Ben N.
Yelp
Although the temperature averages for Boston in late June suggest agreeably balmy summer weather--highs in the low 80s--we were reminded during our trip that "averages" are just that. We arrived in town on a Friday, when the mercury topped out at 70.
When we visited Anna's on Monday a few evenings later, the temperature had skyrocketed to 96 or 97 during the day. (So yeah, the average for our three-or-four-day stay ended up being in the low 80s, but how meaningless that turned out to be.) This Anna's location apparently doubles as a thermal-energy-trapping hothouse, because the overall heat index inside this business on this evening had to have been in the 90s, even at 9pm. It was sweaty and stifling inside. (Just punishing--holy hell.) We found out that Anna's actually has an AC unit, because for one brief moment in the food line we could detect an extraordinarily narrow column of slightly cooler air weakly slicing through from above before it dissipated quickly in the oppressive mugginess.
And damn, was that line slow.
Also: I notice that Anna's social-media sites say that this local Mexican mini-chain recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in the Boston area. This location, which is rough around the edges to say the least, feels at least that old.
But that chile verde burrito, once procured, made all of this discomfort worthwhile, because it was great (and very reasonably priced in Boston's expensive dining market): Plentiful, bold, tender pork, additional fillings (mainly rice and beans) that had home-cooking comfort-food flavor, and that chile verde had enough blistering firepower to thoroughly light up that heinie. The spiciest item I'd eaten in some time--and I like the spicy heat.
Anyway, great eating. But don't ask for much else!