What’s in a Name at 12 St Cantina

It’s hard to keep up with the fun snacks at 12th St Cantina in Reading Terminal. They are always rotating new things that tempt me as I walk by. While burritos and quesadillas are always available, I prefer just picking what snacks behind the glass look best to me. Last visit I only had room to sample the duck chili.

The sweet potato taquitos tempted me first ($2.95). Now, I was under the impression that to qualify as a taquito you had to be fried, and this definitely was not fried. But I enjoyed the well seasoned sweet potato and  the unexpected addition of melty cheese. It was also fairly large, 2 of these would make a meal.

I also tried a mushroom enchilada and a cheese and green chile enchilada. Both seemed to be wrapped in the same flour tortilla as the taquito… so it seems we should just ignore the whole name thing here. Speaking of the tortillas, they were neither bad nor good, they were just vessels to hold the contents. The mushroom enchilada was covered in what may have been a chipotle crema and then more cheese, basically  a no-fail recipe. The green chile enchilada was the only snack that had some spice to it. It also had chopped up mango pieces. While I could have gotten an enchilada platter, I liked that I got to have both a rich, cheesy one and a spicy, sweet one.

A friend got a piece of this veggie casserole/lasagna. Again, that recipe of vegetables covered in cheese is likely to please me.

While I can’t attest to the burritos, the Yelp reviews are not very favorable, so I think the key to success at 12 St Cantina, is sticking to the selection of rotating specials.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • I like things covered in cheese
  • The changing selections keeps things interesting

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • Duck chili? Something that looks like lasagna? That is far from authentic
  • You never know if your favorite dish is going to be available on a given day

12th St Cantina, 12th and Arch St, 215-625-0321

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