El Vez

I was looking forward to trying El Vez after hearing about their good guacamole & margaritas. We arrived at 9:30 on a Thursday & the place was prob 1/2 to 3/4 full - with lots of people at the bar and less eating. We asked the hostess if we can get a table - as our plan was to get guac, appetizers and a pitcher of margarita. The hostess told us we'd need to order entrees in order sit at a table. I found this odd -having lived in nyc & other major cities I've never seen a respectable restaurant forcing you to order a certain # of entrees to sit down. A policy of ordering food at a table is totally understandable ? but forcing you to eat a certain quantity of food, to me, signifies a low-end establishment milking revenue. We said ok, with no real plans to order entrees, and sat down. We figured a $65 meal with a margarita pitcher, guac, and appetizers would suffice. We then received probably the worst treatment I've ever experienced. Our waitress was rude, sarcastic, pushy and made us extremely uncomfortable. When we ordered the pitcher & guac she asked us if there was anything else we wanted to order. We said we?ll order more, but not right now as we wanted to relax and order more as we went along. About 3 minutes later she came back asking for our order. We said not yet. 2 minutes later our pitcher came. As did more ordering questions. 2 minutes later guac came - she then pretty much wasn't leaving until we ordered more food. So we ordered an appetizer & side dish ? at the same cost as an entree. She then looked straight at me and asked me ?what I wanted for my entree?. I said, "I don't want an entree". From there it got even worse - with her talking to other waitresses and pointing and gesturing at us, making sarcastic comments about us ?drinking up? and overall being plain rude. We tried to relay our frustrations to a manager but we left after 10 min of waiting at the front desk. Bottom line: good food & good drinks ? but bad treatment ruined it. more

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My friend and I really enjoyed dining here. It was a great vibe, really huge bar scene. We went around 10:00 and were seated promptly. The nachos mama's were amazing!!! A must try. They had a variety of food to choose from. I also got the enchilada's mixtas. It was delicious and HUGE. I recommend sharing this entree with two people. My friend got two different taco platters, he loved it! Overall great experience. They even had a black & white photo book that you can take pictures in. Really cute touch! Definitely give this place a try if you're in city center. Pros: Margaritas, Food, The Bar Scene Cons: Nothing! more

My friend and I really enjoyed dining here. It was a great vibe, really huge bar scene. We went around 10:00 and were seated promptly. The nachos mama's were amazing!!! A must try. They had a variety of food to choose from. I also got the enchilada's mixtas. It was delicious and HUGE. I recommend sharing this entree with two people. My friend got two different taco platters, he loved it! Overall great experience. They even had a black & white photo book that you can take pictures in. Really cute touch! Definitely give this place a try if you're in city center. Pros: Margaritas, Food, The Bar Scene Cons: Nothing! more

This has got to be my favorite place in the city (next to Continental Mid-Town), especially to hang with friends. The Guacamole and everything else I've tried is awesome, the decor is fun and uplifting, the drinks are great...this place is always a good time, and even if your company is lackluster--go to El Vez...the night won't be a total bust! :) Pros: Food/Drink/Atmosphere Cons: Seating can be tough, but that just proves it's good!! more

This has got to be my favorite place in the city (next to Continental Mid-Town), especially to hang with friends. The Guacamole and everything else I've tried is awesome, the decor is fun and uplifting, the drinks are great...this place is always a good time, and even if your company is lackluster--go to El Vez...the night won't be a total bust! :) Pros: Food/Drink/Atmosphere Cons: Seating can be tough, but that just proves it's good!! more

I just received machos nachos, they forgot to add the shredded steak.... I'm very disappointed more

sea bass tacos were amazing! more

My sister and I loved this place! The hostesses were very friendly, and our server, I believe her name was Susannah, was extremely pleasant and attentive. We ordered the guacamole, bass tacos, beef gorditas, and the Short ribs. All were amazing. I loved loved loved the beef gorditas. The margaritas were also great . The food came out so fast, we were so shocked! Great atmosphere, pleasant staff, and the manager even came over to see how we were doing. I would definately recommend this place. El Vez has found new regulars. Pros: Pleasant staff, amazing food Cons: None more

My sister and I loved this place! The hostesses were very friendly, and our server, I believe her name was Susannah, was extremely pleasant and attentive. We ordered the guacamole, bass tacos, beef gorditas, and the Short ribs. All were amazing. I loved loved loved the beef gorditas. The margaritas were also great . The food came out so fast, we were so shocked! Great atmosphere, pleasant staff, and the manager even came over to see how we were doing. I would definately recommend this place. El Vez has found new regulars. Pros: Pleasant staff, amazing food more

Been here a few times. Although it can get a bit too loud at times, thats about the only drawback I can see. The Guacamole is fantastic and is offered in six or seven different, unique styles. Have had the taco sampler the last two times I've been here and could eat it every night if I could. Has a great bar scene and the location is great for people watching. Pros: Guacamole, bar, taco sampler is a must to try Cons: can get too loud at times, almost impossible to get in on weekends. more

Been here a few times. Although it can get a bit too loud at times, thats about the only drawback I can see. The Guacamole is fantastic and is offered in six or seven different, unique styles. Have had the taco sampler the last two times I've been here and could eat it every night if I could. Has a great bar scene and the location is great for people watching. Pros: Guacamole, bar, taco sampler is a must to try Cons: can get too loud at times, almost impossible to get in on weekends. more

one of my favorite places in philly! love the mexican chopped salad with adobe chicken and the carne asada. more

I went to El Vez with a friend on a Thursday night for drinks. We were told to wait at the bar by a few young, flighty hostesses even though there were at least ten tables open, many of which were for two people. I pointed this out and she claimed that people had reservations and that they would be clearing out the bar, tables were for "full service" only. So we waited at the bar for about 15 minutes and not one seat opened up. I asked again if we could be seated at an open table and was denied. No one at the bar was planning on leaving anytime soon, especially since I spotted several groups of people with full meals, even though the bar is supposedly just for drinks! We decided to leave and have pre-dinner drinks elsewhere. So we went around the corner to dependable and friendly Fergie's for a few drinks. Despite being initially frustrated with El Vez and the hostesses (who seemed quite flustered and incompetent), we decided to go back to the restaurant a little later for dinner at around 10PM. We were seated promptly, since we were there for "full service" and had an excellent server. Our bill totaled well over $100. We might have spent even more money had we been seated the first time around. When a restaurant is charging upwards of at least $10 a piece for drinks, you should consider seating customers at once, anywhere they like, especially if there are numerous tables open. Chances are they'll end up ordering food as well. That night, I left a comment card detailing my frustration, but never heard back from anyone. I wonder if it was even submitted by the hostess or just tossed in the trash... Upside of Anger: Everything we ordered was delicious including the Pink Cadillac Margaritas, Frozen BloodOrange Margaritas, Queso Fundido Con Carne, Chicken Mole, and Yucatan Salmon with verde rice and saffron-chile sauce. Yum yum yum. more

I went to El Vez with a friend on a Thursday night for drinks. We were told to wait at the bar by a few young, flighty hostesses even though there were at least ten tables open, many of which were for two people. I pointed this out and she claimed that people had reservations and that they would be clearing out the bar, tables were for ""full service"" only. So we waited at the bar for about 15 minutes and not one seat opened up. I asked again if we could be seated at an open table and was denied. No one at the bar was planning on leaving anytime soon, especially since I spotted several groups of people with full meals, even though the bar is supposedly just for drinks! We decided to leave and have pre-dinner drinks elsewhere. So we went around the corner to dependable and friendly Fergie's for a few drinks. Despite being initially frustrated with El Vez and the hostesses (who seemed quite flustered and incompetent), we decided to go back to the restaurant a little later for dinner at around 10PM. We were seated promptly, since we were there for ""full service"" and had an excellent server. Our bill totaled well over $100. We might have spent even more money had we been seated the first time around. When a restaurant is charging upwards of at least $10 a piece for drinks, you should consider seating customers at once, anywhere they like, especially if there are numerous tables open. Chances are they'll end up ordering food as well. That night, I left a comment card detailing my frustration, but never heard back from anyone. I wonder if it was even submitted by the hostess or just tossed in the trash... Upside of Anger: Everything we ordered was delicious including the Pink Cadillac Margaritas, Frozen BloodOrange Margaritas, Queso Fundido Con Carne, Chicken Mole, and Yucatan Salmon with verde rice and saffron-chile sauce. Yum yum yum. more

This is my first time posting. We've been to El Vez several times in the past few months and every time we've had excellent service including friendly attentive servers. Of course the margaritas are fabulous but the food is the highlight of our evening. The seafood is always fresh and cooked to perfection. Our favorite menu items include the Indian Red Lopez guacamole, the diver scallops, mojo grilled shrimp, and the Chilean sea bass when it is offered as a special. Desserts are not an after thought here, the chocolate cake is purely sublime. Pros: service, food, drinks more

This is my first time posting. We've been to El Vez several times in the past few months and every time we've had excellent service including friendly attentive servers. Of course the margaritas are fabulous but the food is the highlight of our evening. The seafood is always fresh and cooked to perfection. Our favorite menu items include the Indian Red Lopez guacamole, the diver scallops, mojo grilled shrimp, and the Chilean sea bass when it is offered as a special. Desserts are not an after thought here, the chocolate cake is purely sublime. Pros: service, food, drinks more

mexican food in this atmosphere never tasted so good, i mean a glittering motorcycle. cmon what more could... more

mexican food in this atmosphere never tasted so good, i mean a glittering motorcycle. cmon what more could... more