Abuela's Table
Mexican restaurant · Jamaica Plain ·
Authentic Mexican cuisine with tamales, moles, and grasshopper tacos
Authentic Mexican cuisine with tamales, moles, and grasshopper tacos
"Abuela’s Table had some big shoes to fill when it opened in the former home of Cuban icon El Oriental de Cuba, and it has managed the pressure with flying colors. From the same team behind Somerville mainstay Tu Y Yo, diners will find a similar menu here that boasts tender tamales steamed in both corn husks and banana leaves, a rich mole colorado tlaxcalteca, and tacos stuffed with crispy hunks of tilapia. This welcoming, no-reservations spot is a reliable go-to for everything from weekly meetups to last-minute date nights." - Erika Adams
"Walk right into this cheery Mexican restaurant, run by the same team behind Somerville’s Tu Y Yo, for lunch or dinner any day of the week. Once you’re settled inside, order up a feast of tamales, tacos, cochinita pibil, hearty carne guisada, and more. Abuela’s Table snagged a Boston Globe award for best comfort food in 2024, and it lives up to the hype." - Erika Adams
"Devra First frames 'favorite' as implying a connection to the heart, not just the intellect and appetite, and chooses a neighborhood Mexican spot "serving fresh, homey Mexican food in JP. It’s not fancy, it’s not expensive, it’s just satisfying. Why is that super simple cactus salad so good? I can’t explain it rationally, but I want to eat it all the time." - Erika Adams
"Abuela’s Table — a Mexican restaurant from the owners behind Somerville’s Tu Y Yo — is located inside the former home of neighborhood cornerstone Oriental de Cuba, which shut down in 2023. This little spot had some big shoes to fill, given the former tenant, but it’s doing a fantastic job rising to the occasion. Order the spread of five tamales to dip into the zingy house hot sauce, load up with the chicharron taco plate, and don’t forget to try the crunchy tacos de chapulines, rolled and stuffed with grasshoppers and chiles." - Terrence Doyle
"As the name implies, Abuela’s Table welcomes customers as if at their own grandmother’s house, if their grandmother also happens to be a top-notch chef. Owner Adolfo Alvarado transported some of the hits from his Somerville spot Tu Y Yo — those mini fried grasshopper tacos with chiles, or tacos de chapulines, are a must-order — and mixed in a few new plates like a spicy habanero chicken sandwich on a brioche bun. The Mexican restaurant is housed inside a storied spot in Jamaica Plain where Cuban mainstay El Oriental de Cuba once stood." - Erika Adams, Nathan Tavares