Of course, some people have actually moved to Boston from outside the New England area. And some of them have even stuck it out long enough to open a Mexican restaurant. I think taquerias are going to be the next food craze of Boston, so this could be good.
Obviously I'm not the first to try and find good tacos here, and everyone always has their own preferences (One tortilla vs. two? Rice and beans? And so on). I can't say I've gone out of my way to hunt down the stuff, this is just a run-down of where I've been so far. Thought I should write it up before my standards get any lower and I forget what it should taste like. My stomach will be all, "That is not salsa, bitch. That is bruschetta."
Qdoba: Food court, convenient, filling. Surprisingly good chorizo breakfast burrito for under $4. A nice change from that "Chipotle" taste that everything at Chipotle has. The fact that it's on my list should pretty much sum up the scene here.
Border Cafe: The first "fairly authentic in its own Massachusetts way" Mexican restaurant I went to here. Good margs, good fish tacos (in a Boston way), decent chips and salsa. Felt a little like a Chevy's. The downside? (Besides being compared to Chevys - do those still exist?) Harvard Square and a bazillion people. Next.
Ole: Okay, time for a little rant. I heard great things about this place in Cambridge. Trekked there for my birthday last month - no, seriously, TREKKED. Like, took a bus up to Central Square, walked a mile through the snow to get there in what was one of the coldest weekends here. It looked promising walking in. The atmosphere was super authentic, not hokey. The menu looked really good. Most of the food was really good. I ordered a plate of chile rellenos - one pork, one w/ veggie filling - and what comes back, no sooner than literally five minutes after we place our order? A plate of two steamed, shriveled, miniature peppers, one with a tablespoon of pork in it, the other totally fucking empty. No joke, I cut it open and stuck my head in and looked around and there was nothing in it, not even a seed. This plate was $22 - as much as any seafood plate, and I basically got steamed vegetables and pile of decorative rice.
The reason this place sucked wasn't actually the miniature poblano peppers, but the shitty service (granted it was Saturday night but come on, is that still an excuse). The waiter basically insinuated I was lying when I said there was nothing in the pepper. He left my plate on the table and went to check the menu - as if "empty poblano" was going to be on it. Done. We finished the whole dinner in under 45 minutes, which was sort of a let down for something I had been looking forward to all week. So, we trekked back to the bus through the snow, uphill, the other way.
El Pelon: People seem to really like this place. It (re)opened recently a block away. We had a few tacos there. They were alright, but the meat was nothing special and the tortillas fell apart instantly, which is always a bummer. Their burritos are enormous and are probably the best value but their ingredients (lettuce...) are off. Add in the fact that the entire restaurant is the size of a small closet with three tiny tables in it…maybe when summer comes, we can drink $6 beers on its patio? Oh, they don't serve alcohol.
Tico: I got take-out from here once, so I can't fairly judge. Seems like it was "inspired" by Mexican food, meaning they have fish tacos on the menu but they sure as hell don't look or taste like what you think you're going to get. Good, but not going to get the job done.
And finally, Lone Star Taco Bar. I am going to move here when my lease is up. Not near here. In here. This place opened less than two weeks ago and it's probably making a killing. There are six tacos on the menu. We only got the first three, because the other three - a "spicy dallas" taco and a fish taco and a veggie taco - just, no. Not when there's chorizo, carne, and more carne. Everything about this place made me happy. (Disclaimer: we were cold and starving and had been walking around Jamaica Plain looking for a new neighborhood to live in so when we finally got here we may have been delusional.)
We got the last table right by the door, which was perfect because I got to watch a bunch of people stand in line and not move while we ordered Lone Stars and tacos, one after the other, for about two hours. It's your standard price for Mexican food in Boston, but hey, for a place that gets how to cook and season the meat, it's worth it. Also, they have a pretty good beer/cocktails/tequila list.
Also, there's what looks like a real taqueria across the street from LSTB - I'm hopeful I could have twice the meal for half the price.
PLS became concerned with how much I enjoyed seeing everyone else wait while we ate endless tacos.
I haven't been to Anna's Taqueria but I blame the fact that the nearest one is inside MIT student center (hell no). And I've heard the taco cart in the Back Bay T stop is really good. I just have to remember to go.
The good news is, tacos are always better and cheaper than lobster.
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