I used to love this place. 2019 La Q'Chara was excellent.; took all my visitors there and they loved it too. Since 2020 however it is very hit and miss with service and food quality. I have unfortunately experienced missing items from my order and poor food quality in about 90% of my orders (to-go and dining in) in the last year. Each time I say I won't go back, but a few weeks later I try again hoping improvements have been made only to be disappointed again. I've even provided feedback for previous orders that were particularly awful but received no response and the same problems still exist. Undercooked bacon, overcooked poached eggs, stale arepas, dry/crusty meat, and stale yucca fries (if you get them at all) are a few of the most common issues. I don't think I've had a dish taste the same as the the previous time I ordered it because it is always missing an ingredient or formulated differently (in a bad way). I do order half the time in the evening so that may have something to do with food quality even though it shouldn't matter. My biggest irk is paying for items I'm not receiving. My advice to you, if you order online and pickup, is to unstaple the bag while you are there and inventory your items. They seem to forget baked goods and yucca fries consistently and you don't want to find this out when you get home. To add insult to injury, when you order online or at the register, tipping starts out at 22% and you are reminded to "Tip Well". Bold. And there is a 4% built-in "kitchen-appreciation" fee included in your bill regardless of dining in/out. INSANE. I think it's so tacky to ASK for tips and then ADD a service fee when you can't even provide the customer what they paid for. Places where you prepay and bus your own table should not even ask for tips unless they are on their game. And in this case, they clearly are not. That being said, the coffee is consistently good even if the lids leak like a sieve. read more

La QChara is a go to for my wife and I. Lorenzo and Katie are amazing. Authentic food, great taste, specials to keep an eye on. They also do catering! read more

There is no other restaurant like this in the area. I love all of the different options they offer. Over the past few years, I've had many different items off the menu and haven't found a single thing I don't like. I always have to order El Toston and get extra yuca fries! The thick cut wedge style fries come with a delicious sauce. I also enjoy their chia pudding, arepas, burritos, tacos, and their baked goods. They really are one of my favorite restaurants in the area. I highly recommend giving them a try! read more

Not your typical breakfast stop, I was recommended this spot by a friend and I wasn't wild by it. I had the breakfast quesadilla which came with a side of yuca fries. The quesadilla was okay, the egg could have been seasoned a little more maybe with fresh peppers or cilantro? We also tried the chicken fajitas, again just okay lacking a little seasoning. They also offer several different smoothies, but honestly it's a little over priced for what you're getting. read more

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Love this place. Friendly people, great food, casual dining. Tried a few different things and always good. I will keep going back!

Such a delicious Central American breakfast/lunch spot. I got the Venezuelan eggs Benedict (minus the chorizo because I'm vegetarian) and it was incredible! Such a tasty meal but not too large in terms of the portions. Menu is a bit overwhelming but I'm excited to come back and try more dishes! read more

La QChara - Venezuelan Eggs Benedict - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

Simple, authentic Venezuelan food with no thrills except the cheerful staff and the joy of eating. The gluten free options are clearly marked along with a variety of options from braised, pulled or grilled meats and vegetarian options. I was pleasantly surprised to be directed to the self serve apple infused water spigot. We had come for a girls day out and I neglected to view Yelp prior to coming in that they don't serve alcohol. It would have been so nice to enjoy a taco with a margarita but once the mild disappointment wore off I appreciated the food plus they do make smooths. It's simple, healthy and good clean food and I loved it! read more

Incredible quenio breakfast bowl, absolutely amazing, and the poached eggs were cooked to perfection. read more

La QChara - Quenio breakfast bowl - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

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Ordered off uber eats for lunch. Delicious. I got the avocado lime chicken salad arepa. Extremely fresh, creamy, and flavorful. Corn part of arepa was falling apart a bit but that's okay. I ordered the yuca fries with extra sauces on the side. Yuca fries were also very fresh and not dry at all. All around very great experience! Will definitely order again read more

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I used to love and frequent La QChara but lately their quality, portion size and freshness is questionable and lacking. I've gone here quite a few times lately and left a little "ehh" and unfulfilled. I no longer go here for breakfast because their meat tastes rancid, I think the eggs are microwaved and the portions are SO small for the money. Forget about the coffee. It has no flavor. Smoothies are like water. I used to absolutely love their birria tacos and although they were good when I got them recently, there was sooooo little meat amongst the 3 tacos that it really was me eating a tortilla. I absolutely love to go to local restaurants but something really wrong is happening. It could be rising costs making them go elsewhere for ingredients and staff but it's so bad. Please go back to your previous menu and ingredients. I rather pay more for the same quality, but not more for less and mediocre food. It's sad to see this happening. I stopped going to T'ahpas for a similar reason years ago. read more

Egg shells were found throughout my breakfast burrito, along with corn which wasn't in the description the fries were completely hard and not edible. I've ordered this plenty of times and have never had such poor quality I'm extremely disappointed and hope this place doesn't continue on a downward slope. read more

La QChara - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

Ordered one of the specials (be mine bowl) and it came without avocado and the pork was super fatty, chewy and gross. Disappointed and will not be ordering from here again read more

Without Yelp, I can guarantee I would have never found this place......tucked away on a fairly busy street but one most people don't venture on unless you actually live in the Melrose area. Parking isn't so tough to find behind the building or down the main drag if you're willing to walk a bit. The cafe itself is a tad small and has been busy our last few visits as word spreads just how good they are. You rarely have to wait for a table, just shuffle to the side while your order is prepared if they are all full. Oh my god, what a FIND! Everything we have had in return visits has been nothing short of spectacular. Venezualan benedict is my go-to with perfectly crispy yucca fries while the wife loves the Tostadas Francesas, cinnamon challah bread french toast with almonds. I need to get a bit more adventurous here and move on to "cachapas", Venezualan corn pancakes or the chia puddings. But for now, we go with what we love. They not only have impeccable ethnic food offerings but an extensive coffee list along with fresh juices, albeit a tad overpriced for the 12 oz size at $6 a pop. The Valencia is perfectly balanced and sweet with pineapple, carrot, pears, apples and mint. Such a beautiful orange hue when it is brought out. My only real criticism is that I'm not a fan of the order at the counter and then wait for your food/name to be called out. I'd recommend they add waitresses in the future. It is always confusing for the newbie and you have to fight through people just to grab the extensive menu at the counter which isn't easily visible if you don't know where to look. Get rid of the awkwardness of that and they are doing everything right. Always friendly and helpful staff, as well. This is exactly what a sleepy suburb like Melrose needed and I'm very happy that they are succeeding, I hope they stick around for a long time. read more

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In my mind, this place is the middle of nowhere, but the locals mind, this is the place to be. We came on weekdays around lunchtime, and the place was bustling. There were definitely a lot of moms with babies meeting up for lunch, since the whole place was yelling and screaming and screeching with babies. The music was also way too loud, I could barely think. However, the food was absolutely delicious. I got the beef burrito and my friend got the sloppy sandwich. We both ate ours so fast since it was SO good. I'd come back, but probably only during an off hour so it's not so loud. read more

This place has the best fish tacos. I wanted to give a shot out to the current Manager for taking the time to deliver some items that were missing and they added some desserts, Flan, and tres leches. which I highly recommend trying. Thank you again!!! read more

True South American cuisine Order 1st then sit down Great coffee Central American breakfast sweet not too much Breakfast tacos were really good Fried plantains delish not greasy read more

delicious food and drinks. atmosphere is great and staff is kind and helpful. highly recommend read more

La QChara - cubano - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

If you want authentic fresh food, go here. This place is awesome. I love Mexican real Mexican/Latin food. Not the horrible reheated or frozen Tex mex chain crap, real food. This place does not disappoint. I've gone both alone and with coworkers for lunch, always awesome. Coffee is good, Limonada's are amazing, Mole enchiladas are to die for. read more

La QChara - Enchiladas Mole - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

This is more of a problem with grubhub/ Yelp but the restaurant was not helpful in solving the problem either. Bottom line is don't order through Yelp/ grubhub, especially not from this restaurant. You will pay twice for the same order. The order doesn't even exist in my history on Yelp aaaand somehow out made its way to the restaurant to be made and my credit card was charged. read more

La QChara - Photo proof of my purchase history via Yelp/ grubhub. - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

This is my first time ordering from here and I was really excited to try this place tonight via Uber Eats (specifically, Oscar's Taqueria) but am underwhelmed. To begin, I noticed my driver had been at the restaurant for over 30 minutes, so I asked him if he was still there or if he just forgot to reopen the Uber Eats app. He replied that he was still waiting for my food and there were over 10 other delivery drivers waiting because the restaurant was very unorganized. I did eventually get my order and to my surprise (and someone else's displeasure) I found an extra order of tacos with my order; I unexpectedly got to try chicken, beef, and pork tacos. The tortillas are traditional corn tortillas, no complaints there. Interestingly, my tacos had double tortillas for each taco. The taco fillings were decently sized but honestly nothing to rave about; the tacos were pretty dry. Out of all 3 meats, the beef tacos are the most flavorful and the juiciest. I also ordered chips and guacamole and chips and salsa. The chips were good, still warm when I received them. However the salsa tasted like canned tomato sauce and the guacamole, while delicious, came in a small cup whose size did not warrant the almost $7 they charge for it. I'm not sure I'd order here again. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt for the disorganization because it is Cinco de Mayo and #tacotuesday, but the food I had tonight makes me hesitant to order again. read more

I have lunch here (to go) at least twice a month , the food is delicious! The cold and hot drinks are tasty. My preference is the Limonada or a caramel latte for a drink. For food I usually get the empanadas or a quesadilla . read more

ooof A huge disappointment. I had the carnitas plate, which for some unknown reason comes with a shredded beef, chicken, and 1 pork taco. I asked for hot sauce and was directed to a couple of store bought bottles on a shelf. No homemade salsa here. I asked for jalapenos and it was almost an ordeal. I think the order taker was trying to figure out a way to charge me for a few slices of jalapenos. I was still optimistic about the food at that point despite the fact they don't do their own salsa. The lunch bill was over $14. The tacos were served with rice, no black beans for you! To be fair, it wasn't described as coming with black beans, but most other places give you black beans and rice in a 'plate'. The meat, all three meats, were extremely bland, SO bland. I could have used half a bushel of jalapenos. Are they dumbing down the food for white people - I mean it was SO disappointing. What am I going to do now that I moved from Somerville to Melrose. Today I went by La Victoria in Arlington just to get a fix because I was still jonsing for Mexican. It was delicious. Carnitas means carnitas! The carnitas was moist and flavorful, and LaV has multiple homemade salsas. Served with rice and black beans, and I added sour cream and guac. LaQchara has another 'tapas' restaurant across the street that I was hoping to try with a friend but given this lunch, I gotta pass on trying their more expensive sister restaurant. Avoid LaQchara for mexican - they also serve smoothies and breakfast stuff which I can't speak to and which I won't be trying. Yes, the photo looks 1000 times better than it tasted. read more

La QChara - Carnitas plate - beef, chicken, and pork - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

Today La QChara catered Senior Day for our team at our Cross Country meet and it was fantastic. Lime & passionfruit juices, waters, soft taco fixings... It was a very rainy Saturday but the ambiance in the food tent was uplifting. Food was flavorful, stayed hot, and there was plenty for our large group. Kids went back for seconds & thirds. Staff were friendly & attentive, laughing and looking after our needs with an uplifting attitude, making people want to extend their stay long after the meet was finished. Highly recommend! read more

Reviewed in COVID land: keys to success- order online. We waited about an hour today for food and coffee. Now it's Sunday, Father's Day, hot out, so I get it. But do yourself a favor and order ahead of time then drive there. They have four outdoor tables and everything you get is in a takeout container so easy to just take it home if there are no tables available. Okay onto the actual review: So a lot of people come here just got coffee which is great, but I don't understand it. They do offer interesting coffee options like cortados, cortaditos, etc but their food! Try the food!!! The menu is enormous but everything we have had so far is 5 star worthy. We've been for breakfast now twice and have not been disappointed. The Venezuelan Benedict is super good, poached eggs cooked medium so they're a bit runny but not too runny over the arepa. Huevos rancheros: tortilla, black bean spread, egg, salsa. Very good but not quite as good as the other things we tried. Cachapa mechada: sweet corn arepa like thing with shredded meat inside. Great great!!! Try this! Smoothie magdalena: I must now get this every time I come here. Tiny pieces of fruit, very refreshing. Alright that's all for now, but definitely my new breakfast place. Will be back for dinner for sure! read more

La Qchara catered our charitable organization's outreach meeting and breakfast this morning, and we had a great experience working with them. It was very easy to set up the order using their online system, and the food and coffee were ready to go when we arrived. We served the Nutella and pumpkin coffee cakes to our guests and they were a hit. The coffee was delicious, too. We can't thank La Qchara enough for their incredible food, great service, and attention to detail! read more

cute little place, good food, great vibe, nice place to hang. but like other reviewers have noted, the ordering logistics can get a bit "chaotic". the person taking our order did explain how it works: drinks can be picked up on counter toward the back of the room, and meals will be brought out to us later on. case in point: as i was ordering (and again when waiting for food), staff was shouting (yes, that volume) left and right. when drinks were ready, they called the drinks. when food rolled out, they called diner's name. mind you, both could be happening at the same time! just visualize all these sound waves crossing paths, it's sheer madness. and there's lively music added in background. so finally when no one is calling out or anything, we got lazy Sunday afternoon back in the store. food menu is very descriptive and clear, but i can't say the same for drinks. true that smoothie ingredients were noted specifically (on the menu), but the coffee board above the counter completely lost me. there was no description after the names; maybe i somehow missed the drink menu. not wanting to hog the counter to inquire, i rushed along with a cold brew. it was practically free with yelp's check-in offer, so it's all good. just that if there are special brews that are unique to their shop or origin, i wish i had been more informed. food is tasty; portion is enough for two smaller meals (for us anyway). two plates, one app, two drinks (one free) came to ~$40 and tip. not bad, all things considered. since there were a couple other things that enticed me on the menu when i looked, think i am likely to return. read more

La QChara - clockwise: cold brew, a smoothie (already separated), salmon lettuce wrap (or taco?), arepa w/chicken salad, Benedict...something (sorry!). - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

I love this place. I love their coffee drinks, I love their chia puddings, I love their pastries, I love their yuca fries and their arepas. I just love them. Pre-covid I loved to go for brunch, because the food is great and their atmosphere is also great! A cute little restaurant with the friendliest staff. Also, don't skip the Colombian cheese buns! La Qchara is a Melrose gem! read more

La QChara - Cortado with chia pudding. - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

Visited Boston for the first time. Mom and I ended up renting an AirBnB in Melrose, and right around the corner of the home we rented was La QChara. So glad we came across this place. We ended up going there everyday during our stay. For bfast and dinner. I totally recommend the bfast torta that was my favorite and also the chia seed pudding, it was delicious. Anyway I can't wait to go back and eat here again! read more

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I love this place! Staff are so friendly and welcoming! Their huevos rancheros was so yummy and their cakes are delish! Great lattés too!

Big servings, great service and good to eat in or take out. Very fun spot and worth going out of your way for!

This is one of the best places to eat in Melrose. I love their breakfast sandwiches. They have the best juices. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

I appreciate how Melrose is growing its selection of diverse restaurants. La QChara is a must try for anyone in the area who enjoys mostly healthy Latin American food. I ordered lunch for take out and I was pleasantly surprised at the various selection of quinoa bowls and chia pudding. The food isn't spicy like you would expect for this region! I ordered a Chile quinoa bowl with roasted veggies and it was very filling. The cranberries were a strange touch to the otherwise savory dish. I got a side of yucca fries for the first time and I really enjoyed the texture! Even my infant liked sucking on it! My husband got a beef burrito and it was large and filling. We ordered a chia pudding but I will have to return and rate it later! Courtney forgot to put it in our bag so we didn't get it. Think this was due to the busy lunch crowd. read more

La QChara - Chile quinoa bowl with roasted veggies - Latin American Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

We've never had a bad meal from La Q'Chara, no matter the time of day and no matter whether we ate in the restaurant, got takeout, or had delivery. The selection is fantastic, the gluten-free options are plentiful (and I've never been accidentally glutened, which is huge), and everything is absolutely delicious. The only negative experience we've had is that our drinks were left out of a recent delivery order, but accidents happen and the food more than made up for it. This will continue to be a regular spot for us, for sure. read more

Little Latin American restaurant close to the train station in Melrose. I stopped here on a Saturday around 1 to pick up some lunch to go. The line was pretty long but went quickly. The restaurant has some seating but not a ton. You order at the counter and take a seat or wait for your carryout. The staff were friendly in taking my order but very loud calling out the orders for guests. QChara has a ton of options from breakfast foods, torta/sandwiches, burritos, entrees, fresh juice, smoothies, coffee, and pastries. I chose the choriqueso torta sandwich with yucca fries for around $9 and an arepa with pulled beef for $8 to take home to share with my husband. The restaurant was super busy so it took around 20 minutes to get my order. I was super bummed when I got home to realize there were no yucca fries! However, the food was very fresh and flavorful. The arepa was tasty but a bit overpriced for the portion. The torta sandwich was a good size with cheesy chorizo and toppings. Overall, it was a tasty lunch but the long wait and no-show fries were a disappointment. read more

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Great coffee and really nice staff, love going here! The food is also really good and easy to do takeout. read more

I have gone here a few times with my sons they like to experience new restaurants when they visit me, so when I recommended this one they loved it and continue to come by whenever home. It's also nice to stop by have tea and some thing for breakfast. This past week I met my son & his daughter before I arrived he bought enough for 3 people. But I decided to order a separate dish for his 3 year old and one for me. What I wanted had green peppers and I asked without please and she said it's a mixutre you'll have to get something different so I had people waiting behind me and not so familiar with the menu so I just ordered the Peru bowl. 2 chia bowls tea & added a tip. My son enjoyed everything he had he spent 28.00 and I spent 29.+ The baby's Chix tacos were good for her and my bowl just wasn't like what I had before. I tried it, the ingredients were not bad just not appealing to me or the taste. So I just put it to the side and asked my son If he wanted it. He wasn't interested. I asked him do you want me to take it home for later and he said no, which is strange for he eats everything, not interested. All our dishes were piling up, I didn't realize I had to bring them up at that put, I had left a 20% tip when I ordered so I just assumed ..... So when she bought the chia pudding over I mentioned to her that I didn't like my lunch. She said oh . Took it out of my hand and placed it on top of our pile of plates , and left. I'm not kidding! I wasn't asking for $ off I wasn't loud I just expected her to remove the plate. I didn't realize that's not what they do. I had my tea and pudding and before I left I went up to someone near the counter who looked like she may know something about the situation. I explained that I wasnt happy with my food and felt in a restaurant business it's customary for the server to remove the dish as not to bother the customer any longer. She replied, I don't kmow that we are a casual place and your dish is the best seller in the restaursnt. I can call my boss/manager if you need something. I said no thank you. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. It's no always clear to people who don't go there regularly the workings of the restaurant. There didn't appear to be aperson in charge to address any situation. I don't want to give a bad review because servers can hurt people's businesses. Yet, it falls on the management to have the right people in right spot to train. Continued sucess read more

I LOVE LA QCHARA!!! I could shout it from the rooftops, I love it so much. I've never been disappointed in the slightest, the food is always delicious and so freaking flavorful. I'm glad I don't live closer or I'd blow my whole paycheck here (not to say it's expensive, it's very reasonably priced!). The menu is huge and I'm sad to say I've only sampled a small subset of it - I mainly stick to the Tortas. I love that they come with yuca fries! Oh how I love yuca fries. I've tried the Sloppy, the Choriqueso and the Pernil and it'd be really tough to say which I liked best because they were all fantastic. I can't wait to try other dishes, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I love you, La Q, never change. read more

Everything I have had from La Qchara has been delicious! Love their breakfast quesadilla. And the yucca fries. And the coffee. Great pastries and baked goods. I could go on and on read more

Fool me once? Shame on you... fool me twice-- shame on me. We loved La QCHARA when we first began frequenting the establishment. It didn't take long for the management to reveal their true colors. Utter disappointment is an understatement. The orders? Always wrong. Service? Horrendous (most workers are nice, but we pray for them... I'll get to the management in a minute). We are a vegetarian and vegan family, and more than half of the time cheese comes when we ordered no cheese, and meat is smattered on the dish when we specifically asked for none. What do we get in response of breaking 7 years meat free for a sub par dish?... a $5 off coupon of our next order (the non existent next time we go.) The manager is very cheap and has anger issues, and frankly has no business... RUNNING A BUSINESS! Employee sweeties.... walk away while you have the chance. I'm scared of this place read more