Fajitas and ‘Ritas

Hidden on West Street by the Boston Common, “Fajitas and ‘Ritas” has long been a favorite of the college crowd.  However it’s not just for those matriculating in Boston.  With their cheap prices, fun atmosphere and variety of Mexican food it’s a winner for anyone looking to get something to eat before hitting the bars on a weekend night.

The tables have rolls of paper towels already on them for the mess you will inevitably make.  So I don’t recommend this as a date restaurant, at least not a first date restaurant.  You also receive a basket of fresh chips and salsa from the moment you sit down, which is never a bad thing.  Once perusing the menu you don’t have to worry about shouting your order to the wait staff because you just check off what you want on the additional paper menu they give you.   This place is loud, colorful, fun and delicious.

Food
While there are many choices on the menu, it would be a mistake to at least not try the fajitas.  You can order them steak, chicken, vegetable, shrimp, scallop or a combination of any of those options.  They come fast and hot, served with guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and flour tortillas.  From there you pick how many people it’s for.  So if you and another person are ordering the same thing, make sure you sit next to each other because both orders will come out on one sizzling skillet.

Aside from sharing the dishes, you should also look into sharing pitchers of margaritas with your co-dinners.  I’ve been to “Fajitas and ‘Ritas” a few times, and I’ve never had anything to drink except the margaritas because they are fantastic.  My suggestion is to get one mango and one raspberry (my favorites) and half a glass of half of each.   You can also order original, strawberry, or one of their nightly special flavors.  About $5.00 for a glass and $13.00 for a pitcher it’s a (tasty) steal.

If you are like my friends and I, you sometimes want to make small adjustments to the dishes but feel bad asking to do so.  The way you order nachos at “Fajitas and ‘Ritas” eliminates that problem.  You start with a platter of chips and cheese, and then just build from there, adding whatever you want for set prices.  We went with chili, refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes, salsa and jalapenos.  But you can also add extra cheese, cucumbers, steak, black olives, or a variety of other toppings.

Complaints

One of the reasons we came here was because a friend of mine has a gluten allergy.  Typically she does well with Mexican restaurants because of the corn tortillas, chips and rice.  However, they unfortunately didn’t have corn tortillas, only flour.  This lead to much fewer options for her to chose from.  Eventually she decided on the Tequila Wings, which weren’t terrible but weren’t great.  They were relatively bland and dry. Not bad enough to send back, but not good enough to order again.  So if you are also Gluten-free, this probably isn’t the best place for you.

For a large restaurant, the wait time always seems like it’s much longer than it should be.  This is partially because they don’t take reservations for small groups of people (yet another reason to go with a big group).  If there is only a few of you going I suggest not being too hungry because it’s going to take a frustratingly long time.

If there was a decent bar space to sit at and have a drink while waiting, it wouldn’t be such an issue.  Unfortunately the bar area is miniscule, and typically packed with plenty of other people waiting just like yourself.  The bar tenders are pretty good about getting you a drink right away, but there isn’t much room to sit.  So if you want to order an appetizer you’re pretty much out of luck.

Rating

3 out of 4 forks

I am a big fan of “Fajitas and ‘Ritas” for their food, atmosphere, and especially their prices.  I’ve been a few times and I’ll definitely be back.  What their menu lacks in depth they make up for in quality.  Definitely check it out if you have a group of friends that don’t mind waiting, sharing, or drinking margaritas.