Chilacates Chestnut Hill #4 — Restaurant in Newton

Update: Just not that good. We’ve been back several times since my original review to give it more of a chance. The tamales are bland. The taco salad corn had been cut from too close so was inedible from being attached to cob (note it was all pieces, not just one). The salsa is somewhat watery and not so flavorful. Service is very slow, not super friendly and this is without lines. Too bad. Really want to recommend but can’t do it. Go elsewhere—Besito or El Pelón are both nearby and far better food and service.

Opening week: Everyone raves about this place and their other two locations so we were excited to try (!) but came away disappointed. For background, my family is from San Diego and my business is food so I know good Mexican. Our food wasn’t hot but more importantly, it wasn’t particularly flavorful. Tried 3 salsas and hot one was traditional taco joint and great but the other two were extremely bland (maybe poor food service quality ingredients or just a bad recipe). They just opened so I won’t dwell on the long wait, lack of seating, non-smiling manager, lack of system/bins to clear plates and baskets (I assume all this will be fixed). Because it’s early and I’m hopeful this was an exceptional experience, I will go back again and update review, if it seems meaningfully better but until then, there are other places (albeit very few) to eat better comida...

The atmosphere was nice and the service was friendly however the portions are small and VERY expensive. The taste and quality was nothing special. I was shocked that 5 tiny tacos costed me almost $30! Everything is an additional charge. They’ve removed the prices on their menu above the counter as they’ve increased. The steak tacos were so small. Sadly I was hungry after my order. The restaurant was not too busy yet it took over 10 minutes to prepare my order. Orders placed after mine were served before me. Typically quick Mexican restaurants allow you to order while they assemble your taco or burrito in front of you (think chipotle). I really want this place to succeed but they are very overpriced and need to figure out how to serve their customers promptly. I’ve also had a stomach ache after eating here on a few occasions. If I’m craving quick Mexican food in the area I’d honestly go to Ana’s or Tango Mango (or even a chipotle). I’m never spending $30 here again to leave hungry. Pink taco in seaport is infinitely better and similarly priced-however their tacos are much much larger and flavorful (and you’re in seaport)....

I don't know if this place has dramatically gone down in quality or if it's just this specific location, but this was one of the worst experiences at Chilacates. I ordered from them several months ago as well while I was pregnant, and had a similar experience--I thought I had food poisoning which would have been so bad for the babies. I remember the JP locations to be amazing, but not sure what's happening here at this location. This time, two days ago, I had two tacos, one chicken and one pork, and two chicken enchiladas. My partner just had a salad. All of us suffered from a stomach ache that we are still experiencing and it's been two days straight. The meals weren't delicious either and did not seem as fresh as before, the meat was barely edible and had hard chunks of something in it! The low quality and high cost makes me deeply disappointed. I don't recommend this place at all and don't think I'll ever be back there, which is sad because I remember it being so good at one point. What's in your food? It's literally causing suffering to our...