Philly Treasure: Tortilleria San Roman

I’ve complained every time I’ve ventured into an ACME, Shop-Rite, Whole Foods, etc and purchased taco shells or tortilla wraps for a taco night at home. Taco night should be an easy thing to do at home with beans, your meat of choice, cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, onions or whatever else you like in your tacos. But it’s not. Why? Because the taco shells and tortillas sold in the grocery stores have little to no resemblance of anything sold from a reputable Mexican spot or truck. They’re terrible.

And then, I found out that the highest-rated Philadelphia establishment on Yelp! is Tortilleria San Roman in the Italian Market. It’s a perfect 5/5. I went there this week to check it out.

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Holy shit! How could I have not known about this place? How could none of my friends have known about this place and told me about it? This place is a godsend.

For starters, they have the tortillas for your tacos that every great Mexican spot has. They are amazing. They are sold by the kilo. They are cheap. $2.25 for a kilo!

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They also have the most ridiculously good corn chips. $3.50 for a medium bag? Yes, please.

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Also available is fresh pico de gallo, green/red salsas, and stuff I have no idea what it is.

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This is where they do their work.

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And this is my final score. Tortillas, corn chips, pico, and green salsa.

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Guy at the counter warned me the red was spicy so I decided to tread lightly. All of it was unbelievably good. Taco night at home is forever changed for the better!

Where the hell have I been?

I can’t believe it took me this long to find it and I’ve walked past it dozens of times. Don’t be like me. If you enjoy Mexican food, find a way to get to Tortilleria San Roman. I’ve been back twice since…it’s that good.

It’s at 951 South 9th Street on the corner of 9th and Carpenter Sts.