Los Amigos Taqueria — Restaurant in Newton

Edit 2/13/24: Four stars, y'all. They have managed to improve their consistency on product delivery. They are also kind enough to let this goof practice spanish while ordering. The only missing ingredient for that coveted 5th star is: the tortillas. IDK why nobody makes a glutinous, striated, fat-boy flour tortilla on the east coast. But as soon as they find a supplier and start serving, it's in the bag.

Edit 11.1.22: three stars, baby! Been coming to the walnut street location since their inception. Some observations:

Pros: Service is prompt and professional Value is excellent compared to other options in town They have never once lost my order

Cons:

I can’t place an online order with a gift card. To me, a major portion of the value proposition is being able to order from my home or car and dash in and out of the store. A gift card is nearly worthless in this context, as none of their avenues for ordering allow for a gift card payment option, and they do not have a call-in number for orders.

Room for improvement:

I am always a bit surprised at the wide range of quality. Sometimes it is almost as good as a southern california burrito, sometimes it seems like they have never made a burrito before I ordered one. Chips can be perfectly salted, crisp And warm from the fryer, or clearly store bought and stale. The mango salsa can be the perfect consistency and combo of sweet and salty or a crunchy, underripe frown fest.

Point is: they have the potential to be nothing short of great. I want to see them exercise...

I used to be able to rely on this spot for perfectly made burritos, tacos and bowls. At one point I ate takeaway from here 1-2x weekly. This place used to be 5 stars, always consistent and fast delivery, order was always right and tasted fresh.

I don't know what happened but the food quality has become inconsistent, and the last two times I ordered, my items have been completely wrong-wrong type of beans, missing cheese, no salsa, way overcooked plantains, etc. One of my incorrect bowls didn't even have rice in it, just beans and chicken and that's it. Aside from that, sometimes the salsa that comes with their chips varies greatly- when it's on point, it's great, so so good. But when it's not, it's bad enough that it won't get eaten in this house.

They also removed some of my favorite options from their online ordering, even though those items are available and you can order them via phone and in store. Super disappointing - if I can't order my longtime favorites online anymore, and half the time there's an error in the order when I receive it, seems like there isn't much of a reason to eat here anymore.

Idk what happened, but I'd love to see them rise again, I'd happily go back to ordering as frequently...

Food: This place is pretty good and the burritos seem consistent across locations (this is a chain). They have some offerings that I don't think I've seen at other places. Their burritos are great and the options aren't quite the same as other places. The ingredients seem fresh and are always spread throughout the burrito well. It is mild spice but flavorful. My favorite item I've tried is definitely the surf and turf burrito, with steak and shrimp. This is my go-to burrito at this chain that I haven't found anywhere else. They also have chipotle chicken, which is not simply seasoned but marinated in chipotle sauce, if you like that. Everything else I've tried is decent too, just not as much of my taste compared to other taquerias.

Staff: Friendly and efficient. They can make a burrito fast and they make it well.

Dining area: This location has a very small dining area. The Brighton location has a significantly larger dining area with several times more tables and seats.

Parking: This location usually has some street parking available. The Brighton location on the other hand has significant traffic and can be more difficult to find parking nearby at...