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Peaches4Puppies t1_j6bt74j wrote

Well I guess I figured out what I'm doing tomorrow.

As someone who is Mexican and used to live in SoCal, the Mexican food here is terrible. I'm surprised at the complete lack of Mexicans in Boston, since almost everywhere else in the country there is usually Mexican population. But I'm excited to find somewhere with some decent food.

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lewlkewl t1_j6c18cf wrote

I'm indian, and we have a lot of indians here, but the indian food here is also average at best. It doesn't hold a candle to anything you'll find in NYC,NJ,Chicago,Houston and a bunch of places in cali. Imo, in terms of ethnic food, the best thing Boston does is Thai. Even the average thai food in boston is as good as some of the best places in the cities i mentioned. There's also tons of great options outside of Boston too

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Hi_Jynx t1_j6eczch wrote

All that tells me though is that Indian food must be to die for in NYC because I feel like even our apparently shitty Indian food is still pretty delicious.

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lewlkewl t1_j6kevje wrote

I'm not saying it's shitty, just not nearly as good as those places. The issue with around here is you get very basic indian cuisine, basically the equivalent of "american" indian food. There aren't a lot of authentic places around here.

I still go to these indian restaurants, so im not telling people to avoid them haha.

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Repulsive-Bend8283 t1_j6ec49c wrote

Have you been to the Indian restaurants in Norwood? My only basis to judge is what I enjoyed, and I 've had some good meals down there.

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gunnersaurus95 t1_j6cz0u1 wrote

Any good Indian spots you'd recommend?

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lewlkewl t1_j6kf4x0 wrote

Imo the one thing we do well here is vegetarian. Honest up in Lowell is pretty good, i don't mind dosa n curry, and mahraja isn't bad either (although haven't been a fan post covid). There used to be a few amazing dosa places near central MA, but unfortunately they shut down during covid

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SomePolack t1_j6dffi9 wrote

+1 to amazing Thai food! So many options here.

Other ethnic foods are very lacking, even the Polish food :/

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Ohkaz42069 t1_j6dwihv wrote

There's some decent Pakistani food though. See Dabar and Manosalwa.

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lewlkewl t1_j6dxw3o wrote

Decent is definitely the way I'd describe those haha. As I said , the places I mentioned are just so far and beyond have better offerings. Manosalwa I'm definitely sick of tho cuz every Pakistani wedding ive been too in the past 5 years caters from them haha

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Ohkaz42069 t1_j6dzfo6 wrote

Definitely agree. I lived in NYC for 10 years and have spent a lot of time in Houston and Chicago. Funny enough, the best desi food I've ever had is in Kenya =).

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StudioBrighton t1_j6iwnr2 wrote

Really? Thai? I've been mostly EH on all the Thai places I've been to, except one on Boylston Street that closed.

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lewlkewl t1_j6keg0o wrote

I like cha yen in watertown, brown sugar on comm ave, kala thai in haymarket, rod d next to fenway. There are more but those are just the ones i've had more recently, and imo each one is good at something different. I actually live closer to central MA, and even there there are a lot of great options.

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Pinwurm t1_j6d86eh wrote

El Amigo is great, you’ll be happy there! It’s just a little taqueria and it does ‘em perfectly every time.

One other taqueria I’d recommend is Taqueria Don Rogue in Everett. It’s a food truck in an empty lot - and in my opinion is as good as the decent ones you’ll find in Texas or SoCal. Scratches the itch quite well.

If you want something a little more substantial, I’m a huge fan of Angela’s Cafe in East Boston for Puebla-style home cooking. One of the only places around that does Mexican food as good as I’ve had in Mexico. Their campechana and pozole are great. I love their Pipian verde too. Mexicans I know swear by this place.

Outside of that, we don’t really have a Mexican population here. Most of our Latin folks come from El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala, Peru, etc. So there’s way more Central and South American food than Mexican. Actually, I would say the Boston punches way above its weight in those categories, it’s just that most people never seek that out. It’s all super different, though Salvadorans and Guatemalans do their own takes on tacos. If you accept the stylistic differences, then Teresa’s Market in Brighton is worth a trip for their agave pulled pork tacos.

For Salvadoran, I recommend Sabor Especial (just get pupusas!) or La Hacienda.

For Colombian, I recommend El Penol.

For Guatemalan, I recommend Mi Tierra.

For Peruvian, I recommend Tambo 22. Or Rincon Limeno if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

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_peteyfourfingers_ t1_j6cwds1 wrote

Go to La Victorias in Arlington or El Vaquero in Medford. You’ll also want to head up to Lawrence for some real treats.

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parrano357 OP t1_j6es96w wrote

where in lawrence? I usually have a hard time avoiding jacquelines when in the area

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ZipBlu t1_j6cp03m wrote

It was super crowded at lunch time on Saturday because of all the hype. If you’re going today, get there early.

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