LMNO

When you walk into Fishtown’s LMNO, you’ll see a neon-lit bar, a private music listening room with vinyl records, and a DJ. It’s an atmosphere unlike any in the neighborhood, and we wouldn’t be surprised if your first question upon entry was, “Is this another spot in town that prioritized buying a Made In America-like sound system over a decent menu?” But, this Mexican restaurant has put the work into both, and that’s exactly why we’re fans.

The rowdy dining space is large, full of tall trees, and the music can get noisy enough to make you communicate with everyone at your table through facial expressions. If you do want something more easygoing, they do have a massive outdoor patio that doesn’t have the same frantic pace as the dining room. After taking it all in, you’ll eventually get around to ordering.

The extensive menu has a broad range of Mexican food, from tacos to aguachiles to large format options for the table. While you’ll find carne asada tacos and guacamole, a few dishes take a cultural detour: Vietnamese tostadas are coated in nước chấm while the whole seabass comes covered in a dashi sauce. And with vegetarian options like a grilled cauliflower dish and mushroom and kale tacos, there’s something for everyone in your friend group. LMNO has very good starters, like the perfectly charred coal-roasted oysters that come with a roasted garlic aioli that's basically creamy liquid gold. When it comes to filling out your order, go for an order of tacos, which range from vegetarian options to a birria with both beef and oxtail. Having tried them all, the suadero tacos are the best. As the tender beef and smoky salsa pasilla de Oaxaca melt in your mouth, you kind of forget that you haven’t heard your friends’ voices in 30 minutes.

LMNO brings out that fun version of yourself. You know, the one you reserve for vacations or dancing on the jumbotron at Citizens Bank Park. And it’s an ideal spot to celebrate anything, whether that's a birthday, finding a parking space on Girard Ave., or just to toast to the fact that you’ve found a new party place in town where you don’t have to pay a cover to get in.

Food Rundown

Verde Aguachile

Floating in a citrusy lime juice that gets a nice kick from the jalapēno, the chunks of crab, kampachi, shrimp, and melon make this dish easily the most refreshing thing on the menu.

Coal-Roasted Oysters

They come on a tray of mini hot stones, which makes the tangy tomatillo-chile sauce on top continue to sizzle on the edges of the oysters. It’s one of our favorites here.

Cucarachas Shrimp

If we were making good ass shrimp guide, these would definitely be on it. They’re crispy, jumbo-sized, and the subtle peppery flavor in the chili sauce is something we want to drench everything on the menu with.

Suadero Tacos

These tacos come with chunks of juicy and tender steak that’s smothered in a peppery tomatillo-chipotle salsa. There are only two in an order, but they’re surprisingly filling enough that they can be the headliner of your meal.

Birria Tacos

Probably the only tacos you can truly skip here. The meat is cut into bite-sized pieces and it’s both juicy and savory. But the consommé falls so flat that you’ll be reaching for any leftover salsa or cream on the table just so you can spread it all over the edges of the tortilla.

Carne Asada Vampiro Tacos

This taco comes packed with grilled steak, queso, and a salsa roja that’s so fiery that if you come in the summer and the heat doesn’t make you sweat, well, this will. This menu item is also oddly listed under tacos when it's actually a tostada. But since the whole thing gets a charred and smoky kick from the blue corn tortilla, which they dry over coal embers, we’ll allow the confusion.

Adobo Lamb Shank

A shareable dish that doesn’t require much work (since it’s presliced), the lamb is stewed in a sweet chili sauce and comes with fluffy almond and apricot rice. Plus, if you want to trap the juices from the meat in a warm pouch instead of eating it with a fork, each order comes with a handful of blue corn tortillas.