Tenoch Mexican

Restaurant · Melrose

Tenoch Mexican

Restaurant · Melrose

1

517 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176

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Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null
Tenoch Mexican by null

Highlights

Straightforward restaurant dispensing traditional Mexican fare & beverages in folksy surroundings.  

Featured in Eater
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517 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176 Get directions

tenochmexican.com

$$ · Menu

Information

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517 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176 Get directions

+1 781 620 0365
tenochmexican.com

$$ · Menu

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dine in
takeout
delivery
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Last updated

Mar 4, 2025

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"Local Mexican favorite Tenoch has expanded to Melrose, debuting on October 1 at 517 Main St. The fast-casual restaurant — which also has locations in Somerville, Medford, and Boston’s North End, as well as food trucks that are temporarily off the road — is perhaps best known for its tortas, pressed sandwiches made with telera bread." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Fall 2020 Restaurant Openings in and Around Boston - Eater Boston
View Postcard for Tenoch Mexican

Husang Lee

Google
I don't understand the hype. Overpriced. Prices are unclear. I was charged a dollar for lettuce... Food was fairly bland. Chips were also were not salted at all. Im not saying to sprinle it till it gives me hypertension, but even a little bit goes along way. Nice staff, but the person who took my order definitely had trouble communicating with me.

Manaal Syed

Google
Came here on a weekday for a late lunch. We got steak tortas and also tried the tacos. The tortas were delicious, such a great combination of meat, high quality cheese, avocado and jalapeño. The bread had a perfect texture to absorb the fats. Highly recommend! I want to try the fish and chicken. It’s definitely worth it to come here just for those. The tacos were okay. Personally I think they’re quite pricey for what you get. But the portion of meat is good. Regardless $4 for one taco is hefty. You get a better bang for your buck with the tortas. It’s a casual counter service spot, staff is fine and they make it fast. That does mean everything is likely premade but it was still good.

Mark Aengenheyster

Google
Great tacos and tortas. Fast service. Mostly does takeout. They put green sauce with some cilantro in it on all my tacos. Ask if you don’t like cilantro or onions. I liked it but maybe don’t put it on all the tacos

Nadya Rojas

Google
Got a chicken burrito and chicken quesadilla here. The seasoning of the chicken in both were good. I did think the quesadilla didn't have enough cheese so you only tasted the chicken.

Logan

Google
Do not expect speed with preparation of the food. We’ve been to Tenoch Mexican three times over the past two months (November & December 2020) and each time has been a great experience. We highly recommend that you order online to pickup as waiting to order in-person can take 20ish minutes if there’s a few people ahead of you. The staff is really friendly and they will make your order exactly how you ask. Everything we’ve tried from Tenoch has been delicious! We highly recommend the following items: • Enchiladas Rojas with Asada • Torta Asada •Guacamole

Daniel “Dan” Kelley

Google
Amazing tortas, if you haven’t tried one now is the time. Pastor was good. I’m an adobada fan and think this place could pull it off really well. Hint hint…

Bryn Dews

Google
Great food, very tasty, served with a smile. We had Enchiladas and Tostadas. One with pork the other with chicken. Very generous portions...Very affordable.

mara t

Google
Ordered a chicken quesadilla and instead got a disgusting, greasy "burrito" style atrocity. Wouldn't even feed this to an animal. This had no taste. What a waste

Matt K.

Yelp
My go to quick service Mexican. 20+ visits and counting. Always get order right. Usually get burrito or torta. Tacos and chips too. It's always delish. I think I need to go there n- Ok, I made it! Sooo good. Ty Tenoch.

Eric D.

Yelp
Excellent torta asada. Dining partner had adobodo burro. Both delicious and generous portions. Spent much of the meal reading the tacos of Mexico wall. Looking forward to going back to try the tacos.

Sophia L.

Yelp
Stopped by for lunch on a Tuesday and tried the Torta Asada at the recommendation of a friendly staff. My suggestion is to devour this ASAP, while the Oaxaca cheese is both melty AND crisp. This flavorful combo of steak, cilantro, and jalapeños is sandwiched by black bean and mayo spreads on the fluffy telera bread, and is SUPER FILLING. If you have a small stomach, I'd recommend sharing this because the portion is generous and the meal itself is heavy.

Pescataria N.

Yelp
Great staff. The fish tacos were great! Very laid back dining room, very fast prep. My review is really 4.5 stars and would be five if they added tofu!! But I round up. :) It's a tofu taco desert out here since Bolocco closed.

Carlos G.

Yelp
I've been to Tenoch many times in the past couple years but this was my first time coming to this location. As with their other locations, the food was great! My go-tos are either the carne asada torta or the campechana torta and you can't go wrong with either one. Plus it was easy to order online and was ready by the time I arrived. I saw they offer breakfast now so I'll have to come back for that and try it.

Sarah M.

Yelp
Excellent tacos! The carnitas are my kids fav and I enjoy everything on the menu. Ordering from the platos section of the menu is great for an easy family meal - lots of flavorful and satisfying food.

Glaucia A.

Yelp
The ingredients of the food are good quality, however they lack flavor. I ordered an enchilada and it had no enchilada sauce inside the tortilla, no cheese on top just some sour cream drizzle and a lot of raw onions! The food felt really dry and it didn't taste Mexican.

JM Y.

Yelp
GET the steak and cheese taco! We go to Melrose at least once or twice a week and stop here. They are always nice to us and we get GREAT tacos! We tried the Boston's best taqueria for 2022 in Waltham and their were 3 tiny pieces of cilantro and about 4 tiny pieces of onion! The tacos at Tenoch were FAR BETTER in price and had more toppings and are consistently good for many times and long before I gave a review!

Jayleigh L.

Yelp
Good food, horrible service. I go here for authentic Mexican food. They have it (I think?). It tastes good, anyway. But they treat their customers like garbage. I walk in and am usually completely ignored at first. Then a cook comes over, supposedly to take my order. I tell her what I want. Nothing fancy, just one of their menu items. She can't understand what I'm saying. She calls another cook over. He can't understand me either. Finally they grab someone from the back who seems to understand a little bit more English, and he takes my order. This is annoying as hell (if I were in Mexico I would understand that people in a restaurant don't necessarily speak English, but we are in downtown Melrose, Massachusetts--are most of their customers fluent Spanish speakers?!). But the food will be good, right? (Let's leave out the fact that their debit machine froze in the middle of processing my payment, and took at least five minutes to be rebooted. Could have been a fluke.) Wrong. They somehow added an unidentified meat to my cheese quesadilla, after I had asked for no meat. Good thing I'm not a vegetarian, and don't have any allergies. I'm not going back.

Patricia S.

Yelp
This is for the Melrose location . They get a one star for being friendly and fast. I ordered a quesadilla, got home it was dripping with liquid everywhere, had NO cheese whatsoever, soggy, and looked more like a burrito but without the beans. I added chicken and it was packed with chicken, and certainly no cheese, melted or not, not a hint of it. I called they said yea it looks different. Google tenoch quesadilla and definitely the picture looks like a quesadilla. Definitely not going back.

Dennis M.

Yelp
So in the covid world it's important to try new restaurants to keep them afloat. I ordered from Tenoch today and I tell you the ordering process was very smooth. Totally easy. When I get there the food was ready, all bagged up. The order was correct! Took it home and the burritos were perfect. Huge portions and delicious. The chips and guac were yummy, some nice lime taste in the guac. I recommend you try this place out.

P H.

Yelp
Very average. Not bad, but nothing stood out to me as great - I have no reason to go back. Someone else who ordered with me commented that the guac tasted swquezed from a bag.

M L.

Yelp
I got "glutened" here twice. I informed them of the gluten allergy before starting. They did change their gloves, but they don't do anything to avoid cross-contamination. I saw them making burritos: when they spooned the meat into the flour wrap, they let the spoon touch the wrap, then they put the spoon back in the serving tray. Later I realized they probably do the same for the tortas (sandwiches), which are made with crumbly bread rolls -- the meats in the trays are probably full of torta crumbs. I ordered the "plato" (plate), which is just plain rice, beans, and meat (I got the carnitas, i.e. pulled pork). I tried twice, on two different days, but I got glutened both times. It was a pretty severe reaction, too. A real shame, since the meat was absolutely delicious, and because I strongly prefer to support local business. Oh well, back to Chipotle.

J R.

Yelp
Got takeout...I ordered a quesadilla and it came rolled up? What in the world is this. I had to eat it with a fork and knife and it was super soggy and there was no sour cream that I purchased and little to no cheese on this quesadilla. Pretty disappointed.

SL P.

Yelp
The food is great. I'm thrilled to have a place to get a burrito close by. The only critique I have / advice is if you get the hot cause in your burrito...just know you are rolling the dice. Sometimes it's medium with a good kick but manageable, sometimes it's way too hot. I can't tell if it's the inconsistency of the amount each person puts on it, or that each batch of hot sauce has a different amount of peppers used to make it. Through the website you can't order it on the side but hopefully you can if you just walk in to order!

K K.

Yelp
I've been meaning to try Tenoch for some time since I frequent the Starbucks next door on Main st in Melrose. I walked in today and there was a guy on the phone taking a order and a lady making a burrito. The lady making the burrito stops and signals for a younger lady to finish making the burrito. She then walks back to the kitchen and begins talking to another women. NOBODY acknowledges me, smile or even tell me to hold on. When the younger women finishes the burrito I think she's going to help me but she continues to ignore me and begins making another burrito from a slip. The older women comes out from the back to grab something and goes back. The whole time I'm standing there awkwardly, smiling at myself, hoping someone will look at me. After a few minutes I just decide that it's in my best interest to go somewhere they actually want my business and make me feel welcomed. I walked out and I don't even think they cared or noticed.

Jay S.

Yelp
I ordered a whole bunch of different types of tacos and they were all bad. Most were devoid of any flavor. The carnitas especially had no perceptible taste other than the onion topping. The chorizo taco is the only one that had flavor, and it was bad. The chips and guac was the only thing that I thought was acceptable. All in all, this was a very disappointing experience and I don't recommend coming here. Also, they upcharge everything quite a bit on the third-party delivery services.

Ni C.

Yelp
Ordered for the first time time here and the food took forever to get to me and then once it did I was missing items. I wouldnt try this again. I paid a lot for a bad experience.

Rachel W.

Yelp
Ordered three quesadillas and they came looking like incredibly messy burritos (see pics). I thought we were getting rice and guacamole on the side, but instead everything was loosely rolled up in a tortilla instead. I called, thinking the restaurant accidentally gave us burritos. Took three tries to get someone on the phone. When I finally did, the staff member was really rude and dismissive to me. Among other things, I mentioned that I had ordered a chicken quesadilla from Tenoch before and it looked different and he told me I must have ordered from a different restaurant previously. Anyway messy, unappetizing food and poor customer service. I won't be back.

Tiffany D.

Yelp
I was so pumped when I heard that Tenoch was opening in Melrose because now I could drive less than 5 minutes and takeaway some delicious food. My friends have always hyped Tenoch and Tenoch definitely didn't let down! Since opening, I have tried their tortas and tacos. Their campechana tortas are SO good, flavorful, and kind of heavy (fill definitely fill you up). I've tried a bunch of their tacos, but their pescado (fish) tacos are my favorite, as it's pretty light/refreshing from all of the heavy meat flavors. Only taking off a star, due to the fact that when I did an online order, I ordered chips + guac ($4.50), and there was only a container of guac in the bag...was a bit disappointing but other than that, highly recommended!! My fave restaurant on Main St!!

Cosmo X.

Yelp
Im so happy theyr in town. As good as the one in Medford. Excellent tasty fresh delicious. My go to place now..Im so happy.... great!

Chris R.

Yelp
Burritos, tortas and plates are all amazing. Ordering through the app makes it quick and easy to pickup

Leandra D.

Yelp
You always remember a restaurant because of the service, not necessarily the food. I can say Tenoch had the best torta I'm Boston, but that does not excuse the fact that I left this restaurant near tears today due to the rude and disrespectful service of the clerk. I want to point out this was just one person and not the line cooks or the rest of the staff. If anything the guy who made my burrito was the one who stoped the cashier from treating me worst. Here's what happened. I was a few minutes away from the restaurant and decided to call my order in. I ordered the torta and as I was ordering the burrito (almost a minute into the conversation) the cashier just hung up. I was close by and decided just to wait and order when I got to the restaurant. I walked into the restaurant and stood in front of the cashier (still keeping 6 feet away). She kept going with her things. She grabbed some sodas from the refrigerator and spoke to the cook staff, all while ignoring my presence entirely. After almost 5 minutes another customer comes in and the cashier addresses me. She said "well, have you ordered?" I explain that I tried to order over the phone and now just wanted to order with her. She pointed to the left and said nothing. I look over and then look back at her confused. I explain again that I just want to order and that the call was cut off when I was ordering the torta. She then yells and tells me to order there in Spanish (pretending like she didn't understand me speaking in English). So then I explain in Spanish what happened and she gets annoyed at me for speaking to her in Spanish now tells me that the rules are to order over to the left. I tell her that she should have told me that when I walked in and that I had been standing in front of her for a while without her saying anything. At that moment, one of the the lien cooks sees what's happening and intervenes. He was kind and got my order ready within seconds. He was great! I still had to pay with the cashier. She said nothing again. She didn't address me at all. I asked for a Diet Coke and a grapefruit jarrito. She looked back the refrigerator behind her searching for the drinks. I tell her that they're on the second row. She cuts me off and said she saw them. I asked her where I should insert my card to pay. She curtly said "there" while not point or signaling where there is. This woman made me feel invisible and disregarded and overall really shitty. For a takeout joint in Melrose, this is not how people treat each other. Especially during times like these, when we want to go above and beyond to keep restaurants we love in business, it hurts me to write a bad review for a restaurant I have been a fan of since it was just a food truck in Boston. This visit was a disappointment and as I remember my meal now, it holds the same underwhelming flavors.

James S.

Yelp
So happy to have this amazing restaurant around. I've been enjoying their food for years and decided to finally write a review to show my gratitude and support. The tortas, tacos, and enchiladas are always exceptional. I finally tried their breakfast and the breakfast burrito was phenomenal. Ordered with steak and it may have been the best I've ever tried - perfectly composed with just-right potatoes, eggs, and spices. The torta campechana is my usual go-to, the mole enchiladas are another favorite, and the fish tacos are always a great bet with lots of crispy and nicely seasoned fish. This place really rises above the competition and recommend them to any fans of Mexican cuisine.

Mike B.

Yelp
Tried for 1st time this pm. Ordered Mole Chicken Burrito , Chicken Verdes enchilada, chips and salsa. Overpriced and underwhelming. Little to no chicken in burrito - couldn't detect any mole sauce. Just a giant rice and been ball with 2 tbs of chicken. Enchiladas were bland with little sauce. Chips were cold and hard as rocks. It's no Anna's. Ended up ordering other food from Liberty Bell.

Alex G.

Yelp
If you've never had a torta, you need to go to Tenoch. I had one from their Medford location years ago, but am rarely in that area. I was so happy they opened the Melrose location! All of the tortas are great, but I particularly like the Torta Pastor, Torta de Chicharron or the Torta Asada. They are huge and soooo good. Service can be a little uneven, and the chips and salsa are nothing special. But I don't care, it's all worth it for the tortas.

Emily G.

Yelp
We have been ordering Tenoch nearly every week over the past few months. Consistently delicious tortas and burritos.

David R.

Yelp
The best tacos in town. Love the green guacadillo sauce (sp?) not sure what it is but it's awesome. Can't wait to try some of the other meats as well. However, as boring as it may seem, the pollo tacos are just so damn good if I get something else and don't like it, I'll be pissed! Carnitas and Asada next up once I stop being a woos

Eric W.

Yelp
One of my go-to's and favorite Mexican spots in the area. Awesome food and very reasonable prices. Their Campechana Torta and Asada breakfast burrito can't be beat.

Jay M.

Yelp
Tenoch has the best and most authentic Mexican food in the area(and yes, we've tried them all). We've traveled to Mexico extensively so I know what I'm talking about. Additionally, the portions here are huge! You will not go hungry if you order here. Tenoch serves my favorite counter service burritos, tortas and tacos North of Boston.

High K.

Yelp
I ate at Tenoch 3 times. The food was delicious, the web site easy, the service timely. The only problem is that shortly after eating the food each time, I became excessively tiered and felt sick. Thus, I really think there is too much MSG, salt and probably some other type of chemical in the food, that does not need to be there.