Editor Pick
The Border Cafe
- February 25, 2003
- Rated 4 of 5 by
meadowlark from Boston, Massachusetts
Highlights:
The Border Cafe is a lively restaurant with two levels of seating (ground floor and basement) and loads of tables squished in. The highlights here are the energetic atmosphere and Cambridge's best attempt at Tex-Mex food.
Making it a "Cheap Eat":
A large number of the Tex-Mex dishes (tacos, burritos, enchiladas) are $6 to $8 and include large portions of beans or rice (or thin tasty french fries if you ask for the substitution). We occasionally splurge the extra dollar or so for sour cream or guacamole. Most of these meals can be divided in two and the second half taken home. All but the french fries reheat well in the microwave.
Special tips:
Don't be dissuaded by the long queues (lines, for Americans) outside the restaurant during the weekend. The restaurant (annoyingly) likes to hold people out there even when tables are free to make the place look more popular. Get in the line because it moves very quickly. Once inside, you'll be given a pager, and then you can hang out in the bar or go outside to one of the nearby shops (bookstore and bead store nearby) and look around. An insider tip is to say "no alcohol" when they ask while taking your name. Non-drinkers get seated first because they want to give those who are going to drink time to spend money at the bar. Normal time to wait to get a table, even with a line, is 5 to 15 minutes (if you say no-alcohol).
Getting there:
From Harvard Yard or the Harvard Square T stop, locate the Body Shop. It is on the corner of Church Street. Head up the street past the crummy little movie theatre and the book/map shop, and the Border Cafe is on your left.
The low-down:
The only concerns with the Border Cafe are that it is loud/crowded (thus not suited for romantic dining) and that the food, while filling a much needed Tex-Mex niche, should not be expected to meet up to any Tex-Mex standards you might expect if you are from Texas--remember, Boston is 2,000 miles away!!
From journal Student's Guide to Cheap Eats: Harvard Square