El Pelón serves up big, flavorful Mexican street eats—think fish tacos, steak burritos with plantains, and killer housemade salsas—in a casual Fenway spot with great patio vibes.
"If you live in the neighborhood, El Pelon is going to be where get take-out multiple times a month, because no matter how many other pizza and Thai menus you look at, you’re always going to want to get more of these tacos. Our favorite is the fish taco made with cornmeal crusted cod, but just about everything at this colorful little counter-service spot is worth trying. It’s got a spacious patio that’s bigger than the restaurant itself when the weather’s nice, too." - dan secatore
"All that bitching your Southern classmates are going to do about barbecue? You can double that for your Californian classmates when it comes to tacos and burritos. According to them, there is nothing east of the Mississippi that should legally be allowed to call itself a burrito. Tune them out at El Pelon, where you can get big, flavorful Mexican food for really cheap (everything on the menu is under $11). Our favorite burrito is the El Guapo, which comes with plantains, and we love eating it on the patio on a quiet Fenway side street out front." - dan secatore
"What to Eat: The El Guapo burrito, which comes with grilled steak and fried plantains. Burritos don’t get much better than this. Where to Eat: Gorge on El Guapo while watching overachievers play recreational sports at Roberto Clemente Field (Park Drive, Boston), which is located in the Fens, just several blocks south of El Pelón. How to Order: Official Website [takeout] / DoorDash [delivery] / Grubhub [delivery] / Uber Eats [delivery]" - Terrence Doyle, Rachel Leah Blumenthal
"It’s hard to write anything about El Pelón that hasn’t been written before. It’s a remarkably good taqueria, evidenced by pretty much every food rating website ranking it at the top of every “best burrito in Boston” list. It’s all good, but the right thing to do is to order the El Guapo, which comes with grilled steak and fried plantains. There’s also a Brighton location." - Terrence Doyle
"El Pelon is a very colorful little counter-service Mexican place in the Fenway. It’s on the Peterborough Street restaurant row, which means it’s got a patio out front that’s probably even bigger than the restaurant itself. It’s hard to beat sitting at one of their picnic tables with a cornmeal-crusted cod taco on a summer night." - Dan Secatore
