Border Cafe
| Address: | 128 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 01803, USA |
| Phone: | +1 781-505-2500 |
| Site: | bordercafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
MI
Mike Kunkle
Border is popular. Theres frequently a wait but its reasonable. Service has always been good. The salsa is very good, the guacamole is excellent, the menu is large, as are the portions, and the food is usually very good. Meals are served quickly, in my experience so far. The spiciness of their food is the only inconsistency here, which is my reason for 4 vs. 5 stars. I dont mind a little heat, but over time, Ive noticed that the same dish will sometimes arrive much hotter than previous visits, bordering on too hot for me. It was explained that the spiciness of peppers varies by season. Even if so, Id expect a chef/kitchen staff to account for that. The other reviewers comments about noise level are accurate. It varies, but when its packed, its very loud and hard to hear (or at least for me... I have difficulty anymore in loud settings). Ive frequently had managers stop by to ensure I was pleased, and one just asked tonight, while I was having the Tostada Grande (taco salad), which I recommend (Ive had it with the pulled chicken). I miss having a refried beans option, but their black beans are good, too. With that feedback offered, especially about the variable spiciness, Id still recommend Border and continue to visit myself.
ST
Stephen Roizen
Its December 17 and there is a blizzard outside and I am staying at a nearby hotel. Traffic isnt moving and it took me over 2 hours to travel from Concord to Burlington. So, I stopped at the Border Cafe. There were about 8 customers in the big restaurant with 2 waitresses and a hostess at the hostess station and I have no idea how many more employees in the kitchen. I went in and said I wanted to get a meal for take out and was told, "Im sorry, we are an eat-in restaurant only." I was incredulous. I said, "You mean there are no customers in your restaurant and there is a blizzard outside and you wont sell me a dinner for take out even if I tell you I will never come here again if you dont?" And I was told, "Im sorry sir." Now I could understand it if the restaurant and bar were packed but I am sure they have take out containers for people who have leftovers and I would have thought they might have said, "We dont normally do take out but let me see what we can do." or "Let me ask my manager if we can accommodate you." But they let me walk out into the blizzard rather than try to satisfy a customer on a night when there were virtually no customers in the restaurant.
SA
Sangeeta K
Go there if you want to be treated like you are a kid at the boarding school! The waitress asked me rather rudely why Im ordering 4 items if we were a party of two only! She said its our policy to not give take away. I said Im ordering to eat here. She served almost reluctantly. Then, when I asked for the leftovers to be boxed, she called the lady manager, who asked me if I had ordered the food for take away, so I said, "No these are leftovers!" When I went to complain to a different manager, the lady manager followed and wouldnt let me talk to him. I said that Ive seen the same waitress box the leftovers for others without any complains, and the manager said, thats because they had ordered one entree per person. So, I asked if its a policy to order only one entree per person, and she says, "Yes, yes, it is...yes, it is...yes" It almost felt like she was going crazy repeating the same thing! Worst experience at a restaurant! I felt like Im a kid at a boarding school who is being monitored for everything. Rude staff and managers...
AR
Arlene Garvey
Burlington was Fantastic, Cambridge RUDE! Our speech therapist went the Cambridge location to borrow a menu overnight. Our class was going the next day and had wanted students to prepare with menu choices and math prior to arriving. The prices are not on line so borrowing the menu to copy for the class would have been helpful (meal cost, taxes and tip). The staff was not at all helpful to our teacher in Cambridge, actually the opposite of how we were treated in Burlington, Ma today. The hosts, Bonnie and Morgan were so welcoming and helpful during a short wait. Our waitstaff (during a busy lunch) John S. and Darky were fantastic. From the front door, food runner and the waitress who wasnt our waitstaff but brought napkins when asked as well as our two waiters...everything was so professional, so welcoming. This is a place we would like to return with our families and or friends. Our class are high schools students with special needs who earned this trip out and your staff made it well worth it. Thank you for your time.
CI
Cindy Simeone
Went to have a drink and some tortilla chips at Border Cafe in Burlington last Sunday - the chips were horrible - couldnt even eat them - why bother? - I fed them to the birds - they were thick and had no flavor. Fritio Lay makes better tortilla chips. I, and the table next to me, both complained to the waitress - she said must be a different cook!! Hello!!!? Ive been going there since the place opened and the chips have always been fantastic...oh and the Margharitas we ordered - on the rocks with salt....There was one itty bitty smidgen of salt on one side of both of our glasses - seriously? What happened??? Sloppy? Lazy? Cutting corners?? We went to Chilis next door and enjoyed their chips and salsa and drinks with plenty of salt. Bummer. Oh and we sat out on the patio - if I moved too much my chair, I was surely convinced it was going to collapse!!! The thing was rickety....
BI
Bill Bob
After years of being a patron at the Border Cafe in Burlington, I will no longer give a penny of my hard earned money to this disgraceful excuse of a restaurant. Though the food was fine, the service that I received was atrocious. Our server was most certainly a few tacos short of a combination plate (Mexican food pun intended) as she spoke to us with a sense of indignation and disrespect that no server should dare use toward a paying customer. After ordering a meal off of the kids menu, she told us that we would need clearance from her manager to do so. Last time I checked, customers dont need permission from a manager to order a certain type of meal. This treatment is unacceptable, and I warn you not to give a cent to this pathetic establishment. The server deserves to be fired and never hired at any restaurant ever again.
AA
Aarti Narvekar
Dont go.. !! Worst Mexican and Cajun food ever !! Neither the Mexican nor the Cajun dishes we ordered had the famous spices or taste. They made them so bland and cheesey that the dishes were tasting like Italian food. Ever tasted Margarita without the alchohol?? you will get it here.. On top of this, our waitress was really rude.. After bringing the plates to our table, she directly came with boxes to pack them. She didnt check on us twice neither did refill my soda even though she supposed to !! They are there only to catch the mall crowd. I am not going back there even if someone offered it to me for free :(
BO
Bob Zwolinski
Out with good friend, we had a great meal tonight, typical Border quality, good drinks as well. However, the waiter dropped off the check without asking if we wanted dessert. When we asked about it, he told us dessert was no longer served. Initially, we thought he was joking - we were waiting for him to say just kidding, what would you like?. That never happened. This will definitely affect choosing Border Cafe in the future. I dont like surprises. Maybe they should post a sign at the door warning about the dessert-free environment, or at least on the menu. So Border Cafe, whats up with no dessert?
