El Mondonguito Bar & Restaurant

Restaurant Review: El Mondonquito Bar and Restaurant El Mondonquito Bar and Restaurant is a true little hidden gem in the neighborhood. This Dominican spot combines welcoming service I think 8 tables a small bar with authentic flavors that make every visit memorable. - Food: Every dish bursts with flavor, offering generous portions that leave you satisfied without breaking the bank. - Drinks: The bar serves up refreshing cocktails and classics that perfectly complement the food. - Atmosphere: Cozy and inviting, it feels like a local treasure where you can relax and enjoy yourself. - Value: With great prices and hearty servings, it’s a place where quality meets affordability. Whether you’re craving Dominican comfort food, looking for a casual night out, or just want to discover something new, El Mondonquito delivers on all fronts. A neighborhood jewel worth revisiting again and again.

Small location but the ambiance and vibe was priceless. The food was delicious, very generous in the servings. The food had flavor which I truly enjoyed. It was the first time going to the place and I would go back when I’m back in Boston. They accept cash or credit; even have an atm inside.

Food so good here VERY CLEAN FRESH TASTY FOOD Iverson never actually been inside but from the outside u can tell by looking in its VERY CLEAN and they treat people like family my fiance goes in all the time I normally wait at the door or order from home it's a must try u won't regret it

Place could definitely use a facelift, but get that it’s part of the charm. Our food was great, good value and excellent service. Didn’t feel rushed when ordering and guy answered all our questions. Music was a little loud. Sangria drink needs to be way better (assuming it’s concentrate & liquor). Got the seafood salad and the ribs. Tostones were fantastic. House made spicy vinegar was 10/10. Just being a bit critical because how much I liked the place. Must go if you’re in the area. Definitely coming back.

Absolutely delicious food! Chicharrones were crispy and juicy. Nice variety with the sauces. Tripe was tender with a rich broth. Fun atmosphere, friendly staff. Nice value too.

Got the chicharron with rice and beans. The pork was too salty. The beans were watery. The rice was mush. Good pricing makes this a decent lunch spot but you can find better food elsewhere.

I've come here plenty times and love it. The food is authentic & delicious. The atmosphere is very nice. You can either sit, drink a beer & relax or listen to music & dance. The place is a bit small but it doesn't bother me. The only downside is sometimes certain foods weren't available. There was one time, I wanted morcilla. There was none available. I had drove from Roxbury to Boston just for it. The guy felt bad & didn't want to disappoint so he quickly made us some. Either way, there's moriclla (as I've previously mentioned) chicharrones, platanos fritos, arroz con gandules, yucca, pernil, etc. It's a lovely place & the decorations are nice as well.

Great place to have some great tasting food lunch or dine in! They have amazing soups🍲 my favorite though is the Mondonguito soup que rico!! Also 🙈 I love thier dessert selections from tres leche, small cups flan all kinds of flavors too!! My favorite was the Kahlúa and Coffee and Cheese flan cups sooo soo rich and full of flavor they even had flancocho reminds of back home in Puerto Rico 👍🏼 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

People there are extremely nice, and food is amazing! Really felt right at home in Puerto Rico lol.

Came around 7pm on a Friday night and this place was lit! Lol The vibes were amazing. Super nice people. Everyone was just chilling, eating, drinking, and watching the World Cup. It might be intimidating for a lot of people because it's more of a bar than a restaurant but please don't be. They're so friendly. I came with no expectations. I just simply wanted chicharron with rice and beans. Did a little research on Yelp and Google. This place was literally 5-10 mins away from me. They were able to accommodate my order. I also ordered beef stew with rice. Everything was only $20! The chicharrones were amazing... Super flavorful and the crisp, the crisp was so good. Squirt some lime on it and it was perfect. I was able to get a side order of their Yucca too. Great vinegar flavor . Beef stew was ok. Not my favorite. It wasn't bad but the beef was a little dry and tough. Definitely highly recommend giving this spot a try. Will definitely come back and try other things.

This Puerto Rican Whole in the wall is a Dudley Street institution and is also a sort of make thrift night spot on the weekends. Here are all your Puerto Rican Favorites and they Specialize in their namesake Mondongo (Beef Tripe) try them out you're sure to love it. It is a bit divey put it has a rustic charm.

Friendly neighborhood place with a beer and wine license, serving great Puerto Rican food along with a side game of dominoes and tons of local color. I stopped in on a Sunday evening by myself for dinner and was warmly greeted by all the patrons. You order at the counter and take a seat. They will bring your food and beverage out or pass it over the counter if you're nearby. I had a cod with onions dish, and a side of fried plantains, which were tasty and authentic simple food. To go, I ordered the chicken stew with rice and peas and ate it the next day. It was also delicious. Don't let the simple exterior deter you from trying this delicious neighborhood spot.

I had the pleasure of finding this beautiful little cove of a spot a few weeks ago while in Boston. A family owned Puerto Rican restaurant that's been open for close to 48 years! We came for the mondongo (a Puerto Rican stew made with tripes and other similar cuts, very comparable to a Phô) but we stayed for the vibes and hospitality we were shown by the owner, her son and all the welcoming employees. As soon as we got in and ordered a round of medalla for the table, we were treated as if they had known us for years and were family. We had more food than I can even write about. But the chicharrón stole the show! I highly recommend for anyone looking for a little piece of the island while in Boston. Will come back every chance I get.

It seemed more like a "hole in the wall" bar than that of a restaurant. I couldn't help but to notice patrons going in the back towards the kitchen (head scratch)! As for the food, it was decent. But, the portions were questionable. I ordered a large plate, and received very small portions (even the rice). Similar restaurants that sell PR food usually give generous portions, especially the rice. I don't think I'd return.

I came here to surprise my boyfriend with some food. I drove over two hours to come here on a whim and got there right before they closed. I was nervous because I knew nothing about Puerto Rican food, but the workers were so helpful. They recommended items my boyfriend would like, and every recommendation they made was delicious. Food tasted fresh and I would highly recommend this place.

I actually am afraid of Yelping this place because, while I appreciate the fact that Yelp sends people out into areas they might not otherwise consider, this little gem of a place is SO fun that...well, I still want to be able to get in there without too much of a mob scene. And contrary to what Andrew said in his review, the clientele is largely Puerto Rican, but the experience is much more complex and worthy than just some passing person who lumps all things "ethnic" in Boston into the cool or "sketchy underbelly" that keeps people from really getting to know this city and the people who live here. WOW--digression! Time for me to let YOU know why this place is great. I went there with my two wingpeople: a sassy old roomie (White girl) and our gay friend. And me. As you may have imagined, we exemplify change, in one of those Barack Obama ways. We were in the area to attend a function at Hibernian Hall and wanted a drink, so we heard some lively music playing down the street. And the music was loud enough to make out melodies from outside the door. When we walked down the steps into the bar, though...CRICKETS. People stopped and stared at us. Now we're used to making entrances, but this one was for the ages! Luckily, my old roomie speaks fluent Spanish, so we walked into the back of the bar (and it's truly not very large, but cozy is probably a better way to describe it) and quickly ordered drinks. I think a round of beers cost us about $8. I think it's cash only. After I think everyone's initial shock: of the regulars and us (actually, we're used to the rainbow coalition we're pretty adaptable, so we figured that eventually things would be cool), and several more hastily-downed rounds of Coronas, we struck up some conversation with a few people. Turns out this bar has been in the neighborhood for years; the people who came and went all knew each other, and the mix of young and old (there were families there--a woman was trying to fix up her son with the guy in our party--cute), and, they were nice. I mean, genuinely nice. My only regret is that I don't live closer, because this bar (which means "little tripe" in English, in case you were wondering) is one I would frequent daily. We ended up coming back later that night, having some chicerones (with lots of lime), and the roomie bomba'd the night away with one of the nice guys at the bar. Don't worry--they're nice enough there that if you really wanted to learn how to dance, they'd teach you. It's worth a trip to Dudley, as long as you plan on doing more than engaging in a little cultural tourism. I'm trying to figure out a way to get back there. I genuinely enjoyed myself and rank that night as one of the best this year for being out in Boston: it was a perfect combination of a new place, with folks who were real, cheap drinks, and lots of fun. Now YOU go!

Im a fan of Puerto Rican food but the experience here wasnt great. I was born and raised in PR, im familiar with this type of place. This is not the place some of the cambridge folk who enjoy the occasional ethnic excursions would enjoy-my apologies for the generalization. This place has a hardcore edge most people would be taken back by. As you approach the restaurant, past the rows of colorful projects, it is pretty clear you are not in the safest of neighborhoods. Hide the Coach bag in the car and visit during the day. Outside the door, a dodgy looking man was scurrying the sidewalk for leftover cigarettes. The door and tiny windows to the basement-like space are fully covered with thick iron bars. Watch your head descending, expect to make an uncomfortable entrance as an outsider. Once in, its hard to tell who works there and who doesnt. There were 4 or 5 people but none were eating. Most in fact went back and forth between the dining space and the kitchen. The space feels authentic without trying to be. Its not really decorated, instead there is a mural of PR's favorite, the Coqui. Rather than a displayed food menu the more important dominos scoreboard and standings are proudly posted. There is a small TV on a shelf an a giant jukebox, entirely too big for such a small space blaring bachata music. I didnt realize the tv was also blaring until the jukebox momentarily calmed to a hush in between song selections. There was a bit of dried up fried food displayed behind the glass, not much of a selection. Sure this wasnt all they had i asked the man behind the counter drinking a beer for a menu. Silence. He just looked at me. Ok, not a problem, i asked in spanish which requires extremely little change since the word menu is interchangeable between the two languages. It worked, i got a response in a not unfriendly tone, "no menu, what do you want?" Well what do you have i responded. He rattled off a handful of options, i ordered most of them. I asked how much? He said i pay later. Wasnt exactly my question but not too worried about price i sat. He asked what i wanted to drink and we played the what do you have game again. I thought id make the experience complete with grape soda. I loved my meal. So did my wife. Not because the quality was so good-it wasnt relative to puerto rican food-but because i dont have as often as id enjoy. All in all we got alot to eat for $18. I do love Puerto Rican food, wish i could find a comfortable place to enjoy, maybe bring the kids to. My search continues.

El Mondonguito saved the day when I was off looking for a different place that had apparently shut down. I was glad I ventured in, for in spite of the scary looking metal grate and the steps descending into the dark little hole-in-the-wall bar lit with red heat lamps, El Mondonguito was surprisingly excellent. Dudley in general is filled with little places like this -- very authentic feeling, clearly ethnic. El Mondonguito took it a little further, to weird. The decor was pretty strange; I'm pretty sure I saw a severed hand plushie hanging behind the checkout counter. On top of that, this place is clearly Spanish first and foremost. While the man who helped me spoke perfect English (and was nice about it), Spanish was currency, everyone else made that clear. Fortunately for ignorant me, the menu on the side wall (a little tricky to see) had English subtitles. I can't much comment on the other parts of the menu, but I will say that the rice is very flavorful and delicious, and so are the empanadillas. It's a little scary that you can see your food under a red heat lamp; it makes it look not fresh. This is not so. The empanadillas were perfectly crisp and delicious, and a steal at $1.50 each. I hope to return after work sometime, with coworkers. I imagine it might be a little odd, we might be a little unwelcome; I'll grapple with that when the time comes. Till then, hello El Mondonguito, an excellent lunch place.

Paraiso Restaurant, further down Dudley is a better choice IMO. I like my spanish food greasy, but it was a bit much here. Could feel my heart freaking out a bit.

Food is okay , not great ! If you willingly to get high blood pressure, this is the place or Spanish food period

This place is funky! Everything from the jukebox blaring loud Hispanic music to the mural of the frog dancing to the long wall-bar screams a good time. The food here is not really that great (I'm not super into deep fried stuff), but probably very authentically Puertorican. They have a variety of fried things, fried chicken, fried pork and various other fired animal parts. They have pretty good dumpling turnover things too. Also good is yuca yum-yum. This place is also dirt cheap , my friend and I once pointed to like one of everything on the window and the bill was like $5. It's not exactly a bar, and they sure don't have a liquor license, but they do have little bottles of chilled sparkling red wine for $3!!! This establishment also hosts dominoes tournaments but I have been unable to attend since I moved. If you live or go to Dudley, then you should certainly stop by Bar El Mondonguito!!!!

Good food ...especially the soups ,rice and beans and chicken and the music is nice to listen too ..i will go back in a heartbeat..People dont be afraid to go hang here for a good time its a place you wont regret to eat dance a lil and just have some good fun its real over there.....

I've only been here for take out. The location is pretty shaddy, but you go here for the food. They make the best mondongo, aside from my aunt's, and the rice and beans are great too. Great place to get take out, if you don't mind being whistled at.

Great Puerto Rican food, this place is tiny. Outsiders should go during the day, the neighborhood can be rough. This is also a nightly hang out spots for older folks, they have a few drinks, play dominoes and listen to typical Puerto Rican music.