Passable but not great. I know people love this place. Maybe if there were more Tex Mex choices around here... I'm OK with the crowded & noisy thing. The place is not trying to pass itself off as anything it isn't. Basically, I have two complaints: 1. there is no decent waiting area. I always felt that I am it the wait staff's way, or hovering over someone's table during the somewhat long wait. Uncomfortable. 2.SALTY! Even for this type of food, everything tastes over salted, to the point it becomes unenjoyable. Come on Border, you don't have to completely over salt my food-I'll order that second Lone Star anyway. read more

Two stars that are barely earned. Ok food and VERY small portions rule at this ridiculously crowded quasi-fast food place. Fajitas smothered in over spiced onions and chicken guadalajara suffocated in molten cheese were major disapointments. It was fun watching some loony guy bringing out tray after tray of food and slamming them onto stands for the waitstaff to serve. read more

I've come here with my best friend multiple times! We both love it. Delicious and reasonably priced food. Place is huge and always packed but even when it's super busy the wait is never more than 10 minutes. read more

I enjoy going to this spot! Margaritas are always on point! Good prices, quick service.The guacamole is delish! Quesadillas are sooooo good too! Great selection of beers. Its a nice place to grab lunch or dinner with friends! :) read more

I LOVE BORDER hands down always my favorite place to eat!!! I always request Celia as my server!!! She's quick and friendly and such a sweetheart!! Endless chips is my favorite part and the pastelitos are always my go to. I love how management always is walking around checking that everything is fine! I don't have any idea what any of the negativity is about here the food is cheap fast and delicious!!! My favorite place always .... and Celia is my favorite sever ever!!!! read more

Service and food were ok but not particularly outstanding. I would go again but would also explore other options for Mexican

Been coming here for years. I recently went in a week ago to be told that I can no longer substitute fajita chicken with their quesadillas. I've heard nightmare stories about the owner Gerrick Steele. He calls the shots and apparently only cares about what he wants. It's crazy that they can't do this considering that the fajita chicken is constantly cooked throughout the day. It's matter of stepping two inches to your left to grab it for the quesadilla. Oh well no worries papagayos opens soon and will definitely hurt borders business. read more

Went for lunch on 2/7/2020 ordered the mesquite salad with beef, menu describes it as lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, I get it and about 45% of the salad is spinach, I say to the bartender, this can't be mine, it has spinach in it, she gives me an odd look and says " It's the same thing" ahh, no it's not, its like if I ordered haddock and you brought me mackerel, is that OK because its still fish? My wife ordered Chicken Fajita's, they brought her beef instead, she also ordered a Margarita Grande, which tasted HORRIBLE, the guy next to her also had a Margarita and complained to the bartender, who shrugged and did nothing- really bad experience, won't be back. read more

great Boston Mexican food on Route 1. No lobster rolls here. margaritas were good, heavy on the salt. i had the fish tacos. not bad. looking for more lightly battered food. also had the fajitas. lots of veggies. great female server. read more

Love, love, love the Border Cafe! The Creole/Cajun food is the yuuuummy. Cheap prices and we're never disappointed. Favorites: any fish and shellfish - try the cornmeal breaded catfish bites and the crawfish poppers to start. Try any of the frozen margaritas. Shrimp and crawfish caesar salad is awesome. Only complaint - long wait, usually whenever we go. Hop over to Trader Joe's and do some grocery shopping while you wait. read more

Loud, casual atmosphere. Chips and salsa were addicting! Beware, by time I was ready to eat my meal, I hardly had an appetite. However, I ordered the blackened chicken fajitas which were very good and a good sized portion. I would recommend this place. read more

Portions are big so are drinks food is so good cant go wrong good american mex

Border is a lifestyle, I go once a week at least and it is my favorite place on Earth. The service is great and the food and portions are unparalleled anywhere else. If I could give it six stars I would. read more

Border Cafe is my go to place when I want excellent TEX-MEX at a great price. I recommend the beef fajitas and the Tejas chicken with tortillas and extra blue cheese. read more

I went here randomly on the way home from a weekend ski trip and was pleasantly surprised. After a long day of ski I was ravenous and the basket of homemade chips and salsa that kept getting refilled while we waited for our food was just what I needed. I was into the Cajun twist and had some tasty catfish and Josie M. is right on about the price being right. Next time I need a spicy meal and I'm in Saugus I'll head right back to Border Cafe. read more

Too much money spent on the deco and too little on the food. The service is friendly and it's really cheap, but the food is just - sorry - crappy. It's just not authentic, there's no flavor, it's just totally boring. The drinks are good, but really, you can get better Mexican food! It's especially bad for vegetarians/vegans (maybe the meat options are better - I can't really judge that). If you want cheap drinks and party and don't care too much about the food - go for it. If you you are looking for seriously good/authentic Mexican food, try to avoid it. read more

Stopped in with my girlfriend on a Sunday night around 8pm - place was pretty packed. Overall, I would say that it was exactly what I expected. I've been to the Border Cafe in Harvard Square, which this is exactly like. It's basically decent Tex Mex. We started with chips and salsa. Chips were good'n'crispy. Salsa was pretty bland, as expected. We got a side of guacamole with it, which was fresh and really quite tasty - surprised by how good it was. My girlfriend got a couple Gold margaritas - which, as expected, were heavy with the sour mix and not that strong. Server was good - funny and very attentive. They have HUGE glasses, for which I drank about 2 gallons of diet coke. Also water - which was nice to get more than a human can drink and not need refills. However, I was up all night due to that much caffeine and need to empty my bladder :( Foodwise, my girlfriend got the blackened salmon salad. Salmon wasn't too strong, either fishy-wise or blackened wise. I woulda liked a bit more kick. She liked it. I got the Tostados Salad w pulled chicken. Basically a big taco salad. It was huge (especially for $9), not crazy unhealthy, very filling, and came in a delicious edible bowl. Really enjoyed it. Food was the quality we expected - would normally get a 3, but for the price, giving a 4. read more

Thanks to this place we now have "mexican mondays" in our house! we love this place, the endless basket of chips is my favorite part!

This place is great! I've been coming here for years and it's always very tasty. Last time I strayed from my usual chicken/steak combo fajitas and got the blackened catfish fajitas. I was not disappointed! I'm always so full by the time I leave, as they keep the fresh hot chips and salsa coming and serve HUGE soft drinks! The margaritas are good too but not very strong. I definitely recommend trying this place out! read more

Food, awesome... Drinks, awesome... Price, awesome... BUT if you'd like to go for a nice family or friend meal and take your time ... Forget it.... Went there with a small group of girlfriends on a Friday night. They sat us before we were all there, the manager chastised us for sitting. Ummmm, isn't it the job of the hostess to let us know that we can't be seated until everyone arrives? Not seat us, then send over the floor manager to lecture us on their policy... Fine. The waitress was nice, but couldn't get our orders fast enough... Coming over several times, within minutes, asking if we were ready... Our food was cleared at the speed of lighting. In fact, one of our dishes were cleared even though we said that we weren't done. The topper... The waitress told us "we don't have dessert, they want you in and out" .... verbatim. Nice. Real nice. Not!!! We were a group of 40+ ladies, all having dinner and all drinking margaritas. Why on earth would you want to get rid of a $$$$ table??? Hmmm... It's really too bad since their food is the best of all these types of Mexican/TexMex types of restaurants. Sigh. read more

Border Cafe - Front of the Border Cafe. Rt1. - Mexican Near Me - Saugus, Massachusetts

My favorite place on the north shore! I miss the blackening seasoning they use on their food and I loved to get their fresh chips. Places now a days cut corners, NOT HERE, this place has very fresh tasting food and the whole fact that the tortillas and the tortilla chips are made fresh are just one of the many awesome things about this place. Prices are the best in the area for the high quality of food, you really can't find a better place. If you like Chorizo and Mexican cheese definitely try out the Chorizo Flambado, one of my favorite appetizers. read more

Ended up here on our last night in the city, after asking for a recommendation at our hotel. We got into town late and needed to be up early so we needed somewhere easy and casual. This perfectly fit the bill. It was noisy, but service was friendly and efficient. The margaritas were good, plentiful, and not too expensive. All of the food we ordered was delicious and had great flavor (and we're from Phoenix so I've had my share of Mexican/Tex-Mex). Overall, this was a great place to crash and grab some food after a long day. It was a bit noisy, but I expect that from a bar on a Saturday. read more

I went there recently for the first time in a loooong time since I'm not in Boston but twice a year and I LOVED it!! I'll need to add this to my list of places to visit when I am in town. I had the Chicken Bandera and I highly recommend it. It's described as: A mesquite grilled chicken breast seared with a kicked-up Chipotle lime glaze.Served with grilled avocado, mango salsa and crispy shoestring fries. Adding a bit of avocado to every bite of chicken and dipping the fries in the bowl of sauce they serve it with made for a fantastic lunch. For a little less then $9 it's the best deal on the menu. read more

Cant belive after years they changed their margarita mix. They taste like crap 99 margs now. I think they also stopped adding as much Tequila as well. Spoke to management and they said only the owner could do something about it and he wasnt interested in hearing about it. Make sure to not this in all YELP reviews. Stop the madness. Bring back the good margs! read more

Really good food and potions for the money. I ordered the empanadas, they were great. Wait time can be a little long sometimes because how popular this place is. Looking forward to coming back. read more

My #1 for a casual night out outside of Boston. I love the atmosphere and decorations in this place. Favorite menu item has got to bee the shrimp and crawfish quesadilla- they have a lot of great menu options but that is definitely my favorite. I've received excellent service here without exception. The drinks here are delicious but really seem to vary in strength from visit to visit in my experience. Highly recommend! read more

Vegan Salad: Simply the best in New England. If you are a vegan or just want to try to eat in a healthy fashion, experience the Black Bean Salad at the Border Cafe in Saugus, Cambridge or Burlington MA. I am 67 and have been eating their Black Bean Taco salad for 10 years. I skip the shell and the cheese and use salsa as the salad dressing. All my vital signs BP, weight etc have become and are all now at or below the recommended levels. My primary care doctor with whom I have been a patient for 30 years looks at me like I am an exceptional patient. I have done nothing other than switch to this salad at lunch time. Most importantly the texture, taste and aroma are exceptional. If you like Taco Salads, try this one. You will not be disappointed. read more

Absolutely the BEST Mexican I have had. Consistently EXCELLENT!!!!!! From the hot chips to any of the food entrees, I doubt you will find anything close to as good. Been going for 20 years. If you haven't tried it do yourself a favor and try them. read more

This is not an authentic Mexican restaurant and no one should expect it to be! But.... it is an amazing Tex-Mex spot with awesome mexican food! The enchiladas, quesadillas, and of course the FAJITAS are incredible! The chili is great as well! Im not a big drinker but I hear the margaritas are good! This place is loud but that is part of the atmosphere and if you know what youre getting into, its extremely enjoyable! Try it out! read more

Border Cafe is probably the best bang for your buck on route 1. It certainly isn't the best Mexican food but it's good enough and the strawberry margaritas are my favorite. We went here last night with a group of 6 and our bill was under $100 with multiple margs ordered, apps and main course. You can't go wrong. I am never disappointed when I go here. read more

Awesome crispy free chips and salsa, with the right amount of salt--couldn't stop eating them! Great kids' menu, with good choices--$5 for main dish, fries, beverage, and candy. Delicious shrimp and crawfish quesadillas with wonderfully melty cheese and sour cream and guac. The blackened catfish fajitas were really good, too. Reasonable prices! It's a little loud, but not unbearable. Will definitely be back! read more

Amazing food, friendly staff and the food was delicious!!! Loud environment, great for friends and family gatherings, their is a wait on the weekends but its worth it! I will be coming back! read more

One of the best around for Mexican food. My husband is from Oklahoma, a huge fan of Mexican and spent months looking for a good restaurant after moving up here. This place is one of his favorites. Always busy so call ahead and reserve a table, but service is usually good even on the busiest nights. It does tend to get very crowded so if you're not a fan of tight spaces it might not be for you. Make sure to try a margarita while you're there! read more

Excellent food at very reasonable prices. Staff was very attentive. Portions were very satisfying. Excellent margarita that was pretty large, and NOT watered down for $6.00. We visited while on vacation. I wish we had one here back home! read more

Many People don't seem to like the Border Cafe; but it seems to me that they may be looking for something that isn't there. The Border Cafe is a little noisy at night when all of the people are " Gathering" but it has some of the Best and Largest Margarita's I have found around. Very Tasty too and the chips keep coming and coming and coming..lol. The food seems to be plentiful and they have lots of spices that you can add to them. This day and age it's hard to please everyone or even to cook for everyone. People are on diets and have special needs this day and age.. this one is alergic to peanuts this one doesn't like too much salt this one doesn't like lactose etc. With so many likes and dislikes these days it is really hard to cook for everyone. My point is this.. if it Wasn't a Great Restaurant.. then it wouldn't be Noisy because No One Would Be There !!! Lol and you can tell by the other reviews that it IS Noisy and there are lots of people that go there every night and I find the food very paletible and tasty and if you like more " Spice " ADD IT ! Don't be a Willy Nilly and just sit there and complain ! Make it to your taste and if it's not quite to your liking tell them about it.. they'll do their best to make it Great for you. I rate this restaurant a 4 Star experience with a Cajon Touch. A little different but read the history on the back of the Menu and I think You'll agree it's come a long ways. Take care and Good Eating ! "The Mystery Eater " Drew read more

Horrible,unhealthy and oversalted food, not true mexican . Nothing here is fresh tasting and food is low quality. You can tell that many item's are just premade and microwaved. The drink menu is small and simple. The atmosphere is festive, dark and loud. Not worth the long wait. read more

Great margaritas, but the food is standard. Ordered chicken fajitas as it is a popular dish and received the entree in under 10 minutes. Service is fast to keep up with demand and operations seem to run pretty smooth. Border, even with the new-ish loaction, remains firmly in the restaurant lore with Hilltop and Kowloons of landmark Rt. 1 Saugus dining destinations. read more

I don't like to make bad reviews but they have no manager or email to contact them when there is an issue. I sat the bar during Sunday brunch at 3 pm no hello, no thank you no service, food is always good but bartenders have an issue of communication to busy to pay Attention can I have a small guacamole w chips received full order after asking during the meal when I asked about on the bill It was removed but grumpily, I asked for a Spanish coffee and received a coffee mug w Kahluha in it no whipped cream felt a little jacked when I asked I was told that's a Spanish coffee I should of sent it back it just made feel upset I should of sat a table instead of a the lack of service bar. read more

Recently dined at the Border Cafe in Saugus. Waitress was quick to take our drink order, attentive but not over bearing. The food was very good, had the burro with beans. Chips and salsa are very good. The queso dip is good, little too many peppers in it for my taste but still very good. Manager stopped by and checked in on us as well as wishing us well as we departed the building. Highly recommend. read more

I ordered the Chicken Guatalahara and it's absolutely breathtaking!! It was cooked perfectly. All of the ingredients are extremely fresh, the prices are spot on for how much food you get and the service is top notch. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking to spice up their pallet. read more