Chivo Taqueria — Restaurant in Cambridge

I am so disappointed. Did not live up to the hype. Was it because I caught them short staffed? I don't know. 1 Burrito Bowl $11.99 3x Extra Topping $2.25 Guacamole $2.50: So rice, meat, beans, pico, and cilantro and onions are part of the base, and everything else you pay for. I paid $.75 for 2 plantains, $.75 for picked onion, and $.75 for sauerkraut. The pinto beans were WAY TO SALTY. But the rest of my steak plate was fine. The steak was nice and well seasoned, and the guac was good, but that is it. Verdict: OKAY

1 Burrito Bowl $11.99 2x Extra Topping $1.50 Guacamole $2.50: This plate I got chicken tinga, $. 75 pickled onion and $.75 for plantain. I don't know what happened to this plate, but I couldn't eat it. Rice wasn't cooked fully. Needed like 5 minutes, and was salty and not well flavored, the chicken tasted more like fish, so I couldn't eat it. The only part of the plate that was fine was the plantain, guac, and black beans. It was like this plate was made by a different place. Verdict: SKIP

2 Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus Flower) $7.00: Tasted more like tamarind. It was like strong brown sugar, and I could not taste the hibiscus. Hibiscus tea is one of my favorites, so this was disappointing. Verdict: SKIP

1 Side of Plantains $4.99: This actually made me upset. I think they were short hands, and had to make more plantain because they ran out so I could get my side. They were working pretty quickly. I think the fryer was not at the right temperature because they were not cooked at the center. Verdict: SKIP

You walk in and there is plenty of seating. Open and airy. You order having them build and then pay. They have their personal fountain drinks and then they have an open fridge full of bottled selections.

VERDICT: SKIP. There was just too many problems with my meal for me to overlook. There wasn't one part of my order that didn't have a problem. A lovely space doesn't matter if the food isn't good.

*Please not the pics are after being in the freezer. I was upset and just shoved them...

I'm disappointed to write this. I've been a regular at Chivo since they opened but my experience last night will be my last. The girls there are always nice, but the gentleman working instantly had an attitude. We walked in at 9:45pm, their website hours say closing at 11pm. I watched him seemingly talk down to his woman coworker before begrudgingly coming over to take my order. I was with two other guys who had ordered before me, they ordered their meals to stay and when he asked me if I wanted to stay or to go, I said to stay and he replied “We close in 5 minutes.” I said I was with the two men in front of me who were eating here and he said “ok we’ll allow you to stay.” Really? You’ll “allow me to stay” more than an hour before you close? Lol ok, buddy. I decided to ask about the hours. He said, “Oh we changed our closing hour to 10, today is actually the first day it’s happening.” Haha ok, buddy. There then was confusion about what I had ordered, even though I ordered the same thing every time and have never had that issue. He had a nasty attitude about it and his tacos were the worst I’ve had there. Normally, they are very good but he was clearly in a hurry and couldn’t care less. Between 10 and 10:20pm, I watched three men come in an order, two took their orders to go, and one was allowed to dine in. So what happened to closing in 5 minutes? Such a mystery. Before leaving I asked his name and he said it was John. Maybe “John” was having a bad day and that’s okay, but I had just come from a celebration of life for my dad, my day wasn’t going great either. Maybe “John” just doesn’t like women. Regardless, it was a bad look for the business and there’s no reasonable...

Solid taqueria near Harvard, especially for breakfast.

Stopped by a couple times in the morning, and it’s one of the few taquerias in the area that actually opens early. I usually crave a hearty Mexican or Salvadorian-style breakfast when I’m really hungry, and this place offers simple, well-executed, no-frills plates.

Chivo’s Breakfast was a classic Latin American-style combo plate. Straightforward, comforting, and exactly the kind of meal you'd find at a neighborhood spot anywhere from CDMX to San Salvador. Omelette Mexicana was also solid, though it felt like a remix of Chivo's breakfast, just in omelette form. Nothing surprising, but satisfying.

Burrito bowl came in generous portions, but I made the mistake of adding guac—which tacked on an extra $4.50. It worked fine without it, but $17 for a burrito bowl without any premium proteins felt a bit steep.

Harvard Square already has solid go-tos for burrito bowls like Felipe’s and El Jefe’s, so I’m not sure I’d go out of my way just for that. But if you’re nearby and want something filling with good portions—especially in the morning—this is a...