Brunch at Mixto

Mixto is a heaven for any Latino in Philadelphia. Its menu features typical plates from Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica and more. When deciding where to go for brunch, Mixto became the obvious option for a family from Venezuela.

First and foremost, the coffee at Mixto tastes just like home. And I don’t mean just like the coffee in Venezuela home, but my home-home. It tasted like the coffee my mom would brew every morning, and as soon as I sipped it I pictured the five of us sitting around the breakfast table. I ordered café con leche (coffee with milk) instead of my usual cold brew, and the only thing I regret not ordering two. If you are a fan of coffee, you must get a Cubanito (Cuban espresso) or a cortadito.

Now, to the food.

I ordered two plates of arepas (patty made of corn dough, normally filled with cheese or meat) and fried cheese. The arepas were quite different from the ones in Venezuela, having cheese mixed into the dough that tasted similar to parmesan cheese. I added some butter to the arepa and put the fried cheese inside. Adding the fried cheese in the arepa was the best decision I made that day, but I couldn’t finish the second portion of cheese I got. I know, I am ashamed of myself. To be honest, I think I ordered too much cheese. That is right, I found my cheese limit, something I never thought that could happen.

For my surprise, the Tostadas Rancheras were even more delicious than the arepas were. We are talking about me, a woman who ate arepas every day of her life growing up saying that something else was better than her typical breakfast. Think of a deconstructed breakfast burrito which base is a fried tortilla. You can choose the eggs any style you want and queso fresco. We swapped the Mexican chorizo for a veggie sausage and ask for the egg to be sunny-side up. You know, for the egg-yolk porn and for the taste.

The Colombian frittata is another cheese-overload that you can’t skip. It is an open-faced omelet with croutons, plantains, chorizo and melted mozzarella on top. As we did with the Tostadas Rancheras, we swapped the chorizo for veggie sausage.

If you are not craving a Latin American plate, I suggest going for a classic French toast or pancake. Although the French toast with berries and maduros (sweet fried plantain) were the sugar overload we needed for the whole week, I can say that this particular breakfast dish was one of the best ones I had. I personally LOVED the mix of the walnut cream cheese with the maduros and the sourness of the berries. Whoever thought of adding maduros to a sweet dish deserves a medal.

Jewtina Tips: Get. The. Batidos! Especially the Maracuya.

Teenu- Disfruta- Enjoy!