I have been eating here for a few years now. My go to burrito is the hot head. The size of the burrito has decreased over the last few years. The staff is always friendly, and they make your order quickly. They now have cilantro lime rice, which I find amazing. It just seems to me that the business was a great success at the beginning, but has been slowly neglected over the years. It is still a great place to eat and I will continue to do so, but it just doesn't have the same feel to it anymore. read more

Great value for the money. These burritos are a nearly perfect combination of healthy ingredients and great taste served by a friendly staff. Caliente's outdated and ecologically irresponsible use of styrofoam packaging is both surprising and disappointing to the environmentally conscious among us, however. Having your tacos and burritos wrapped in paper while letting the staff know why you're avoiding their irresponsibly packaged side orders will eventually have an effect on Caliente's evidently troglodyte owners....WAIT!!! Thanks, Caliente, for stopping your use of styrofoam. We would all be better off were there more business owners of conscience like you out there! read more

This place is gross. I've come here a few times to give this place a true chance but I wont be returning again. The burritos have no flavor and by the time you get half way thru the burrito, its a wet soggy mess that just looks completely unappetizing. The chicken also looks really low quality. The cheese isnt melted at all and the burrito is lukewarm. Whats with the marinara sauce style salsa? This isnt Italian! Also, you pay $10 for a little nugget of a burrito. No thank u! read more

Caliente is probably one of the best restaurants in the URI Emporium. The staff is always friendly and very quick. The burritos and quesadillas are my two favorites. Not as gargantuate as Chipotle, but they're still filling! A lot of my friends also enjoy their salads (I think it's a Ram Salad... with barbecue sauce). The steak is a little dry, so I recommend the grilled chicken if you're looking to protein up your meal. The cilantro lime rice is my favorite to add to any burrito or quesadilla, but they also have Mexican rice. The portion sizes are fair, even though the prices are a little steep. The guacamole is good and I really hope that it is freshly made like it's claimed to be. They're salsa looks like it's freshly made on site and is chunky. It is a little on the watery side, but packs in good flavor. Caliente accepts cash and credit cards. If you're craving Mexican food and happen to find yourself on URI's campus, Caliente should be your go-to. read more

Not sure what all the good reviews are for. Just wasted $11 on a burrito that could've been made better at McDonald's. The flavor is mediocre at best and there is absolutely nothing special about this place. WAY overpriced compared to what you would get at chipotle for $11. Really disappointed because people on campus told me this place was so good and had burritos "the size of a small baby". It's much smaller than a burrito at Taco Bell. read more

Caliente Mexican - Their "combo" for $11. Tiny burrito, 9 chips and a dab of salsa - Mexican Near Me - Kingston, Rhode Island

Muy Caliente!! This place is pretty awesome. It kind of reminds me of a mini garage or toolbox with the red & metal decor. It's a small grab-n-go Mexican fusion place with various seating options at your disposal. From high barstools over looking the parking lot to small tables that seat two to three comfortably. The medium spiced Kingston Fire is definitely my favorite item listed on their chalkboard menu. Despite my continuous need to constantly gulp down 2-3 bottles of water while I get my grub on. Did I mention that their homemade salsa is really delicious? Oh yeah, it's really good. I'm no fan of tortilla chips but if you dip 'em in their corn salsa... then I'll gladly have a whole jumbo bag of them if you hand me loads of that salsa! Plus, you can choose your own spice level! How awesome is that!?! The staff are pretty laid-back and the service is pretty quick. If your on campus, this place is worth a try. read more

I got a chicken and a beef taco. I was not impressed with the presentation ... they're tacos ... That's saying something. The beef was mediocre but eatable. The chicken was so bland I threw it away. read more

Caliente Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Kingston, Rhode Island

I stop here every time I am at URI, without exception. My review of five stars is not the same as calling it a five star restaurant. They know who they are and execute what they do exceptionally. I recommend the Kingston Fire but I've enjoyed every meal here. read more

Caliente Mexican - Kingston Fire sans beans - Mexican Near Me - Kingston, Rhode Island

These are the best burritos you are going to get in New England. I'm just sayin... give up your search and go to Caliente. It makes Anna's Taqueria look like prison-food (and for the same price). I might be biased, but the staff are also wicked awesome. I'm shocked that anyone would remark that the staff were unfriendly... in fact they're usually extra laid back and will make you pretty much whatever you ask for even if you don't see it on the menu. Try the Southwest or the Pipeline once you've exhausted the "ordinary" mexican fare. read more

Burritos are FAB here - my favorite is the Veggiehead extra-spicy with all of the works. Choose between white or wheat bread, black or refried beans, and level of spice. They have contests yearly for customers to win the Spice contest, and have pics of those who made it on the other side (cute tradition). Staff has been there forever and efficient. Expect to wait a while when school's back and it's lunch time but they keep the line moving as fast as they can. Friendly, efficient, and the only decent Mexican place for miles read more

Under new ownership and the new guys are great. They picked up off of the old menu but made some desperately needed updates as well as many new more authentic additions like chimichanga enchiladas and churros. New owners salsa recipe is 10fold better than the old one and it's easy to note that they just pay more attention to their ingredients. Also they're carnitas street tacos are a must. Like for real you need to get them. read more

Oh Caliente, you are the best part of the Emporium! The burritos are awesome! They are always tasty and well made! The service is quick, and the students that usually work there are friendly and nice. The prices are very reasonable, and you will never look at other burritos the same way. They used to serve bottled soda, but have since switched to fountain, which made me sad because I used to love the Diet Mountain Dew, but Caliente thought for me and it is totally an option from the fountain! Try the Northwest Burrito, it is out of this world! read more

One of my go to spots for lunch or dinner when I'm on campus. loaded quesadillas are my jam!

This place is fire to say the least. Im a student a URI and this is one of the only places I like in the shopping center close to campus. The quality of the food is very good. I built my own tacos and I got to pick whatever I wanted. Guacamole was not included in the particular type I picked but the nice gentleman put it on my tacos for no added charge. I then proceeded to give a tip when I payed. As a college student, money is tight so giving a tip says a lot. The employees are so friendly and cater to your needs. When my parents came up the following weekend I took them! they loved it as much as I do. My mom got very good salad, it was a large portion with lots of chicken. Still every time I go I leave a tip and have an overall great experience. I would highly suggest this place if your a college student or someone just looking for a delicious meal. read more

I don't always eat at the Emporium, but when I do, I eat at Caliente. (Seriously. I sometimes plan to eat elsewhere, but I think the corn salsa is actually addictive.) It isn't authentic Mexican, but I'm buying the version they're selling (Sriracha and all). The ingredients are fresh, the menu has plenty of choices (I'm a fan of street tacos w/veggies and corn salsa) and the prices won't be beat. The staff isn't overly friendly, but they do a good job--even on phoned-in take-out orders, which is much appreciated. read more

Mexican is by far my favorite food so over course when i saw this restaurant pop up on my phone i had to try it. Service was awesome. Super friendly. I ordered a chicken quesadilla and chips. Quesadilla is pretty good. But the chips and salsa, you can tell are just bagged chips and some El Paso salsa. Not totally impressed with this place. read more

Caliente Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Kingston, Rhode Island

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*Continued from previous post.* Chapter Five: The Crime. Understanding where children's hands have been, is a vital part to this concern and review. This is a six year old, a kindergarter. He reaches his hand into boxes of crayons that are shared by other six year old's, all of which pick their nose and insufficiently wipe. Then comes into his parents work, after a day full of these unsanitary activities, and has AUDACITY to raise his right hand to his head.... pursing his extended fingers together pointing them to the ceiling, creating a claw shape.... then slowly... but deliberately... STAB his hand into the corn salsa nearly two knuckles deep. He devoured his sample, sticking nearly his entire hand in his mouth. Seeing this unfold, I looked down to my burrito, to see the same corn salsa spilling out of my tortilla. As I look back to the child, I see him reach his saliva covered hand back into the corn salsa and take another mouthful, all while the employees watch, with no concern to the health hazards her child just caused. Epilogue: Immediately, I throw my burrito out, leave the store, and drive home only thinking about all the other sanitary crimes this place has violated. All of the burritos I've eaten, at least once a week, for four years, come into question. If that doesn't permanently effect a person, then that person is an absolute psychopath. If you read all of this, then I'm glad you could listen to my story of betrayal. I hope you never lose that amount trust in anything you love. read more

This was my go to place in college, and now that we live across the country we go out of our way to get it when we're in town! We LOVE caliente! My husband had the mexi-Cali today and I enjoyed the plain Jane read more

I have been to this restaurant a number of times. My favorite burrito is the Tai Chicken but they have started doing a fish street taco off menu. They have recently been purchased by a new owner and I have no doubts if you go now you will not be disappointed. read more

My burrito was so horrendously underfilled. The tortilla was practically crumpled up like a pile of dirty laundry with a small amount of chicken and beans in the middle. The ingredients were of poor quality as well. I can bring myself to give it a second try. You'd think for the price they'd at least give you the proper amount of filling. read more

Let's Taco 'bout Sex! Let's talk about all the good things, and the bad things that may be. Thankfully the namesake of Caliente most certainly does not signify the Spanish temperature at which the food will be excreted from your buttocks, being held together loosely like the holiday tree, post dining experience. Most of my meal was compensated for, because I answered a trivia question right the previous day, which would have been $6, otherwise. What was not covered was making my tacos a combo for $2.49+tax more, which gave me a refillable fountain drink, which included such interesting choices as Dracula Blood, err, Gatorade Fruit Punch. It also got me my choice of chips and salsa or rice and either refried or black beans. I went with the rice and black beans, out of nothing more than personal preference. I also got a brownie for dessert, with a price that escapes me at present. I ordered two soft tacos with filled with pork, rice, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and my choice of three different salsas, and one of two different beans. I also always apply a cocky amount of sriracha on these tacos. The salsas consisted of three basic choices, of a Chipotle-like variety of mild, medium, and hot, though no difference is described to you in peppers, extracts, etc. amongst the three. Your bean selection is the standard refried or black beans. The meats are also choosable between veggies (think fajita-style, with sauteed bell peppers, onions, etc.), pork, grilled steak, ground beef, and grilled chicken. The pork seems to vary between a Carolina-like, if sauceless, buttery and stringy pulled pork, or in a cochinita pibil style, like today's offering. I opted for the black beans on my tacos, since refried would kind of contrast and clash with pork, given both have a soft mush to them, upon initial bite, almost like butternut squash.As an ardent fan of spicy food, I ordered the salsa as spicy as they could make it. So my confection arrived from the oven, looking ready to eat like a hand holding pork, cheese, and so on, with the shell itself as the skin like flesh, perhaps my sriracha was the blood resulting from so many bites. And such flesh is delicious and filling. However, there were some flaws notable. Namely, that outside of the pork, which brought a wonderful buttery, if slightly spiced, and briny taste, which was very well done. The problem is, not much flavor was found elsewhere, without the benefit of the sriracha sauce the beans, was not found. I tasted heat, which is welcomed, but I need more flavor profiles from the other items. The beans had a hint of salt, but were likely Goya beans-which is fine, but not terribly fresh as a result. The rice, sour cream, and lettuce served their jobs, to refresh and cool off as necessary. However, the sour cream, was unfortunately not notable in its creaminess, as it so often is, slithering down my throat, like a train down to Clogged Arteriville, on full speed of my heart slowing down in joyful celebration that the train has returned. Another big issue was the cheese, which was shredded, and looked and tasted either American or Mozz. Likely not Chihuahua, given the lack of salt bite at the split end of the cheese Both these cheese have their practical uses, but not in a Mexican place. I'd simply suggest using white cheddar here, which not only would prevent flavor domination, it is a common enough flavor to the average goer's palette, and last but not least, it is a traditional fit for the Tex-Mex they are serving here. Ah, but yes, the brownie. It looked hard like a sturdy brick not to be blown down by any wolf whatsoever, and would resemble its eventual fate. But I am happy to be wrong at times. This is absolutely one of the biggest times I have been wrong on a food in a long, long time. It was absolutely divine, and a perfect countering balance to the spiciness of the tacos. It was moist, it was not overly sweet, more like semisweet, AND you could taste the chocolate chips baked inside it. It simple could not have been improved on; it is the best brownie I have ever had, in all my years. I can't suggest buying this enough after the meal. This alone is a 5 star item, in my opinion, especially considering its price. It's not quite orgasmic, but it is enough to remark out loud, numerous times, to your companion how amazing the brownie is. In conclusion, 3 stars, which is not an average. Leave those averages to the accountants, I'm in finance. But Jessica, you still incessantly ask, why 4? Well, they made good on a little bit of a mess up on the trivia, and provided me with excellent customer satisfaction on the matter. It surely doesn't impact my overall view of the place, in terms of food taste, and/or quality, but it does bump it up to a solid 4 stars in my book. I am glad such an establishment follows the wise wisdom wording of Harry Gordon Selfridge. Might sound crazy, but it ain't no lie. read more

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My favorite for Mexican food in South County. Everything is always fresh. Very accommodating if you need to make substitutions. I have not been there once where the food was not good. Always 5 stars. read more

Okay, I went here once and got a quesadilla which gave me food poisoning the next day. They play the weirdest mix of music for a mexican restaurant, and my friend's food was cold when she got it. Just don't. read more

Ordered a burrito and water, $10. This was the smallest, most boring burrito ever. It had like 3 pieces of chicken, tasteless cheese and black beans straight out of a can. More wrapper than filling. No hot sauce, no salsa verde, no pico de gallo. I asked for spicy and it's totally bland! I hate to criticize an independently owned business but, what the hell. Maybe I'm spoiled by burritos in Boston. This is just average Tex-mex. read more

I order from Caliente on a weekly basis with my friends. It is a nice change from all the pizza and burger places at URI. My go to is the plain Jane with veggies but instead of the normal rice I get it with their cilantro rice which makes it taste even better. I always look forward to my lunch or dinner dates when we choose to get Caliente. A+ food all the time. read more

Nice simple Mexican place with super pleasant and helpful staff. The fajita salads are great if you are trying to keep it light. There also a TV for watching sports. read more

What a total dump, dont eat here, food was awful and service was worse, didnt listen to my order and gave me chicken instead of steak, really small portions of shitty tasting meat. Got a plane jane instead of all the toppings like i asked. read more

One of the newer additions to the URI campus emporium. Its technically fast food but the quality is comprable with any Mexican restaurant. I like the Kingston Fire Burrito, but all of them are great. Good for a quick, filling, enjoyable, meal. read more

I work on campus and like to mix up my lunches. Not a big fan of Mexican food but enjoy the flavor of Caliente's. Keep up the good work.

Been here multiple times and am always somewhat disappointed. The burritos are nothing special, and pretty much flavorless unless you drench them in sauces. It is however the only Mexican place in the Kingston emporium, most other places are traditional fried food joints so it does offer something different which is nice. read more

This cute little Mexican hideaway is located right outside of the University of Rhode Island campus, in a shopping plaza called the Emporium. It's in a great location for friends and family visiting students, who want a quick, yummy bite to eat. I wandered in with my aunt and little cousin after touring URI. We were famished, and each ordered a burrito, chips, and a drink combo. I ordered a chalkboard special called the Green Goddess, or Green House, or Green something-delicious sounding. It was a moderate size burrito, big enough to fill you up easily. It was advertised to have grilled mushrooms and onions, and loads of fresh veggies. I chose this one over the Plain Jane with grilled veggies, because I had no interested in squash that day, but it somehow weaseled itself into my burrito anyway. It was tasty, even with the sneaky squash. It should be noted that this place takes a very liberal American swing at Mexican. There are no real flavors that shout Mexico, other than the nice array of not-so-hot but still flavorful sauces on the tables (Tapatio, Red Hot, Sriracha, Tabasco). More or less, because there are tortillas and taco shells in the mix, it can be called Mexican. Don't get me wrong, the burrito was yummy, but I just wouldn't feel right letting you think you were getting a Mexican flavor experience here. The chips are those thick-cut, triangle, from a bag, nacho-style chips from Sam's Club. Luckily, the salsa was delicious enough to make up for them, and tasted like it was made in-house. Overall, this is a very "college" place to grab a bite. It was good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to stop in if I wasn't already on the campus. read more

This place is phenomenal. I love everything, fresh ingredients and staff. My girlfriend and myself come here every weekend she comes down to ri. read more

Caliente Mexican - Burrito love. Kingston fire and hot head. Drive from Warwick for these bad boys - Mexican Near Me - Kingston, Rhode Island

I ate here for lunch today. I lived on campus at URI last year and overlooked the place. I regret not coming here before. I would've been here every week. I got the Kingston Fire burrito hot. Good stuff! Love corn salsa and yummy BBQ sauce. Good size for the price. I can't wait to try the other items! I have class on campus once a week, so I'm commuting. Will def come here for lunch! read more

Fresh and delicious. It's like California beach culture Mexican food that hits you with waves of flavor. Priced right, it is more than just the best Mexican food around town, but well worthy of a pit stop when traveling between Boston and NYC. read more

I like this place. It is American-type burritos next to a college campus, but the place is clean and you get what you pay for: a filling meal of tortilla, beans, rice & extra. I eat here a couple of times a month. My fave burrito is the Veg Head. My only complaint about this place is that the staff is pretty unfriendly. Not rude, just not nice. No biggie but it would be a plus. read more

I've been meaning to write this review for awhile! Every time I'm in Rhode Island and near URI, I make it a point to stop in and grab a burrito (I discovered this place while visiting a friend who went to college here back in '06). Perfect portions (well, a bit more than perfect!) and the sides are a nice addition! I'm a huge Sriracha fan so to have a restaurant well stocked, they definitely get points for that too!! read more

Place seems overpriced for being on a college campus, they also have a small menu. The food isn't half bad itself but not worth what you pay. Management and owners are also often passive aggressive and rude feel bad for employees who work their sometimes. read more

They were incredibly rude ! Will not be going there ever again. Don't recommend. The food was terrible like the service.

Love this college burrito joint. It's go to lunch spot when I'm in the area. I usually get the Thai chicken but In a bowl instead of the tortilla because I'm gluten intolerant. Staff is friendly but sometimes a little out of it. Worth the wait in line. read more

I have never been treated so rudely in all my life! Customer service was awful and the food was bland at best. The person who answered the phone had zero patience and kept asking me if I wanted items that the burrito was supposed to come with. I will never be back!!! read more