Revolution Taco

I am a big fan of tacos and was extremely underwhelmed by this place.
Here are the things that disappointed me about this place:
* When you walk in, it is very challenging to see the menu and even more difficult to see the specials.
* The cashier was not very friendly. Not outwardly rude, but clearly having a bad day.
* The little cups for the salsa are REALLY hard to close. We ended up crushing two of them just trying to get the top on.
* I heard someone ask for a knife — «we don’t have plastic knives»… what?! I understand that you are primarily serving tacos, which generally do not require utensils, but what if someone (like the guy who asked) wanted to cut a burrito or empanada? So bizarre.
* Most importantly — the FOOD. I went with two co-​workers and we were all really unsatisfied with our orders. Two of us got burrito bowls (1 chicken and 1 beef) and one a burrito (beef). The rice was horrible. While we were waiting for our food, I thought I heard one of the people on the line say that the rice had been cooked for a minute too long before switching it out for a new bag of rice. After receiving my food, I am SURE that is what she said. The rice was bland, really overcooked and had a very odd taste to it — horrible. The beans and meat (and everything else) were very boring — no real flavor at all, not even after I doused it in salsa. And worst of all — LETTUCE! My fault for not reading the board more closely, but lettuce on a burrito?! Such a sin.
I will not be going back, ever. There was nothing about this place that would warrant a return visit. Bummer.

Followed all the food truck owners since the beginning: StreetFoodPhilly, Taco Mondo + Say Cheese Philly and they continue to bang out the highest quality food in their new brick n mortar store Revolutiok Taco! The beef tongue b cheek w/​house made kimchi topped w/​pickled jalapeños packed a lot of flavor. The glazed pork belly tacos which I topped w/​some of their house made hot sauce are my top two heavy hitters. Am waiting patiently for their Korean fried chicken tacos (hint hint) and more items on their (Shhhhh!) «secret menu»… Chips salsa and guac were great too washed down w/​some Jarritos Mexican sodas
Revolution Taco brings great ingredients together for a worldly fusion of taco madness. Great service and staff make for a great combination.

Great, innovative vegetarian options. I’ve had the fried tofu tacos as well as the chickpea burritos. Both are unique and have great flavor profiles. They have a good assortment of salsas to add to your food. Revolution Taco is a great addition to the area!

Revolution taco is about delicious tacos (even if they’re not «authentic»). Tried three of their tacos and all three didn’t disappoint!
1. Beef tongue & cheek — although some may be deterred by the description, it actually tastes good! Pork cheeks for the win
2. House made chorizo — really good especially with the crème and salsa roja!
3. Roast duck taco — my favourite! Scallion pancake + Asian flavours = really tasty taco!
Although it may seem pricey, the servings are large (like 2−3x that of El Rey’s) so 3 will get you full.

I’m torn. I love the food here. And it seems like they’re going to take a seasonal approach to some menu items, like their awesome fish tacos, which means new options on the regular.
But I just had a bad service experience I can’t get over. I ordered some food for take out, paid and waited quietly at table near the pickup counter. Someone other than the cashier that rung me up brought my food to the counter. Her: «Did you pay for these?» Me: «Yes.» Her: «Are you lying?»
In what world is it ok to ask a customer that? I left feeling mistreated/​profiled.

Everything is delicious. I highly recommend the duck taco and the brisket. House made sauces are amazing.

Alas! Finally something in Center City which I can see myself going to quite often. I’ve been here on three occasions since their grand opening and while there are some negatives about the joint (wait time, no place to sit, etc.), the vast majority of the tacos have been hits. You can’t mix and match tacos so your best bet is to come with a friend or two in order to split so you can try a variety. I’ve tried every taco but the vegan and fish options so here are my ratings rated from best to worst (within their respective buckets as well):
Must trys: brisket, roast duck, ground beef
Would eat again: pork belly, beef tongue and cheek, chorizo
Would not eat again: smoked chicken (talk about dry and bland)
Chips and guacamole are extremely fresh as well, although for $ 5, I would expect more chips.
I really hope that Revolution Taco rotates their menu for the locals that hope to make this a staple lunch spot. There are going to be complaints about the wait time but their tacos are damn good, so patience is key! Don’t go during lunch hours if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat.

My order for lunch was smoked chicken (2 tacos) for $ 7.00. I was happy with the portion size and the quality of the ingredients. I walked out of there feeling satiated and really happy with the good vibes that I noticed as soon I walked in… simple, clean, smiling faces and fast service. The lady at the register was helpful and everyone in the kitchen was hustlin to get the tickets out while interacting with customers who were chatting with them over the high counter. I recommend them!

Amazing taco place with great vegetarian options! I had the fried tofu tacos with chips and guac. DELICIOUS! My friend had duck tacos — which were really neat. Would highly recommend. The only downside was that they do not serve alcohol (although I think it may be byob).

First, I have to say that I love the concept of high-​end tacos that your average person can enjoy. The menu has many different options that will appeal to a wide variety of people, from the picky «I only eat beef tacos» people to the adventurous foodie. I also love the choice of 2 or 3 tacos. Too many taco shops assume that everyone can finish 3 tacos, so kudos to Revolution Taco for implementing a choice.
I ordered the weekly fish special, which happened to be black cod today (after they ran out of black cod, I heard that they were offering swordfish next… damn! I would’ve loved swordfish tacos). I expected tiny little tacos like the ones in El Rey, but these are much bigger and, dare I say, better. Lots of big pieces of fish filet all nicely grilled. The pineapple/​pepper salsa was simply awesome. I also tried the mild tomatillo and medium sauces and they were on point. I’m definitely going to try this place again. Looking forward to trying the tongue and cheek tacos as well as the house-​made chorizo.
I like the vibe of this place, too. At 8:30pm or so, all of the seats were taken so it’s good to see that others also know that this is a great go-​to for good tacos.

good:
tacos — bbq brisket was excellent, ground beef and tongue&cheek also worth getting
byob
chips/​salsa — chips made in house, best i’ve had in philly
appearance — store appears unfinished, but has a really cool setup
bad:
speed — took 15+ minutes to fill order
no glasses — they only have tiny plastic cups, not so great for wine
weekly special fish (cod) taco — didn’t seem to have any seasoning, buena onda does a much better job with seafood tacos
music — noticeably weird
overall: check it out if you’re going to byob, this place just opened so it’ll take a minute to figure itself out. will definitely go back

It’s so nice to have a taco place open in this area! It makes for a fast, decent meal.
Not my favorite taco place in Philly but I’ll definitely be back.

I like to think the guys from Revolution Taco were chilling in one of their successful food trucks and then the song «let’s give em something to talk about» came on and then they turned to each other and said «no, let’s give em something to TACO bout». And then they revolutionized the Rittenhouse taco scene with beauties like:
A DUCK TACO WRAPPED IN A SCALLION PANCAKE. Take a second to let that sink in. Also topped with pickled oyster mushrooms and pickled cabbage. These are a bit pricier ($ 14 for 2) but totally worth it.
Pork belly taco– also really good, a bit fatty but sauce and jicama slaw were good. ($ 8 for 2)
Beef tongue and cheek taco– super tender and the kimchi and pickled jalapenos were a great touch. ($ 9 for 2)
3 tacos was a bit aggressive for 2 hungry ladies lunching but I have no regrets. #YOLO. Removing the outer shell made it kind of manageable but mostly just messy. $ 30 for 2 wasn’t too bad for the amount of food and neighborhood, but no, these aren’t authentic tacos, so don’t expect it. I like that they have different toppings and the sauces were on point.
Line gets pretty long around lunch time and there’s a bit of lag time for the food to come out but that’s to be expected. Order at the front, then snag a table and wait for your name to be yelled out rather than awkwardly hovering, they’re pretty good at yelling.

Channeling my inner Valley girl: So, like seriously, these are the best tacos – ever. Chips and guac are like totally awesome. The neg reviewers – oh my god– clueless! Whatever.

Finally! A taco spot in Rittenhouse/​Center City that’s worth visiting!
From the chefs that brought us Street Food Philly, Say Cheese and Taco Mondo.
I highly recommend the Tongue and Cheek Taco with its ginger cabbage slaw. Nice combination of flavor, salt fat and texture.
After that you must get the Duck Taco which is wrapped with a scallion pancake. Holy crap! This taco is too legit. Amazing flavor with really good contrast in texture of the scallion panckake and the tenderness of the duck.
Don’t forget about the Empanadas!
The whole menu is great and I’m excited to see what they’ll have next to surprise us with.
Staff was super friendly and the food came out in no time.
I suggest going before or after lunch time to avoid the inevitable long line out the door.

The single star is for the only good thing (according the the person I was with) — the duck taco on a scallion pancake. Though that was very pricey, but it IS duck. And a scallion pancake so maybe that’s fair.
I wanted to like this place. I wanted to love this place. I LOVE tacos. And I live SO close! And maybe that’s why I feel so let down.
Seating — as an interior designer, space planning is kind of my thing. These tables are too big, poorly spaced and there’s not enough chairs. You walk in thinking there’s plenty of space for you to eat here, but NOPE.
Menu visibility — once again, as a designer, how information is received is key so we designers are big on signage. (We call this way-​finding) The specials are on a small board in the corner that you can’t see until you’re standing in that corner ready to order. This should have been in a different spot so I could see it sooner. Which is probably why the staff was so testy about answering questions.
Staff– as a vegetarian I had some questions about the menu and it was like pulling teeth to get this info. «Are the mushrooms in the taco thinly sliced?» Response «They are smoked. I’ve had that one and it’s good» «okay, so are the mushrooms sliced thin/​shredded or is it thick chunks of mushroom?» Response: «people like them» … ?? What?
Timing — we came in mid-​afternoon after the lunch rush and waited 15 minutes for 3 tacos and an empanada. Then were told the other item (my burrito) wasn’t ready yet. Didn’t these people have a food truck… or 3? Twenty minutes seems a long time.
Food — I’m told the duck taco was good.
And if you’re a meat and potatoes kind of person who also likes to have tacos sometimes, this is for you. The fish tacos are «fish of the day». Weird that they don’t even have a shrimp taco option on the menu. And who said vegetarians only eat tofu, mushrooms and eggplant? (Eggplant wasn’t on the menu but the other two were).
The fish that day was swordfish– not exactly safe or sustainable. I was told this was just «eh».
The spinach empanada was SMALL (even smaller than some of the pictures others have posted) and the inside was super runny. In fact, I bit in and the entire contents ended up in the wax paper. Bonus: lots of sea salt on top and mostly cheese sauce inside. And I do love cheese!
The veggie burrito had no veggies. Chickpea veggie burger usually implies some veggies or it would be called a grilled chickpea patty/​burger or mashed chickpeas. When I first bit in I thought I had someone else’s order. No evidence of pico de gallo or lime crema, mostly a flour tortilla with double rice and some decent texture (albeit tasteless) black beans. I forced down half of it, trying in vain to make it okay with their super watered down and bland salsa Roja, salsa verde, and both hot sauces (also watery). Where are all the usual hot sauces? Eventually I gave up and threw it out, then went down the street for a better taco. We spent $ 30 and both ate entire meals immediately after this.
Drinks– bottled drinks only. No fountain beverages or water fountain. And if you ask for a cup of water you get a 4 oz plastic cup ¾ full with water. Kept in pitcher in the fridge. Behind the counter. I guess if the food had some flavor or had some spice and wasn’t $$ then I would have been compelled to by their bottled water or jarritos.
We won’t be back.

Just went to Revolution taco for the first time this past weekend and loved it so much I’m back today! They are open till midnight on weekends and 9 during the week which is awesome and the food is great! They are funky gringo tacos with super original ideas like BBQ brisket, duck and soy glazed tofu! But don’t worry they have favorites like fish, ground beef and smoked chicken so there is something for everybody and don’t forget to try a house made EMPANADA!!! Rittenhouse doesn’t have a lot of good fast casual food that is also healthy so this is a great place for a quick and delicious bite’o’food. I’ll be back soon!
P. S. I looooved the smoked pepper salsa (one of four of their homemade salsas! Who needs bottles store bought salsas anyway!)

Whoa, super small unauthentic bland tacos for $ 14? Not for me.
Yes, you’re in rittenhouse but don’t use that to rip the assuming taco lover off. Why do you even serve them in the quantity of two? Who would ever buy just two mini tacos? Do people buy half a car? Do people buy one sock? No.
Why so small? Why so expensive? Why so American?
You want real tacos? Go to any taco place on 9^th street around the italian market. There you will get 3 monster tacos for $ 9 and won’t be able to move afterwards.

I happened to check Twitter at just the right time & discovered Revolution Taco was doing a soft open today. I’d been eagerly awaiting its opening as there is a severe lack of amazing tacos on the west side of Rittenhouse Square.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but I walked in and the interior was sleek & spacious. Plenty of room for lunch buddies! The staff was very friendly and seemed skilled/​knowledgeable despite being brand new.
I wanted to try everything on the menu but practicality struck and I got 2 chorizo tacos (the chorizo is made in-​house!) and the naked burrito bowl (so I could feel less guilty about ordering more than one thing!) The chorizo was amazing. Even the shell itself was bursting with flavor. I don’t think I’ve ever truly tasted a tortilla until this day. The roasted pork naked burrito was just beyond delicious. There was so much flavor in every bite. I shared my other taco with a coworker & she could not believe how amazing it was either!
Revolution Taco is now my go-​to lunch spot. There are gluten free options. There are vegan options. You can and should bring everyone you know — no excuses! I need to try everything on the menu — the empanadas are calling my name. I’m also hoping in the future they might consider a «flight» of tacos so it’s easier to try everything!

Offering burritos, burrito bowls, and of course tacos, this casual spot has the potential to become a new neighborhood favorite. We came here on opening day and had a great experience. The owners also run several food trucks, and fare is similar to that type of high end street food. They definitely have some interesting choices on their taco menu like beef tongue and roast duck, but being that I’m a vegetarian I tried the fried tofu tacos and a spinach and fontina empanada. The flavor was very tasty and the tofu was fried just right in a spicy-​sweet goodness. There are several hot sauces to choose from too and each one was pretty good. The only thing I would change is an additional mix and match option so I could have tried a couple of different tacos in one order, but they currently don’t offer this. I will be back soon and definitely want to try the burrito bowl!