El Sarape Inc

I love it here! I've been coming for years. The sangria is THE BEST I have ever tasted. The staff is super friendly and the live music on weekends adds to the fun. more

We went out with my fiance's parents to lunch yesterday expecting some decent Mexican cuisine. The place looked like a dive from the outside but fun on the inside. Of course then we got the problems. First, the menus we got were for dinner and not lunch, and the prices were TWICE what there was online. Then the food took over half an hour to get to us, which did not make us happy. The food itself was ok -if not a little cold- at first, but then an hour later we were all feeling kind of gross. To top it all off, the bill was $53 for just the four of us...and that was after ordering the lower priced items. All in all the experince was not fun at all and very dissapointing. I will not eat here again unless convinced other wise and will actively tell people NOT to go here. Pros: Indoor decor Cons: late, average food, weird smell, gas more

The staff is very friendly and attentive. The Margaritas are one of the Best by Vitas. The Food is Excellent, especially, The Pescado Relleno and the Stuffed Rib Eye Steak. Without doubt, Javier is one of the most extraordinay chefs. The music by Alexander is fantastic and adds to the wonderful atmosphere, creating the perfect balance when you are eating in the perfect place: El Sarape! Pros: friendly ambience, good service, great food, excellent margaritas Cons: Parking more

I dont know what the condemns eat in jail but am sure that is better than here.\r WARNING if you dont want to get traumatize i suggest to eat somwhere else.\r Worse sangria,worse food,BEST DIET COCE. Pros: Thanks good for your food Cons: Thanks good for your food more

We've been going to El Sarape since it first opened 20 years ago when it was more like walking into a sub shop than a restaurant! They've come along way but have suffered through some growing pains. We actually stopped going for awhile due to a couple of bad experiences. We have gone back and now make sure we go on off peak times. When this place is packed, and it usually is, the service and food get very mediocre. However when they have the time, they still do it right. Go for lunch.....although it can be expensive...expect to pay Boston prices in Weymouth Landing. Pros: good food, drink...parking Cons: expensive more

The problem El Sarape has today, is the El Sarape of yesterday. Over the last 20 years the South Shore Mexican restaurant has built up a great reputation for as being authentic, which is rare. This leads to high expectations. But as it has gotten more crowded, the quality has become inconsistent. When we first discovered El Sarape in the mid ?90s, it was a real treat for our Texas and New Mexican-tempered palettes. It was an authentic, home-made change from the commercial places, and a serious upgrade from the general malaise affecting Mexican food in the Boston area. Another reviewer mentioned Carmen?s and El Phoenix, both favored by locals, but far from the real deal. (Carmen's? ooof!) I have learned the hard way never to trust the recommendation of a native Bostonian when it comes to Mexican. In fact, when they taste authentic cuisine, they often dislike it. Before El Sarape we went to La Paloma, which is decent and consistent, but lacks the soul we found at Sarape. Like any place, you need to know what to order. First, the Margaritas: The Presidente made with Herradura is the best I?ve had. You?ll want another! The place has always had a great Tequila selection. For appetizers the carnitas is their own version, but very tasty. They do a great job with sauces, so we typically get enchiladas verdes and enchiladas with mole poblano. Sarape is one of the few places that will even attempt the rich 30-ingredient mole sauce. On a good night, it?s to-die for. But a good thing doesn?t always last forever: The most recent couple of times we?ve been there, it has been terribly crowded with a long wait, and the food has suffered. Indeed, our beloved mole was off last time. Powdery! We found out the head-chef left to start Las Palmas de Cuba in 2005. Well, that explains it! So we went there. It was awesome. Too bad the place tanked in about eight months. Maybe he?s back at Sarape! On a good night, however, El Sarape still has the ability to be, well, El Sarape. Pros: Food, Tequila bar Cons: Crowded, noisy. Go on an early weeknight! more

The wait staff was non-existant,as a Mexican food nut,starting in CA,this place does not come close to the old Carmens, or the El Pheonix room that was in Alston,go to Booger King save your money.I have been there 3 times in the last two months to get a real taste Cons: Not my favorite place more

This restaurant came highly recommended to us as authentic, good home cooking, yet inexpensive. The service was great, the food was decent, but nothing to call home about. The beans were nice, the guacamole was pretty bland and the tostadas had too much cheese on them (they weighed about a pound). The margartitas were so-so and the atmosphere was overlit and maybe too casual, with the two TVs at the bar. Overall, I'd eat there again, but wouldn't call it anything overly special. Maybe it was an off night? And at $51 before tip, it wasn't THAT cheap. Pros: Great, fast service, decent enough food Cons: Nothing to call home about, average food to sort of bland more

If you haven't been, you need to go. I've been here twice - once on a weeknight & once on a Saturday night. Saturday night reservations are recommended - although in our experience, it didn't matter (seated an HOUR late - maybe because there were 8 of us?). Anyway, both of my visits, the food was very good. Lots of flavor in each dish I ordered (or tasted of my friends' meals) and the quantity was perfect to generous. Drinks were very good also, especially the sangria. Service was extremely quick and pretty attentive, although unfriendly - some of my friends aren't familiar with Mexican dishes and our waiter was irritated to have to answer questions. Yet despite being seated an hour late and unfriendly waitstaff, the food was so good, none of us could hold a grudge! They also have live music - the Saturday night we were there, it was a guy playing guitar & singing hispanic songs - quite enjoyable. Great food, drinks & atmosphere! Pros: Food! Sangria! Atmosphere! Cons: Reservations don't guarantee quick seat; Parking is tough on weekends more

i worked at el sarape and they screwed me on my pay a few times so i quit. heres the sangria recipe that everyone wants, and hey pass it on to all your friends.\r use a pitcher a bottle of red wine\r a frozen orange juice cocentrate like minute made/ only use like half \r ginger ale like half of a small bottle\r triple sec like nip size\r sliver rum like a half cup\r squeeze some limes in there\r a little sugar water, which is water boiled with sugar in it, or you can just\r add like 2 tablespoons of sugar thats what i do and it comes out fine\r add some cinnamon last a few shakes will do\r garnish with a lime and enjoy\r feel free to mess around with the measurements i tried to break it down so everyone can make it at home in a pitcher size container. people have offered to pay for this recipe so pass it on ,e mail it and let all your restaurant foodies know its online Pros: they are sneaky and cheap and talk about all their customers in the back Cons: the have illegals working and the owners dont claim all their empolyees more

We've been here many times and always had a great meal. I always get the mole . . . rich deep and complex. Nice variety of tequila to choose from. Great margartias. Pros: Good food and drinks Cons: Service could be more personable more

Make sure to get Margaritas and Guacamole to start... Next try the Enchiladas Verdes or Enchiladas Poblanas. If your'e lucky enough to go on a night when they have key lime pie with tequila, get it... Otherwise Mexican canoli or the Flan. Prices are good too, around $12 for their ""PLATOS TRADICIONALES"". Don't expect Tex-Mex, this is Authentic Mexican all the way. Pros: good service, excellent margeritas, great food more

Being newly transplanted Chicanos from So. Cal, my wife and i were longing for a taste of home. what a dissppointment. the chips stale and flavorless. salsa tasted like cold shrimp cocktail sauce. The appetizer carnitas was like no carnitas we've ever tried --orange flavored sauce? we then thought we'd play it safe with the tacos and burritos. what came out was a plate of beef, bacon, cheese quesadilla-like tacos w/a side of luke warm old spanish rice and a black bean paste. (black bean is not a common mexican bean accompaniment.) the burritos were filled w/ a bland, oily ground beef mixture, slathered in a thick layer of cheese and a bland red sauce. my wife almost lost her cookies after tasting this mexican delight. the only thing we enjoyed was the cold bohemia beers and lime. Pros: ambience, easy street parking, friendly waitstaff Cons: food, price more

When I first starting going to El Sarape , 1988, it was more of a take out place. Over the years they have expanded and the food remains the best mex I have ever had. You have to try the carnitas and my favoriite, Pollo Ala Naranja. Service is always excellent, but the wait can be long on a Friday and Saturday night, but that is the price you pay for authentic mexican food. The Margaritas are also awesome. Pros: Service, Food, ambience more

I tried this restaurant last weekend because of the high rating it got on CitySearch. I'm sure the large crowd could be attributed to it being a Saturday night but the wait was longer than it should've been. When I checked in I was told I'd have a 45 minute wait. My wait turned out to be closer to twice that. We were passed over several times by people who had gotten there after us because we were only a party of 2 and they wanted to seat larger parties. The food was excellent but this service was terrible. I probably won't go back because of this. Pros: interesting food Cons: low wait to be seated, limited space more

Pepe and crew have the best Mexican food in the Boston area. The Carnitas are phenominal wrap them in a nice spft flour tortilla. The Pollo Cilantro is excellent! Pros: Fresh food, Service, the salsa more

Those fleeing from the west coast (such as myself) would do themselves a great favor to try El Sarape. Every bit of our first visit was fantastic - the waitstaff, though shortchanged, were very polite and quick to accomodate us. If you haven't tried mole yet, I highly recommend the Mole Pollo. more

This place looks decieving from the outside, but once you get inside it is like being transported to a little restaurant in mexico. It has wood tables, and the staff is curteous and very culturally diverse. The food is SOOO good. Your taste buds will thank you. I give it 5 stars. Now if only we could work on that exterior more

I had second thoughts when I saw the the exterior for the first time. Lucky for me, I went in and enjoyed some of the best I've had since moving to Massachusetts. We were left standing near the door waiting to be seated for a fewminutes, but once seated our waiter was nice enough to offer us a free sample of one of the sauces that we were not familiar with, and accomodated my request for steak meat instead of ground beef in my burrito. We left stuffed and satisfied, which means a lot since we both have spent a lot of time in the Southwest. I will go back to try more dishes. Pros: samples offered, nonstop chips n salsa Cons: run-down exterior, menu somewhat limited more

Absolutely the best mexican repast in the Boston area. If you are a true ""mex"" lover you owe it to your taste buds to try this joint out. Rave, rave, rave. Nothing better, even in Mexico. Pros: tastiest food, great service, reasonable price Cons: parking, location, need one in NH more