12. Mole Poblano

MOLE POBLANO
1144 S 9th St, Philadelphia

There seem to be dozens of small Mexican restaurants just south of the Italian Market and, to be honest, I wouldn't know which ones to check out. Fortunately, I had an experienced foodie with me on this day, who led me on an all-afternoon tour that ended with our stomachs bursting and our wallets close to empty.

You'll see the other reviews in the coming days, but I'll start with the best. Mole Poblano was "el mejor" of the day. We ordered a Chicken Mole Taco and were told by Pedro, the owner (turns out both his father and son are also named Pedro) that his mom, Inez, lovingly preps the mole herself. It's sweet and spicy, with probably a half-dozen kind of peppers and chiles and twice as many spices. Is that cinnamon? Clove? I'm not sure, to be honest, but it was all magnificent bathing a corn tortilla packed with tender chicken.

We also enjoyed the Pastor, a tender citrusy pork taco with diced onion and bits of pineapple. And we're told that if you show up on weekends, Pedro I and Inez whip up some amazing tamales. Maybe that's next year's food hunt.

Score: 89/100