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Tacos, tortas, tamales, and tetelas make Mexico feel much closer than it is
Though Boston lies a long way from Mexico, quality Mexican food is easier than ever to find in the city. With tortas, tacos, pozole, and more, the Boston area has plenty of options. Here are 11 outstanding stops for Mexican food in and around Boston.
See also: 14 of Boston’s Top Tacos
Read MoreHefty tortas stuffed with savory items like Mexican sausage and melted cheese on yeasty rolls fly out of the kitchen at Veracruz-born Alex Barrientos’s speedy taqueria. Meanwhile, fish tacos, a favorite, are laced with chipotle mayo, bright salsa verde, and crunchy cabbage and radishes.
Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez, a native of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, fans the flames at La Brasa, a wood-fired, Mexican-rooted restaurant that pivots in tune with the New England seasons. The tortillas are made to order with fresh masa; no table is complete without at least one stack.
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Cozy in a space that formerly housed a juice bar in Union Square, Barra packs a big, refined punch into its small digs. On the menu, diners find tetelas, triangle-shaped corn pockets filled with refried beans and Oaxaca cheese alongside cactus salad and grasshoppers. Cochinita pibil in banana leaves tastes like the Yucatan; spicy grilled octopus meets black aioli on a crunchy tostada; and an espresso martini is made with rumchata. Plus, a divine selection of mezcal and tequila helped earn this bar Eater Boston’s award for best new bar in 2021.
Taqueria Jalisco feels old-school, with menu items illustrated with photos of the dishes, but that’s just why people flock there. Birria tacos, invigorating pozole, and more fill this menu of outstanding Mexican flavors.
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In East Boston’s sunshine yellow Mexican cafe, the elaborate mole poblano is a treasured tradition passed down from the restaurant’s late matriarch’s own mother. Meanwhile, the cafe serves warming pozole, chilaquiles, and seasonal dishes like chiles en nogada (a fried poblano pepper filled with picadillo, covered in walnut cream sauce, and jeweled with shiny pomegranate seeds). There’s plenty of booze to wash it down — such as a coconut margarita, Mexican coffee, and a dulce de leche martini.
This tucked-away, tiny taqueria serves big flavors and often buzzes with people clamoring for a taste off its sought-after menu. Tacos are filled with tongue, cheek, and more. There will likely be a line that stretches out the door; it’s worth the wait.
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For years, sibling owners Alvaro and Andrés Sandoval have set a high standard with Boston’s most cherished tortas — soft, warm telera bread stuffed with flavor-packed carnitas (or choose from nearly a dozen other options), beans, chipotle mayo, tangy pickled onions, fresh avocado, and gooey Oaxacan cheese. The menu also includes stand-out tacos, burritos, Mexican beers, and more.
Named after the beautiful lakeside city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Pátzcuaro is a charming Newton restaurant with a devoted local following. The picturesque pambazo, with sandwich bread soaked in a guajillo chile sauce and then fried, is especially great here.
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Villa Mexico founder Julie King has been running her lauded taqueria for over 20 years. While cooking out of a gas station years ago, King gained a following for gas station burritos and ink-hued salsa negra, which is available to take home by the jar. The grilled burritos, served for breakfast and lunch, are a must-order.
Casa Romera is an old-school, upscale Mexican restaurant accessible through a public alleyway just off of Newbury Street. The intimate, subterranean space is a welcome setting for tables laden with tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and many drinks from the killer tequila list.
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The color-splashed dining room at El Centro radiates warmth with Mexican art, housemade tortillas, and pours of micheladas. Raised in the north of Mexico in a family with restaurants in Hermosillo, Mexico, chef and co-owner Allan Rodriguez lays the table at El Centro with dishes from his home state of Sonora — like carne asada tacos and caramelos (tacos made with grilled beef and topped with melted cheese), as well as moles inspired by those found in Oaxaca, and street snacks from central and southern regions of Mexico. Do not leave without ordering at least one round of empanadas for the table.
Hefty tortas stuffed with savory items like Mexican sausage and melted cheese on yeasty rolls fly out of the kitchen at Veracruz-born Alex Barrientos’s speedy taqueria. Meanwhile, fish tacos, a favorite, are laced with chipotle mayo, bright salsa verde, and crunchy cabbage and radishes.
Chef and owner Daniel Bojorquez, a native of Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, fans the flames at La Brasa, a wood-fired, Mexican-rooted restaurant that pivots in tune with the New England seasons. The tortillas are made to order with fresh masa; no table is complete without at least one stack.
Cozy in a space that formerly housed a juice bar in Union Square, Barra packs a big, refined punch into its small digs. On the menu, diners find tetelas, triangle-shaped corn pockets filled with refried beans and Oaxaca cheese alongside cactus salad and grasshoppers. Cochinita pibil in banana leaves tastes like the Yucatan; spicy grilled octopus meets black aioli on a crunchy tostada; and an espresso martini is made with rumchata. Plus, a divine selection of mezcal and tequila helped earn this bar Eater Boston’s award for best new bar in 2021.
Taqueria Jalisco feels old-school, with menu items illustrated with photos of the dishes, but that’s just why people flock there. Birria tacos, invigorating pozole, and more fill this menu of outstanding Mexican flavors.
In East Boston’s sunshine yellow Mexican cafe, the elaborate mole poblano is a treasured tradition passed down from the restaurant’s late matriarch’s own mother. Meanwhile, the cafe serves warming pozole, chilaquiles, and seasonal dishes like chiles en nogada (a fried poblano pepper filled with picadillo, covered in walnut cream sauce, and jeweled with shiny pomegranate seeds). There’s plenty of booze to wash it down — such as a coconut margarita, Mexican coffee, and a dulce de leche martini.
This tucked-away, tiny taqueria serves big flavors and often buzzes with people clamoring for a taste off its sought-after menu. Tacos are filled with tongue, cheek, and more. There will likely be a line that stretches out the door; it’s worth the wait.
For years, sibling owners Alvaro and Andrés Sandoval have set a high standard with Boston’s most cherished tortas — soft, warm telera bread stuffed with flavor-packed carnitas (or choose from nearly a dozen other options), beans, chipotle mayo, tangy pickled onions, fresh avocado, and gooey Oaxacan cheese. The menu also includes stand-out tacos, burritos, Mexican beers, and more.
Named after the beautiful lakeside city in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Pátzcuaro is a charming Newton restaurant with a devoted local following. The picturesque pambazo, with sandwich bread soaked in a guajillo chile sauce and then fried, is especially great here.
Villa Mexico founder Julie King has been running her lauded taqueria for over 20 years. While cooking out of a gas station years ago, King gained a following for gas station burritos and ink-hued salsa negra, which is available to take home by the jar. The grilled burritos, served for breakfast and lunch, are a must-order.
Casa Romera is an old-school, upscale Mexican restaurant accessible through a public alleyway just off of Newbury Street. The intimate, subterranean space is a welcome setting for tables laden with tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and many drinks from the killer tequila list.
The color-splashed dining room at El Centro radiates warmth with Mexican art, housemade tortillas, and pours of micheladas. Raised in the north of Mexico in a family with restaurants in Hermosillo, Mexico, chef and co-owner Allan Rodriguez lays the table at El Centro with dishes from his home state of Sonora — like carne asada tacos and caramelos (tacos made with grilled beef and topped with melted cheese), as well as moles inspired by those found in Oaxaca, and street snacks from central and southern regions of Mexico. Do not leave without ordering at least one round of empanadas for the table.
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