Taqueria El Amigo — Restaurant in Waltham

Food is so-so, but the service is extremely poor --- borderline discriminatory to "gringos" or to people who aren't friends of the waitstaff.

We got in on a Sat night at around 5 pm. The place was full, but one table was finishing up and getting ready to pay, so we decided to wait for them. After about ten minutes, the guys left and we sat down. The staff ignored us for a while until a big Mexican family with two kids came in and greeted the waitress in Spanish. At that point the waitress/owner came to us and told us we had to give up the table because that family that just entered "had been waiting for it"! We were shocked and in disbelief. There were no apologies--nothing, and mind you, we had been waiting for a while ourselves and we were the only guys standing up around there.

The place is quite small; there is no waiting list, no reservations, and I find it hard to believe that the family with two toddlers had been sitting outside in the cold hiding in the bushes for 15 min before we arrived. They were most likely just friends of the waitress, a bigger group, or just not "gringos". One thing is for sure: the attitude towards them and the attention they received was completely different...

We gave up the table (what else could you do?--you can't force them to serve you if they don't want to) and we inquired about getting food to go. We were told to wait and after being ignored for another five minutes, we left, seriously disappointed.

Otherwise, the food is so-so --we had eaten there two or three times before. The tacos are either a hit or a miss depending on when they were cooked. They are a bit more authentic than your average Boston taqueria, but still nothing compared to Mexico.

I don't think we'll ever return there and given the poor service and attitude towards "gringos", I don't think we can recommend this...

Oh my God, wow!

This place has been on my list forever, I'm glad I finally went. It's actually a home that has been transformed into a restaurant. It's a small place but there are about 7-8 tables to dine in. When we got there on a Tuesday evening, it was full! But we only had to wait for about 2 min or so for a table.

We ordered the chicken tacos and a veggie quesadilla. The chicken taco entree were 4 mini tacos in a plate, filled with chicken topped with onions, avocado and cilantro. Sounds so simple, yet so delicious. The chicken is delicately spiced and juicy, when you take a bite it's like a party of flavors in your mouth. The best tacos probably! The veggie quesadilla wasn't on the menu but they said they could make one. It had mushrooms, peppers and onions. Again, so much flavor! Enjoyed eating both these dishes. For dessert, we had the tres leches. Moist, sweet and fresh. Perfect! Also, cherry on top is that their prices are easy on your wallet.

Other points to note: They start you off with chips and salsa. That salsa was spicy! But if you enjoy spice, you'll definitely love it. We requested for water without straws, and they complied! Street parking is available. They also accept credit cards now.

Overall, if you're looking for a simple (you won't find 'a glaze of this' or 'a drizzle of that' here!) yet flavorful meal, this is...

I’ve been coming here for a few years now, every now and then. While the food is still good, I have to mention that service has gone downhill, perhaps due to their growing popularity.

I wanted to remove a chips and guacamole order from the bill I phoned in because it costs $14(!).. shocked to see that. I got quite a few eye rolls among the front staff and hesitancy to abide by that request (likely not freshly made to order items anyway, so not sure what the issue was). Had to repeat my request before they went forward eventually.

Then, I asked for extra onion/cilantro on side. They apparently charge $2 for this now (or maybe they were annoyed at me now, so a “special charge”) They have never charged me for this in the 10-15+ times I’ve been here. I said yes, but they ended up now giving it to me nor charging me for it because they said “I didn’t say yes or no” to getting it. A bit rude response. Of note, there are only 2 other customers there, waiting for their take out order, so not busy at the time.

Overall unpleasant experience for otherwise good tacos for Boston (but below average for California). I welcome owners’ rebuttal...