El Pelón Taqueria
| Address: | 92 Peterborough St, Boston, MA 02215, USA |
| Phone: | +1 617-262-9090 |
| Site: | elpelon.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
JA
Jay Keyes
El Pelon in the Fenway neighborhood serves some of Bostons best burritos, though not THE best burritos -- that title belongs to Annas Taqueria. I order my El Pelon burrito with carnitas, black beans, rice, salsa, hot sauce, and cheese. The carnitas are excellent, the meat is tasty and has just the right amount of seasoning. Hot sauce has a nice kick to it. The salsa is fresh-tasting and tangy, even if it lacks cilantro. Unfortunately, lettuce sometimes sneaks its way into my burrito if I am not emphatic enough about my "lettuce does NOT belong in burritos" policy when I order. Unfortunately, the only cheese option was shredded cheddar cheese. This was most disappointing to me. One of the things that sets Annas apart from everyone else, in my opinion, is their usage of Oaxacan white cheese. Because of their undisciplined burrito wrapping approach, I believe El Pelon seems to suffer from the problem that a lot of big chain burrito shops (e.g. Chipotle) suffer from -- uneven distribution of ingredients. I had several bites of my burrito that contained ONLY salsa. As someone who is a complete amateur of burritos but wraps them every now and then, I dont know why only certain restaurants seem to consistently get this right. Aside from these problems, El Pelon makes a fine burrito, and you should definitely check them out if youre in the Fenway area.
JO
Joey Melnick
I dont think this is the best burrito I have ever eaten, not even the best in Boston. PHEW there. I said it. The truth just feels right, you know? Dont get me wrong El Pelon makes a solid burrito, one that I can whole heartedly recommend. But I dont think its the Mexican food Mecca that people make it out to be. Vegetarian here, and the options for burritos are limited because of that. Actually the entire menu is pretty limited because of that. The mix of flavors in the burrito is good, it is key when you order to ASK FOR HOT SAUCE. The first one I got I didnt realize I had to, and boy was I disappointed. No hot sauce on a burrito, why even bother? Theres a few other gripes I have with El Pelon. I got a tamales and it was pretty bland. Once I got a side of beans and rice and that costs $4-$5... seriously? Its beans and rice. They were delicious but lets get real, its beans and rice!! TL;DR They make a solid burrito (ask for hot suace). Go, eat, be merry, but I dont think its significantly better than the others.
JA
Jason Braga
This burrito shop is awful! I had a terrible experience w/a lost credit card and their customer service protocols are non existent. Because there is no consistency w/customers issues, I had a problem with my account only to realize had they had a procedure set in place I wouldnt of had to deal with that major inconvenience. Their portions have no standards! If youre a big person you get more, small less!!! Lastly the sexism is blatant as they only hire females to work upfront and the females arent diverse. They are slightly diverse in ethnicity, only slightly and are not in character. Their attitudes are like privileged princess who cant be bothered by anyone who doesnt reflect their so called "norm" and the general manager was ill equipped to handle the severity of my situation! There are better burritos restaurants around that tastes way better than theirs too for a lower price.
DR
Drew Starr
Anyone who tells you about how awesome Chipotle is has never been to el Pelon. The first mission burrito I ever had was at this location of el Pelon nearly 15 years ago. It was also the place of my first fish taco. Life changing experiences, both. And I have yet to find anyone who can surpass em. If youre able to tear yourself away from the pescado tacos and el guapo burrito (a big as your head steak burrito stuffed with guac, plantains, and everything else), the torta sandwiches and various sides are all great. Its not on the menu, but get an horchata to drink. Service is fast and friendly. Its fast food, but theyll bring your order out to you if you choose to wait outside. Dont forget to ask for hot sauce. Everythings made in house, and it just plain rocks.
AN
Andrew Wise
I live in Fenway and go to El Pelon just about every week. My go to is the pork torta, but the burritos and tacos are great as well. I tried the fish tacos for the first time the other day and they are now my favorite fish tacos in Boston. I have yet to try something on their menu that I dont like. From the Horchata to the veggie burritos to the tamales to the plantains, El Pelon makes great, fresh Mexican food quickly. Since I eat here all the time anyway, I was super excited when I heard they would be catering for lunch at an event in Cambridge. They even offered to deliver our massive order. That wasnt necessary, but I wont forget that they are willing to deliver catering to Cambridge. Their catering was fresh and was super delicious, as always.
JI
Jill Silverberg
Visited this place with a friend after deciding that we had visited the Rod Dee next door enough times to want something different. That was a very good choice on our part. Despite its take out appearance and small size, the people here know how to make good Mexican food. Also, the prices are right on the mark. My friends cheese quesadilla was deliciously basic. Sometimes the most simple things can be the most delicious. I went for the famous fish burrito, a combination I had never thought to try. Everything about it, like the internet had promised, was perfect. The fish was cooked well, the spicy level was not too strong but not absent either. I also splurged an extra dollar and added some guacamole that proved to be worth it.
VI
Vincent Lynch
Honestly not sure about the hype. Food was just fine. But not very flavorful or memorable. If I bought the ingredients at home and made my own burrito it would taste exactly the same. But its very true that the value is good. Hefty burrito that is a big meal. The same cant be said for the sides. A cup of bland yellow rice is $4!!! Seriously insane that its half the price of a burrito and only 1/5 the food. If there is a long line (4-5 people in front of you will probably be nearly 20 minute wait till you have your food) just go elsewhere. There are more restaurants on either side. I think a lot of the 5 star reviews may be fueled by pre- and post-baseball beers. The taste is certainly not amazing.
DA
Danielle Svancara
I got a fish burrito based off other reviewers and was so disappointed! The fish was dry and flavorless, the rice undercooked and the beans were the same as the fish. Salsa was way too mild, but fresh, so theres that i guess. Maybe my standards are too high coming from a town in CA known as little mexico, but this was one of the worst mexican food experiences Ive ever had. Looks like the only decent and authentic mexican food in new england is taqueria mexico in wallingford ct.
CA
Caitlin McGlynn
I was so glad they reopened this location as I was dying to try it out! I went with the pescado tacos after the rave reviews and was not disappointed. The fish was a little too fried for my taste but overall the flavor, freshness were out of this world. They offer an interesting and reasonably priced menu and I cannot wait to return. Just wish the location was a tad more convenient but thats probably a good thing :) Super friendly and helpful staff too.
