Achilito’s, a small Mexican restaurant chain primarily based in Massachusetts, opened its latest location in Harvard Sq. earlier this 12 months.
Though the restaurant already has places in Jamaica Plain, Brighton and Foxborough, its location at 84 Winthrop Avenue marks its first foray into the Cambridge space. The menu options quite a lot of Mexican and Latin American dishes, starting from burritos, quesadillas and bowls to empanadas, elotes and pupusas.
West Cambridge resident Daniel Wooden stated he was pushed by a sense of curiosity to attempt Achilito’s, but it surely was the standard of the meals and repair that introduced him again.
“When it opened, I needed to provide them an opportunity as a result of it appeared like they had been working actually arduous to get the place off the bottom,” Wooden stated.
However Wooden stated he rapidly got here to understand the “fantastic” workers and the prime quality of the meals.
“I’ve actually seen the freshness of the meals,” he stated. “And so they’re reasonably priced, small and huge parts.”
However Taj S. Gulati ’25 stated his meals expertise at Achilito’s “wasn’t that nice.”
“It’s extremely moist,” he stated. “It is fairly humid. And that could be a delight for some individuals; “I personally do not get pleasure from it.”
Achilito workers didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Achilito’s will face stiff competitors in Harvard Sq., recognized for the dominance of El Jefe’s Taqueria and Felipe’s Taqueria, two Mexican eating places beloved by college students for his or her lengthy hours.
Each have withstood the fierce and long-lasting competitors for demand for Mexican meals within the Plaza.
Some prospects expressed disappointment within the new addition. Gulati stated that as an alternative of one other Mexican restaurant, Harvard Sq. could be higher off if it had extra culinary selection.
“You do not want one other Mexican restaurant. We’ve Chief’s, now we have Felipe’s,” stated Gulati. “They’re cute. “They’ve a little bit of a rivalry.”
“Possibly get some Chinese language meals late at evening, or an Indian place late at evening,” he added. “I did not want a 3rd social gathering [Mexican] choice.”
Francisco Lagos, kitchen supervisor at Felipe’s, stated the pure response to Achilito’s is to be constant and “preserve all the pieces contemporary.”
“We’re specializing in what we’re doing,” Lagos stated. “We’ve to take care of the identical high quality.”
Nonetheless, Lagos advised Felipe’s may take into account extending its weekly hours to stay aggressive.
Wooden stated Achilito’s arrival on Harvard Sq.’s Mexican meals scene can enhance the standard of present eating places.
“That retains everybody on their toes,” he stated. “Any time you may have competing companies, you wish to make sure that your home is as much as par.”
—Employees author Matan H. Josephy may be reached at matan.josephy@thecrimson.com. Observe him on X@they kill josephy.