203A Broadway
Arlington, MA 02174
(781)643-2299 or Fax:(781)643-2295

Fresh and Delicious Mexican food.
The Rajas and Pork Burrito are great.
From: Sarah L.
Date: 8/16/98

111 Dartmouth St
Boston, (near Columbus)
262-7575 or (800 (Fax: 262-5645)

This South End American-style Mexican serves copious fajitas and burritos in a casual, Californian-style atmosphere. The portions are ample and the ingredients fresh; the atmosphere, however, may be a little too busy and overbearing for some: woven blankets, chili-shaped Christmas lights, and decorative sombreros abound. But the restaurant's location, which offers easy garage parking and access to both the Back Bay and South End, couldn't be better.
From: http://www.bostondine.com/
Date:

421 Cambridge Street
Brighton (near Union Square.)

While I have not tried this place myself, it comes recommended by several friends.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1412 Beacon St
Brookline, (near Summit Avenue)
739-7300

Although most patrons buy and fly at this friendly little spot near Coolidge Corner, many enjoy their soft tacos at the dozen seats. While tacos are the star, burritos, quesadillas and other border fare are also available, all of which can be stuffed with a number of mix-and-match fillings. For the harried, this speedy spot dishes up protein and flavor at a bargain price and offers an inviting alternative to pizza and Asian food.
Food = The food is excellent - freshly prepared in front of you to your specifications. The seasonings are tasty, and the hot sauce adds spice. For an extra kick, get hot peppers added. The seasonings have a definite taste of cilantro (I usually avoid this, but the rest of the dish makes up for it).
GoodDishes = I usually get the "Super Burrito" - which is as big as it sounds and filled with rice, beans, cheese, and the extra ingredient of your choice (chicken, meat, grilled vegetables). A tip: my favorite is to get a burrito with a mixture of half chicken and half grilled vegetables. For sides, the guacamole is excellent.
BadDishes = I haven't had any bad dishes.
Beverages = They have some interesting Mexican beverages, as well as serve-your-own soda and iced tea. Prices = The prices are between $3-5 dollars for most dishes. Sides are $1-2. Service = The staff/food preparers are competent and will make the food the way you want - like mixing ingredients in the burritos. Ambiance = Anna's is a small place, sort of "hole-in-the-wall" type, but pleasant to eat in. It has about 5 tables.
Anonymous, Date: 7/18/1996



• Food: Delicious! Authentic take-out Mexican prepared well with fresh, tasty ingredients.
  GoodDishes: Any of the quesadilla dishes are wonderful. A large tortilla is fried with cheese and then topped with the toppings of your choice. It makes a very satisfying meal. The Chili Verde(made with pork) is also delicious. Burritos are huge and heaping with beans and rice. BadDishes: None that I've found.
  Beverages: They have a very interesting selection of sodas imported from Mexico. My favorite is the grapefruit soda. Friends I have gone with really like the Sangria soda. A very unique carbonated non-alcohol beverage. Prices: Most of the menu options range from $3.00 to $5.00.
  Service: Very nice counter staff. Always pleasant and willing to asnwer questions. Food is made as you watch and served immediately.
  Ambiance: Bright and airy, it's a small place, with only about 5-6 tables. They do a lot of take out business.
  Entertainment: People watching is the primary source of entertainment, as the large picture windows overlook Beacon Street.
  cvp@sunflower.bu.edu (Chris Vander Putten) Date: 2/1/1996
  
  
• RatingComments: way big honkin portions of texican food- burritos by the pound- fresh salsa, cozy casual atmosphere - felt cheery even on a stormy saturday.
  2/1/1996
  
  
• General: I have to say that Anna's burrito shop, near Coolidge Corner in Brookline, is the real deal! Good quality, great prices...could hold their own on the West Coast...Better than Boca Grande (ALL the meats are good, and the grilled veggies are better than BG's). The quesadillas are excellent, and the first more-or-less authentic quesadillas I've had in this region (the tortilla is filled with cheese, basted in oil, and then grilled; they'll fill it with meet and other goodies after it's done, if you want) ...They even have fish tacos (although I don't think their fish tacos are that great; go to Rubios in San Diego to see how those are supposed to be done)...
  dap@portal.vpharm.com (David A. Pearlman) via ne.food 1/15/1996
  
  
• General: Anna's Taqueria, in Coolidge Corner, Brookline, has a very tasty Chile Verde option; you can have it on a taco, burrito, or quesadilla. Yummy takeout Mexican.
  cvp@bu.edu (Chris Vander Putten) via ne.food 1/15/1996
  

at 3 Harvard Square
Brookline

These are little neighborhood taquerias which do a good job of making tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. for quick and inexpensive take-out.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1680 Beacon Street
Brookline
617 232-9580

Somewhat yuppy, California style Chinese Szechuan restaurant located near Coolidge Corner in Brookline. Noble House brought this style of cuisine to the Boston area which had been dominated by Cantonese restaurants for generations. A varied menu of dishes, always well prepared and presented.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1306 Beacon Street
Brookline
617 277-2880

Brand new, this place opened about six weeks ago and we have not yet had the chance to try it. Looks interesting. Located in the Washington Square area of Brookline.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

32 Church St
Cambridge (near Brattle St/Mass. Ave)
864-6100 (Fax: 868-8261)

Lines have always snaked out the door of this popular Harvard Square eatery for a few simple reasons: the margaritas are huge and delicious, and the cuisine, featuring catfish fingers and fajitas of several types, is strikingly good. Hordes of 20-somethings flock here for the festive atmosphere and low prices. They'll give you your own beeper while you wait, exploring the Square or packing into the bar.
Good Dishes: Jambalaya
General: I think if you want fajitas, the Border Cafe is the place to go. Well, that is, if you aren't willing to travel west of the Rockies. At the Border they're tasty AND cheap. At most other places they marginally the former and usually not as much the latter...Of course, at the Border, you don't want to watch the walls for vermin, and you don't want to have to say anything important to the people you're eating with (since they won't be able to hear you). Sometimes that's a plus :-)
From: dap@portal.vpharm.com (David A. Pearlman)
Date: 6/1/1995

1815 Massachusetts Avenue (Porter Square)
Cambridge


This place is a little on the yuppy side, but does a nice job with a typical big-city interpretaction of a southwestern-style menu.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

Cambridge

It is definitely one of the best restaurants in the area. ChileHeads who attended the dinner held at the Green Street Grille in Cambridge last year can attest to the fact that you don't have to be in New Orleans to find well prepared Cajun food.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1682 Massachusetts Avenue (between Harvard and Porter Squares)
(tel. 617 661-1634)

One of the signature dishes is the "pescado con mole verde," a grilled mahi-mahi with a green sauce of tomatillos, poblano chiles, and ground pumpkin seeds and peanuts. This place hass the absolute best Mexican cuisine we have found here in the Boston area. Move this one to the top of the list.
It is a very small bar and restaurant, located in a storefront in a row of neighborhood shops. The place is about 20 feet wide and divided down the middle by a low partition with the bar on the right and the restaurant seating on the left. Maybe a dozen booths and a half dozen tables.
The menu is not fancy -- but very creative. This is robust, spicy, home-style food in an unpretentious surrounding. I had an enchilada with pieces of steak and chorizo in a red sauce inside a flour tortilla, topped lightly with cheese and salsa verde so that it appeared to be a light color dish until cut into. MsBear had something called Tinga Poblano which consisted of chicken and shredded chicken in a complex red sauce made with poblano.

280 Green Street
Cambridge
617 876-1655

Although it doesn't look like much from the outside, the Green Street Grill produces some of the most exciting hot cajun grilled food in the area -- all the more remarkable because of its postage-stamp sized kitchen. You enter through a great little neighborhood bar and go up two or three steps to the dining room. There is entertainment on the weekends.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

• ChileHeads who attended the dinner held at the Green Street Grille in Cambridge last year can attest to the fact that you don't have to be in New Orleans to find well prepared Cajun food.

* Indian Globe [Indian]

474 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 868-1866

315 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 497-0977

Located between M.I.T. and Central Square, this is one of the few Caribbean restaurants in the Boston area. The menu includes many items with scotch bonnets and Jamaican jerk spices. Bright, open and fun environment.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1105 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 547-9280

315 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 864-5154

Located in a modern mid-rise building a few blocks toward MIT from Harvard Square, this restaurant is down a few stairs from the sidewalk level in a row of shops. Typical Thai cuisine, well prepared. My favorite dish consistes of New England mussels, steamed with Thai spices and served in the pot in which they were steamed -- a good dish to share as a appetizer.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

Mashpee Commons
Mashpee (Cape Cod)
508 539-2354

Located in the Mashpee Commons shopping village (an award-winning development which follows the neo-traditional form of a small town center with streets of shops), the Zuni Cafe is a spicy surprise on Cape Cod. They make an exciting version of nachos with a habanero sauce which should be registered as a nuclear weapon. Also, a very nice chili verde.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

Hyde Park Ave opposite the Forrest Hills MBTA station
617-522-7997

The Dogwood is a local pub I stop into a few times a week to get my somebody-cook-for-me-and-burn-my-face-off fix. The two chefs, Mike & Jimmy decided to have a hot nite; thought I would share it with you.

I stole (not really, Jimmy xeroxed it for me) a copy of the menu. It's something like this:

Soup: Black bean chicken chili
Appetizers:
Homemade Chili (chopped sirloin & ground beef) w/spicy hot chips
Tortilla chips with tonight's special salsa
Entrees:
Blacked swordfish with citrus/habanero marmalade
Grilled salon with serrano chile glaze and smoky corn salsa
Jerk rubbed pork chops with jicama habanero cole slaw
Jerk shrimp with jalapeno cornbread and mango ginger coulis
Thai curry pasta (choice of chicken, shrimp or scallops) with sweet peppers and basil leaves in a Thai coconut curry sauce over pasta
Pizza: Marinated steak, black beans and fire roasted chiles.

The most expensive thing on the menu is $12.95. Don't be fooled by the price; these guys can COOK!.
From: Ken Farr
Wed, 16 Sep 1998

888 Morton Street
Mattapan
617 436-0485

Authentic barbecue prepared in a converted gas station building in a ragged neighborhood in the Mattapan section of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Parking in surrounded by chain link fence, so there is no reason not to pull into the Pit Stop even if you're unsure of the area. This place is only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and does a good local business. This is real, slow-cooked barbecue served up with lots of rich red barbecue sauce.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

1375 Washington Street
Newton
617 332-2583

Small place in an unlikely location in West Newton, this is one of best barbecue places in the area. Lots of choices available for take-out or to eat at the dozen or so seats within this little storefront operation. Choices of sauces range from hot to very hot -- and habanero mustard. Parking is available in a municipal lot directly across the street.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

195 Newport Avenue
Quincy
617 773-0512

Not too far south of Boston and accessible via the MBTA Red Line subway, La Paloma is a very popular Mexican restaurant located in a small suburban shopping center. The food is well prepared and presented. (There is a second location in nearby Weymouth.)
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

55 Chester Street
Somerville
617 628-2200

Probably the best known 'ribs joint' in the Boston area, Redbones in the urban neighborhood of Davis Square which has become a nexus for small businesses serving the student and young urban market. Great barbecue and a bar with more varieties of beer than you can count. (If you can't decide which kind you want, you can spin a wheel and let the fates decide.)
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

470 North Road (Route 117)
Sudbury
978 443-0820

A wonderful surprise in the outer suburbs on a rural highway, Sierras has a popular bar and a creative menu. Much of the clientel work at the nearby corporate headquarters of Digital Equipment Corporation. The menu is both Mexican and American Southwest, the latter being quite unusual in this part of the country.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997

313 Moody Street
Waltham
781 891-3039

Very informal mexican cantina, closest thing I've found to the California neighborhood hang-out with wall murals, a well-stocked bar, and creative daily specials. Located in a row of shops on the old main street of Waltham, a city known for its watch and clock manufacturing in the early part of this century.
From: The Old Bear
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997