Porky's Point

3824 N 5th St
Philadelphia, PA 19140
(215) 221-6243

After being thoroughly tempted, for a very long time, to check out Porky's Point, I made a trip to the cuts of Huntingpark for some Puerto Rican soul. I can't believe it took me so long. First of all, look how amazing the sign is!

Porky's Point is basically the Puerto Rican equivalent of the South Philly cheesesteak place. And I must say, for the most part, it's much, much better than your average steak joint. When I saw the sign below, I knew I was in for a treat.

Much like any other place of its kind, you place your order, grab a spot at the long stainless counter and anxiously await the mounds of pork you are looking at through the glass.

In my case, it was bistec con tostones (steak with fried plantains), pork sandwich, and an order of mofongo.

The bistec was unbelievably tender and bursting with flavor. I couldn't get over the layers of deliciousness that the slow cooking lent to this steak. The gravy was amazing, and generously spread over the entire dish. Tostones, if you have never had them, are amazing when done right, and just chunks of lead when done wrong. These tostones really sang, as though I could hear La Borinqueña coming out of the take-out container. Perfection. On to the pork sandwich. Oh GOD, that pork sandwich.

Now when Hawk Krall says that a sandwich is good, people listen. In fact, it was he who reminded me of my pressing need to hit the Philadelphia barrio in search of some good pork. They ask you if you want skin here, indeed I do. I also asked for gravy (which, for the record, is a tomato based, slightly spicy sauce).

A light & fluffy roll with mountains of freshly-chopped pork piled atop.

This is heaven. Crispy ends, succulent middles, and gravy laden insides, you will be hard pressed to top this masterpiece. Oh wait, unless you throw a bit of the mofongo on top!

Speaking of mofongo, this was a pretty delicious offering, and although I skipped the requisite pig listeners, due mostly to the fact that I had more meat and plantains than I knew what to do with already, the mofongo itself was a pretty delicious plate. Not the best I have ever had, but topped with MORE gravy and some hot sauce, it was a carb-liscious offering in and of itself.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "well it's in the middle of nowhere, and I am scared of new neighborhoods," and while you may not want to go looking for this place on foot at night, you are completely missing out if you skip this for a quick and dirty lunch. It's one of the most surprisingly flavorful, interesting and quality meals I have eaten in quite some time.

(Looking out from the point)