Zocalo Cocina Mexicana

10/18/09

Blandest "Mexican" in Boston

by Kt Em at Citysearch

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile, but I have to say I was extremely disappointed after having dinner there. While the service was good, the food was terrible. To start with, the chips were stale and the salsa had no kick to it at all. We ordered the tableside-made guacamole and requested that it be made "medium" spicy. I thought that meant there would be some spice to it, but I am now confused what would have happened if we had requested mild because once again, there was no heat. We also tried the enchiladas and those were the worst of all the food. They were completely bland and, it probably goes without saying at this point, lacked the spiciness of real Mexican cuisine. At that point in the meal, my sister and I began to joke that maybe we should warn the chef that he was accidentally using sugar instead of salt in the food because, aside from be near tastelessness, everything had a sweet undercurrent to it. Even though this place is pretty close to where I live, if I go back it will only be to see if the sangria is as good as I've heard it is.

• Pros: Hear the sangria is good
• Cons: No spice and no flavor

09/21/09

WHAT A DUMP!!!

by SM2 at Citysearch

ZOCALO CHEAP COCINA.. WHAT A JOKE! I HAD THEIR CHEAP TACO AND BURRITO AND THREW UP WHEN I GOT HOME...

**********GO TO PREZZA FOR FINE DINING************

• Pros: NOT EVEN WORTH A DOLLAR OR PENNEY
• Cons: HORRIBLE SERVICE AND FOOD

07/24/08

Casual Mexican eatery brings the authentic flavors of Oaxaca and Veracruz to Brighton.

by Contributor at Citysearch

While enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos have a place on the menu, it's Zocalo's authentic offerings (chiles rellenos, queso fundido, pollo con mole) that help separate this restaurant from the pack. Upbeat patrons down glasses of white sangria while watching guacamole being made table-side. Colorful Mexican glassware and masks lend a festive vibe to the proceedings.

05/05/08

Best Sangria in Boston!

by lalong01 at Citysearch

EXCELLENT!!! Best kept secret in town! Cozy atmosphere (perfect for a first date!) varied menu that caters to the likes of any/all, friendly wait staff, valet parking and reasonably priced. Guaranteed enjoyable and memorable dinner. Well worth the trip to Allston/Brighton!

• Pros: Comfortable atmosphere, music, valet parking, friendly staff

11/18/07

Sunday Brunch

by jaako at Citysearch

I had heard this restaurant was pretty good with reasonable prices so my friend and I decided to check out the Sunday brunch. We were seated immediately and brought free tortilla chips and salsa and water. (On the other hand, we were only one of 4 parties and the others were already eating so I don't know if this is stellar service or just good timing.) We ordered very tasty margaritas ($6). I had the Huevos Veracruzanos with a choice of home fries or mashed potatos (I chose mashed). The serving size was what serving sizes should be - enough to satisfy your hunger but not so much that you pig out or waste a lot of food. The food was yummy with just enough spice to make it interesting but not overwhelming. The waitress was friendly and attentive. The decor is charming - even in the bathroom! My portion of the total bill came to $14 plus tip - quite reasonable for brunch in a nice restaurant. I want to try the dinner menu now...

• Pros: on the T, good prices, relaxing and charming atmosphere, decent food

11/11/07

nice atmosphere, salsa, guacamole and sangria

by shockus at Citysearch

pleasantly surprised by this little gem in Brighton. NIce decor, background music, friendly staff. authentic cuisine, very reasonable prices. had the guac, huevos con chorizo, same rancheros (pardon the misspelling!) recommend this for someone looking for mexican outside Border cafe!

05/31/07

Great food, great service, great atmosphere

by mdfoodcritic at Citysearch

I've been in food service all my life, so I tend to have high expectations. I do drive my wife crazy when we go out, but if I may add, I also leave a good tip. We were a party of four and went on a Saturday night in the middle of May and surprisingly, the place was practically empty at 6:30. (Maybe because all the students have left town?) Not your average Tex-Mex joint.; forget about Chile's and Margaritas. This Mexican food is the real McCoy. Guacamole is made to order right at the table. If you check out the website, you'll see the place is spacious, clean and has a real south of the border feel to it. Our service was prompt, chips, salsa and water arrived right as we got settled in. We ordered a pitcher of red sangria and the sampler plate, both of which were great. Our server didn't hound us or forget about us either. I rarely say this, but her attention to our table was just about perfect. We ordered another pitcher and dinner. I had the batter fried peppers with shrimp and it was fantastic. The rice and beans were actually tasty and not salty too. My father had the steak and he said it melted in his mouth. Everyone else at the table really enjoyed their meal. Even better, after everything was said and done, the bill was surprisingly reasonable. A must recommend.

• Pros: Authentic Mexican, great service and reasonable prices
• Cons: Comm Ave, so parking can be a challenge. There is valet parking for $6, which, of course, beats a ticket.

04/27/07

Bad service, food okay

by desieclipse at Citysearch

I went here last night with high hopes of finally finding a good Mexican restaurant on the East Coast. The valet service was efficient and polite & the ambiance was wonderful. It is a really pretty restaurant with a relaxing and tasteful decor. The chips and salsa were excellent as was the peach flavored red wine sangria we ordered. However, when it came down to making a recommendation for my order the waiter was not able to suggest anything definitively & the dish I ordered (a vegetarian stew) - upon his recommendation - was basically tasteless. I'm thinking if I ordered an enchilada or meat dish I might have had a better experience. By the time I was able to flag down another server to send my dish back, my dinner companion was already done with their entree - the wait time for service was completely unacceptable - I decided not to order anything else. It was a very unpleasant experience & I'm not sure I would go back to this restaurant. I'm disappointed because things started so well with the chips and the sangria...

• Pros: Nice ambiance, valet parking, many varieties of delicious sangria
• Cons: Extremely slow service, vegetarian stew is awful, other dishes are average

04/27/07

Always a good dinner!

by mu9999 at Citysearch

I have never had a bad experience here, and that's perfect considering it's right in the neighborhood. The food is yummy - be sure to get the freshly made guacamole. There is an interesting sangria selection and nice atmosphere. Consistently really nice and a good value as well.

• Pros: good mexican, nice atmosphere, good value
• Cons: none!

10/30/06

great sangria!

by beansbean at Citysearch

went there last night with my boyfriend. we always passed by this place but decided to have dinner and it was great! i love the salsa and chips that came in the beginning and the kiwi sangria was okay - not a lot of kiwi. great prices. my sirloiin steak was cooked to perfection and the beans and rice was a good accompaniment but it was an okay meal. my boyfriend had the tuna rare and i gotta say - that chocolate sauce is AMAZING. i will be getting that next time. the flan was okay nothing to rave about. service was a little slow at times, but it filled up really fast while we were there. will def be coming again!!!

• Pros: food, ambience