A Harvard staple. What is not to love? They have pretty decent food for cheap at ungodly hours…read more(8am-4am) and is always there when you need a quick Mexican fix. Fast service, but just a little unclean at the actual tables themselves if dining in. I always get the 3 al pastor tacos, insanely good and addicting with spice and pineapple in there. Partner got a burrito. I always used to come here as a student, and so I may be biased. Is it the best Mexican food ever? No, far from it. But it's a great alternative that will always be there for you when you need it. Only gripe is that sometimes the food is messy (in a good way) and that they don't usually have limes, but were able to part with a lot of limes this time around (don't count on it though, very unusual they have limes). Even had a hot sauce wall so partner could try a bunch of different hot sauces with burrito.

Oh, how I wish there was an El Jefe's near my home in New Hampshire! Fortunately, the husband and I…read moreare in the Cambridge, MA area often enough to enjoy multiple El Jefe's locations. And I love that they're open late for post-concert munchies. Everything is made to order and the ingredients are always fresh and delicious. As someone with food allergies, I really appreciate being able to simply avoid food allergens when ordering. The staff is always friendly and fast. The only downside is that the tables are a little high if you're using a wheelchair. One or two lower tables would be amazing for that purpose. The main area where one orders is completely handicapped accessible. There's additional seating in the back, but there's stairs to get to the area.

Ordered the beef torta this evening and immediately went on to Yelp and got FOMO that I didn't…read moreorder the tacos which all look amazing. I really need to remember to look online before choosing my order in the future (or so I thought). While the tacos still look incredible (especially the birria ones), the torta was surprisingly great as well. The sandwich is jam packed with ingredients and really well balanced. The beef was juicy and tender, and the veggies added a really nice balance of spice (jalapenos), freshness (onions, lettuce, and tomatoes), and richness (cheese and avocadoes). The refried beans were a pleasant surprise as well, adding really good moisture and flavor to the overall bite. And including avocado on the torta for no extra cost really is what put this above and beyond to a 5/5 - the avocado was ripe and had just the right amount of it to add that rich and fatty element without being too slippery and making it hard to eat. The fries, on the other hand, were a bit soggy and thick for my liking. I had seen another photo on Yelp where they looked a lot crispier and were shaped differently, so not sure if I just got unlucky, but the sandwich more than made up for the fries in this case. I really can't say enough positive things about the torta. And even though the torta was fantastic and I gave it a 5/5, I definitely want to come back for those tacos. Three tacos plus rice for $18 is a pretty great deal, and the tacos really look incredible. My partner ordered a tongue, al pastor, and fish taco and while I didn't try them, they looked and smelled incredible. We will definitely be back!

Delicious carne asada and al pastor tacos. Service was very good, I will definitely be back again.read more

I went here for dinner last night and had a fabulous time! The restaurant is very cool and trendy…read moreinside. There's a modern style rectangular bar by the door. The downstairs area is sometimes used for private events and is where the bathrooms are. For food, we started with the Barro Salad which was light and refreshing. The nachos de la case was a highlight. It has a ton of ingredients and is a busy dish but was very delicious. The chips were crunchy and the guac was just right. I would also recommend the birria (beef) and shrimp taco! They came with their own delicious sauce and the tacos were a punch of flavor. The service was good and attentive. She checked on us a couple times and the food came out at a good pace. FYI there are lots of specials here! They have ayce with limited menu on Mondays (Mucho Mondays), five tacos for $15 on Tuesdays, bottomless brunch on the weekends, and daily happy hour from 4-6pm with half off appetizers and $5 tacos. There is no reason to pay full price in this economy!

Eloquent space in the former location of Border Cafe, which this is decidedly not. Center bar is…read morefairly large, with tables along the windows, the back ledge, and in an area a step down from the center space. The service was excellent. The pork carnitas enchiladas worked really well. The molé sauce was decidedly chocolate-flavored, the pork was cooked gently with a proper crispness on the outer surfaces, and the tomato / cilantro bechamel had a nice subtlety to it. My only reservation was that it was somewhat lukewarm when it got to the table. The chicken chimichanga had nice individual flavors with the various sauces and insides, but all together meshed into a blob that obliterates the care taken to share the different flavors. For example the ranchero sauce, guacamole, baja crema and chipotle mayo were each interesting in their own right (esp. the ranchero) but all together don't quite work. In general the flavoring could be spicier. I concur with other observers that the menu is less varied than in years past.

This place has the best Mexican food I've tried in Boston so far! I got the vegetable quesadilla…read moreand the portion was huge and definitely worth the price. The restaurant itself is very clean, the staff is super friendly, and the food is great quality!

If you get a salad bowl with black beans your whole bowl will be soggy and filled with water. I had…read moreto drain mine. The food tastes watered down and bland.

This place was amazing. Food was fresh and staff is so pleasant and welcoming. I would recommend…read moregoing for lunch or dinner.

The food was amazing the Jumbalaya rivaled some jumbalaya I had in Louisiana the customer service…read morewas amazing and the chocolate chip cookies are amazing and the beignets were life changing.

In middle, school my teachers use to call me Mr. Taco. I am not sure why, but the name stuck with…read moreme all the way through college. As an adult I now eat tacos and burritos several times a week and now I feel like I should be called Mr Taco again. Because I eat this food so much, I feel like I am a good judge of burritos and tacos. With all that being said, I really enjoy this food. It is made fresh and is super tasty. Their hot sauce is flavorful but not too hot where you lose the flavor. They also put the correct amount of each item on their food. You go to some of these chain restaurants, and you are eating 90% rice and 8% cheese and 2% meat. Here they a great blend of veggies, cheeses, meats. As I mentioned above, I eat a lot of Mexican food and when I am in the Back Bay Area I only eat at this place. I have tried the rest of the fast food Mexican places in the mall and the surrounding area, and nothing comes close to them. I would have given them 5 stars, but they only take cash. Come on, it's 2018 you should take credit cards. If they took credit cards I'm sure they would have to get a double wide food cart because of all the extra business. Mr. Taco man out

I grabbed a steak and cheese quesadilla here once when I was starving and in a hurry…read more I didn't expect much but OMG, it was so good! The steak is nicely seasoned and the cheese was nice and melty and gooey. had to come back another day and get another one! Nice guys working at te stand, too. Very fast service.

This is a small fast casual Mexican chain right by Peters Park. It was good, but not memorable…read moreconsidering all the Mexican taquerias around the city. The first time I went was to the Mission Hill location, which was quite satisfying in terms of the food quality. I've been to this South End location a handful of times over the years just because of it's proximity to me, but the lack of customization with up charges for everything is a turn off. Also the last time I went, I wanted to have two proteins (half and half) and was charged for double proteins. My most recent order was the plate with pork en chile verde and al pastor. The chile verde pork was moist and flavorful, but the al pastor was very dry, tough, and there was no pineapple to be found. The portion sizes itself were decent, but compared to other nearby casual Mexican places, it doesn't hold up. However, I do appreciate how they serve the plate so you can taste each individual component without everything mixed together. You also have to ask for their hot sauce/salsa, they have a red and a green one. The green one is much better, but the red one does have a nice kick to it.

This spot??? Absolutely Clutch... They are open late and have all the eats…read more.. I only experienced them through DoorDash since i was in a hotel but each time my food was fresh and absolutely delish. I ordered from there twice and had the Horchata, Elote, Burris Burrito, Madurai, & Grilled Chicken Burrito. Whew... each item was a home run and im thinking about going back to Boston to have this food again. They even called me to clarify my order since they were about to close and didn't want to make any mistakes. From what i can tell most people don't dine in, that this is more of a good food fast type of place. But i would definitely like to sit in and eat the food fresh.

Randomly found this place while walking to the North End. It was super busy inside, almost didn't…read morefind a seat. Their menu had a lot of classics, including tortas. A lot of people seemed to be getting the tacos or a torta. I got the steak quesadilla and it was fresh, only thing was it was a little cold and portion was a little small. I liked the pico inside it added good flavors, and the steak was good but it tasted more like a ground beef. My boyfriend got the plate with carnitas, he really enjoyed it. I wish I tried a torta as it looked really good, but next time! They also have locations in other cities--there's one in Medford too. They also do takeout and had a lot of people in and out picking up orders.

After a disappointing experience and a returned dish at another restaurant, I was looking for…read moresomething comforting, nourishing, and satisfying. Yelp pointed me to this small (nothing fancy) Mexican spot, and on a rainy Sunday evening it felt like exactly the right choice. The "tucked -in" restaurant was quiet and welcoming. I ordered the vegetarian enchiladas, and they absolutely hit the spot. The flavors were fresh, vibrant, and well-balanced, making for a hearty and satisfying meal. My only criticism--and it's a significant one for me--is the use of aluminum serving containers. I realize some restaurants still use them, but I personally don't think food should be served in direct contact with aluminum in 2026 when so many other options are available. It was a noticeable disappointment and detracted a bit from an otherwise yummy experience.