Cantina Los Caballitos*

This raucous Mexican gastropub was one of the early engines of East Passyunk's new surge, drawing big crowds to its al fresco sidewalk and corner lot for margaritas - and better food than expected.

A recent brunch in the moody orange room showed the kitchen has remained consistent, with burrito ambitions that encompass both authentically-inspired rustic flavors (braised goat) and veggie options (seitan anticuchos), plus excellent garlic shrimp, tamarind BBQ ribs, hangover-friendly chilaquiles and a chorizo-egg scramble that tastes so much better than it looks.

Reviewed in 2007