Reviews of Border Cafe (Restaurant)

Allen Schroedel

Stopped here to grab some dinner. Good food and big drinks. Interesting twist on Hispanic food with cajun food

Grant Houston

Their blackened chicken fajitas are awesome

Eric Gunther

Saw a wild turkey outside while dining on the patio. I always get the French Quarter chicken which is fantastic and about the size of a manhole cover. I highly recommend it as long as you don’t have much going on the rest of the day.

Steven Cote

Fantastic cajun food. My favourite is the blackened chicken with cajun marmalade. The French quarter chicken is also incredible and I have not found it anywhere else.

Alexandria Contes

Great atmosphere and excellent service! The menu was diaper son at all sounded wonderful. We had a table of 8 so everyone's food was not hot so that would be the only downside.

Tiffany

My family loves this restaurant and when we are in the Burlington area we make sure to go there. Their chimichurri steak is excellent as well as their burritos. There are a few margarita options and all are good (frozen or on the rocks). My son loves the fries here which are crunchy shoestring fries. I've been going to border cafe for years (back when there was one in Saugus next to the hilltop) and you can always get a good meal for a good price.

Peter Gibney

This place serves really great food. It is a pretty relaxed atmosphere for what it is. They seem to get you in and out quickly though. Almost to the point where you feel rushed to leave. It is excellent otherwise though.

J Hask

Always great food and drinks. Usually great service. Super cheap eats. Kid friendly(might want to go elsewhere to escape)really it's the biggest downfall of this place. Great Cajun and southern /south western grub

almeid hodzic

Beef fajitas were excellent!! This is my second time that I visit this restaurant and will come back again definitely!

Ruben Roque

Wasn't bad as far as tex-mex is concerned. You receive chips and salsa when you first sit down. Dishes are surprisingly spicy!

Pratip Banerji

Tasty Tex-mex in a casual and lively environment. The service is a little spotty, just because they are so busy. The food isn't bad, but don't go here looking for authentic Mexican food. We took the kids, and they had a blast!

Laura Allison

We had a party of 7 people, Sunday. We were seated right away. The service was attentive, accurate, and really had a servant's heart for pleasing the customer. The food was terrific. I had the blackened salmon and a side of grilled and a small salad with a fresh-brewed iced tea with lemons. They serve large portions and the food is fresh and excellent. My meal was $11.99. I only ate 1/4 of it and had the rest for dinner, last night. The restaurant is lively and clean. There is lots of free parking. I will definitely be back! Enjoy.

Christa Bohan

My family has come here for so many celebrations. There is always a wait and it is ALWAYS worth the wait. Go to the bar, grab yourself a drink, and when your table is ready the chips and salsa will be brought to you instantly. There's literally nothing bad on this entire menu no matter your tastes. (Also if you're a fan of soda, this is your home, the soda/water drink sizes are so large it's almost comical but it's most of the reason I'm so happy to be at border cafe.

Shaylen Young

Staff was nice food was ehhhhhhh, I love Mexican food but this was not it.

Jason Taylor

Good food, good margaritas, great service. Got the blackened chicken entree and it was very good. Waited a while for food but both the waitress and a manager came over to apologize for the wait. Every experience has been positive so far and it always smells so good.

Ramona S.

Food and music is very good. Staff is sometimes a bit rude and it's very loud inside

Shailendra Kishore

Nice place. Large portion.

Greg Therrien

Everything was amazing. Steak was perfect. Welcome to flavor town.

Kyle O'Connor

Excellent variation of Mexican /Cajun fare served here. Chicken Guadalajara is well worth the 18 minute wait, gives you plenty of time to get stuck into the chips and salsa (little spice) that are served to the table, you'll eat more than one basket, guaranteed. Staff are excellent friendly and incredibly accommodating, especially with large groups or large families. Highly recommended.

Brian McHale

I imagine it's constant. The food is fine, but I'm not sure if I'd return anytime soon given the number of other dining options in the area.

M.Y JB

Very good and very delicious. The waiter was very good and caring. Free chips and salsa, big portions and delicious flavors. Would go again for sure

Paul Mangold

Great food, great service.

Andrew Ostrom

It's a chain, so what's to say. The service here is usually very good, though it gets very busy in peak times.

Raj Melkote

30-35 minute wait for table of two on a Saturday night. But friendly service, great options for vegetarians. Huge portions! (order with caution accordingly)

Juli Alfieri

Great selection of foods, and tasty too!! We had wonderful service.

Mackenzie Melo

Unfortunately we did not have a time in our visit. There was a problem in the kitchen and a lot of the menu was not available after we had already ordered. Food took too long to get to, probably because of the issue they had. The food was ok. The staff, on the other hand, was great. I hope one day we have another opportunity to go back there to write a better review.

Santosh Balagopalan

Very tasty Mexican cuisine. Lots of free parking. Convenient location.

Rachel S.

Great Margaritas! Warm chips and salsa! The mesquite salmon salad is so good that I ate almost all of it before taking the picture. Nice atmosphere. Still craving that salad.

Assaf Matia

Great authentic place for Mexican food. Can get noisy at busy nights

George Scott

I love this place. Whenever I’m in the area it is always on my list of stops. Great food, great staff, and good prices. And oh yeah, GREAT FOOD!

Vau Hackmann

Awesome experience here! We had burguers and marguerita. Attendants were really cute. =) I truly recommend this place!

Rebekah Leach

I found the food to be just ok. However the staff was very kind and attentive so the experience was nice.

John

I've been frequenting the Border Cafe from many many years now and there is one thing that is always true about their restaurant: consistency in the food. Rarely have I ever had a problem with any of my meals. Mostly everything on the menu is really good including their gumbo which stays very true to its Louisiana roots. The quesadillas are amazing, the fajitas are always popular as you can see them sizzling as they come out of the kitchen. With much more Cajun food than actually Mexican food available, it's quite an experience to go there and feel like you are tasting a lot of what Louisiana has to offer. To me this restaurant is simply a classic.

Symmetric Swan

Cute place, food was great! Cajun/Mexican food, different flavor combinations. Will definitely go back! Only complaint was the noise level, but that can't really be helped.

Karen Sharpe

Love it the blackened catfish was great will be back

JAMES Tiberius Kirk

Worst Food, Service ever! In a half empty restaurant we waited 25 min for a table for 8, people chatting with manager at the booth instead of cleaning table. We had to ask for water 3 times. During entire dinner employee were swiping the floor and cleaning the dining room ( Saturday night 9.15 pm. Food average at most, restaurant manager rude and not customer seri e oriented. Poor poor experience, never again I will Visit any border cafe! After reviewing my credit card statement I noticed that a greater amount of gratitude was add to my card. I never authorized nor signed off. So beside sloppy service and poor management they also add changes to the card. Great place to dine

George Price

Great meal and service.

Ryan Pirone

The food is pretty good but the restaurant is very loud and open

Elizabeth Dreher

Big portions at reasonable prices. Go for the margaritas, not necessarily for the food. All menu items are quite salty so you drink more. Service is acceptable. Usually have to wait 20+ minutes for a table.

Angela Vieira

I don’t recommend this place at all! I’m not sure if it’s under new management or what but this honestly was by far the worst restaurant I have ever been to in my life. The waiter messed up our drinks twice and when we asked for a lime in our margarita he said that margaritas don’t usually come with limes (seriously?) We ordered guacamole and it was probably the worst guacamole we’ve ever tasted. I also think the salsa came right out of the jar. As for our meals they also were terrible. The fajitas had zero peppers and very little meat, it was basically a pile of onions. We never ever complain but decided to complain to the manager and he was the most inconsiderate rude manager I’ve ever come across. I honestly don’t even know how someone’s customer service skills can be so terrible in a management position. After chatting with the manager he stormed back over to the waitstaff and they all were in a circle staring at us it was the most uncomfortable and unprofessional situation. After when we got in our car we can see through the window that they all were hovering around our table to see how much of a tip we left. For the level of serviceman food we left more than we should have. Again I don’t recommend a single thing about this place.

Darlene Graham

Sat at the bar big mistake !! Service was poor. Had to ask for chips and salsa. Order mixed fajita. Was mostly just fried onions very little meat. Taste was below average. And pricing i felt was high. I miss my go to back in VA. However the margarita was good

Elliott McClelland

Please note, this is *not* On the Border! I was confused about that... This is a Mexican/Cajun fusion restaurant. The staff is very friendly, but the menu is just a little bit odd, and I'm not 100% sure that it works. Jambalaya with enchiladas is ambitious, but it was a miss. Still, if you live close, and you want a good margarita, give it a shot!

Leslie Berube

Very good food, kinda load atmosphere, waitress was rushing us. We had relatives from out of state and we where trying to enjoy there company. Just the service was not good.

Kimberley Wozniak

Food great. Staff accomodating and pleasant. Very resonable. Saturday p.m. had 20 min wait but noise level is extreme, At least to me. Crowded.

Keith Drew

The food is good, the price is reasonable and the service is good. Huge cups for water/soda.

Jt Ditto

Comedy of errors today. Late lunch. Going in I know the place is tight and loud. We got "that table", every server in the place going over our heads with a hot tray of food. Ordered and app and didn't get it. Ordered fajitas huge pile of onion and very little chicken. I always order these and never get that small of an amount. Manager did his best to make it right, knocked drinks and guac off the bill.

Alyssa Holmes

Excellent food, well portioned, and fast and friendly service. I came at noon on a Saturday and found plenty of parking. I was greeted when I entered and promptly seated. The server provided me with recommendations when I asked, and I ultimately went with her choice, the beef fajitas. The food came swiftly, and everything tasted very nice. I came here on a recommendation and I am glad I did. I now recommend it to you too!

Rajat Subhra Das

Good food and nice ambience

jdmstu12

Alcoholic drinks are really good. Food is decent. Staff was great. They do give a lot of food so if your hungry here it is. Even on a busy night they put out food very quickly. It is a nice place to come and hang out and grab some good drinks. Please take this was a grain of salt. Eat and enjoy make your own decision. Thanks.

John Emilian III

Good food prices. Delicious food is consistent every visit. A downside to that consistency is lack of flexibility; they won't easily accommodate special orders. But I love the flavors of the basil cream sauce (french quarter chicken) and chipotle lime glaze (chicken bandera, salmon tacos) and the Mexican rice and beans that come as a side for many items. Loud ambience is perfect for bringing young, fussy children or your garrulous, obnoxious uncle.

Eric Roberts

Honestly one of the best burgers you'll ever have... Medium Cajun Burger with Avocado. I love the massive cups for your drinks too!

Scott Gagnebin

Very consistent service and food. Everything is from scratch! Empanadas are a must. One of my favorites.

James Lang

Good food at a great price. Quick service.

Dennis H

Always great food and service

Gina Hurley

Consistent food quality and good service

Suzanna Trabucco

Had the blackened catfish, just right cajun spice

Anthony Condon

The best unlimited home made tortilla chips and salsa in the world (complimentary). Been going here for at least 10 years. The best burgers around, only @ $9.00. Always medium rare, large and served on a fresh bulky. Substitute the fatty fries for either jambalaya or rice and beans (both are spicy). Another favorite is the Blacken Ceasar Salmon Salad (available simply baked) @ $10... ask for the optional anchovies. Catfish is also great, as is the eggplant royal, which is covered in a delicious crab sauce, served with moist cornbread! Want some variety, try a bowl of perfect gumbo for @ $5 along with tacos @$7.00. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced. What I don't care for at Border Cafe is any with shredded beef and chicken dishes. Could be my personal taste, but not a fan of these meats in their tacos, burritos or fajitas. Stay away from the shredded meats, if you're like me, and enjoy the rest of the awesome menu. Margaritas are great, but pricey.

Prof. Sankar Chakravorti

It's an excellent place for Mexican foods in a good ambience

Roxane Balwin

I had the grilled salmon salad. It was really good. However, the waitress was horrible. Never asked how the meal was, never asked if we needed any refills and totally cleared the table before we were finished.

Angela Pantano

Amazing food for a good price, very nice staff, and a comfortable environment

Jim Cozad

In town for business and the hotel staff recommended Border Cafe. Can't say I was impressed with this place at all. My experience wasn't great but the guys I was with were ok with this place hence my rating. For me the complimentary chips and salsa was a disappointment. Salsa tasted like it was from a jar. I had the blackened chicken with jambalaya. The chicken breast was small but tolerable in taste. The jambalaya was extremely bland and barely warm. We saw our waiter a total of three times. When he took our order, when he brought the food, and when he took our payments for the meal (he brought the checks when he brought our meals). Never checked on us, never asked or refilled drinks. My group split our bills so we all could pay for our own meals. When he brought back our payments my card wasn't with everyone else's. I finally got our waiters attention and I told him that my credit card wasn't there. He started to argue with us but went and looked for it. After a bit he came back and said one of us must have it because he was positive that he brought it back to the table with everyone else's. He believed it so much that he started to argue with us. I asked him calmly that couldn't it be possible that he dropped it. He said no, and continued to tell us that we had it. I finally got up and started looking for it on the floor. After 10 seconds or so a nice couple asked if I was looking for a credit card. They had found it on the floor and had given it to their waiter. I quickly got it back. My waiter did apologize. I get it, we all make mistakes and honestly I'm not mad that he dropped it. What upset me was his insistence that my group had the card and his wanting to argue with us. I would rather he brought the manager over so we could have rectified the situation and he could have continued to take care of his other tables. I'm sure eventually my card would have made it back to me. I just could have done without the defensiveness from the waiter and the accusation that someone in my group had it.

Katherine Howarth

Great family restaurant with attentive service and great variety of delicious food to please everyone on the menu. Can be a long wait (more than 30 min) at peak times, but worth it. Lots of parking, convenient location to highway.

Rob Scott

Not the same place I regularly ate at 20 years ago but much of the menu was the same. Seafood enchiladas had adequate filling but the tortillas were tough enough that I had to use a knife to cut them. Eventually I just have up and ate the filling alone.

Stephanie w

Love love love! Food is made to order, fresh and reasonably priced, this is great for a lunch date or group dinner. They also have a separate room for large parties. Heads up it can get a little loud for dinner along with a wait but totally worth it. Get the tostada grande with ranch, you won't be disappointed!

Nierika Siegmund

Delicious food and a fun, colorful atmosphere with a lot to see!

garima rai

Love love love the food! I am a big fan of their portion sizes. I always have to bring back food, no matter how little I order.

Shawn Ellis

Fajitas are like my favorite food, I've had them ALL over the country and none of them come close to these. But everything else I've had has been very go mod as well. Specifically, the shrimp appetizer, queso dip (freshly made chips are great). They have great salsa as well. As far as atmosphere goes its your typical loud text nex environment, service is generally good, obviously depends on the staff you get. Buy honestly I ignore all of it cause those damn fajitas are so f'ing good.

Julie Nielsen

Live the Border Cafe. The chips are thick and tasty. My favorite is the Gulf Coast Enchiladas. Lots of seafood. Soo good.

bharatwaj Shankar

Had vegetables fajitas, it was amazing !!

Michael Pepe

Best Mexican food I ever had and great service

Benjamin Perry

Great Mexican / Cajun food, very loud though! You are served with fresh chips and salsa moments after being seated. The menu is loaded with a wide variety including seafood. Even the drink menu is amazing! It does get very loud during the rush simply because the place fills up and there's little elbow space between tables.

Cloie Andrysiak

Delicous, fresh, and reliable. Cannot go wrong!

Ruth Njoroge

The ambience was good, the food was amazing and generous portions. We carried home a lot of food. Very good service.

kellen carmo

The food today was a total disappointment. Definitely their cook was not in a good day LOL. Everything else was great and fun.

Blake Reeves

Favorite place to stop for lunch during the work week - also perfect to end the day with a margharita! Definitely try the shrimp and crawfish quesadilla and guac is always a must

Kate Noblett

This is our favorite place to go. Great prices on the food, and everything is absolutely delicious! My husband loves the fajitas and my favorite is the cajun burger.

Cameron Sullivan

Great service, great food (great Cajun), great prices, margaritas are lethal

Steven Vierkant

My girlfriend showed me this place and it's fantastic. Everything is bigger and less expensive than most places. I mean Mexican food is always on the economical side but this place literally serves you a drink so large I usually don't need a refill. I love the free chips and salsa too. Great place to try if you've never been

mario golab

Great food and atmosphere. Worth a detour to eat there.

Keith Haas

Ever since I was young, this has been one of my must-visit spots when I'm in Boston or Cambridge. The chips, salsa, and queso are amazing. I really like the empanadas as well.

May Mirembe

What can I say, one of its kind , and I hear Border cafe will be the same anywhere. A place to try out. Because of its goodness its always full but the waiting is worthwhile.

Clara Carpentier

This place is one of my favorite restaurants. Amazing food. Outstanding portions. One of my favorite dishes is the eggplant dish with a cheese sauce. The sodas are massive! Service is always fast and friendly. I do wish there was one or two sweet treats on their menu. (No desserts), I think this allows quick turnaround for the tables. Great for large groups.

Stephanie Michelle

We've been eating at this restaurant chain for well over 15 years. We prefer the Saugus branch. Hands down

JENNIFER PV

I really enjoyed Jose's rice. The food was tasty but I would like to have more options on the menu. Still cheap and good service.

Sean Griffin

Great food, great atmo, margaritas are the Bomb! No desserts, sad! I tried the catfish, I don't recommend it. Next, I plan on trying the river lobsters. Gets crazy busy on Fridays so be prepared.

Brad Howes

Some of the best Mexican food in the northeast.

azizi kibombo

Best for family and known for cheap fresh delicious food

Varun Biswas

We tried smoked salmon and quarter chicken. Quarter chicken was made with eggs; amazing. A plus with these good places is that they pack your to go's.

UWS Girlie

Good chips and salsa. Great salads. Good tex-mex.

Arthur Abelowitz

I have been in more than one border cafe, they are consistent and the food is marginal.

Stacey Quandt

Salmon tacos are very good. I didn't like the spice on the popcorn shrimp.

Antonio Rodríguez-Arias

A very good food with a good portions

Jim Dunham

Great food, great prices, hard to hear people at the same table though.

Jane Steinberg

Good food and service

Sammy

I came here last weekend with a group of friends. It was crazy busy, but we were able to get a table within 15 mins. The food came out quickly and it was delicious. My go to in the Black Bean and Corn Empanadas-- try it out and you won't be disappointed. Our waitress (and the other service staff) were firecrackers! They were efficient, fast, and kind. The staff really blew me away. Highly recommend trying Border Cafe if you're in the area

Bob Goulet

We work in the area and frequent the Border Cafe often. Food, drink and service are always great. When someone joins our team or leaves the group, it's our go to place as a right of passage.

glitch glitch

Great food, clean establishment, fast service, decent prices. I'll be back.

Phil Palmer

Steak fajitas are great; but with no beer on tap and just pallets of bottled beer cases up front, it loses some points.

tmuxie

Handicapped accessibility is very good and the food is great. Very reasonable prices.

Peter kukes

Border Cafe is the

Mac Carr

Corn bread and Gumbo are great and a great buy. Haven't tried the rest of the menu, but it looks good.

DL L5

Come early or be patient. A popular spot. And for cause. It has a good atmosphere and good food.

Hiten L

This is a lovely place. Has a wonderful atmosphere and is always busy. The food here is exceptionally good. It is very tasty and freshly made. The portions are big. You get nachos and salsa while you wait and these are refilled. The staff are friendly and helpful. The service is great and always with a smile. Your drinks are refilled without you even having to ask. Great place and I would highly recommend a visit.

Rosemary Sadler

Good food great service

Charles Carroll

Decent food OK service everything was just OK

Thomas Papaleonidopoulos

Food is awesome and the staff is great

Adam Urban

Inexpensive, delicious food with great service and a fun atmosphere. Same as Jose Tejas; they have a few locations... have never had a bad meal there!

jubjub trollin

I love this place they have a fish quesadilla

Koolazz1

Always clean. Always good. Free hot Nacho chips with salsa!

lauren ashlie

Service was okay...but the food was terrible. Coming from Texas, perhaps I had high hopes. Even my son wouldn't eat his tacos...which he normally loves. However, from here the tortillas were orange they were so grease soaked and fell apart like wet bread when he picked them up. For myself and my family it ended up being 50+ dollars in inedible food. Very disappointing.

Audra DeBaets

Love the food, prices and service. Best chips and salsa!

aj theriault

Would normally be receiving a 4.5 but last night was horrible and would give it a 1 so I averaged it out.. The service I received last night was so bad that I looked for the manager, this was a first for me ever. First off the waitress was rude seems to not want to be there. Our order was Chicken fajitas x2 the fajita wraps were so hard they could have been crackers granted easy fix but should not have been served, a kids hamburger, came with cheese so was sent back. Received so called new hamburger, which was the same cheeseburger with the cheese scraped half way off, if my son was allergic to dairy that could have been bad.. To top it off the grumpy waitress literally threw my children's M&Ms and Skittles at them... And silly me still left her a tip

Corinne Shea

Great food fast service fun time.

Weliton pereira

Great food quick Service and great margaritas.

Jake Smith

Decent chain style Mexican food

Richson Fenelon

Amazing Mexican food and good drinks. Also some of the best prices for margaritas in the state $9 for a drink you can't beat that!

Sondra Hamilton

Great food at friendly prices. Very noisy.

Michele Hauser

Great food and service

Benjamin Moses

Great place if you’re looking for a laid back American-Mexican experience. The New Orleans influence shines through decently and the food is all super tasty. Nothing fancy or worth a trip, but if you’re in the area and hankering something cheap, tasty and fast I’d highly recommend. Great for large parties.

PF Zimmerman

I’ve been going to Border Cafe for years and never have gotten sick of it. Highly recommend.

Erik Svenson

Great food and service. Loved the ettouffee and seafood enchiladas. It's a loud place though

Mary George

Great food, great service. Kind of a strange mix of menu items, and it was VERY loud - so don't go if you're looking for good conversation.

June Frechette

We loved going to Burlington to Border Cafe the food is great the wait staff is too. You can sit at a table or sit sat the bar and the service is always great. It’s been awhile that Boarders stop doing because of the peanut allergy that people have, however they stopped serving a sauce over fried catfish that amazing. I don’t think that others couldn’t get it because those can’t have it. Wish I could get the recipe for it. Or bring it back for those who an have it.

Shawn Webster

Very good. I need Tums......

Kevin Brazile

Excellent service. The waiter was super nice. The food was delicious and plentiful. Would definitely recommend. Great chips and salsa too.

Alex

Great food when they follow all health regulations properly.

Rachel Sommer

I’ve been enjoying their food for over 20 years.

Mr David

The food is great! The atmosphere is ok. though they did give me a kids menu!

Joyce Reynolds

Good food, great service

Aman Dev

Awesome place. Spicy food.

Gabriele Manganaro

Good restaurant. Several choices of food

G K

Went there twice thinking I might like it better. But we didn't like anything we tried. Decor was good, waiter was nice, but we felt that there was no taste.

Cynthia Morapedi

Nice mexican food

Suzanne Nam

Suburban outlet of this classic Mexican restaurant in Harvard square, Cambridge. This location has much more of a chain feel to it, though the quality of the food remains the same. They have a wonderful selection of margaritas as well as great classic Tex-Mex dishes. Love The NeverEnding service of tortilla chips and salsa. There are some vegetarian options as well.

avinash mittal

Wonderful place to dine in. Had lots of fun with family.

Michael Albert

Great value restaurant with Cajun and Mexican fare. Excellent place for families on a budget or anyone who is looking for Cajun food at a reasonable price. Gumbo is rich and flavorful and French Quarter Chicken is excellent.

Matt Dix

Quick and friendly service. Tasty food and drinks. Consistently meets expectations. Great job!

David Zhitomirsky

Consistent, fast, decent food, many different options.