South Philly’s Mixto Lives Up To Its Name
When I think of “fusion” food, an Asian dish mixed with Western elements comes to mind. However, America is known for producing different types of cultural mixtures so I really wanted to see if there are other types of fusion restaurants in Philly, and Mixto is the answer!
Located in South Philly on Pine Street, Mixto offers dishes that feature a mixture of Cuban, Latin American, and Caribbean flavors. I went during their weekend brunch hours and was overwhelmed by how many great options they had! After being painfully indecisive, I ended up ordering the Costa Rican breakfast (gallo pinto) while my friend got the Colombian breakfast. Since we also needed our caffeine fix for the day, we got a latte and a cappuccino as well. Our drinks came quick and were delicious, which definitely helped wake us up! As we were waiting for our food, I looked around the restaurant and fell in love with the various Latin American-inspired paintings and décor. We actually decided to get a table outside on the street where the shrubs and plants made it feel more like an intimate backyard. The music also provided a very nice ambiance with most of the playlist consisting of slow-paced Hispanic songs.
When our brunch arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised with the large portions and the assortments of food that came with each dish. With the Costa Rican breakfast, I got two eggs over easy, white rice mixed with black beans, red and green peppers, and onions in a lizano sauce, which was served with fried cheese, avocado, sweet plantains and a choice of breakfast meat (I picked chorizo). All of the flavors complemented each other perfectly, and I loved the fried cheese just a little too much. The fried plantains were delicious and they provided a sweet side to an otherwise savory breakfast. Needless to say, it was extremely filling and amazing to share! With the Colombian breakfast, my friend got two fried eggs, Sirloin steak, arepa, maduros, and white rice mixed with red beans, which all looked very delicious. How is it possible to have such strong FOMO (fear of missing out) for food when your food is already so amazing? Go to Mixto and you’ll understand!
The unique variations in each of our dishes come from the inspirations of many countries in Latin America. While I ordered the Costa Rican breakfast, my dish had eggs along with beans and rice, which is a big chunk of a Colombian breakfast staple, Calentado. The Columbian dish consisted of eggs, beans, rice, arepa, and eggs over easy. Normally, Puerto Rican breakfasts do not include rice with eggs, so the blend of both cultures is a new twist on the classics! Gallo pinto is also typically known as either a dinner or a lunchtime dish, so the addition of eggs makes it more in tune with a breakfast meal, similar to Calentado. With my friend’s Colombian dish, maduros (cooked plantains) added an element of Costa Rican cuisine to an otherwise traditional meal. While maduros are popular all over Latin America, having them as part of breakfast is almost exclusively Costa Rican.
Even though I already had high hopes for Mixto just by looking at the reviews, everything about the restaurant exceeded my expectations. The people who worked there were extremely sweet and kind, that alone makes me want to come back as soon as I can! Even though we just went for brunch, by glancing over the dinner menu I can see that there’s a lot of very unique and tasty meals offered! If you ever want to stop by, the address is 1141 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 and brunch is offered only Saturday and Sunday until 3:00 pm.
