Border Cafe
| Address: | 32 Church St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA |
| Phone: | +1 617-864-6100 |
| Site: | bordercafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
A
A Private User
Who doesnt love a fun atmosphere designed for large groups to congregate, drink tequila and stuff themselves with delicious Mexican food? Up until this fall, I loved the Border Cafe for these very virtues. Fabulous, not overly-sweet margaritas, oh-so-fresh deep fried tortilla chips, amazing corn and black bean empanadas with red pepper sauce that makes me drool even in a fleeting thoughts. Kind staff. Efficiency. Everyone leaves happy and full. This fall, a group of friends met around 5:30 PM at the Border Cafe bar, ready to celebrate a birthday. In our quest to arrange a table (which, for the record, took over 2 hours), my dear friend was introduced to the new owner of the restaurant chain. He explained his quest to "healthify" the restaurant. Most noticeably, the chips were of a lower quality (less deep-fried, which is indeed healthier) and the margaritas went from a quality crafted drink to what tastes like a melted frozen margarita bucket. They were so sweet I could hardly finish my first drink. The bartenders receive props for this evening, because as we spent over two hours waiting for a table at the bar, we requested less sweet margaritas and they crafted a finely fresh-lime squeezed margaritas. Who does not receive props is the new owner. Upon making the comment to him that we werent fond of the new drink mixture, he said, "well, maybe you should drink more then it wouldnt really matter, would it?" Inappropriate? Unquestionably. Im still in mourning of the Border cafe of past. The corn and black bean empanadas with that mouth watering red pepper sauce are still blessedly the same, but the spirit of the restaurant is gone for me, with leadership prepared to take advantage of what he assumes is a clientele with apathetic tastebuds, only patronizing the restaurant to get drunk.
JU
Julia Cheong
My guilty pleasure restaurant! Its by no means authentic Mexican, but Im not going to argue with super tasty food. Ive been going to this place since I was in college and still love it when someone suggests going there for a meal. Its loud and packed almost all days of the week at any time of the day, so be aware. Also know to expect a wait; on Fridays and weekend dinners, it can get quite long. They dont take reservations, and they wont seat you until everyone in your party is there. All the hassle aside, the food is so worth it! Id definitely recommend the strawberry daiquiri. If youre a non-drinker, get the virgin type - its so delicious! Im not a fan of tequila, but friends that have gotten the house margarita say theyre decent as well. They have the best chips and salsa here - the chip is freshly fried from tortillas, in-house, and the servers are generous with refills. Try not to fill up on chips and salsa, because the entrees are worth the wait. For entrees, I love the crawfish etouffee, shrimp and crawfish quesadilla, seafood enchilada, and the steak fajitas. My boyfriend loves getting an extra order of the steak fajitas, specifically to let it sit in the fridge and have it as leftovers the day after. It is definitely better after a day in the fridge!
AN
Andy Silva
A guilty pleasure restaurant. Its like CRACK to the minivan and fanny pack crowd. The food is pretty uninspired. Way more Tex than Mex. The flavors come from adding lots of cheese, heavily seasoned meats and smoky goodness, rather than fresh, in-season ingredients and light, bright flavors... and in this case, thats totally fine by me; I always need something heavy to weigh down the bucket of pacifico and cheesy caddilac margaritas Ill consume. The wait times are absurd, its not particularly cheap for what you get, its chock-full of tourists, they always have, and always will repeat the same 18 cheesy latin rock or mexican inspired classic country-western songs, you walk out smelling like enchiladas, the freshly fried tortilla chips are often chewy and greasy (Ive worked in a restaurant that made fresh ones... NOT that hard to do them really well)... but Ill rarely protest if a friend really wants to go here to tie one on, or grab a quick afternoon bite before the crowds roll in.
MA
Maria Kristina Grannæs
Where do I begin? As you enter, you find yourself in a colourful Mexican inspired room. There is lots of space and nice solid furniture made of solid tree. You will get warm nachos and salsa dip so you have something to nibble on while you check out the menu. I asked for guacamole while we ordered our drinks and our waitress got it for us right away. And it was REALLY good guacamole, fresh and full of flavour. My husband and I ordered fajitas with beef and chicken. The food arrived quickly and was very, very tasty. As we dug in to our food, our drinks (soft drinks) and nachos were refilled swiftly - we never lacked anything. I ordered a strawberry Margarita Virgin. It too arrived quickly and was very refreshing. Another thing I liked about this place is that the managers are present in a good way, making sure everybody in their restaurant is having a good experience during their visit.
ME
Meagan Magnoni
On my last visit to Border cafe, the bartender forgot to put the tequila in my strawberry margarita (Ive had that drink many times before, so I KNOW when theres no tequila). Instead of simply getting me a new drink, the waitress brought the manager over who proceeded to tell me that the bartenders use precise measurements to make the drink and so there must be tequila in the drink. Flabbergasted at being told I, the customer, was wrong, I ordered a different margarita (the one my husband had ordered). When the new drink came out, it was much, much stronger than my husbands drink. So much for "precise measurements." Finally, when we got the bill, instead of copping my drink to make up for their mistake, they charged the full amount for the new drink. To make a long story short: dont bother trying to tell them somethings wrong with your order. At Border Cafe, the manager is always right.
CH
Christopher Plasse
First off let me begin by saying that the food here is great. They have good mexican food, and reasonably priced. However when we went there, while going to pay the check, we gave the waitress 2 cards and asked her to split it between the 2. She comes back with 1 card, and the whole amount on that card. When I asked her where my card was, she gave an attitude, and swore we only gave her one. It is 100% fact that there were 2 cards given, and she lost/stole mine. It wouldnt have been as bad if she handled it in a more professional manner, E.G. "Im so sorry, let me take your information and I will get back to you if we find it." Instead she decided to get confrontational, and deny the fact that 2 cards were given. Needless to say, I have to cancel my debit card and wont be able to withdraw for a few weeks until the new one comes in. Will not be returning for a long time.
CH
Charles Bosse
I was initially skeptical of meeting at a "cafe" for drinks, but this place was good, and managed to seat an expanding group of 10 or so people without much of a to-do about it. The decor is a little over the top, and there is nothing here that couldnt be found elsewhere, but there is a decent selection of food (more than just the standard variations on three dishes that a lot of tex-mex restaurants have) with selections for vegans and other special diets. The margaritas are well done and reasonably priced, if standard, and there are a few other options if you want to drink but arent into mixed drinks. I probably wont go out of my way to get there on my own, but its a good place to meet (or take) a group if you are in the Harvard area.
