El Barrio Mexican Grill

went to El Barrio for lunch with a few of my co-workers and used the kiosk to place my order. I initially thought I ordered the frozen passion fruit drink I usually always get from there however, I said this drink will do. I usually don’t look at my drinks for some odd reason but, this particular drink did because I seen some little black particles floating inside. I then shook the drink again to make sure I was not seeing things. I showed my co-worker after realizing it was two baby ants in the drink with a couple of other little things in there. I went up to the desk to address it with the lady who just looked at me as if I had 3 heads. I said I would like to order a different drink. The young lady looked at her colleague who said in Spanish “she will have to pay the difference”. I don’t mind paying the difference if this was a situation. The thing is I should have been comped and refunded. This is so unsanitary and had me questioning if I’d be eating ants out of the birria tacos I ordered with the drink. I got to work completely mad as I couldn’t even eat the food I ordered out of disgust. There was no sympathy, empathy, nothing. The girl offered me a refund after asking for a manager. I said is the manager here today. The young lady stated “he’s not here all the time or for long periods of time” . I said oh wow so if something had gone completely wrong who would help? she had no answers. The other worker in there asked me to leave the drink with them. I said absolutely NOT. I am going to call the department health division of the inspection so service department. They did not seem to care. I am all set with El Barrio. They have to focus on customer service skills as well as handling situations better.

Came here for a quick lunch with some friends. I got a steak burrito with no sour cream and guacamole. The portion was big although they charged extra for guacamole and steak, so I felt it was quite expensive for what it was. The burrito was good, although the guacamole and cheese were not evenly distributed throughout — I got a huge lump of cheese towards the end of the burrito. The inside was very clean and had a great ambiance, though, and the service was very quick and friendly. It’s a good place to stop for a quick and casual lunch.

Very friendly staff, well decorated and clean place. The food is also good, I came here around 10 pm to grab something to eat because I had a family emergency at the hospital and wanted something to eat other than the snacks the hospital has at this time of the night. Empanadas, Steak burrito and 3 Leches for dessert made our dinner and our stay at the hospital less dreadful. Highly recommend this place.

First time in this local wow they sold me 2 expired drinks I drank some from one of those, tasted terrible and I was trying to find the expired date, it doesn’t had . I read everything carefully for my surprise I saw the bottom part of the label was cut, so that means they cut the expired date. I will report it to the health division? Be careful with this place.

This burrito has been the worse burrito i have ever had. The rice was hard, i asked for steak and it was tasteless.

I ordered 3 spicey chicken and cheese empanadas and 3 beef empanadas. Why did they give me all chicken and cheese. Unfortunately I find out after I get home. Have to start checking before I leave there. So disappointed 😞.

It was exceptionally clean, the staff was friendly, the food was delicious. I ordered 2 cheese tacos on soft tortillas, a cheese empanada, and a chicken chimichanga for my husband and it was all fantastic! I ordered 2 more, one steak and one chicken, to-go! With toppings on the sides 💕

one of my favorite places ever, they have really good vegetarian options also the tacos as corn tastes amazing. wonderful staff, would definitely recommend!

Very friendly staff, well decorated and clean place. The food is also good, I came here around 10 pm to grab something to eat because I had a family emergency at the hospital and wanted something to eat other than the snacks the hospital has at this time of the night. Empanadas, Steak burrito and 3 Leches for dessert made our dinner and our stay at the hospital less dreadful. Highly recommend this place.

Food is just okay, used to love it as it is local to my apartment and convenient. Yesterday, I noticed a brand new touchscreen to order on your own. I used the machine since there was a line. After walking to the restaurant to pick up, I ordered for myself on the touch screen and it offered tip selection options of 22% , 25% or 30%!! My jaw was on the floor, I had to manually select "other" and manually type in "$0.00". There was no "no tip" option at all. What was the tip for??? I ordered myself, and picked up my own food?? They want 22% minimum for making my burrito??? I do not intend to come across as a curmudgeon; I am happy to tip a reasonable amount for good service (and always do)! This was a brazen and blatant attempt to minimize costs, and force the cost onto the consumer. PAY YOUR WORKERS!

This place is near my place of work. Love Mexican so was super excited when they opened. I have both dined in and done take out. Both experiences have been pleasant. They are VERY fast with orders - food is always fresh. Staff friendly and delighful. Would definitely recommend! PS: they gave free cupcakes on valentines day! ( see pic :) )

The food was terrible. I've never had a more saltier meal than this. I would highly recommend people to stay away from this restaurant when considering Mexican food. I had the street corn which was very watery and salty. The tacos were just as bad I regret even giving this place a try but as you know sometimes you miss on spots and this is terrible.

This was just what I needed for lunch, these nachos were so yummy and filling! Will be back to enjoy done more selections on their menu!

Tried this place since it's really close to the hospital and was very pleasantly surprised! I got the Birria trio which was ~$15 for 3 tacos which is pretty expensive but the tacos themselves were packed with meat and super tasty. I personally really like very wet tacos so the beef dipping sauce was very appreciated. Overall, slightly pricey (maybe that's just how things are nowadays) but very tasty. I definitely will be coming back!

We got two chicken burritos. Barely any chicken in it. Hardly any pico, guacamole or cheese. Mostly rice and beans and the rice was hard and overcooked...burritos were very mediocre and dry. Won't be back.

2nd try I had 2 tacos (el pastor and steak) and split the chips and guac with my roomie. The tacos were very dry, especially the steak and TiNY. For $5+ each they should have been twice the size, and twice the flavor. My roomie, who is from San Diego and tried their tortas, shrimp quesadillas, and cheese and beef empanadas said "oh well, the search* continues..." He said "the only reason to go here over other places [like El Triunfo - who's serving sizes are mor substantial) ] is it's literally around the corner. I agree. This place is just disappointing and overpriced. *for authentic so-cal style Tex-max in Boston

El Barrio Mexican Grill (4.5/5) I've been to El Barrio Mexican Grill twice since it opened a couple weeks ago, and they offer some pretty good Mexican food. The first time I went I got the Birria Trio Tacos. The tacos were very flavorful and the consomme they were served with was great to dip them in. The second time I went, I ordered one of each of their empanadas (beef, chicken, cheese, and special). These were my favorite thing I have ordered from El Barrio so far. They were very crisp and tasty and came with a side of chipotle sauce that went quite well with them. I've also had the carnitas and fish tacos which were great and very flavorful. El Barrio is a great addition to the food spots around the BU medical center, and I would definitely recommend checking it out. It has been pretty busy around lunch time since it opened, so you may want to go before or after the lunch time rush.

I had a craving for birria tacos and was on the hunt, and found out that spot recently opened right next to BMC. The birria trio caught my attention, and it was good. It wasn't the best birria tacos I've ever had, but it was good. The meat was tasty and the sauce was savory. My birria craving was satisfied. I also ordered some of the other tacos, and they were also good! Given the convenient location, I bet this place is popular for lunch time. For dinner, it seemed like lots of people were ordering out. There's enough seating for 10-15 people inside if you choose to dine in.

Great food, excellent service, they never compromise on the taste. No doubt one of the best in the area

First time here with hubby. Cashier wasn't friendly. We also waited a bit for our food. We ordered the carnitas tortas del Barrio. The sandwich was okay. It came with fries and I kid you not we had maybe 10 fries each. For 13.99 I expected more fries at least. Do better. Food is already expensive at least be generous with your portions. Especially for the price you're charging.

I was surprisingly pleased. I ordered the Birria Taco and it was very good. The consume was lacking in flavor even with the added spicy salsa. I ordered online and my order was ready fairly quickly during prime lunch time. The ambiance is trendy and cute. There isn't much seating space but for the size of the restaurant it makes sense. I would come here again. However, my friends complained that their burritos were cold.

Thought they were great. Ordered piping hot empanadas and an ice cold glass bottled coke and loved it

Poor experience in every way. First, the price of a burrito rang up higher than price shown on menu, both on display board and printed. Guy at counter was clueless and/or couldn't speak English well enough to do anything. Decided to get a chicken cantina/burrito bowl instead given similar price to burrito. Not only was it small in size with minimal ingredients, but it was very bland & tasteless. Will not return.

Food and service are absolutely incredible. Great place for lunch if you want some Mexican food that's immensely better than Chipotle.

Definitely a no for me. Food isn't worth it to be spending it in a place where you receive disrespect or judgement.

An okay Mexican spot newly opened in the South End. I was pretty excited to give this place a shot, but perhaps my expectations were too high. I ordered carne asada tacos and found the meat to be on the dry side. The addition of the salsas helped but still left me wanting more. The tortillas was also a bit fragile, but I thought the pickled onions were a nice touch. Overall, I thought the food was average for the price. The burritos looked delicious so I will definitely be coming back another day to try out some of their other items.

Great authentic Mexican food! I've tried several locations both Harrison Ave and dorchester and both are equally good.

I'm from California. This is a really affordable and fresh Hispanic food place. I like that they have yuca and sweet plantains.

We were staying in a hotel close by and googled for Mexican food nearby. So glad we found this place. Ordered fish taco and shrimp taco. Both prepared in different style. Really good. One of the best I ever had. My wife had a vegetable burrito and she liked it a lot. Great food.

Solid food. Nice atmosphere with windows open. Quesadilla pretty greasy though. Prices are fair for Boston. Free tres leches bite

just picked up a burrito. i order from here MULTIPLE times a week...and was accused of purposely stealing a burrito 2 weeks ago by the owner. not only did he accuse me of stealing a shrimp burrito (im allergic to shell fish) but he told me he was going to "give me the benefit of the doubt" in front of multiple customers. embarrassing. i was getting a burrito REMADE after finding a brown leaf in mine... staff is truly never friendly. goodbye el barrio

Birria Tacos were solid! Will definitely come back and try some other things. Authentic