Distrito
3945 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Make a Reservation Now
Jose Garces — the man who redefined tapas in this town — just opened Distrito, a modern Mexican joint in West Philly. Here, traditional dishes get a bit of polish, like the soft tacos filled with tender veal cheeks and the yellowtail ceviche served with pleasing sorbet. Sadly, the delicate food doesn't pair well with the flashy, built-for-Penn-kids décor of the first-floor bar. No matter. Head upstairs for a more grown-up scene (well, except for the swinging lounge chairs).
Read our November 2008 review.
Featured In
Best of Philly 2009: New Restaurant, City
Its big. Its jubilantly gaudy. Its Pepto-Bismol pink. Its loud, its young, and its walls sparkle with glittery wrestling masks. You c...
Rating
| Overall (9) |
Food (9) |
Service (9) |
| Decor (10) |
Value (9) |
Average (9.20) |
Review
WOW.... talk about pepto-bismol meeting Nacho Libre in an up-scale restaurant! This place is exploding with PINK! The decor is very loud but it works along with the 2 floor set up so you can choose to have drinks upstairs or down. The prices are very reasonable serving TAPPAS style. ($10 dish) You can literally choose 6-8 different small dishes & pick all night at them (with your date) sampling many different flavors. I would highly suggest any of the flat breads along with the 12 oz Carne Asada. (all bursting with flavor!) My date & I had several drinks & left very full for about $200. I would say that El Vez is a very close 2nd for those that really enjoy Mexican but I'm still partial to Amada. The only minor concern I had with Distrito was the location. It's a bit off the beaten path in W. Philly between Drexel & U of Penn. If your going just for dinner, you'll be fine BUT afterwards there's really not much to do. (besides the local college bar scene) A $15 cab ride back towards center/olde city to keep the night going will be needed. But none-the-less, Distrito is among one the best restaurants in the city & one that I will definitely going back to...
Posted by Carlo: Nov. November 15th, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Rating
| Overall (10) |
Food (10) |
Service (10) |
| Decor (10) |
Value (10) |
Average (10.00) |
Review
So maybe I was a bit hesitant at my girlfriend suggesting a restaurant that her previous boyfriend introduced her to. After my experience at Distrito, that notion is LONG forgotten. Ambience, service, fresh, delicious food...this place has it all. What started as an apprehensive venture ended up being the most romantic dinner experience I can recall. Try to get seated in the Volkswagen Bug (yes, an actual Beetle modified to serve as a dining booth).
Posted by Joseph: Aug. August 23rd, 2009 at 3:48 AM
Rating
| Overall (10) |
Food (10) |
Service (10) |
| Decor (10) |
Value (8) |
Average (9.60) |
Review
The best restaurant in Philadelphia. Period. Between the pink colored modern decor the widescreen playing a silent version of Nacho Libre, the woodsy and almost "bambooey" booths that are all different on the second floor (which I later found out was the main dining room), the flock of people, and the clean open kitchen, the decor is fabulous. However, the detailed chinese looking tables near the bar are a questionable choice. The food is by far the best mexican in philly. To start, I would definitley recommend the not so small house made guacomole engulfed in a silver contemporary bowl with a huge bowl of housemade and still warm savory chips. Don't settle for the guacomole, spend and extra 3 bucks for the house made mexican salsa which is spicy and delicious. The complementary spicy blend of nuts is also worth a try. The pollo tacos as a second dish were moist pieces of chicken coated in a delicious salsa. The pollo enchilada was good as well. For dessert, the tres leches cake was topped with some meriangue and melon and adjacent to it were drops of blood orange puree to drag each perfect bite through. The home made yet complimentary blood orange candied droplets of some sort were a perfect ending to a wonderful meal
Posted by Jeremy: Aug. August 30th, 2008 at 9:35 PM