Boga Taco — Restaurant in Washington

This past Saturday, my wife and I decided to try Boga Taco. My coworkers have been raving about this place. We walk in and sit down, the staff seemed very professional and friendly. I ordered 3 Al Pastor tacos and my wife ordered a steak wet burrito. We also got chips and guacamole. While waiting for my food I had heard the term, Gringo more times than I have in my life. This made things slightly uncomfortable because at this point I was the only white person in the restaurant (my wife is Latina). The food was done pretty quick. When it came out to the table it looked amazing. My wife tried hers first. She told me it was really spicy and was worried that she wasn’t going to be able to eat it. Sometimes she has something that is spicy to her, but it isn’t to me. I didn’t think too much about it. I took a bite of my taco and was greeted with a level of hot that would be near equal to that of the “one chip challenge”. They came by and asked us how the food was numerous times. At this point we had thought they did this on purpose. I didn’t miss a beat and said the food was great. I ate 2 tacos and tried to finish the third. I was halfway through this when I had to stop because my stomach started to spasm. I didn’t want to throw up so I just stopped. We paid for our food and left. My wife only ate 2 bites of her wet burrito. This was a huge waste of money. I waited to post a review until I talked to my coworkers today. They said they had never experienced anything like this there. One of my coworkers has even had the Al Pastor and said that it isn’t even remotely spicy. Lastly, everyone I spoke with believes this was done to us on purpose due to my wife being Latina and me being white.

Update: I can assure you that was my order. I do not have the receipt but that was definitely it. In regards to the racial remarks, I can tell you exactly who and when these remarks were made. It was not staff that said it. It was the 4 man table closest to the door. I could hear the one gentleman in the hoodie say gringo a couple times while they were seated. Then as they were going up to pay, he said it a couple times while standing in line. We were the table that has a booth on one side and chairs on the other facing the rest of the restaurant. I am 100% certain this happened. In regards to the food, look at your videos that you claim to have went over. My wife took 2 bites of her steak wet burrito. This was not because she didn’t like it but because it was way beyond hot. Also, I’m a pretty big guy and under normal circumstances can easily eat 3 tacos. I also deal with heat very well. Right before we left you can see me take a bite of the taco and try to wash it down with my Diet Coke. I would never do this because Al Pastor is my favorite and I definitely don’t want my tacos tasting like Diet Coke. I did this because the tacos were so hot they were basically not edible. I currently have an ulcer on the inside of my cheek and on the side of my tongue due to all this. One last thing. Look at the video again, you can see me testing the sauces and individual pieces of meat trying to determine what exactly was so hot. On the second taco, I loaded it up with guacamole in an attempt to mask the heat. Just in case you think I’m lying which is how your reply to my review sounded. I was honestly only looking for an apology. Something that might come natural to a Christian based company. But if you want to escalate this we can definitely do so. There was definitely something added (maybe by mistake) to make it that hot. You can say whatever you want in an attempt to save face. Just rewatch the video and pay attention to how we attempt to...

What happens when you take a compelling story and add it to flavorful food? You get Boga Tacos! I recently found this place by scrolling around on Google Maps. As we were going out with some friends who are very fond of Mexican food, I mentioned this find and we decided to try it out. At the conclusion of our meal, we decided that this is definitely one of the top two Mexican eateries in the whole South of Pittsburgh area – and that we need to come back to try more of their dishes!!!

The space it occupies does not look like much from the outside, but inside it is cheerfully decorated and relatively spacious. If you wish, you can observe the goings-on in the kitchen as it is somewhat open and you can see the staff preparing your food. Our waitress was super helpful, cheerful, and nice and put up with our bombardment of questions while taking care of all the tables in the place.

We started out with a round of drinks, chips, salsa and Queso. Following the trend these days, they do charge for the chips and salsa from the very first basket. I do not like this trend, but I get it. The chips were clearly made in house which lowered the irritation level a bit. The salsa was not spicy and was nicely flavored. The queso was also well-flavored and remained warm and gooey throughout our meal.

They do not have a liquor license however they do offer a selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Mexican sodas are available but we chose other options: A Cucumber water, a Hibiscus drink, and Horchata. The most outstanding was the Cucumber water which tasted very strongly (and pleasantly!) of cucumber. The Horchata was very good, and the Hibiscus drink was very subtly floral and also tasty.

For our main meal we tried the Arroz con Pollo, one of the Boga Burritos, A barbacoa Quesadilla, and a Chicken Sope. We enjoyed them all and liked how all of them were well seasoned. None of them were spicy and the waitress brought over two squeeze bottles of home-made sauces. A mild creamy green one that tasted like it was based on Avocado with just a bit of chili. And a reddish one that had some Jalapeno based heat to it and was also more creamy than hot. Both were very nice.

We asked about the difference between the Boga Burrito and the Wet Burrito and were told that the Boga is filled with rice and beans in addition to your protein of choice while the Wet Burrito does not have the rice and beans. In any case, the portions are quite large and we had to take some home. The Quesadilla and the Sope were much smaller in size – which is not to take away from their flavor!

There are weekend specials listed on the menu and a board with specials next to the kitchen. We saw some bowls of one of the soups being delivered to a table and they were HUGE! They also looked really good. We might have to come back to try them on a future visit

There are desserts listed on the menu, but really, who had room for them? With all that we tried, we were so stuffed and had to take food home with us, so no room for dessert, but definitely a desire to come back. Oh, and as to their compelling story? Check out the website, under the...

Atmosphere – 3 stars BOGA Taco is tucked away in a small roadside plaza on Jefferson Avenue in an older part of Washington. The inside is modest—about 6 or 7 booths and a few tables. It’s clean and functional, but nothing particularly eye-catching. Think of it as a simple, no-frills space focused more on the food than the setting.

Service – 5 stars The service here is outstanding. It feels like a family-owned place, and the staff is incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful—especially when it comes to explaining the menu. The hospitality added a personal touch that made the experience even more enjoyable.

Food – 5 stars This is where BOGA Taco really shines. I ordered the grilled chicken tacos, and they were excellent—super fresh with quality ingredients. The tacos came topped with cilantro and onions, and they provide two sauces: a hot sauce and a flavorful green sauce—both were fantastic. I also got a side of Mexican rice, which was perfectly cooked and very tasty. It took a little time to get the food, but that’s because it’s made from scratch—and it’s absolutely worth the wait.

Final Thoughts From the outside, BOGA Taco might not catch your eye, but don’t let the humble appearance fool you. The food is authentic, flavorful, and made with care. If you’re looking for real Mexican tacos in Washington, PA, this is a hidden gem worth...