»
«I wonder if that place that serves child cows is still open…»
«Let’s just make something at home; they’ll have anything at the grocery store that we could get in any restaurant!»
«No, my friends rule! Your friends are the worst and that’s why they like YOU!»
We were getting nowhere fast, so my companion said, «fine, Hidalgo!» Usually, I’ll come up with some manner of lie, or escalate my level of indecision to the degree that I forget how to use my human words, and then we pass up Hidalgo only to finally give up and just get something from Wawa. Again. This time, I just said, «OK,» and the best thing in the world happened.
Sometimes, you just have to say «OK.»
When we stepped in, the whole restaurant stopped and it felt like we were some amazing foreign dignitaries or something, all eyes upon us with obvious lustful intent. We were given the corner booth, my absolute favorite seat in any restaurant, and we immediately felt at home, even if we were being sized up by staff and clientele alike.
The one and only mistake: we ordered the Pepsi’s. They came in a can, as all the bevs do (or a bottle, but not from a fountain), but the amount poured over my glass of ice tasted like cola-​dyed water, and I rationed the rest since refills would not be free. Should’ve had the Mexican Coke, or one of the many Mexican fruit sodas that they had…
…but we weren’t in a Mexican restaurant for Pepsi, and thankfully everything else we had was so good that we briefly lost tether with our human identities and became the bits of cosmic dust at the cores of our being. The waitress, who I took to calling «Mama» before I realized that many people also call her this, bulldozed me into my meal, which was the Burro Ranchero. It wasn’t going to be; I’d chosen the chicken enchiladas. But Mama used some Jedi mind-​trickery to whip me into a Burro frenzy, and she was nice enough to coach me through the removal of items I don’t like, such as onions and sour cream.
Yeah, so I don’t like onions or sour cream!
We ordered a Burro each, and though both were bigger than our heads, we beat those asses into submission and cleaned the dish. We were completely stuffed, steak and beans and rice to the eyeballs, but when Mama came back she pulverized our iron wills and gave us hope for a future filled with a delicious Tres Leches cake. Orgasms might or might not have been had.
The place was twice as full when we left as when we arrived, but we never felt abandoned for new service frontiers, and the whole experience was really comfortable and relaxed. We feasted like despot rulers in a third-​world nation and were treated like kings and queens. I’ve read in other reviews that Mama sings, but while she didn’t on our trip, I feel that’s a blessing in disguise. After all, I can’t very well give Hidalgo 6 stars…
…so, when we go again, or when others go, there are a few guidelines that will make the trip better. The parking kinda sucks, so keep that in mind. Don’t get the Pepsi. And yeah, it’s a little pricier than one might expect if the most one knows of Mexican food is Qdoba or Baja Fresh.
The food is killer, though, and there’s no possible way to leave hungry. And of course, there’s Mama. We went on Friday and I’ve been walking around the house, pretending to be sheepish while saying «Si, Mama» and «Gracias, Mama» for no good reason at all ever since. Arcane magic… and awesome Mexican food.

We went to this restaurant last night and walked in to loud singing. The owner sings a couple if songs while you dine. She loves her job and it put a smile on my face watching her. Her voice is very powerful in such a small dinning area. You definitely forget that you are in delco when she starts singing.
When she was done signing she came over and noticed that we had tequila and was really excited to make us margaritas. They didn’t taste strong but when we were leaving and we noticed how much tequila we drank, they were strong.
We ordered tostadas, chicken quesadilla, and enchilada con mole. While we were ordering she explained what the menu items were since most people are probably used to Americanized Mexican food. Dinner also came with homemade salsa and chips. The food was delicious with the exception of the rice. There wasn’t anything wrong with the rice i just didn’t like it.
I will definitely come back to try the tres leches cake. The couple next to us were eating it and it looked like a strawberry shortcake.

After a year at its new location, Hidalgo has garnered the well deserved reputation as the only genuine, really true Mexican restaurant in the DelCo suburbs. Not a chain, but a true Mom and Pop serving a little bit of Mexico in El Norte.
By the way… other than fajitas, a truly Tex Mex dish, the faire is Mexican, not Texan, which is worth mentioning, as many Northerners are used to referring to Tex Mex as Mexican, which it is not the case. The spices and picante are those of Mexico City, not Texas. If you want to burn your mouth off, ask for it, because otherwise you won’t get it.
The owner, Soledad, hails from DF — for gringos that means the Distrito Federal, equivalent to the US’s District of Columbia, only ten times the size and with 9 million people. She is also an accomplished Ranchera and Corrido singer and delights in taking her breaks, popping up the music, and delighting the audience with her monumental voice. Her excellent Capitalino Spanish is quite different from the Sonoran dialect, and she’s great to platicar, a relaxed, efficient, courteous and amicable storekeeper.
We went there on the víspera (eve) of the Cinco de Mayo, knowing that on this day we would be sure to get a table instead of having to wait hours for a seat on the Cinco. We brought over our Tequila (BYO) and sat down to the aroma of mole and tomato sauces, and the sound of the cleaver mincing meat inside the kitchen in preparation for the next day’s festivities. The owner greeted us and we engaged in an active conversation in Spanish about my time living in Mexico and how much it has changed since. She took our bottle and after a little break, she brought over two gigantic goblets of delicious Margaritas.
We started our faire with the usual — but here it’s home made, salsa dish and fresh guacamole that came in its molcajete dish, along with house made chips. We devoured these quickly just as the main dishes were being served. My spouse had a delicious plate of enchiladas which I ended up finishing up, it was so good. I had their succulent chicken fajitas. Yum… Double Yum… The frijoles refritos were indeed made on the premises, not from a No. 10 can. And the seasonings were truly genuine.
After the plates were retired, we looked at dessert offerings. My other half had the Tres Leches, which I can’t even look at as I am lactose intolerant. I had a wonderful flan which suit the stomach.
This was a truly memorable evening. Definite a jewel in the suburban sprawl and one of the only authentic restaurants in the plethora of mediocre chain eateries. Come early and often.

Unilocal strikes again and finds this wonderful Mexican gem for the lovely wife and me! It’s just slightly off the beaten track in Clifton Heights. It will take you less than a minute from the Home Depot. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but trust me and stop in.
The atmosphere is vibrant and delightful (see my pic). It feels like a fine dining restaurant but is still very casual. There is no need to dress up.
Speaking of need, you do need to stop at a Wine & Spirits store because these folks are BYOT (Tequila). Solidad (the owner) will mix you a huge potent margarita in a stunning glass. Check out my picture of the lovely wife with hers.
So Solidad runs the front of the house and may wait on you herself. On busy nights her daughters help out as wait staff. Her husband is the excellent chef so it’s 100% family run. Expect courteous, knowledgeable service and a surprise near the end of your meal. If you’re good, Solidad will sing for you and she is amazing!
You’ll receive chips and a very good salsa while you take your first sips of your margarita.
Last night we shared SOPES for $ 4.95 as our appetizer. We received three fresh corn tortillas spread with refried beans and shredded chicken and topped with hot sauce, chopped onions, and fresh cheese. One bite and we both smiled with pleasure. The first thought that came to my mind was how fresh tasting they were.
For my entrée I chose CHILES RELLENOS for $ 15.95 and they were the best version I have ever enjoyed. We’re talking Poblano peppers stuffed with picadilo, a savory ground beef mixture, and dipped in egg batter and lightly fried, covered with creamy tomato sauce. They were OMG delicious.
The wife chose HUACHINAGO AL MOJO DE AJO for $ 16.95. This was something you don’t see every day in a Mexican restaurant. It was red snapper filet sautéed in a garlic oil, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce and covered with toasted garlic sauce. She declared it scrumptious! Check out my picture as it was a beautiful plate and a substantial portion.
Delaware County is certainly not known for its Mexican restaurants but this one is definitely worth a visit!