Swamp Cafe – Food 10/10, Atmosphere 6/10, Price 10/10

No matter what anyone says, judging based on appearance is kind of human nature. From book covers to people, we will unconsciously form opinions from the first look. Restaurants aren’t immune to this sort of judgment either. From location, to furnishings, to even unappealing logo design, people will avoid restaurants based on the nebulous idea of “atmosphere.” Yet, there’s often culinary treasures hiding behind unimpressive looks. 

Swamp Cafe is a Halal Cajun restaurant with a smattering of Chinese menu items. Confusing, I know. Menu mixing and fusion cuisine ordinarily turn me off immediately, but this quaint cafe defied all of my preconceived notions. Swamp Cafe is about 15 minutes from campus, just a straight shot down Frankford Road and a left on Dallas Parkway. In accordance with our theme, Swamp Cafe is not the ideal location to impress on a first date, but the quietness, mismatched furniture, and the owner’s kindness give it a cozy, homey feel. 

Over the course of several visits, I’ve ordered nearly every menu item, both Cajun and Chinese. During my most recent foray with friends, I had the jambalaya, the chicken gumbo, and the seafood combo, with beignets for dessert. The wait was only about fifteen minutes, and the food arrived so hot and fresh that we had to wait for it to cool down! The jambalaya was rich and laden with chicken and beef sausage, the chicken gumbo was creamy and spicy, and the seafood combo was fried perfectly crisp and spiced excellently. Once you have the beignets, you’ll never want a donut again. Every single dish is rich, flavorful, and generous. Though the prices don’t look the cheapest, the value for money is incredible, as even the hungriest of diners (me) will be left with a meal for the next day. The owner and sole staff member of the restaurant, Chef David, cooks for his customers like he’s cooking for himself, which is a trait I value in a chef more than anything else. I truly love Swamp Cafe, and I implore anyone looking for some quality food to give it a try.

Artesenal Tortilleria El Maizal – Food 8/10, Atmosphere 6/10, Price 8/10

I found Artesenal Tortilleria El Maizal on Google Maps during one of my daily searches for interesting restaurants in the area. And interesting El Maizal was. Four kinds of homemade nixtamal tortillas, including blue corn? Sign me up. Like many quality Mexican restaurants, there was a smattering of TVs on the walls quietly playing bachata. Far more entertaining than television, however, were the cooks working their magic in the open kitchen. It was fascinating to watch the tortillas be pressed, cooked, and wrapped to be sold. 

My partner and I  ordered enchiladas rojas and quesabirrias, known better in English as birria tacos. Before our food arrived, we were treated to freshly fried tortilla chips with El Maizal’s salsa verde. The chips were lovely, and the salsa was pretty good; nothing mind blowing, but pleasantly tasty. My enchiladas were similar. I enjoyed them, but I wasn’t particularly impressed. The quesabirrias were a bit of a mixed bag. The portion size wasn’t of a particularly good value, but the tacos themselves were amongst the best I’ve had, with a perfectly fried crispy tortilla, flavorful meat, and pleasantly stretchy cheese. However, my dining partner and I both agreed that the consomme was not as flavorful as one would hope. Not bland per se; we just expected more. I will admit in retrospect that sticking with the $2.50 tacos at a tortilla place would have likely yielded better results, so I’ll be back again sometime to give the tacos a shot. All in all, the food was pretty good. Nothing more, nothing less. If you’re looking for some reliably tasty Mexican food and truly excellent tortillas, El Maizal is a great choice.