I fell in love with pozole years ago in Mexico City. Though the city has many other merits, including a staggeringly diverse and fascinating food culture, it’s truly my craving for pozole that‘s brought me back again and again. It comes in the colors of the Mexican flag: rojo, verde, and blanco, with regional variations of each.
The good news is you don’t have to go all the way to Mexico City for excellent pozole (although you can buy it by the literal bucket there). Philly has numerous excellent iterations of the classic dish.
Pozole isn’t just about the thick stew itself, studded with large hominy (kernels of nixtamalized corn) and hunks of beef, chicken, or pork. It’s about the fixings and accompaniments. You’ll find shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, crispy tortillas, and lime wedges most frequently, but also tostadas smeared with refried beans, quesadillas stuffed with Oaxaca cheese, little bowls of crema, puffed-up and crispy chicharrones, and big, generous slices of avocado.
Here are a handful of places to sink into a bowl of pozole in Philly. This is not a comprehensive list, just a place to start. And if anyone does invite you over to their mom’s house for pozole, your answer should most certainly be yes. (In fact, please call me if someone does. I would like to come, too).
La Jefa
La Jefa’s delicate pozole ($17) is not like the hearty bucketful I’ve consumed in Mexico City. It’s lighter brunch fare and consists of pulled chicken and hominy with chile de arbol, oregano, minced shallots, lime, served with a couple of blue corn tostadas.
“It’s a chicken-based pozole rojo inspired by the pozole from a place in Zapopan, Jalisco, called La Escolastica. We use fresh hominy, which makes all of the difference. The tostadas are made from Cristina Martinez’s masa,” said restaurateur David Suro, who’s an active presence in the Rittenhouse all-day cafe cafe and its mother restaurant, Tequilas.
La Jefa Cafe, 1605 Latimer St., 215-475-5500, lajefaphilly.com
Los Potrillos
This Port Richmond restaurant’s pozole rojo ($18) is a deep red from guajillo chilis, with enormous, skin-on pork knuckles swimming in the broth. On the side are three plain yellow corn tostadas, juicy lime wedges, and shredded lettuce and cilantro. The pork is fall-off-the-bone tender. I like to crush up the tostadas and sprinkle them in the bowl like croutons. It’s intoxicatingly delicious when spiked with lots of lime juice.
Los Potrillos, 2617 E. Venango St., 267-692-8122, lospotrillosrestaurantpa.com
Café y Chocolate
West Passyunk’s Café y Chocolate serves a pozole rojo ($15) with two yellow corn tostadas spread with a thick layer of refried beans, then topped with lettuce, radishes, queso fresco, and a drizzle of crema. The stew has diced chunks of pork (and no bones). This is the most opaque of the pozoles on this list and the spiciest. I also love Café y Chocolate’s creamy elote soup and its hearty tortilla soup.
Café y Chocolate, 1532 Snyder Ave., 267-639-4506, cafeychocolatephiladelphia.com
La Llorona
I got La Llorona’s pozole ($18) delivered on a frigid winter day. Theirs is essentially a pozole blanco, but you can also order rojo or verde variations. This is a clear white broth with pork, hominy, and oregano. It’s served with three tostadas painted with refried beans, drizzled with avocado crema, and sprinkled with queso fresco. Shredded lettuce and matchsticks of radish come on the side. I highly recommend you get a quesadilla for dipping into the soup. This is perfect for those who consider themselves spice-averse (though the tostadas pack a bit of heat). The flavor is deep, porky, and herbaceous, but not too chili-forward. The pork is extremely tender, even silky.
La Llorona, 1551 W. Passyunk Ave., 215-515-3276, lalloronaphilly.com