I enjoyed Border Cafe for years, but now I'm done with their crappy service and greed. Today, it was a nice day. About 68F and I walked in and saw a whole bunch of people inside with no masks - covid party - and so I asked if a party of 5 could have one of the tables outside (they were all empty). They said no - as they don't serve outside tables today. i asked why not, it's nice outside and the hostess even asked the manager and the manager lady confirmed - No! So basically, their efficiency and profits are more important than our safety - even with 10 empty tables out. So we left and won't be coming back again. Within 10 minute drive I saw at least 10-15 other restaurants in the area with tables and people sitting outside, which confirms that it's not the weather or anything like that - it's just bad service and greed. Bye Border. We're done. read more

One of my favorite Mexican places! Can get crowded on some weekend days/Cinco de Mayo (duh) but drinks are available while you wait so it goes quickly. Margs are tasty and cheap. Food is nothing fancy but always good - I love the guacamole to start and usually get some variation of the fajitas. They give a ton of food so I usually end up taking some home for leftovers. I wish they gave extra fajita toppings (ie: pico de gallo, cheese) for free (I usually end up paying a few bucks extra) but oh well. read more

Place is awesome. Service and food are always exceptional. Fun atmosphere and very reasonable prices. Will be back at gain and again!

The border Café has an excellent menu with excellent execution. The only issue is they have an outdated dinosaur of a point of sale system which causes me to question the security of payments. As far as the restaurant and kitchen is concerned I love it. read more

Pretty standard Mexican food with kind of an odd wait staff and exceptionally loud dining hall kind of atmosphere. Prices are great and the food is very consistent so it's a good spot to go if you know you want regular old Mexican. They refill the chips and salsa fast and the chips are always right out of the fryer. Not a bad place for a quick lunch. read more

Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Massachusetts

Great place for a night out !! Service is consistant and food is good. Drinks are great atosphere is fun

Def do not get fries for a child under 6..too too crunchy..or elderly with false teeth Complementary nachos chip & salsa..delish!!(took a doggy bag for a snack :) My lemon chicken was a huge patty, I think it was called french quarter chicken :/ We also had steak rice and black bean ,it was ok Though howling wolf in salem ma still one of our favorite.. If were ever that way again..will def go for that chicken in lemon and sauce plate ( under 9$) Kids where disappointed there wasnt any ice cream in the menu..why not?? Lol Definitely if you want an intimate dinner setting..not the place to go..one big room.like school cafeteria..waitress was very pleasantly nice Our drink coke and ginger ale Came in big big cups..I never finished mines.lol read more

A Tex-Mex place, not really authentic Mexican. Very huge quantities, great ambience and friendly staff. Their vegetarian jambalayass as good so are their enchiladas. read more

Prices are outrageous for crap food... use to love it but would never go back. Actually saw waitress watering down soda .. who does this!!! No Caesar salad no regular salad ... no beef tacos at a Mexican restaurant... management just standing around .. these are not staffing issues either!!!! read more

Met up with a friend for lunch here today. The good news is, none of the problems from Saugus have come here from what I can see. The food and service were great! They lost a star for the loud music...wtf? Had the Blackened Chicken with Jambalaya and both were awesome! Service was great too, iced tea was a bit bland, even after 5 sugars? I didn't drink much of it. Parking is fairly easy here. They fill up quick for lunch, so get here at 11:30 am! read more

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I came in for dinner over the weekend with my girlfriend and sat at the bar. We weren't really sure of what to expect but we found the food to be quite good and service personable and exceptional. The bartenders were all terrific and also kept a very clean bar. We eat out a lot and have been to hundreds of different restaurants. For a casual dinner this spot is great. read more

We had two different mixed Fajitas and they were both horrible. The meat was swimming in oil and had a weird texture. It also had a terrible artificial smoke flavor. One of our kids had burritos and even though the menu says they come with rice and beans there was no sign of beans on their plates. The enchiladas had no rice and beans. The best thing they had were the chips and the waiter was very good at his job. Not going back. It's too bad because we used to like their food. read more

Honestly I used to love coming this place but with the terrible management in this place I can't ever see myself coming back to support them . A restaurant is only as good as the team running it an if the management is trash the restaurant will be as well it's truly a shame to see how there running this establishment now will no longer support them an will be telling my fellow friends an family who frequent this place monthly as I once did read more

I haven't been to this Border Cafe before; actually, it's been many years since I have been to the Harvard Square one. I had lunch at the bar, one of the last seats available. The dining room was almost full as well. The bartender was attentive and efficient. You get chips and salsa to start which is nice. I ordered the taco (beef) and enchilada (chicken) with jambalaya and a side of sour cream. As I was waiting for my food, the food for the person next to me came. It was the side of etouffee which looked great, and she said it was very good. I will have to order that next time. My order was very good and filling. The jambalaya was a bit too salty for me. read more

First impression is a loud dance hall. Chips and salsa are really good. But we couldn't sit down until our whole party was present. Very hard to carry on a conversation. Margarita was fine...not spectacular. But members of my party were irritated about not being able to get a drink without a table. Food came very quickly given how crowded it was. Food was very flavorful but not overly spicy. Waiter was just ok. He didn't do anything wrong, but was too busy with other duties. My coworker summed it up by saying: not good enough to recommend to a friend, not bad enough to remember not to come again. read more

Border Cafe - Tasty empanadas - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Massachusetts

While I prefer the Border Cafe in Harvard Square, this is a great spot too. Chips come to the table piping hot with salsa that's just the right heat level. I love their margaritas and sangria, nice and strong. Service has been speedy and friendly but I tend to go at off times to ensure such. Their known for their Cajun and Mexican but I got a Ceasar Salad with grilled chicken last time I was there and was very pleased. I don't go to the mall much anymore but will stop by next time I'm in the area. read more

For the first time ever, have I seen food come out so fast that the waiter was shocked. We sat down placed an order of chicken quesadilla first and our meals. We knew what we wanted. The server was very good and attentive. After placing our order the appetizer came out within 2 mins. I was like wow this is faster than Chinese food. As I am starting to digg in, quickly the entrees came out way too fast. The waiter was like, I can't believe it's already here. Obviously the food was already pre cooked, it wasn't sizzling hot just warmed up. Really don't think will be back again but overall the place itself is real nice. The service was good too, also prices were on the cheaper side. read more

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Wow, wow, wow is all I can say. One of this best dinners we have had since being here. Our waitress was top notch and the food was outstanding. They were very busy, we went on a Saturday night, but we got right in with quick service. The catfish New Orleans was fantastic and the queso is great. If we lived here and not on vacation this would be part of the usual rotation. read more

Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Massachusetts

Wow, wow, Wow! I had the Filet Medallion Jim Bowie style and it was awesome. The Steak was cool perfext. It normally comes with fries however they let me substitute them for the jambalaya. It was a good decision. I haven't been this happy with dining out in a long time. read more

Border Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Massachusetts

I loved this dish, in fact, it was the only thing I ever ordered at Jose Tejas. I cant believe another of my favorite dishes disappears from the Menu. It has happened through the times with different restaurant. In the end, I stopped going to those places. read more

Absolutely delicious food here. I love every single Border Cafe there is! 100% awesome! Service is pretty good here and the food is always fresh. Even though it isn't close to home, it's always worth the drive. We will for sure be back soon! read more

Did curbside pickup today. Online menu very limited in choices. No Crawfish dishes. Beef fajitas spicy, Jose rice spicy, bean spicy with no choice to make them non spicy. Only 4 tiny tortillas for a family dinner for 2!! Ridiculous. Gumbo was bland and small for a 2 person order. Worst of all they forgot Pastelitos dis in my order. Didn't find out until I got home Just an awful experience . read more

The ever shrinking menu options. Everytime i go to my favorite burlington border, i find another thing removedfrom the menu's. First it was my all time favorite menu item which was shrimp orleans which first crushed me and over the years they erase more and more. In order of good entries removed: 1. Shrimp orleans (powerfully seasoned) pasta dish 2. Eggplant royal - wife's favorite spicy eggplant 3. Shrimp and crawfish salad 4. entouffee chicken - the replacement orleans 5. Tejas chIcken - nice buffalo sticks 6. Balsamic dressing - really? Find another vendor who will supply it. Only new item I've seen added is texas surf and turf- salmon- no thanks. I would write to the company with my comments but no such method from their website. So drop of two stars from my previous two reviews which is sad since I grew up loving this place. read more

Since it's become so chic in the Boston food scene to hate on the Border, I am going to go ahead and say it : I love the Border. If you are looking for authentic TexMex I recommend traveling to Texas. If you're looking for a lively atmosphere, good service, delicious food and cheap drinks that will knock you on your ass, I recommend the Border Cafe. First of all, the chips and salsa are amazing. I judge a faux Mexican restaurant by its salsa and the Salsa at Border is spicy, fresh, and tasty. The chips matter less to me, they're just a vehicle for salsa, which I would drink if it was socially acceptable but unfortunately it is not. Second of all, order a hurricane or 3, thank me later if you can manage to do it without slurring your words. I do not recommend letting your 13 year old brother "try a sip" and then watching in horror as he gulps down half of your hurricane and says "I'm dizzy." Your Mom will not appreciate that. The margaritas are meh but the sangria is also good and available frozen. Any place that will provide me with a sweet frozen liquory concoction on a hot day is fine by me. My loyalty was to the gaucho chicken, a chicken breast with spicy cilantro sauce, which I ordered with veggies instead of rice and wasn't treated like a weirdo for the substitution. That is, until I discovered the blackened chicken fajitas, my new love. The prices are completely reasonable, with drinks running around $5 and meals around $10. Due to the volume of business they do, they can offer quality food cheap. Obviously, this is not a fancy restaurant, nor is it a destination restaurant. But for a festive night out with friends or family, it can't be beat. read more

Sure, it's chintzy and cheesy, but hot damn, their chips and salsa are tasty. The more I come here, and the more I learn (e.g., you can order raspberry-flavored margaritas even though they're not on the menu... you're welcome), the more I love it. The chips are strangely addictive, and I couldn't tell you why: they're pretty standard corn tortilla chips, but there's something about them and that tomato salsa that just really does it for me. And they're free! Then, order your entree, and by entree, I really mean fajitas. Because, well, they're the best thing on the menu. I don't think you really need to order anything else. Just get your fajitas with a side of jambalaya, and let the magic happen. Stuff your tortilla with your sizzling meat, onions, and peppers (brought fresh on a scalding skillet right to your table)... sprinkle in some pico de gallo and top it off with some of that salsa from the chips. Take a bite. Close your eyes. Sip your margarita. I'm pretty sure you're in Mexican food heaven, 'cause I'm right there with ya. MmmmMMMmmmmm. So it's not the most authentic Mexican cuisine. No big. It'll fill you up, please your taste buds, AND be kind to your wallet. Tripe threat combo right there. For whenever I don't want to hit the bougie scene in Boston, I'd happily take fajitas and margaritas here in Burlington. read more

What a disappointment! I previously had only good things to say for this solid standby and once-obvious choice over the nearby Chile's. Unfortunately, the service there tonight has pretty much driven me from wanting to dine here again. Everything was fine until the bill came. I had a MasterCard Gift card for well over the bill plus 20%, typical for making sure the card will clear with room for the tip in the restaurant machines. I even opened the gift card package in front of the waitress. "WE DON'T TAKE GIFT CARDS." You don't take legal tender backed by a well known credit card company that you do accept? And you do not list this policy anywhere? Could I please speak to the manager? When the manager came over and asked about not accepting gift cards, she said that they do not have to list their payment policies. (Considering a restaurant is a service driven business where customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to the success of said business, I felt this was an odd sentiment for a chain restaurant). She then proceeded to rattle off a list of other cards they do not accept, interrupt me when I asked another question, and not offer any remedy to the situation at all. My defense for one star...had the manager not spoken to me in quite so condescending a manner, I would have chalked this up to a strange policy, with the potential to embarrass the customer when it comes time to pay; a quirk in an otherwise decent restaurant. However, the condescending tone, the immediate defensive tone and attitude to my question, and the lack of an offer to remedy the situation has truly turned me off from this establishment. read more

First things first. Why does everyone say that "it's not authentic Tex-Mex/Mexican?" Geez kid, - you're in Boston. We do chowdah, lobstah, and beeyah. If it doesn't end in an -r we can drop, we are nevah an authority. The Bordah Cafe knows this. They gives us wicked huge drinks in humongous glasses, and fill us up with chips 'n' salser. The faheeters are pretty good, but does it mattah? The drinks are freakin' huge and the chips 'n' salser are free. Get ovah theyah, and eat decent food. So what if it's a chain - so's Kelly's Roast Beef. You want real Mex - go to Mexico. read more

Food is average. Service is horrible. We made a reservation as a big group and came at the same time. Then the manager said that we couldn't sit together and we had to sit in two separate tables because we were party of 14. And in border cafe combining table is impossible. So we sat separately. Then another big group walked in, right in front of us, and sat together as the manager himself helped them to pull the table together. We asked the manager why that big group could sit together. He said, "oh it was not convenient for us to pull the table together for you big party." Pleas as a big group, don't come to border cafe for any party.. Coz it is inconvenient for them to pull the table.... read more

Ok, Border Cafe seems to have gotten a bad rap for not being a good Mexican joint here. Hello people...it's called BORDER Cafe, NOT MEXICAN Cafe...thus the Border like mix! That's why Jambalaya can meet Tex and Mex! Praise them for not rolling the same old boring 3 ingredient Mexican menu in 20 different dishes! Here's the good: Hot, addicting chips served with moderately spice salsa. Very good tasting Margarita's (only get on rocks, frozen is weak slush). Nice, hot variety of very good entrees. Ridiculously reasonable prices. Every time I get the bill I need to recheck since I think they must have made a mistake. The bad: Mostly ice in the Margaritas and it can be a bit loud. Overall, that's just a little bad! Lots of surprise menu options like the Eggplant. This is a great dish! I've never found it made like this anywhere and never done as well. Most won't come here to get Filet Mignon, but don't hesitate to try it. Very flavorful and not your classic big chunk'o'meat either. The Fajitas are very good. Fresh ingredients and the meats are moist, not all over dried like some places. The atmosphere is a big open room with a, somewhat, cheesy bunch of bayou meets Texas meets Mexico random stuff. I love that the gas lamps are truly gas flame lamps. The outdoor seating is very nice when the weather is good. Not many places around here have outdoor seating at all! About 50% of the wait staff are very nice and friendly. The other 50% are just doing their jobs. None seem to be rude or anything, but they are very, very busy so they are just doing what's needed to keep up. Anybody who compares this place to Chipotle has lost their mind. It's not even close. They're just a bunch of whiners who can't do any research and realize this isn't you're standard run of the mill Mexican joint. For a chain, this place is VERY good. Menu gives some really nice variety and all the dishes I've tried have delivered. Again, the best of all is the price. Crazy reasonable, especially for the kids... oh, btw, the kids meals (significant portions for kid size too) are under $4 and they come with a candy treat at the end. read more

Made the mistake of coming here for lunch on Cinco de Mayo. You'd think a place like the Border would be prepared for a day like this. However, they clearly were not. We had a server who was being trained service our party of 12. This is a poor decision on the part of the manager. If you're training a new person, don't give them a huge party on one of the busiest days of the year. If she wasn't a trainee, I'd be pretty upset at her attitude (not friendly at all) and the fact that she was spilling drinks all over herself while trying to serve them to us. But I'm ok to let those slide given she was being thrown to the wolves in this situation--the manager is clearly to blame. Next, our food came out. My catfish fajitas were lukewarm--forget a sizzling plate, these were clearly sitting under a heat lamp and not even steaming. Two members of our party got the wrong salads entirely, and one member of our party didn't even get her cheese enchiladas at all (the manager apologized and said they would make it immediately). So she sat without food for a solid 10 minutes while the rest of us ate. The food itself was, as others have pointed out, excessively salty. The one good thing here is the gumbo. If I ever do find myself back here again, that's all I would order. read more

Only place in boston that makes they're chips in house. Me the wife and our daughter went there to day for lunch When we where seated around loud white collor lunch rush people I asked if I could be seated somewhere else. The manage had this real friendly look of annoyance and the lady said no we don't have service at that table (it was two tables down from the loud people ) the jumbola was like a salt lick. My wife got steak fajitas witch was so salty mainly the onions so salty it was unedable. I got the weak ass shreaded beef burrito. It was mostly made of tortilla and a hint of meat. That was at 12:30 and I'm still shitting. Fuck that place read more

This is a terrible spot, you get instant diarrhea when your done eating and they do not include some ingredients listed in the description of the plate. Would never come again nor recommend anyone to eat here unless you want to spend 2 days on the toilet. Service was bad too, if you ask for something they might kick you out beware. read more

I think the Border Cafe is a solid Mexican joint to dine at. much more so over a "On The Border", "Margaritas" or "Casa Blanca". Free chips and salsa start the night off right, I am a huge fan of their blackened chicken fingers for apps [they are charred and spicy!]. For entrees, the chicken burro is amazing, albeit a simple dish. Chicken, various melted cheeses, and rice. Yum yum. The alcohol is pretty weak here, so don't expect to get belligerent cheaply. Maybe tie one on before you dine and get a Corona with your meal. I dunno. Dine here for a consistent, lively meal. And if it's warm, grab the patio! read more

Okay, the Border Cafe in Harvard Square has so much more personality... If that's at all possible for a chain restaurant. This location is spacious, clean, and boring as an empty tequila bottle. My typical order (the bean and cheese empanada) is usually fabulous, but in Burlington? Well, I think fabulous must stop at the mall across the street. My empanada's red pepper sauce tasted soapy AND salty, so I gave it to my husband and stuffed myself full of chips and ice cubes. El suspiro. read more

Found chicken in my specifically vegetarian dish. The waitress had even asked me if I was a vegetarian when I ordered off the vegetarian menu. While I was grossed out, I will say that the manager was genuinely apologetic. He said they set up a separate cooking station for veggie dishes. Obviously, that wasn't working out to well for them. :-/ They did comp only my meal in apology. Food wasn't good enough to make me overlook that mix up. The staff was very nice though. read more

I work and live down the road from The Border Cafe. When this girl at work first told me about this place, I literally thought that she was referring to the bookstore that is just down the road from there...which isn't Border's at all, but Waldenbooks. I was like...wow, they have a cafe and it's THAT good? I know what you're thinkin'? Plenty of blonde-moment blunders in that social transaction. Like, I know, right? She was all like and then I was all like...then she was all like 'Doy'...and I was all like...two words for you...what-ev! *bites lip to keep from telling a blonde joke or seven...begging to be told at this point... *starts to tremble...must resist...trying to hold back No...let's continue with the review. Despite various opinions on this place, whether ya love it or hate it, the place is always, undeniably packed. If you're going for lunch, try and get there for 11:30am. If you're going for dinner, get in there before the Dinner hour. The dining room is pretty big, but it fills up fast. The place is very "festive" in decor...and the staff are quick and proficient. I usually favor the fajitas here. The mixed grill of steak and chicken is my fave...and you can pair this up with some beans and rice...or jambalaya...along with some nice usual sides, grilled onions, lettuce, salsa, pica de gallo, guacamole... Even the chips that come out ahead of time will be warm and crispy...with a pretty decent salsa to boot. Huge cups of soda w/ free refills if that's your bag... Or a nice drink from the Full bar...if you're wanting be half IN the bag when you go back to work. Have had a few other dishes, like some of the salads and such...and all of them have been pretty good. read more

If you would like to have a superb experience at the Border Cafe, hit up the one in Harvard Square, Cambridge. This location disappoints me more everytime I go, what started off as a ho-hum experience has progressed to downright painful. This last time (and may it please forever be the last time), I got the veggie quesadilla. All of the veggies were squished into the middle part, leaving me 2 1/2 to 3 inches of un-filled tortilla flat and hard. I could count the chunks of vegetables easily, 3 carrot slices, 2 cauliflower tops, 1 broccoli top and a few scattered pieces, 2 1/2 mushrooms, and the center of an onion - yes, that's right, the center of an onion in two pieces intact thanks to the bottom that was not properly cut off. That bite killed my appetite perfectly. If you've ever seen how big their quesadillas are, you would know by my veggie count how pathetic it looked. Now I realize food can be good one day and off its game the next, but the service is what makes this particularly horrid. At one point this past evening, I literally stared at every person working at the time and still couldn't get just one person to notice me. The two who did notice me staring did so out of the corner of their eyes and then did a duck and cover (one was the manager). Yes, I see you goofing off, but that is not why I am staring. Good service does not need to be afraid, if you see a customer looking at you, smile - don't hide your face in shame, even if you should be ashamed of your questionable work ethic. I ended up getting up and going to the bartender to ask for help. There were probably more people "working" at the time than there were customers, so I couldn't toss them the probably-just-busy bone to justify the lack of assistance either. This, of course, was the worst service here yet, but past experience didn't set my expectations too high to begin with. Luckily for me the Harvard Square location is much closer anyway! read more

No, just NO! This is sloppy, ugly, pseudo-Mexican food smothered in sauces and cheese which attempt to give the food actual flavor. My 19-year-old doesn't even eat like this. I once ordered a simple Romaine salad with steak tips thinking it was a safe choice and they even attempted to turn that "Mexican." Newsflash: there's no such thing as a Mexican-flavored salad. Way to ruin perfectly good steak tips. My friend likes coming here sometimes and I go along because he's my friend, certainly not to eat. This is the ONLY place I've been to that's denied me a taste of the wine I was going to order. My waitress literally had to sneak me taste. WHERE is the logic behind this? A taste is about .5 oz. A whole glass of wine is about 6 oz. down the drain if I ask you to take it back and take it off my tab. Hellooooooooooo read more

We'd like to add our gratitude that you're staying open and doing Home Meals, all prepared and packaged to bring home and re-heat. We just had ours last night and they were great. Diners, don't be hesitant by the idea of re-heating your order when you get home... it was quick and easy, and Border provides complete directions for each menu item both on line and on a paper that comes with your order. They have everything set up very carefully so that you walk in the front door, pick up your bag (your pickup time is shown when you place your online order), and walk right out the outdoor eating area door. We'll keep returning "for the duration", and of course after everything re-opens. read more

AMAZING food! The blackened chicken fajitas are my favorite and are so good! Great service but be advised they do not take reservations!