La Verdad

06/30/2008 Posted by sgourmandp

Really wanted to have an experience that was awesome, delicious and lived up to the hype of Oringer's new Mexican cantina. Well, sorry to say this place is the pits. First of all, when we were seated at a table in the bar area, all we could smell was that someone had gotten sick. Clearly someone drank way too much and the restaurant cleaned up way too little. We moved outside and began the tragedy - our meal. At 7:30 PM there were several items that were sold out. HOW CAN THAT BE!?! There was no game, the place was empty and they did not have the full menu? Finally we ordered and were generally pleased w/ the guacomole and chips. But then the main courses began to arrive and this is where the meal went downhill -fast. The grill plate was salty, dry and looked like it was sitting around all day. This was also true of my tacos and, as for the waitress's highly recommended skirt steak, well it was just okay. The service was lame, our waitress spent more time flirting with a table of four guys and seemed constantly distracted. Anyway, once again Boston can't get Mexican right and Mr. Oringer, stick to what you know best. PS- Don't be fooled by the Bon Appetit listing.

Cons: Food

05/03/2008 Posted by gottogo

Went to Laverdad Last night and the food was great. I got the mixed gril plate which was steak pork and two house made sausages and my wife got the fish tacos. They were pretty busy and intil the game started after that the place cleared out. Our server was very nice and took care of us even know she was very busy. The drinks were right on and the margeritas were amazing

Pros: food drinks

Cons: parking

05/03/2008 Posted by cityBOSlover

The bar tenders and bouncers are rude, provide poor service and are always on power trips. For such a boring bar and average food they all seem to think they are a big deal. I have been her a couple of times and it always ends in the bar tender saying something rude to a paying customer. DONT GO HERE! there are lots of better options within five feet!!!!

04/20/2008 Posted by zadnor

I'll give them a slight break as I was there before a ballgame. So, yes, the service was painfully slow--they desperately needed another bartender--but it was really crowded and would be clearing out soon. No break given for the bland food. This is supposed to be Mexican, after all. The carnitas was tender and tasty but with only the tiniest hint of a Mexican marinade and no hint of seasoning. The carne asada tasted simply like plain beef. Salsa was even more bland-tasted like it was made from watercress. The tiny portion of refried beans was decent enough. Very strong bean flavor but still with the mushy consistency the dish demands. The music was so loud our bartender, when we did get the opportunity to speak to her, couldn't understand our orders. We wound up leaning across the bar shouting into her ea. I've nothing against loud music and enjoy a good Latin beat but the sound system was such that the only thing discernible was an absolutely thundering bass line. But the biggest problem is the food. It is just incredibly bland for Mexican. Maybe they're cutting food costs by not using any spices. I mean, this stuff is more bland than a Mexican restaurant in a mall in Idaho. Boston is a Mexican food wsteland and even by Boston standards it was a waste of calories. On the plus side, the margaritas were pretty tasty. Not too tart or sweet with just an edge of the tequila cutting through. I've had better, but far more often, I've had worse.

Pros: pretty good margaritas

Cons: Bland, bland, bland

03/06/2008 Posted by soendfoodie

When I sat in La Verdad last weekend, I knew I would write a citysearch review. Before I sat down to type mine up, I read the other reviews to see if other people had similar experiences to me. Apparently not. but I feel like mine is worth mentioning anyway. Friday afternoon, I called La Verdad to make reservations for a party of six that evening. Whoever answered the phone told me, "Baby, we don't take reservations." I was surprised. #1 Because she called me baby. #2 Because their website indicates they do take reservations. Regardless, we headed over to around 7pm. The hostess greets us and inquires if IF WE HAVE RESERVATIONS. I explain that I called earlier and was told they don't accept reservations. The hostess laughed and told me that person ALWAYS SAYS THAT. This did not sit well with me. To their credit, we did get a table pretty quickly. However, we also got very average food and very below average service. The waitress seemed genuinely annoyed we were there. She would not clear our plates after we finished eating. When we got and paid the bill they were still there. I'm still a Ken Oringer fan- just won't be going back to la Verdad.

02/25/2008 Posted by dugmar

My wife and I love this place, fantastic atmosphere, great authentic food and top notch margaritas. The bartender we had last Saturday (Feb 16th) she was great too, super friendly and very helpful with recommendations and she made a mean margarita. We loved it so much that last night (Sunday, Feb 25, 2008) we went back for more. Actually we brought friends, a group of us drove down to Boston to eat here. They hadn't been but really wanted to go after we raved about it and after they read the great review in Bon Appetite magazine. We were excited to have a nice dinner at La Verdad, but a bit perplexed when we saw the sign outside that says "OPEN LATE" only to find the doors locked at 7:00 PM. While we were on the corner discussing where to go, over the span of 10 minutes, we counted at least 12 couples that came there to eat. Looks like they turned away a pretty good crowd last night. Considering how far away we are and the price of gas, we are reluctant to come back now, knowing that we may find the doors locked again. It would be great if they posted business hours on their site.

Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, drinks, prices, all fantastic.

Cons: Closed on Sundays?

10/15/2007 Posted by curlysueboston

I went to La Verdad before the playoff game on Friday for a few drinks with three friends. The bar was busy, but we were still able to get drinks, it just took a few minutes. The margaritas were very good, not too sure what was in them, but delicious just the same. There was one seat open so we all congregated around there on the right side of the bar. We ordered chips and guacamole to have something to nibble on while we drank, a very good choice - very fresh and the chips were very thick not the store bought flimsy things and the guacamole was very fresh. I would definitely come back and try some more of the food (the tacos looked really awesome) . Also, I’d like to see what it’s like on non-game night.

Pros: good drinks, crowded, fun spot before the game

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

10/01/2007 Posted by northendchica

Authentic Mexican food was hard to find in Boston –until La Verdad opened. Not only do they serve you the best tacos in the city, but also they have the ambience that will keep people coming back. As you walk past the take out/open kitchen, you enter a room filled with soft light and Mexican wrestling masks dangle from the ceiling, in other words you are transposed to a different world. My party and I sat at a table and ordered a pitcher of the La Verdad margarita – best margarita I’ve ever had, just tequila, agave nectar, and freshly squeezed limejuice – and decided what to order. We decided on the quesadilla, a mixture of grilled corn, mushrooms, cilantro and monetary cheese, and the Toro corn, which is corn rubbed with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and chili powder. The corn was messy but well worth it, it was fabulous and very distinctive, and the quesadilla was equally as delicious as it a medley of flavors that were surprising. Now the reason we came to this Ken Oringer establishment - the tacos. I ordered 1 pescado, 1 carnitas, and 1 turkey pastor. Each taco tasted better than the next, and the presentation was equally as impressive. The pescado was a lightly friend fish with chipolte mayo, avocado puree, and shredded cabbage. After trying the fish taco I realized I had just found my new favorite food. The carnitas and carne asada were equally as good, but the pescado was my favorite, probably because it was unlike what I was expecting. I have now found the best Mexican food in Boston, and am definitely going to be a regular at this restaurant

Pros: authentic mexican food, pitchers of margaritas, cool vibe

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

09/28/2007 Posted by bostonblondie

I went to La Verdad for the first time last night before the game (left work a bit early…) for some margaritas and pre-game food where I met up with up some friends. We all arrived at different times, so we congregated at the bar. The bartender suggested I try their signature drink - the La Verdad Margarita a blend of tequila, agave nectar and fresh squeezed limejuice (which they do as they make their drinks, a very nice touch!) was amazing. The drink, which can be served in a pitcher, was not your typical sugary, tart margarita, but rather a delicious, refreshing beverage that I loved. My friends followed suit, and we then decided to do a tequila shot. One of my friends asked on a whim if they had any sangrita, which is a tomato juice spiced with chilies and limejuice used to chase tequila (no need for lime or salt), and they did! So far in our eyes this place was awesome. As we continued our experience we ordered some food, an order of the chorizo tacos, a chicken milanesa torta, and chips and guacamole. We shared everything that which was great because everything looked and tasted amazing. The chorizo tacos were mixed with potato, poblano peppers, lime, cilantro, and onion, they had a little kick, but they were so good. The tacos are served in three’s and they are each about 3 bites, a great dish to share. The torta is a sandwich with chicken, Oaxaca cheese, molasses-chipotles, avocado, Mexican herbs, and refried beans, and was exactly the kind of food that balances out all the margaritas, and finally the chips and guacamole was so fresh and was highlighted by the hand made tortillas (you can see the woman making them as you walk in the restaurant) that they make into chips. All in all we left, wishing we could have stayed a bit longer, had some more margaritas and more delicious food, but we had the sox game to go to, and we’ll all be back for a non game day, I think this is a great spot!

Pros: agave nectar margaritas, fresh tortillas, great scene...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

08/22/2007 Posted by dlewis85

Went to La Verdad yesterday before Rufus Wainwright concert on a friend's recommendation. I was aware it would be busy but I was greeted(with a very nice smile) and seated soon after. While waiting my girlfriend and I had margaritas at the bar, I had the house and she had the frozen strawberry - she loved hers(nice and sweet she wants me to write) and mine was fantastic - I really liked the touch the fresh-squeezed lime had instead of Rose's bottled. When we were seated outside after 10 minutes or so our server came over right away and asked if we had been there before, etc. She made some recommendations about her favorites (grilled corn, fish tacos, carne asada tacos, shrimp tacos) and we decided to take her word and stick with the recommendations. The corn was fantastic, and the fish tacos were out of this world good. The other tacos were great too - the taste of the corn tortillas was delicious. The atmosphere was perfect for what we were looking for - light and breezy with upbeat music, and even though the staff was clearly very busy, they ran with smiles on their face. On the way to the concert (which was very cool too, Rufus rocks) my girl remarked that she was surprised at the personal level of service and food quality for a location on Landsdowne, and how nice it was to get the feeling that you were in a restaraunt with a fun, casual atmosphere instead of a loud, crowded (or loud and empty that night) bar. We had a great time, it was the perfect way to start our night, and we will be back.

Pros: Quality food, drinks, service

Cons: parking

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful