Mixteca's Doors Are Open in Fishtown
The wait is over. Mixteca, the agave bar and restaurant from Please Don’t Tell’s (a long-standing NYC favorite and award-winning cocktail bar) Jeff Bell and Victor Lopez, officially opened its doors on Frankford Avenue today. Now, after months of watching the former Martha space get quietly transformed, Philadelphia finally gets to see what all the buildup was about.
Sourced via Mixteca
The Menu Is Exactly As Agave-Forward As Promised
Two house margaritas anchor the list at $14 each, which includes a classic Mixteca blanco and a spicy version built with pineapple, cucumber, hot honey, and wasabi that sounds more aggressive than it probably drinks. Beyond that, eight seasonal margaritas rotate through flavors like strawberry, passion fruit, guava, blackberry, and yuzu, each with the option to go spicy or upgrade to mezcal.
The classics section is where Bell's cocktail pedigree really shows: a Paper Plane, an Espresso Martini, a Penicillin, a proper Negroni and Manhattan, all in the $14–16 range, sitting comfortably alongside the tequila-and-mezcal-driven agave section. That's where the real personality lives: the Puebla York (reposado, mezcal, Cynar, cassis), El Chepe (sotol, Oaxacan rum, sage, mole bitters), and a mezcal-forward Fish House Punch that leans into exactly the kind of local riff that you need when bringing a new business to Philadelphia. There's a full micheladas section too, plus a built-out nonalcoholic list running through Seedlip-based drinks and agua frescas.
Sourced via Mixteca
Food Is a Bigger Deal Here Than at the NYC Original
This is the detail that actually separates the Philly location from its Cornelia Street predecessor. The food menu goes well past bar snacks with a lineup of tuna tostada, hamachi ceviche, duck confit flautas, chiles rellenos, and a tuna dish alongside more familiar taco options. So as you can see, this isn't a cocktail bar that happens to serve tacos, but rather a place that is clearly meant to function as a full restaurant.
Why This One's Worth Prioritizing
A lot of buzzy openings coast on pedigree alone and let the menu catch up later. Mixteca didn't do that, as the drink list is deep enough to reward repeat visits (eight rotating seasonal margaritas alone should keep regulars coming back), and the food program is ambitious enough that this reads as a genuine restaurant addition to Frankford Avenue, not just another agave bar riding a trend. This is one crawl stop that's easy to fold into a normal week, not just a special occasion.
Looking for something else to do this weekend? Check out our piece onPhilly Greek Takeover, hitting Concourse Dance Bar this Sunday, where you’ll find brunch, bottomless mimosas, and an underground ball pit awaiting you.
