El Sarape Inc

01/03/09

Great Mexican Restaurant

by PedroGlen

The staff is very friendly and attentive. The Margaritas are one of the Best by Vitas. The Food is Excellent, especially, The Pescado Relleno and the Stuffed Rib Eye Steak. Without doubt, Javier is one of the most extraordinay chefs. The music by Alexander is fantastic and adds to the wonderful atmosphere, creating the perfect balance when you are eating in the perfect place: El Sarape!

• Pros: friendly ambience, good service, great food, excellent margaritas
• Cons: Parking

06/16/08

Worse food ever

by nilius31

I dont know what the condemns eat in jail but am sure that is better than here.

WARNING if you dont want to get traumatize i suggest to eat somwhere else.

Worse sangria,worse food,BEST DIET COCE.

• Pros: Thanks good for your food
• Cons: Thanks good for your food

04/28/08

Mexican on the South Shore

by guyfood

We've been going to El Sarape since it first opened 20 years ago when it was more like walking into a sub shop than a restaurant! They've come along way but have suffered through some growing pains. We actually stopped going for awhile due to a couple of bad experiences. We have gone back and now make sure we go on off peak times. When this place is packed, and it usually is, the service and food get very mediocre. However when they have the time, they still do it right. Go for lunch.....although it can be expensive...expect to pay Boston prices in Weymouth Landing.

• Pros: good food, drink...parking
• Cons: expensive

02/09/08

Still the best around.

by drewcifer66

The problem El Sarape has today, is the El Sarape of yesterday. Over the last 20 years the South Shore Mexican restaurant has built up a great reputation for as being authentic, which is rare. This leads to high expectations. But as it has gotten more crowded, the quality has become inconsistent. When we first discovered El Sarape in the mid ?90s, it was a real treat for our Texas and New Mexican-tempered palettes. It was an authentic, home-made change from the commercial places, and a serious upgrade from the general malaise affecting Mexican food in the Boston area. Another reviewer mentioned Carmen?s and El Phoenix, both favored by locals, but far from the real deal. (Carmen's? ooof!) I have learned the hard way never to trust the recommendation of a native Bostonian when it comes to Mexican. In fact, when they taste authentic cuisine, they often dislike it. Before El Sarape we went to La Paloma, which is decent and consistent, but lacks the soul we found at Sarape. Like any place, you need to know what to order. First, the Margaritas: The Presidente made with Herradura is the best I?ve had. You?ll want another! The place has always had a great Tequila selection. For appetizers the carnitas is their own version, but very tasty. They do a great job with sauces, so we typically get enchiladas verdes and enchiladas with mole poblano. Sarape is one of the few places that will even attempt the rich 30-ingredient mole sauce. On a good night, it?s to-die for. But a good thing doesn?t always last forever: The most recent couple of times we?ve been there, it has been terribly crowded with a long wait, and the food has suffered. Indeed, our beloved mole was off last time. Powdery! We found out the head-chef left to start Las Palmas de Cuba in 2005. Well, that explains it! So we went there. It was awesome. Too bad the place tanked in about eight months. Maybe he?s back at Sarape! On a good night, however, El Sarape still has the ability to be, well, El Sarape.

• Pros: Food, Tequila bar
• Cons: Crowded, noisy. Go on an early weeknight!

02/03/08

This is by far one of the worst,this is not true Mexican

by rmcneice

The wait staff was non-existant,as a Mexican food nut,starting in CA,this place does not come close to the old Carmens, or the El Pheonix room that was in Alston,go to Booger King save your money.I have been there 3 times in the last two months to get a real taste

• Pros: None
• Cons: Not my favorite place

11/01/07

Pretty good, but nothing to call home about...

by heatherbritpop

This restaurant came highly recommended to us as authentic, good home cooking, yet inexpensive. The service was great, the food was decent, but nothing to call home about. The beans were nice, the guacamole was pretty bland and the tostadas had too much cheese on them (they weighed about a pound). The margartitas were so-so and the atmosphere was overlit and maybe too casual, with the two TVs at the bar. Overall, I'd eat there again, but wouldn't call it anything overly special. Maybe it was an off night? And at $51 before tip, it wasn't THAT cheap.

• Pros: Great, fast service, decent enough food
• Cons: Nothing to call home about, average food to sort of bland

10/30/07

Food makes up for some minor issues

by ferdfish

If you haven't been, you need to go. I've been here twice - once on a weeknight & once on a Saturday night. Saturday night reservations are recommended - although in our experience, it didn't matter (seated an HOUR late - maybe because there were 8 of us?). Anyway, both of my visits, the food was very good. Lots of flavor in each dish I ordered (or tasted of my friends' meals) and the quantity was perfect to generous. Drinks were very good also, especially the sangria. Service was extremely quick and pretty attentive, although unfriendly - some of my friends aren't familiar with Mexican dishes and our waiter was irritated to have to answer questions. Yet despite being seated an hour late and unfriendly waitstaff, the food was so good, none of us could hold a grudge! They also have live music - the Saturday night we were there, it was a guy playing guitar & singing hispanic songs - quite enjoyable. Great food, drinks & atmosphere!

• Pros: Food! Sangria! Atmosphere!
• Cons: Reservations don't guarantee quick seat; Parking is tough on weekends

07/27/07

heres the secret sangria recipe!

by boyz2558

i worked at el sarape and they screwed me on my pay a few times so i quit. heres the sangria recipe that everyone wants, and hey pass it on to all your friends.

use a pitcher a bottle of red wine

a frozen orange juice cocentrate like minute made/ only use like half

ginger ale like half of a small bottle

triple sec like nip size

sliver rum like a half cup

squeeze some limes in there

a little sugar water, which is water boiled with sugar in it, or you can just

add like 2 tablespoons of sugar thats what i do and it comes out fine

add some cinnamon last a few shakes will do

garnish with a lime and enjoy

feel free to mess around with the measurements i tried to break it down so everyone can make it at home in a pitcher size container. people have offered to pay for this recipe so pass it on ,e mail it and let all your restaurant foodies know its online

• Pros: they are sneaky and cheap and talk about all their customers in the back
• Cons: the have illegals working and the owners dont claim all their empolyees

02/28/07

Good authentic Mexican

by gastronomic03

We've been here many times and always had a great meal. I always get the mole . . . rich deep and complex. Nice variety of tequila to choose from. Great margartias.

• Pros: Good food and drinks
• Cons: Service could be more personable

10/18/06

Area families and devotees of authentic Mexican cuisine head to suburban Braintree for some of the area's best.

by Contributor

The Scene
It comes as a bit of surprise that one of the area's most popular--and authentic--Mexican restaurants is found near the suburban Braintree-Weymouth border, but the gaggle of local families and couples that fill El Sarape nightly don't seem to mind. A pair of Mexican brothers oversees the congenial, hacienda-style dining rooms and helps out when the friendly waitstaff is over-extended. If there's a wait for a table, head to the small bar for an affordable pitcher of tasty sangria.

The Food
While the menu makes a few concessions to those weaned on Mexican-American fare (gooey quesadillas, sizzling fajitas), wise diners stick to the authentic homestyle dishes like Higaditos Mexicanos (spicy grilled chicken livers) and mole poblano (chicken cooked in a rich sauce made from chocolate and chiles). Most portions are large enough to share, especially after filling up on homemade chips and salsa, and prices are more than reasonable.