15 breakfast taco spots worth waking up for in Philly and beyond

Fifteen years ago, Philly’s breakfast taco scene started small, ushered in by a single University City food truck slinging tortillas stuffed with guacamole- and pico-topped scrambled eggs. Today, the Philly area is lousy with breakfast tacos of all stripes, be they Mexican, Tex-Mex, brunch-y, or somewhere in between. Whichever style suits you, here are 15 places to find your breakfast taco fix.

Carlos Aparicio’s excellent cemitas — hefty Mexican sandwiches contained in crusty, fresh-baked rolls — are perhaps the biggest draw at this East Passyunk all-day cafe/BYOB, but don’t sleep on its daily brunch/lunch menu. Inquirer critic Craig LaBan endorses the taco placero: one giant corn tortilla encasing refried beans, rice, guacamole, hard-boiled eggs, grilled onions, and whichever protein you choose, including El Chingon’s standout arabes (spit-roasted pork marinated in herbs and vinegar).

📍1524 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞 267-239-2131, 🌐 elchingonphilly.com

This franchise outpost tucked away on an East Falls side street specializes in Dominican cuisine, but it starts its days with filling, no-frills breakfast tacos (and burritos, omelets, and pancakes). Pick your meat and cheese, and owners Angel Nunez and Laurie Arias will scramble it all together with eggs, then stuff it into three corn tortilla tacos.

📍3492 Tilden St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129, 📞 215-310-9007, 🌐 empanadasunited.com

Breakfast tacos helped build the hype for this Tex-Mex restaurant, a recent entrant to Center City’s relatively slim taco scene. Before opening Hi-Lo, chef-owner Jeff Newman ran weekly taco pop-ups out of Castellino’s and Sarvida featuring fluffy scrambled eggs paired with cheddar cheese and Newman’s signature spice-encrusted burnt-ends barbecue, all neatly folded into a handmade flour tortilla that’s rolled up in foil. Those same tacos — plus two others, a chorizo-egg and a mushroom-egg — are offered all day at Hi-Lo. An expanded breakfast taco menu, with more Tex-Mex-style options, plus tacos grande, is queued up for Hi-Lo’s weekend brunch, which will debut in early May.

📍1109 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞 267-996-4910, 🌐 hilotacoco.com

Birria — in beef, vegan, or ramen form — often lures customers into this colorful shop at the end of East Passyunk Avenue, and now they can have it with scrambled eggs. Chef-owner Jennifer Zavala added a breakfast menu about a year ago. Her tacos come three to an order, each one filled with scrambled Smith Poultry eggs and a protein: birria, carnitas, chorizo, turkey sausage, bacon, or seitan. Zavala throws in cilantro-onion salsa, plus a super-crispy McDonald’s-style hash brown.

📍1941 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞 267-273-0894, 🌐 juana-tamale.square.site

This Columbus Boulevard shop recently went 24/7, introducing a breakfast menu that includes bacon-egg-and-cheese tacos, as well as tacos stuffed with huevos à la Mexicana — a scramble with chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, and mozzarella cheese. Each order comes with three tacos, plus fresh salsas on the side.

📍1620 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞 267-690-3537, 🌐 orderlacatrachitafoodtruck.com

Where once there was a creperie, now there is Mexican breakfast, thanks to the second branch of Avram Hornik’s Rosy’s Taco Bar, which took over the former Beau Monde space in Bella Vista last year. Steak and egg breakfast tacos are on the weekend brunch menu, complete with carne asada, roasted poblano chile, guacamole, and crispy onions. (Rosy’s original location doesn’t have a regular brunch, but has done a scrapple breakfast taco special in the past.)

📍624 S. Sixth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞 445-223-4132, 🌐 rosystacobar.com

Chorizo con papas are the most popular breakfast tacos at this Point Breeze taqueria from longtime Philly bartender Israel Nocelo — a native of Cholula, Mexico — for good reason: Cubed potatoes are cooked up with crispy, house-made crumbles of heavily spiced sausage so they soak up the orange-tinged fat, which Nocelo also uses to brush the corn tortillas. Other breakfast taco fillings include birria and refried beans with eggs, but you may want to save room for the al pastor-topped breakfast sandwich, served on a croissant (or a concha) from Oui bakery, Sí's sister establishment in Old City.

📍1500 Federal St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146, 📞 267-239-2931, 🌐 ouisicafe.com

Chef Alexis Tellez griddles these beautiful brunch tacos — handmade corn tortillas stuffed with a scramble of egg, chorizo, black beans, Oaxaca cheese, and serrano pepper — for better structure, though he admits that perhaps makes them a bit closer to a quesadilla. The tacos come two to an order, with salsa verde, avocado, and crema.

📍1800 N. American St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞 215-309-2582, 🌐 sorynez.com

Cristina Martinez’s legendary lamb tacos have had customers queuing up on the sidewalks of South Philly for a decade, looking to score meat, consommé, and fluffy fresh corn tortillas by the kilo. Barbacoa is a weekend-breakfast staple in parts of Mexico and Texas, so it’s no surprise that South Philly Barbacoa — which recently moved to Martinez’s Casa Mexico storefront — starts selling at 5 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 9 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays.

📍1134 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞 267-470-1464, 🌐 barbacoaphilly.com

Look for this West Philly food truck near the Clark Park farmers market on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Owner Leo Saavedra has been truckin’ in University City since 2007, but he recently got a bright red food truck emblazoned with a festive print — and expanded hours to boot. That means you can now score Saavedra’s hearty breakfast tacos, topped with avocado, hot sauce, and crema, throughout the week. Tacos Don Memo is known to draw a crowd, so consider calling in your order in advance.

📍270 S. 38th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 📞 610-529-2039, 🌐 twitter.com/tacosdonmemo

With 11 breakfast taco varieties plus build-your-own options, Nano Wheedan’s Austin-inspired shop offers the most diverse selection of any maker in the area. Critic Craig LaBan is partial to the migas maximus, with tortilla chips, jalapeño, queso, and sausage, but there are more streamlined options as well. Choose between a made-to-order flour tortilla (the standard is made with both butter and lard, but Wheedan makes a vegan option, too) or corn tortillas from longtime Italian Market maker Tortilleria San Roman.

📍1001 E Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞 445-230-0345, 🌐 tacoheart.com

The successor to Honest Tom’s Taco Shop, the original purveyor of breakfast tacos in Philadelphia, Taco Taco Mexican’s owners carry on the breakfast-taco tradition three days a week. Tacos come two to an order with meat scrambled straight into the eggs, plus heaping spoonfuls of pico and potatoes.

📍261 S. 44th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 📞 215-921-2140, 🌐 ordertacotacomexican.com

Pair your breakfast tacos (two to an order) with a smoothie at either the West Chester or Media locations of this suburban outfit. The stores are casual, fast, and family-oriented — perfect places for scarfing down a quick breakfast with kids in tow. You get two well-packaged tacos with scrambled eggs, white beans, pico de gallo, and avocado for just over $10. Add bacon, sausage, chorizo, or soy chorizo to your tacos for extra.

📍8 W. Gay St., West Chester, Pa. 19380, 📞 610-436-4177, 🌐 jacojuiceandtaco.com

📍 21 W. State St., Media, Pa. 19063, 📞 484-444-2839, 🌐 jacojuiceandtaco.com

Chef-owners Karla Torres and Ernesto Ventura recently added weekend brunch to their excellent Camden BYOB’s repertoire. Besides chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, breakfast pizza, and more, there are breakfast tacos featuring machaca — jerky-like dried, shredded, seasoned beef — with scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado, and crema, plus homemade pickled jalapeños on the side.

📍1999 Federal St., Camden 08105, 📞 856-203-3424, 🌐 laingratacamden.com

Drexel Hill’s best-in-class bruncherie serves up a wide-ranging menu that includes high-rise pancakes, corned beef hash, and chicken and waffles. Breakfast tacos make the cut, too: They come in flour tortillas with bacon, guac, salsa roja, and cheddar.

📍1011 Pontiac Road, Drexel Hill, Pa. 19026, 📞 484-455-7527, 🌐 tankandlibbys.com