Jose Pistola’s

Korean short rib tacos. Do it!
Hit this spot up everytime I am in Philly.

Ive never seen poorer attitude from staff server. This place hires absolute a holes that deserve to be put in mental wards for their poor demeanor. Was waiting for a table and actually hade a waiter bump me and tell me to move– and said– no you’re not sitting at this table. Yes i know. Continued to be belligerent and extremely aggressive and RUDE!!! «did you hear me? MOVE!» I boycott this place and suggest all of you do. Absolute downright rude a hole staff

It’s safe to say that I’m a big fan of Jose Pistola’s.
My visits increased in frequency after several trips during Philly Beer Week (aw!) last year. Their events were beyond amazing and, through them, I was introduced to their nachos.
I’ve yet to find a competitor for the top nachos in Philly. These are ridiculously good. I always get them without the jalapenos because I generally can’t do spicy things, but I do add the spicy pork… so I don’t know there.
Their tacos are also awesome and I love their beer list. There’s always an exciting brew to be discovered here. Usually I’ll sit downstairs at the bar, but they do have other dining areas. Plus it’s a nice stomach settler to climb the three stairs to their restrooms. Talk about privacy.
Obviously I will be back at some point and likely soon, but I especially can’t wait to see what they have in store for PBW this year!

Great food great drink. I would give 5 stars but have been here about 10 times and the waitress with pink hair has been extremely rude. I’ve worked in the industry a lot and i dont know if she’s just tired of it or not, but she should not handle herself the way she does. «You can’t sit there, that seat is taken» when talking about a high top chair next to the bar when there are 3 other open tables. That kind of stuff. All in all great bar but she’s not the greatest.

I was very skeptical of coming here for Happy hour reading a bunch of negative reviews. However, Sancho Pistolas is one of my fave places in the city, and I had to try out his hermano too ;)
He did not disappoint. I would agree the margaritas are not very strong, but were definitely feeling them. They did not have that awful fake sugar-​mix taste that cheap marg pitchers tend to have.
We also ordered the nachos which were the BOMB. Seriously, they were huge and we devoured them. I really enjoyed the homemade chips too.
Finally I got cecina tacos (to compare to Sancho Pistolas, of course!) They did not disappoint. One friend ordered goat tacos (he loved them) and another the mahi (again, he loved them).
I would not say this is a 5 star place, but overall very tasty food and yummy drinks. I would come back!

I’ve just got to get it off my chest first off that Jose Pistola’s is a Mexican restaurant without any Mexican cerveza on tap. What the habenero? And they only sometime have Pacifico in the can. But despite this tragic flaw, the Mexican food is seriously authentic and delicious. They have a wide variety of different tacos but the chips and tortillas are some of the best I’ve had in the city. Their margarita is excellent, and the upstairs bar is always chill and fun. Go for the carne asada and hang with the young and friendly crowd.

Just ate here on a packed Saturday night. Quickly seated, great service and great food and drinks! Everything was a pleasant surprise. Had a margarita, salsa and chips and Korean rib tacos — all delicious!
Although was a little pricey — $ 12 for 2 tacos.

Came in for a party of 6 on a Friday night around 8pm. We waited about an hour for a table. We started with some guac, salsa, and mahi ceviche. Ceviche was very eh, tasted like they almost tried with too many flavors. The guac was good, portion was not very large. Good for sharing with about 3 people.
Tacos: I ordered the pork belly bahn mi and the mahi, I did not like the pork belly, it was chewy and bland. The Mahi was the best I’ve had in Philly. I forget the prices, but they were definitely on the high end for tacos in the city. I want to say $ 15 for two.
They have a bar upstairs that I stumbled into on my way to the bathroom. Seemed like a poppin’ spot.

Can we all agree nachos overall are amazing! But these nachos are in their own category! Kathleen D. and i decided to share some nachos with pulled pork and guac yum! We were pretty early on the bar crawl but I was ready to nibble on something. While the nachos don’t appear large in size, they were super filling even when shared. We sat at the bar on the first floor. The bartender was attentive and friendly enough. I absolutely need to make it back for a meal! I also NEED to try their margaritas! The only negative is the restrooms are on the 3^rd? floor up a flight of stairs! So plan accordingly.

We made a quick trip to Philadelphia on Wednesday with two of our friends to grab a bite to eat and our original plan for dinner didn’t work out, so we turned to Unilocal and ended up at Jose Pistola’s.
When we walked in I was really surprised to see the bar so crowded for a Wednesday night, it was a little tight and we were brought to the seating area just beyond the bar, it was on the smaller side, but you were not so close to the other tables that you weren’t able to get up.
The bathroom is located on the third floor, so if you’re planning on eating a lot it feels kind of nice to do a little work out on the way to the bathroom. I imagine if you’re drinking a lot, the walk isn’t so great!
We started with a special they had for guacamole which had bacon in it. I don’t know how I’ve never thought to put bacon in guacamole, but it’s something that I will be doing in the future because it was amazing.
We also ordered the tortilla soup and carnitas steamed buns. The soup was great — all the flavors were perfectly balanced, it was the best tortilla soup any of us had tried.
The carnitas steamed buns were insanely delicious; we had never had that before and we couldn’t get enough of it.
My husband ordered the chorizo fundido (a dish with onion, poblano peppers, chorizo, and cheese and served with tortillas) for his meal, he really liked it a lot, but said that he felt it was a little heavy.
I ordered the Korean rib tacos which came with Asian pear, pico de gallo, avocado, and cilantro. They must have cooked extra meat for my tacos because they put what looked like two tiny short ribs (bone in) on the plate along with my tacos. I gave them to our friends because the tacos were packed full. The fruit on the taco tasted more like pineapple than Asian pear, I wasn’t upset about it because I do like pineapple on tacos, but I would be interested to see how the pear tasted. I thought the flavor on the meat was great, but it was a little overcooked.
I ordered a mango margarita and it was amazing. The tequila they used was great and the mango flavor tasted fresh!

Came here on a Friday night for dinner and drinks and had no issue getting seated! Our waitress was phenomenal, and she made me want to order one of everything on the menu. The tacos we had were delicious, but the margaritas were def the highlight. Try the guava! Head’s up — seating is just for those ordering food! The bar area can get crowded pretty quickly, so I’d suggest getting food and drinks at a table if you’re a party of 4 – 6.

I have been to Jose Pistola’s a few times now and have only ever gotten margaritas and nachos, and yes that’s enough for me to judge it as 5 stars.
First, the margaritas. Strong. Tart. Strong. Delicious. Thirst-​quenching. And did I say strong yet? Cuz they strong.
Second, the nachos. Their nachos are so simple, yet so tasty, that they inspired me to make my own version of them at home. Now I love nachos from many places, but they have so many ingredients and it seems too complicated to try and reproduce them. But JP’s nachos are literally — creamy refried beans (figured out how to make them at home so they aren’t all pasty and plasticky), cheese, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapenos. I make these at home and they are just as good as the restaurant!
But JP’s will always land itself on my «let’s go day-​drinking» list, for the two reasons above.

I would say their bar food is very decent. I actually enjoyed their taco and nachos very much. I am not huge fan of bar food– normal greasy and very salty for me. However couple of friends recommended this place for Mexican snack and I can’t agree more.
Nachos were so yummy! Crispy and I liked their topping. Not soggy and just perfect combination of bean, veggies and cheese!
Tacos were decent as well however I think nacho was the winner.
Definitely going back for some snack.

Went for the first time during lunch while they were doing a sour beer takeover. Solid place to go for food. I got the Spicy Pork Tacos which was delicious. I thought the price was a little much for just two of them but my god, were those tacos loaded. My friend got the burger which I thought wouldn’t be too good at a Mexican place, but he said it was great and the sweet potato french fries were really good.

I’m actually disappointed in my recent trips to Jose Pistola’s. The food is still good, but something has changed.
They got rid of the short rib option for nachos. Total mistake. No other meat on nachos has been as good! Also, I feel like there is less cheese and somehow the nachos are more oily.
I’m also not in love with the soggy sopas.
The tacos are still good and I really like the steamed buns.
I still like Jose Pistola’s, just have less of a reason to go.

Cozy spot with a hint of dive but its not. Tight seating downstairs, but there is an upstairs!
We got the nachos ($ 11) with beef (or chicken, or pork $ 4) and guac ($ 3.5). They were really good!
Tacos overpriced ($ 10 – 12 meats, $ 12 – 15 fish/​shrimp)
I would give this place place a higher rating (can we do half stars? 3.5 is more accurate, really), but they discontinued the $ 30 brunch special (app, entrée, 5 tulips of beer (!!!) or bottomless mimosas for 2H). They let me and spouse split it. It was filling, it was glorious. It is no more. Farewell, post yoga indulgence.

A while back, a few of us stopped by Jose Pistola’s for some drinks and tacos. It’s located near the Avenue of the Arts area and has several floors and dim lighting. Noting that there was quite a bit of pork belly on the menu, I couldn’t exactly restrain myself and ordered every darn item that contained my favorite ingredient. But first, let’s start with a drink. And I do apologize for the phone pics in dim lighting!
Pear Mojito [$ 7.73]
I was on a mojito kick at the time and while I appreciated that this wasn’t overly sweet, the mint essence was particularly weak and the drink as a whole tasted a bit watered down. While the menu listed this at $ 8.50, I was charged a bit less — HH prices perhaps?
Short Rib Nachos [$ 13]
Mexican cheese blend, crema, tomato, refried pinto beans, cilantro, pickled jalapeño, onion
We started off with some short rib nachos to share — a bed of crispy homemade nachos, with a hefty portion of short ribs, pickled onions, jalapenos, cotija, and crema on top. Nice.
Tortilla Soup [$ 6]
Pasilla chicken broth, pulled chicken, avocado, crema, queso fresco
The GF was feeling some tortilla soup, which was surprisingly served table side. It featured a dark pasilla chicken broth with great depth. Texture came in the form of crunchy tortilla strips, with moist pulled chicken accented by the pasilla. The creaminess of the avocado and crema helped to provide even more richness to each bite.
Pork Belly Sopes [$ 8]
Beans, crema, cilantro, onion, salsa borracha
I did promise pork belly so here’s the first dish. I’m typically not a sopes fan because I find them a bit dry. The thick fried masa discs were surprisingly moist, but still a bit heavy and needed more acid to brighten it up. The thick slabs of pork belly were nice and gluttonous though. While the pickled onions, the drunken salsa, radish, and ciltanro helped to provide some balance, the dish ate a bit on the leaden side.
Pork Belly Tamale [$ 6]
Tomatillo sauce
As a special, the pork belly tamale was on offer. So I got that too. The masa was a bit thick here as well — so much so that I could barely detect the pork belly from the masa! The tomatillo sauce helped to provide some brightness to each bite along with the pickled red onions.
Pork Belly Tacos [$ 9]
Beans, crema, cilantro, onion, salsa borracha
On the other hand, the pork belly tacos redeemed Jose Pistola’s. Crisp, thick slabs of pork belly melted in your mouth and were balanced by the sharpness of the radish and the brightness of that drunken salsa and cilantro. Now this is how pork belly should be served!
Overall, Jose Pistola’s is a decent bet near the theater district — service was especially good. Do try the pork belly tacos and get the short rib nachos. If you’ve got a hankering for soup, don’t hesitate to try the tortilla soup.

I actually was here twice recently and my rating reflects the combo of the two experiences. The first time was pretty awful and would have gotten 1 – 2 stars, but the second time made up for it, so I’m glad I gave it a second chance!
The first experience was with a server who had a terrible attitude and was actually nasty to my group of friends (actually had the nerve to question our more than generous tip after she was extremely rude to us all night). We ordered drinks and apps on a Tuesday night where the place was pretty empty and we got slow, rude service in return. It seems like previous Unilocalers have dealt with the same waitress (unless there’s more than one. Yikes!), so I know I’m not alone in this opinion!
I did come back a few weeks after with my husband and another couple and had a much better time. Would rate it about 4 stars (docked one for the first time!). We had a very pleasant server who answered our questions and made suggestions. Exactly what the customer service business should be about! She should probably teach her skills to the waitress from time número uno. We all ordered drinks and got the classic guac app to start. Not the best guac I’ve ever had (el vez and Lolita’s are better), but pretty good. The margaritas were strong and good. They also have a nice draft list, though the beers seem maybe a tad overpriced.
For food, we split the nachos with chicken tinga and the ahi tuna tacos. The nachos are hugeeee and delicious. Perfectly layered, with enough cheese and beans to go around! No sad feelings of getting a plain chip in this platter. The ahi tuna tacos were also really good, tuna was fresh and paired awesomely with the mango salsa. The fish tacos only come with 2, but this was enough for us with the huge nacho portion. If we had gotten more tacos instead of the nachos, a 3^rd entrée probably would have been necessary to fill us. Our friends got the Brussels sprouts tacos, catfish tacos, and short rib tacos and they all looked delicious.
The meal is a little pricey when you get apps and drinks, but it’s not terrible. I would definitely come back. As long as the first waitress stays far far away.

I’ve been here a few times, first time in my Elite days, so now with my oh-​so-​keen eye (jk obvi), here is my review.
Plus points
+ any meat options can be replaced with soy chorizo. Not a lot of places do this, so this was nice! I wanted the ingredients of a lobster taco with soy but it was $ 18, and the waitress generously said that most of the price was the lobster so brought $ down for me.
+ lots of taco, nacho, guac, burrito, etc options! But not TOO many. Traditional items, and also creative items like kimchee tacos and pistachio guac.
+ Service
+ Drinks aren’t too pricey. $ 6 for traditional marg. Nice draft list.
+ You’ll be stuffed!
Negative points
— not a fan of the ambiance. It’s trying to get that norlibs hipster feel, but its kinda weird and superrr squished. This place always feels packed.
— Bathroom on the 3^rd floor and not clean. Maybe norlibs wood walls/​tattered ground feel? Meh… Keep a clean well lit stairwell if you’re gonna make me walk 3 floors to a dirty bathroom.
— It’s certainly not cheap. Two tacos for $ 15. Granted, it was delish and I was stuffed.
— The margs used to be fresh but last night it was def premade with lots of sour mix… UGH where can a chica just get a fresh tequila fix?!

Having gone to school for two years in Philadelphia I have been on a search for good Mexican food. After a year my gf and I found La Calaca Feliz in Fairmount and that satisfied my Mexican craving.
Then just this past week I went up to Philadelphia to visit old friends and we ended up going to Jose Pistola’s. Man I missed out on this place when I lived in Philadelphia. My group of friends and I went to Jose on a Thursday night around 7. We were told the wait for a table for 4 would be approximately 20 minutes however we actually waited closer to 45 minutes (They do not have many tables that seat 4 people, hostess told me only two tables seated 4 people in the whole place). The hostess brought us to the bar upstairs so that we could just get a couple of drinks while we waited around.
Upon getting our table the waitress quickly came around to get our food ordered. People at my table ordered the nachos, burrito and I got the Short Rib Sopes. THOSE WERE THE BOMB! I have never had Sopes before however after them I am a huge fan. They were overflowing with meat and seasoned very well. I also tried some of the nachos and they were really good as well, however I think the ones La Calaca Feliz serves are slightly better. The nachos here are topped with a lot of toppings and become soggy. I like my nachos to be a bit more crunchy. The service here is decent. The only downside of this restaurant is street parking around the area is near impossible to get so I settled for a paid lot. But the food makes up for having to pay those couple of bucks.
I really wish I had known about this place before I moved away from Philly. I think this place will be one of the spots I have to visit every time now if I go visit Philly. I definitely recommend this place and encourage anyone who is craving Mexican food to go try it out!