Well, what can you say about this place? On a Friday or Saturday or night, there is at least a 45 minute wait, the bar is packed full of people and the noise is deafening. Yet somehow, when I get a hankering for some Mexican food, this is the only place to go. Maybe its the margaritas or the incredible mix of Philadelphia "folk", but I just love this place. With the introduction of the no-smoking law in Philadelphia, the bar scene is just about acceptable - before you'd get smoked out as you enter the door. So, on to enjoying your meal at Mexican Post... Step one, swim through the throngs of people at the bar and put your name in for a table. Step two, make your way back to the bar and order a pitcher of margaritas. Step three, wait, drink your margarita, people watch and get very hungry. The food is not stellar, is standard Mexican. But, the combination of the close quarters of the tables, the excellent salsa & chips and those heavenly margaritas, I can choose no other place to eat Mexican. Kim had the beef fajitas, which arrive at the table sizzling hot with all the fixins. Kim and I both consider ourselves fajita connoisseurs and the ones at Mexican Post are damn good. I had some other type of Mexican "Special" meal, it was chicken with cheese and other stuff. I don't remember the details, but it was pretty good. The fajitas were better, but I wasn't in the mood for them - my bad. By the end of the night, our bellies full of salsa, chips, chicken and beef (oh, and a that pitcher of margaritas was kicked) we were happy campers ready to call it a night.

This BYOT (Bring Your Own Tequila) is a real find. Located between Drury and Sansom Street, it contains about 25 tables inside and maybe 5 tables outside. I went to this restaurant with 6 other people and brought a LARGE bottle of Jose Cuervo to make the margaritas. They offered both watermelon and lime flavored 'ritas, which are available in pitchers for the table. I didn't enjoy the watermelon flavored, but the lime was excellent. But how was the food, you ask? We started with the guacamole special, which was very good. When we quickly ran out of homemade chips for the dip, they were quickly refilled. The guacamole was spicy and full of flavor. But what about the main course, you ask? Well, that is a tough question. I didn't like mine very much. I went out on a limb and ordered a Hawaiian fish that I cannot recall its name. The fish was boring and flavorless. But, I tried two other people’s meals and they were excellent. They were spicy, cooked to perfection and were more traditional Mexican fare. Ok, fine – how about desert? Again, disappointing. I had the crème brule. Although the taste was OK, there were chunks of something (coconut, maybe?) in the desert which was not very appetizing. I finished it, after all who doesn't finish desert, but it was not very good. Overall, I think this place has alot of potential and I would probably go back, if only for the 'ritas. Order the more traditional meals and avoid the crazy deserts and life will be good. Bring the bottle of tequila and make sure you have a designated driver!

Overall, my dining partner and I had a very good meal. I would put this restaurant on par with Coyote Crossing in Conshohocken. It is not your typical Mexican food. No fajitas. No tacos. No standard Mexican fare. The meals here are almost gourmet, with certain flair. We started with 2 margaritas, on the rocks. Although I didn't ask for it, we were given Jose Cuero 1800 tequila. The drinks were excellent, but at $9.00 a piece, a bit painful in the wallet. For appetizer, we shared the Guacamole Real, which was great with a nice spicy Guacamole and homemade chips. On the main course, my dining partner enjoyed her Pollo a la Parrilla, which was a basic grilled chicken with Mexican sides. Nothing special, but it was enjoyable. I had the Camarones Cullian, which was large shrimp, wrapped in bacon and service in a spicy sauce with white rice. My meal was excellent and was certainly a unique dish. This was my first visit to El Sarape and I was expecting the typical Mexican fare, this certainly was not it. We decided to skip desert and coffee, but I can say that the coffee another table had smelled great, with a hit of a spice, maybe cinnamon. Overall, a very good meal, I'll be back..