El Principe Restaurant

this place has best Spanish food in north Philly and they take credit/debit and cash too

Best authentic Dominican food in the area. Always tastes the same. Def recommend. One of my favorite places to order take out from at work.

Food is really good here as I have been here in the past (while back) but came back recently to get some Dominican Sopa de Pollo (Chicken Soup). Since it was just that, they didn't take the order over phone so I went to pick up. There was SO MUCH food on display at the front counter, I wanted to eat a little bit of everything lol. White rice, yellow rice, beef stew, chicken stew, goat stew, peppered steak, roast pork. They even had what would be known as a "breakfast" meal like eggs, salami, etc.The place is small and they do get a lot customers which is great but can get tight in there while you're waiting to be served. When you walk in, make sure to take a number ticket as they go by numbers for ordering your food. I didn't know that until someone who came in after me was served before. SMH... Will go back for something else soon.

I honestly hate when people don't take orders and work slappy I ask for dry eggs and look what they give me and send me the food like they bored or don't want to do there job . Never again

They have no understanding on how to treat a client, especially a loyal client. They are rude and nasty individuals. I am pregnant and I visit this restaurant every Sunday to purchase food for our employees, I treat them very well and I'm a great tipper. They made a mistake on my order after driving miles to deliver the food myself, they would not return my money back for the error they did. They handed me the wrong order and made me out to the bad guy. I will never go back their again. The place is extremely small, there's no space, they do not follow covid guidelines, the place is always filled with people and they allow people to order without masks. They're food is not good but it's convenient that's the only reason why I go, but that will not happen again.

Food is great, and the girls are very nice. Place is clean. Everything is fresh. Would recommend this spot.

This place is fantastic. Delicious yellow rice and chick peas. Lots of good meat and vegetables. Salad comes with every meal. Very beautiful and helpful service. Make sure you go to El Principe when you stop by a Philadelphia. There is a statue of the Blessed Mother in the window. Ave Maria!

It's a nice little spot, but I recommend to get a to go order then to sit down, they was charging me close to 20 dollars for a small plate of rice beans and steak...horrible

When you walk in, the steam table is packed with Dominican cooking, featuring stewed meats and enough pork to make me believe that Heaven gets its catering from El Principe.Speaking Spanish definitely helps when ordering. If you don't, just make sure you are really good at pointing.The ladies hacked away a portion of artery death meat, known as chicharron in Latin American cooking, and sent it my way for $5 (more pricey when compared to the pounds of other meats they serve up cheap, but luxury has its price). These are just the porkiest bites found in nature. I couldn't bring myself to eat the pure fat parts, but the skin and the fat clinging to it got the job done. This wasn't just some sexy looking skin that didn't deliver once you bit into it; the crunch was perfect, just the right amount of teeth required to tear it apart.4 measly dollars gets you a big serving of stewed chicken. One poke of your fork and the meat is off the bone.I didn't think much of the beef, but guess what- it too was awesome. It was totally moist and drenched in a savory oily juice (like the one the chicken comes in) that made me feel unhealthy just looking at it. Yum!Behind the chicharrones was even more pork, a gleaming pork leg with a few lonely strands of meat falling off it. I wanted it as the star of my platter and the ladies told to wait while they got a new leg from the back. That was a thing worth waiting for.The $8 large combos, like the roast pork platter, come with repollo (vinegar-lemon cabbage salad) and white rice or yellow "moro" rice. A platter makes a great lunch; good luck finishing it all.Of all the meat choices, it is really hard to pick my favorite. I would probably stick with the roast pork, followed by the above mentioned beef. Other choices included goat, stewed pork, roast chicken, oxtail, salt fish, and liver.If you are getting the roast pork instead of one of the meats that come with gravy, ask for some gravy on your rice. They are even nice enough to give you a container of sauce if you aren't eating right away.Smaller platters are available for $6.If you are in to mushy things, be sure to ask for mangu. You won't find it on the steam table, but they will bring you a plate from the kitchen. This was my first time having this Dominican mashed plantain dish, though I have had mofongo (the Puerto Rican, pork heavy version) quite often. It was different without the pork bits, but I found myself piling more on my plate. The mild mushy stuff tasted comforting and matches up well with any of the sauces from the other platters.

We live near the suburbs, so it is a treat to get to Spanish restaurants. Now, paying $17 for a drink and this...wow, boy was my husband pissed! So pissed he ended up stopping at Freddy and Tony's to eat. The 4 pieces were all bone inside, the guineos were hard. Apparently, onions cost extra(rolling my eyes). Go to Maria's Restaurant on 5th and Lycoming for real chicharrón and guineos at a good price instead. Lesson learned.