If you're looking for bold Dominican flavors and a warm, welcoming vibe, Mofongo Factory absolutely…read moredelivers. We started with an oxtail dish served over mashed plantains, layered with pork, onions, and a blend of seasonings, all brought together with a rich, flavorful sauce. Every bite was tender, savory, and perfectly balanced, you can tell this is comfort food done right. We also ordered a side of crispy pork with yellow rice and beans, and it did not disappoint. The pork had that perfect crisp on the outside while staying juicy inside, and everything paired beautifully with the fresh vegetables on the side. Service really made the experience even better. Melissa, our waitress, was sweet, professional, and incredibly accommodating, she made sure we had everything we needed without ever feeling rushed. The ambiance ties it all together. The decor gives you that authentic island, Dominican feel, making it a great spot to relax and enjoy a meal. Just a quick note: they serve beer and wine only, which still pairs nicely with the food. Overall, this was an amazing experience from start to finish. I'll definitely be back!

I liked my dinner here. It's simple inside but nicely decorated, was a little cold inside with the…read moredoor opening and closing quite frequently. You look at the menu via QR code but someone comes around to take your order. Our waitress was really kind. My food was really tasty. However I will say our meats were cold for some reason, despite the rice and beans being piping hot. It felt like the meats were reheated from the fridge, but didn't quite get there. This did lose a star. But the sauce on top and the beans and rice all did offer lots of flavor, just wish it was hot. We were there pretty late on a Sunday and it was busy for it being smaller inside. Lots of people grabbing takeout orders and people eating around us too. Note: I've seen old pictures where food seemed to be scooped in front of you at the counter, but I did not see that in my recent visit. Not sure if this changed. What we ordered: -Churrasco, served with Garden salad, White Rice and Green Pigeon Peas -Full plate - White Rice with Red Beans, Res Guisado (Stew Beef) -Tostones

I cannot say enough good things about Merengue!! They did a phenomenal job of a very large (and…read morelast minute!) delivery order. Delivery was fast and each item was clearly labeled, which made it easy to hand to the correct person. To top it off, the food was absolutely phenomenal! Thank you, Merengue!!

Wow, what a fantastic restaurant!…read more We came in with a birthday party of five last night. We were seated right away at a comfy table in the middle of a colorful and lovely dining room. We all studied the menu for a long time, it was hard to pick. Eventually, here is what we settled on: One order of chicken and one order of beef pastellitos Two orders of sweet plantains One appetizer of chicharrones 1 frozen mango margarita A whole fried red snapper with rice and beans A large fish soup Beef stew Beef with onions and peppers Our server was completely fantastic and patient. This place is amazing! 100% reccomend!

Service was great but the food put me out of commission for a couple days…read more For context I got my food on Too Good To Go so it may have been older options I'd like to go back someday to give it another try

Dominican food favorites well prepared and priced to sell right in the heart of eagleston sq. They…read morenow accept ebt cards for payment as well one of the few restaurants in the MA that do.

Driving around East Boston found this Gem!! The waitress greeted us and sat us down recognized we…read moreneed a menu in English , Provided us information on the food and the country of Colombia where she is from. Was very pleasant!! The food was amazing and fresh and came out "hot off the presses" We had the meat empanada's and chicken with plaintans, rice & beans and a fresh salad. Very Clean establishment. Will go again soon.

El Peñol is one of those spots that reminds you why East Boston has become such a go-to for…read moreauthentic Latin American food ...it's flavorful, fast-paced, and full of character. FOOD: Starting with the food, I made sure to go all in appetizer, entrée, and dessert and it absolutely paid off. The empanadas came out hot and crisp, with a satisfying crunch that gave way to well-seasoned filling. The chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) was packed with flavor, hitting that perfect balance of savory and hearty. And the lomo saltado? A classic done right tender strips of beef, sautéed with onions and tomatoes, all coming together in that signature, comforting sauce. Everything tasted freshly made and thoughtfully prepared, not rushed despite how quickly it came out. SERVICE: The service was efficient and attentive. Food and drinks arrived quickly almost impressively fast but without sacrificing quality. The staff stayed on top of things, making sure we had what we needed and keeping the experience moving smoothly. It's the kind of place where they clearly know how to handle volume while still delivering a solid dining experience. AMBIANCE: As for the ambiance, there's a strong sense of authenticity here. Being surrounded by Peruvian culture, from the people to the energy, adds to the experience and makes it feel genuine. The space has a lively, no-frills vibe that's more about the food and community than aesthetics, which honestly works in its favor. That said, there were moments where it felt like management was watching a bit too closely from the time we walked in to when we left, which slightly took away from the otherwise relaxed feel. IMPRESSIONS: Still, overall, El Peñol delivers where it matters most ....great food, quick service, and an authentic atmosphere. If you're in East Boston and craving Peruvian cuisine, this is definitely a spot worth checking out.

I've always heard about this place but I've never been until now, and I'm so upset I've been…read moremissing out all of these years. I will say the line and wait was a bit much, but I did go at lunch time on a Friday so that's to be expected. Also, there's a bit of a language barrier with some people so it takes a little longer 1/2 chicken with extra onions 10/10 It was so juicy and flavorful, wish I would've got a whole one Bolitos de papa 7/10 Not bad in taste but should be a little cheaper Chicharron with yellow rice n tostones 7/10 Rice was flavorful and tostones were fresh Chicharron was mainly fat, so I'd opt to pick my piece next time Maduros 10/10 They give the whole plantain and it was cooked to perfection Fried pork & yellow rice 3/10 Wasn't a fan of the way it was cooked, almost like it was boiled They give good portions for the price, but just pay attention to the pieces of meat you get. Inside was clean, and I like that you can see them chop your meat.

Alex Chimi's is a true neighborhood gem in JP. It's a pickup-only spot, but don't let that fool you…read more-- they load you up with a tray of delicious Dominican food that seriously delivers. The pollo a la brasa was juicy and flavorful, and the chicharrónes were crispy and satisfying. Pro tip: ask for the sautéed onions on top -- they take everything to another level. The portions are generous and the prices are great. Easily enough food to stretch into two meals, which makes this place an incredible value. Simple setup, amazing food, and absolutely worth a stop.

Excellent customer service! Best Hispanic food in Boston for a low price or any price really. Food…read morecome out very fast too!

Food was delicious. Service was amazing. Definitely will recommend. Every time I visit Boston I am…read moreeating here.

Best empanadasssss! Beef & Cheese all the way. We happened upon this place when my friend moved…read moreto East Boston and I could seriously eat these empanadas every day.

Wanted to give this cute neighborhood shop a try. The place…read moreand the workers were chill and it was super clean. We were pumped to try the cheese empanada (only non meat option). But after taking my first bite, I was a little surprised to see how empty it was. Although it was delicious and I'd get it again but with different expectations next time.

I've moved out of Boston but still think about this restaurant. Always so flavourful and very…read moreaffordable.

Great little Mom and Pop restaurant. It is more wallet friendly than the neighboring Merengue…read more(which I love for a sit down meal). About the restaurant: If you want a quick fix of Dominican food to eat in or take out, this is the place. I am all for the Arroz con Habichuelas and Red Snapper. My kids love the pastelitos and juices- West Indian cherry, passion fruit, tamarind to name a few. This is not a place for date night, as there is no ambience. The small seating area is reminiscent of a 80s college cafeteria. With that said, this is not the place to go with 10 of your closest friends unless you're doing take out. Definitely a great place to grab lunch when you're on a time constraint. Parking and Neighborhood: There is limited parking in front of the restaurant. If you're parking on the side streets be smart about it, don't leave valuables in view. Yes, your windows could get busted open for $2 in your console or a GPS on the dashboard. There are many in this neighborhood who are seeing hard times; some are clearly visible from the restaurant.

Wow. I haven't had much Dominican food in the past to compare this to, but this was GREAT. The…read moreportion sizes are huge and the prices are so affordable - I will absolutely be coming back here again and again. This time, I ended up getting the Chicharrón with spaghetti instead of rice and beans because I had heard that Dominican spaghetti was something I had to try, and I didn't regret it at all. For the price of $14, this was probably 1.5-2 portions of food. I will be having this for dinner later on today! Chicharrón ($14) - These were deep fried pork belly chunks and they were pretty much cooked perfectly. They were seasoned well and just so crispy and juicy. When you deep fry pork belly in chunks, it's really easy to overcook them and dry them out, but this was just wonderfully lightly crispy on the outside and still so juicy and moist on the inside. Biting into each chunk was like a wonderful burst of flavor - really amazing job on these. Spaghetti (side) - Ah yes the Dominican spaghetti. If you want Italian pasta, this is not it, but it had a certain home-cooked charm and was a type of spaghetti I had not tasted before. It was creamy, tomato-ey, and buttery. The closest I can compare is that it had the texture of chef boyardee pasta, but the taste was much more smokey with hints of sweetness and umami. It was really filling and delicious! All in all - a great deal. $14 for that much food and meat is amazing, and everything tasted really fresh and well-cooked. I will absolutely be returning!

Another day, another Spanish restaurant!…read more It's a true blessing to live around wonderful Dominican/Puerto Rican restaurants. My son loves arroz con pollo. He can eat it everyday. When I walked in, it was a little cozy restaurant with 6-7 seatings. It was lunch time so there were a few tables occupied. I was there to get lunch to go. I wish I took more pictures of the hot bar. The two lovely ladies there were nice and helpful. I wish I knew they had a lunch menu because the gentleman that came in after me, he asked for the lunch portion. Next time! I got stewed chicken and white rice/beans for $19. It's the dinner portion. Not sure if I could have gotten sides like sweet plantains or yucca. A little language barrier. For $19, I'm assuming it should come with it but didn't. That's ok! Next time ima make sure to ask. One of the ladies that came out after knew English but it was too late because I already paid for my order. My whole order came out to be $30. This included the stewed chicken, side order of spaghetti, and side order of tuna mac salad. Everything was delicious. The stewed chicken was good but compared to my other places, this is probably 4th on the list. A little too salty. The spaghetti was really good. If you never had Dominican spaghetti before, I highly you to go try! Tuna salad at this spot was really good. So far the best I've had. Will definitely come back here to try other things! Especially the lunch menu. Downfall was, I didn't see a menu. Looked around for 5 minutes but couldn't find it lol

YES! This is what I meant when I said "I just want some really good Dominican food right now" - &…read morereally good Dominican food it was! Tasty grilled chicken, delectable maduros, perfectly seasoned rice & beans... My mouth is watering just thinking about the food. I can't speak to the ambience of the restaurant or the location or even really the service (except for the fact that they wrote a very cute note on my bag of food - thanks!) because I ordered delivery. But the food? Spectacular. I was also able to stretch it to two meals. Great bang for buck, here. I'll definitely keep this spot in mind if I'm ever in the area again.

I've driven by this place a few times and the outside is bright and inviting. Looking past the…read morefront door, I typically see a ton of people inside. Now that I've gone here, I understand why! Inside along the right side are a series of tables for dine in customers. On the left side is the staff with a buffet table of prepared foods. There is also a pizza oven, and pizza is part of the store name...they must make good pizza (I didn't try). The buffet hot table consists of many traditional dominican comfort foods. They all look very delicious and pretty fresh, even towards the end of the day when I went. The place looks clean and the vibes are casual and chill. Staff tried their best to help this noob decide what to buy. Fried pork chicharone - These were excellent! They present them as slabs of fried pork on a tray. When you order them, I like that the server asks you which piece you'd like, or if this piece is ok. They bring it to the side and chop it up for you before placing it in the box. I saw someone else's not chopped, so I guess that is an option. It was about $18ish for the slab (about a pound). The skin was very crisp and the meat wasn't overly dry. Beware, this is pork belly so know that there will be some fat! Beef Stew - This looked really good and it was very popular. We waited for our order to finish and saw many people buying this. You get an option of white or yellow rice and 1 side. We got the yellow rice but most others chose white. They pile on the rice...a LOT. One customer had to tell them to stop. There's not a lot of meat portion but it was still enough. We chose fried bananas as the side (which kind of tastes starchy, like a potato). The stew pieces were good and tender enough. Could've been more tender for my tastes, but still good enough. Flavor was good. This plate was about $14. Chicken empanada - Not sure how much this was, maybe $3. It had good amounts of shredded chicken inside but it tasted dry. They should add cheese (lots of cheese) with this so that it could be better balanced. I would skip this. Fried chicken - These come in orders of 3 pieces, 6, 9, 12 etc. They are mostly wing pieces, at least in my order. They were out of these when we arrived, so we waited for a fresh batch. These tasted really good. Not overly breaded, but just right with a very slight crisp coating. Flavor was good and chicken was moist. I would get these again. This was also about $14. Check out was easy and they take apple pay. This place is still new and is evident if you try to ask the ladies behind the desk how much things costs - they're not really sure. However, they were friendly and tried to answer as many questions as I had. Parking is only street parking, but those are plentiful on this part of main street. Go check them out if you're looking for a comforting meal.