bex77

We tried the recently expanded TaQueria La Mexicana in Union Square last night. The owner, Roberto, is a sweetheart who gave us free food. It was a revelation - cheap, fast and great Mexican food! All the dishes we tried were under $10.

Here's their web site: http://www.lataqueria.com/ with lots of yummy photos.

There was a Globe article in August and I've been meaning to get over there ever since.
http://www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/articles/2008/08/13/two_new_options_from_mexican_standbys/

There are a whopping 96 reviews on Yelp! using phrases like "best Mexican in the entire Boston area," "Authentic" and "yumsky."

It's in Union Square on the little parking lot, near the Independent and Great Thai Chef. There's usually parking in that little lot, or on the streets nearby. They are open for lunch and dinner every day from 11 am to 10 pm (close at 9 pm on Sundays). The decor is subtle Mexican and very spacious, with a bar down one side.

They bring free salsa and chips. The salsa was a rather shocking orange color and pureed...it looked like butternut squash to me! But it was tasty.

I didn't know what to order, so I asked the owner. He told me their chiles rellonos are the best. Now, I don't ordinarily eat peppers, so I was leary but he said he'd let me try it for free ($8.75 value!) so we did. It was not fried, but baked, covered in cheese and filled with potato-chorizo sausage. Yum.

They have wines, bottled bears, sangrias, and an assortment of marqaritas. N. tried a blue one!

We ordered
Chicken soup - boring name for a delicious, huge bowl of rich broth with chunks of chicken, carrots, spices onions and lime juice - similar to albondigas but with chicken instead of beef

Shrimp Seviche - Maine shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, peppers and citrus juice - very fresh and cool and tasty

Enchiladas - I choose the shredded pork filling. They covered them with cheese, served with rice and beans. Not exciting, but simple and comforting.

Flan - this was the largest flan I've ever seen in a restaurant! Instead of the usual little circle, it was a rectangle the size of three playing cards! Definitely big enough to share. Cool, fresh and not too sweet. Awesome.

The service was fine, if a little split-personality. We didn't get much attention from the waitress, but the owner took good care of us. We were in a bit of a hurry to get off to the theater, but didn't feel rushed and got in and out easily in just over an hour.

The bill for two (drink, appetizer, soup, entree and dessert) was less than $34. Wow.

A success! We'll definitely go back. The owner said all gringos are welcome!