Penn adds some clout to its culinary lineup with casual Mexican spot Tortas Frontera from Rick Bayless, Top Chef Master, restaurant owner and regional Mexican food evangelist. What does this mean for you and that half hour window you call a lunch break?
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Pros:
-Tortas Frontera is open all day and their breakfast options are stellar: egg sandwiches with chorizo, bacon or poblano peppers, big skillets and yogurt that can be topped with cajeta, a Mexican milk caramel.
-A buzzer system notifies you when your order is ready.
-Bayless is committed to using as many local ingredients as possible.
-Tortas Frontera brings new flavors and ingredients to campus dining: cotija cheese, three types of salsas, spicy chiles and chorizo.
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Cons:
-Trying Tortas Frontera is not a project for a quick break, for now. Servers are still working out the kinks and waits times of over 10 minutes were common.
-There is little seating in the café itself, though there are tables around ARCH.
-While vegetarians will appreciate poblanos and mushrooms in their skillets and a very cheesy flatbread, there are no meatless soups or bowls. Vegans will have to repeat “without cheese” on most items.
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For your first order:Try a raspberry prickly pear agua fresca (which will taste great come fling with some tequila), some guacamole and one of the namesake tortas, Bayless' signature sandwiches.
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Tortas Frontera Inside the ARCH building (3601 Locust Street) Hours: Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 4p.m.
