With the chilly weather moving in, what could be better than a big ole plate of soul-warming nachos, piled high with fresh tortilla chips, refried beans, sour cream guacamole and more? Here, we round up the best restaurants in Philadelphia to get nachos, including delicious and sometimes quite creative dishes in Center City, Fishtown and beyond. Celebrate the occasion with friends and a few rounds of margaritas.
Bar Amis, 4503 S Broad St
This Navy Yard happy-hour haunt has put an Italian spin on the Tex-Mex standard, layering corn chips with cheese fonduta, cannellini beans and salsa verde along with sliced radishes, jalapeños and avocado.
El Rey, 2013 Chestnut St
Stephen Starr’s converted diner cum Mexican cantina gets points for even topping distribution. Their shareable starter is finished with housemade chorizo, melty chihuahua cheese, pickled chiles, and habanero and mint salsa.
Blue Corn, 940 S 9th St
Unlike other joints that are happy to pop open a bag of chips and call it a day, the talented crew at this Italian Market mainstay makes every element of their nachos from scratch—from the warm blue corn chips to the creamy refried beans.
Lolita, 106 S 13th St
During weeknights this Midtown Village Mexican spot runs a late-night happy hour from 10 to 11pm. Along with deeply discounted micheladas and margaritas, a charred corn and avocado crema nachos can be finished with a choice of mixed mushrooms or al pastor pork.
Milkboy, 1100 Chestnut St
For those in the market for some early-morning nacho action, the jack-cheese-and-refried-bean-topped chips here are on the menu from 7am till last call at 2am.
La Calaca Feliz, 2321 Fairmount Ave
The monster-sized nachos at this Fairmount fave are some of the tallest in town. Go vegetarian with black beans, pickled jalapeños and radishes or upgrade with slow braised short ribs.
Loco Pez, 2401 E Norris St
If you’re looking to double (or triple) down on Nacho Day festivities, the Nacho de Kenzo are the way to go. These monster nachos start with all of the usual suspects plus a trio of pulled chicken, carne asada and chorizo and four cheeses.
CoZara, 3200 Chestnut St
This Japanese izakaya takes a fair amount of artistic license with their chip-less nachos. Instead of tortillas, the nachos here are made from crispy salmon skin and dressed up with spicy mayo, pico de gallo and a truffled eel sauce.
Mission Taqueria, 1516 Sansom St
At this sunny, second-floor cantina, housemade chips are loaded up with spicy chorizo, tomatoes and Serrano chiles and showered with crumbly cotija cheese and crema.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best Mexican restaurants Philadelphia has to offer.