Mexican Seafood In South Philadelphia

La Lupe owner Gabriel Bravo has opened another South Philadelphia taqueria, Fiesta Acapulco. This eatery may not look like much but as Adam Erace says, its focus on seafood and value makes it a spot worth checking out.

The Acapulco connection emerges in the list of entrees, loaded with fried, broiled and grilled seafood. In the camarones Veracruzana, red and green bell peppers and a dozen sauteed shrimp swam in a red tide of chipotle sauce, framed by a mountain of rice that resembled an aerial shot of Acapulco itself. Hardly life-changing, but flavorful, enormous and cheap at $13.

The Fiesta Acapulco Combo is an even better deal. At $21.50, this mixed grill brings it with smoky, buttery Alaskan king crabs and baby lobster tail, perfectly cooked scallops and shrimp and stuffed clams. The four fat cherrystones were the only disappointment, so overloaded with zingy breadcrumb stuffing the meat got totally lost in the fray. The combo easily feeds two and comes with a little greens salad topped with cucumber, avocado and tomato; the sweet waitress brought out a bottle of what looked and tasted suspiciously like Wish-Bone Italian to join the table’s apothecary of hot sauces.

Fiesta Acapulco [Philadelphia Weekly]