Taco Heart

Philadelphians love to eat things with their hands. Hoagies, cheesesteaks, and soft pretzels come to mind. Thanks to Taco Heart, we can add these Austin-style breakfast tacos to the best-of list. 

Walk into the colorful East Passyunk shop Tuesday-Sunday, snag a bright pink stool, and try your best to be patient for a warm tortilla sleeve full of fluffy eggs, refried beans, and cheese. Crowded by plants and half of the neighborhood—since it’s the area's favorite breakfast spot—you’ll hear throwbacks from The Whispers, see golf ball-sized mounds of dough get thinly pressed by hand, and watch as guests struggle to nab a sidewalk seat while biting into something covered in queso and salsa verde. 

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Choose from 10 tacos (all less than $7), or create your own (there are vegan options available, too). Our favorite is the Migas Maximus, which packs egg, sausage, migas, fresh jalapeño, queso, and avocado in their house-made flour tortilla, but you can choose from flour or corn tortillas, and layer them with everything from broccoli and sweet potato to crispy bacon and chorizo. They offer a number of fresh housemade salsas—we recommend the habanero if you like your taco with inferno-level heat. If you want to skip the wrapper, try the breakfast bowls that are topped by a crunchy hat of puffer chips (sort of like a more substantial wonton). Is it so mind blowing that you might tattoo the taco and heart emojis on your forearm? No. But you’ll always leave in a better mood than when you arrived, and on a day full of emails, avoiding hard math, and ignoring scammer calls, that’s most of the battle. 

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Head here on your way to the office or to revive you on a lazy Saturday (but heads up, they close at 1pm). Whatever the occasion, each taco or bowl will be satisfying enough to forgive Texas for the Cowboys (almost).

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Food Rundown

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

BECA

What’s not to like? It’s the warm taco version of a classic BEC. The slices of avocado make each bite of warm cheddar, bacon, and scrambled eggs even creamier. We’d like to use the scent of them topped with the peppery habanero salsa as our new alarm clock.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Migas

This taco has egg, tortilla chips, tomato, onion, cilantro, cheese, and avocado all wrapped in one. There’s a simultaneous play of crunchiness and smooth fluffiness in each fulfilling bite.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Migas Maximus

Our favorite taco here, it’s loaded with egg, sausage, fresh jalapeño, queso, and avocado, and crispy migas (scrambled eggs mixed with strips of fried tortilla). It’s an ingredient we want added to every taco we have until the end of time. Plus, everyone knows that good queso is the solution to half the world’s problems.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Potato, Egg, and Cheese

The cubes of potatoes in this taco are so tender, they remind us of poking the Pillsbury Dough Boy in the belly (probably, we’ve never had the chance to try). It’s cheesy, nicely seasoned, and really filling.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Morning Bowl

This bowl mixes sweet potato, spinach, refried black beans, a sunny-side up egg, cilantro, avocado, and puffy chips. A great blend of earthiness with a touch of sweetness and satisfying crunch from the chips, it’s an excellent choice when you don’t want something handheld.