Considering we celebrated Cinco de Mayo during this issue, I figured why not write up where you can find some of the best Mexican food around the city of Boston. My order is usually pretty uniform anywhere I go, consisting of rice, chicken, lettuce, red onions, cilantro, pico de gallo, corn, guacamole, and cheese in a burrito. Sometimes, I will get an occasional order of tacos to mix it up. Nevertheless, these restaurants have a great variety on their menu, including chimichangas and homemade churros.
My number one favorite spot is Felipe’s in Harvard Square. This is not only my favorite Mexican restaurant, but probably my favorite restaurant in general. They are never not busy, but they’re also fairly cheap, with a “super burrito” costing just $6. When you enter, the whole atmosphere feels like you took a trip to Mexico. Between the music and the margaritas, you can at least pretend to be on vacation! It is very authentic and a great hangout spot on a nice day. The front windows open up to create an open-shop effect, with patio furniture outside—hopefully you will be able to find a seat. There are two lines at each end of the food bar, where you tell the staff what you’d like on whatever you decided to order. Be warned, it is extremely fast paced because of how busy they usually are. Once you go down the line and order your food, the cashiers quickly ring you out and you can start your hunt for a seat. But, if you’re 21, I suggest checking out the rooftop bar they have as well.
The next one to try out is Amelia’s Taqueria, near Northeastern University. This shop’s food is very similar to Felipe’s, but is a lot smaller. Their chips are better than Felipe’s in my opinion, because they have corn tortilla chips, whereas Felipe’s has flour tortilla chips. Their burritos are great, but I also enjoy getting their burrito bowl, mostly for the pretty photo op that comes out of it. The staff separates each ingredient you add to the bowl into its own section, leaving it up to you to mix up the bowl, but the variety of colors leave your food looking Insta-ready.
Lastly, as a last resort, try out one of the chain restaurants, such as Moe’s, Chipotle, and Qdoba; they don’t have much on these authentic places, but when you’re in a pinch, they can be just as good. Luckily for UMass Boston students, a Chipotle just opened up at South Bay Plaza, and it is a super clean facility, and once their liquor license is approved, they will be serving margaritas in the future. If that’s not something to get excited about, I’m not sure what is!