Rosticeria Cancun

On our adventure in East Boston, I was hoping to check out the 4.5 star Rosticeria Cancun for tacos of both fish and lengua variations.
But that was not to be…
As it is now… Tony’s Realty.
(see photo)
Actually though, after reviewing the storefront photo posted by Brandon K. I realize that Rosticeria Cancun was located in the shorter spot to the left of Tony’s Realty. But, the main question is (since James K. confirmed that he ate there yesterday) where has it relocated??? Anyone? Bueller?
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I’ve been kindly sent the following note by a Unilocal friend:
This location had a kitchen fire a couple months ago and has been closed. They did have excellent food. They have another location. much larger.a few minutes down into town on Meridien Street.
And I just did another search for the business, and for the first time I could see this new business profile —
(odd that it never popped up when I did my searches earlier this month!).

Not sure about the review saying there is no restroom because there is one… This place has amazing food at amazing prices… The tamales are only $ 2.00 and they are the best in Boston!!! If you are looking for authentic Mexican food get over here as fast as you can!

Wash your hands before you come here cuz 1) there’s no restroom and 2) you will be licking your fingers very, very shortly. Wear your eatin’ clothes and show off that fresh t-​shirt oil stain like a badge of honor.
And wash your hands after you leave too, you pig. You are what you eat

Tortas are AMAZING!

A hole in the wall. Literally.
The seating area is the size of my closet and can seat maybe 6 people comfortably. But the burritos are so good. So, so, so, good. The rice was really well seasoned and the chicken was cooked to the utmost tenderness and seasoned to deliciousness. And the burritos are ginormous! About 1.5x the width of chipotle’s burritos but a tad bit shorter. And they really pack it in.
I’m not too sure if they speak english at this place, so it’s best to go with some espanol prepared.
And the fried plantains. Money. Especially with that white cream sauce thing. Amazing. The white cream sauce (no idea what it is, something with butter?) complements the sweet plantains, which supplements the savory goodness of the burrito.

¡Desayuna todo al día! That’s right, breakfast all day.
Rosticeria Cancun is a small location with a classic diner feel, and authentic south-​of-​the-​border fare at very affordable prices.
Area residents flock to Rosticeria Cancun for a bucket of Corona and a plate of eggs, sausage, and plaintains.
A sign on the wall reassures that, «Yes, we deliver!»
I highly recommend that you stop by this Meridian Street location to enjoy a hearty brunch in a casual, not over-​crowded atmosphere with helpful staff.

A gold mine in a hole in the wall. I go there about once a week for chicken burrito’s. The chicken is marinated perfectly and the burrito’s are actually too big to finish at once. Which is rare nowadays when everyone is giving us smaller portions and charging us more. Among the many spanish restaurants in Maverick square, this is my favorite spot for burritos. It’s really take out only, although I think many people eat there on there lunch break. You don’t see many places like this. Authentic spanish flava! Check it out you’ll agree !
1. They DO speak english. It’s just that most people are used to speaking spanish in the area.
2. I pay with credit card everytime even when it’s $ 5.25.

I should probably be mad at Rosticeria Cancun and the friend introduced me about six years ago. I had vague recollections of a tasty Salvadorean style burrito in the tiniest storefront in history, so I headed back for my first meal after moving across the harbor and discovered my taste memory had not failed. A veritable gold mine of good eats, confronting me upon every exit at Maverick.
Instead of spending the last two years exploring every last taqueria and Latin American joint Eastie has to offer, I’ve stuck with the delicious devil I know, stopping by for my taco fix almost weekly. While I’ve tried all fillings, I tend to rotate between my favorites: Carnitas, Carne Asada, and Lengua (yeah, that’s right, tongue. COW tongue.) for tacos, burritos, or tortas. A pit stop into Rosticeria Cancun can make even the worst of days seem a little better.
Ideally I’d spend my last few weeks living in East Boston eating only Rosticeria Cancun, but I’ve been given the impression this is somehow bad for my overall well-​being. Even if I won’t be able to pop in as often, I have no doubt that some «executive lunches» will take place a few times a month so I don’t go through withdrawal from my favorite hole-​in-​the-​wall.

This place owns my soul now, what with its unrivaled awesomeness. In fact, I would pay to see a cage fight between anything from Rosticeria Cancun and the wimpy, flavorless, heatless Bolocco «burritos» everyone drools over. I can tell you that an RC pupusa would absolutely body-​drop a Bolocco. It would make that Bolocco its bitch. (Imagine two burritos wrestling. Cute, right?)
Rosticeria Cancun is a teeny tiny little hole-​in-​the-​wall storefront in Maverick, with maybe nine stools, a tiny bar, and no actual counter at which to order. (You kind of hang in the space between the kitchen and the «restaurant» itself.) If you’re like me, you order off the menu in extremely broken Spanish – which itself comes with a kind of nasal-​faux-​Italian-​by-​way-​of-​Pennsylvania Dutch accent – and for some reason, instead of using the only word you actually KNOW in Spanish («gracias») you instead say «k, thanks, bye.»
But no worries. Non-​counter help is friendly and kind and quick, and I promise I won’t be such an [insert Babelfish translation of «ri-​TARD» here] next time.
Food is fantastic. I mean this. The food is unequivocally authentic, served fresh and hot (read: just fried) and tasty. I would easily give away my firstborn for just a side of rice and beans (how does someone make a simple protein and grain taste that flavorful? Ah. Yes. Lard.) All of the meat is tender, spicy and delicious. The salsas and hot sauces provided are zingy and tomato-​y and fresh, with actual jalapeño seeds floating about. I didn’t even get mad at the piles of cilantro. Three tacos, rice, beans, salad, and half an avocado (?) set me back less than $ 9, and constituted at least 2 meals. I think pupusas and tacos a la carte are a buck and change; burritos somewhere around $ 5 – 6. Nothing tops $ 13. What. The. What. Oh, and they have beef tongue.
Since I just moved across the street, and Eddie C’s seems to be the new dive bar of choice sans food … Rosticeria, we’ll soon become very, very good amigos.

Favorite burritos in eastie, great price, great meats, fresh, and efficient. Very small place.

I am Salvadorean and Guatemalan, grew up in East Boston and have eaten at these types of restaurants all my life. I decided to take my mom there after not going there for almost 5 years b/​c we no longer live there. Worst food I’ve had in a looooong time!!! I ordered the steak chalupas which were $ 4 each! they had tiny pieces of steak with several parts of fat that I couldn’t even bite through, so disgusting! too much guacamole and sour cream. For $ 4 dollars I would expect actual meat and plenty of it. I will never return to this place and feel like puking just thinking about that steak :(i would highly recommend Sabor Especial n Chelseafor Mexican/​Salvadorian style food. They use actual steak!!!

Woops. Guess 303 Café isn’t open on Mondays. Rosticeria Cancun made for a solid, if altogether different, alternative.
¡Los desayunos son deliciosos y peligrosos!
Although I initially balked at the price point of over $ 6 for a breakfast plate, once I actually saw what was served, it became clear that you’re getting one gigantic serving of food when you order it. The desayuno con chorizo (well, what –else– did you expect me to order?) came on an enormous plastic platter with a generous pool of refried beans, a huge scrambled mess of chorizo and egg, four huge slices of browned plantains, and a little (excessive) cup of sour cream. Tossing in a jalapeño from one of the containers sitting on the counters kicks up the flavor a notch, too.
The authenticity of a meal here is pretty much unquestionable. Not only does the help speak a marginal amount of English, not a single other customer who came in the door spoke English either. Plus, it was a handy opp to practice mi español, claro.
When it comes to holes-​in-​the-​wall, Rosticeria Cancun epitomizes what makes them so unexpectedly wonderful to stumble upon.

I am going to venture out on a limb and say this place is taco truck good. Best tacos in Boston. Now before you email me with some «blah blah I am from LA, New Mexico, NYC» nonsense about how you know real Mexican save it. First, I don’t really care where you are from. Second, it does not change the awesomeness of these tacos. It is serious a hole in the wall in Maverick Square and the food is like 2 bucks. Nothing on the menu is above 13 and that is a WHOLE chicken with 3 sides. Pupusas are $ 1.80. The sauce they give you is so spicy it makes you sweat and it is delicious. We eat here at least once a week. Who can go wrong with 2 adults eating for under ten bucks and the food is this good? Try the langua tacos. Yeah, I know tongue freaks out most Americans but they are absolutely delicioso.

This place was great. It’s sooo tiny and questionable from the outside with a single door and metal grates over it that I never had the guts to try it cause I had some other standbys in Eastie. Well I decided for one of my resolutions this year is to be more adventurous and try out more of the places I tend to detour around.
I’m so glad I picked this place. I came with my boyfriend and we walked into a tiny space, which is an understatement. About a 6×10 foot area where you order and wait, then the back is the kitchen where they cook. Thanks to the good reviews here we decided on a torta and a burrito. Then on the side a couple pupusas and a melon juego bebida.
The woman was very nice. There were no issues with us ordering in English. We waited and things were ready and nicely packed to go within 10 minutes. You can opt to eat in but there are only a few stools.
The food smelled delicious. My burrito was gigantic. It was rolled fat instead of long. Taste wise it was decent. I wish it was longer so I can taste it all mixed in instead of in sections with the same stuff.
My boyfriend rated the torta 5 stars. I tried a bite and agreed. That’s what I would get next time. In case your wondering what it is, its a sandwich on grilled bread with your choice of meat with beans and cheese then topped with avocado.
Now the cheese pupusas on the side were the best pupusas I’ve ever had. Thick and warm filled with gooey cheese. They gave a tangy sauce and some slaw to go with it. The melon bebida was outstanding. Definitely recommend you get that over a soft drink. The menu has breakfast all day then so many plates at cheap prices. Nothing was really over $ 10 and the portions were very large.
For now this place is 4 stars. I plan to return again. It’s the ultimate hole in the wall, literally.

I’m a sucker for humble authentic food.
As a fan of Latin American cuisine I went into this place with a lot of hope. They delivered. Everything from the unassuming steel netted door to the lack of the conventional dining room charmed me. This is the type of joint for cats who are in search one of those anthony bourdain-​type philosophically pleasing experiences. You walk in and you notice a small room, about the size of an apartment foyer with counters that seat about five on both sides. Another open door connects into the kitchen. When I went, I was pleased to see a smiling hostess standing around looking to please.
You look around and you notice a few latinos eating a bunch of stuff that isn’t even on the menu. The music’s blaring and the counters have homemade pickled peppers and related accoutrement.
The pupusa (a thick, stuffed homemade corn tortilla similar to East-​Indian parathas) was hearty, savory, and belly pleasing. you can have them with cheese, pork, beans or whichever combination you please. They’re served with a salty, mild tomato salsa/​purée and a pickled cabbage slaw. The richness of the pupusa is cut nicely with the brightness of the cabbage which brings out the flavor of the deliciously fatty interiors and the salsa is a nice, mild counterpoint which helps create wonderfully juicy bites. Its umami epitomized. I had two (at 1.75 each!!) with a side of rice and beans and was filled up for a majority of the day.
If you like melon, I recommend grabbing a jugo de melon which is a refreshing cantaloupe juice. I discovered it earlier this year at a Guatemalan place near brigham circle and I now consider it one of my favorite drinks of all time.
A home-​run for Salvadorean. Cheap, simple, and down-​right delicious. For the culinary wanderers out there ready to accept unassuming surroundings for a totally priceless experience. Have an open mind and don’t be a afraid to order off the menu.

The torta’s…oh where do I start… the tortas are the best around. Avocado, beans, meat, pickled jalapenos, cheese on a toasted bun — mmm.mmm.mmm. They Rotisserie (if that’s the proper term) their chickens — soooo good. The breakfasts are great stuff, eggs beans platanos, chorizos, chicarron etc etc. Tongue tacos are another great thing you HAVE to try — moist succulent savory meat in two corn tortillas with some onion and cilantro — simple but good. All kinds of drinks — licuados — shakes. Try the horchata and you won’t go wrong. They’re pretty much open all day, but don’t go for the ambience. Strictly for the food and maybe a stool. You won’t go wrong going there.

I lived in the area for sometime now and this place is one of the better ones for Salvadorean/​Mexican quick food.
The menu is quite extensive and is actually VERY tasty and not so hard on your wallet.
I always order the Taco (carne). If u want something heavier — Fried Quesadilla’s hit the spot. Tortas (are like a sandwich with avocado/​chx) maddd good !
— Good place for a quick bite for anytime of the day. Mostly take out, has about 7 stools in the small place and music thats bumping lound.
If ur in Eastie, try this place out, just know ur going for the food, not the atmosphere sorta

This is the best Mexican restaurant in town. I honestly didn’t think places like this existed in Boston. The definition of a hole in the wall. You walk in and you feel like you’re in a watering hole in the middle of a desert in Mexico. The walls are brightly colored and the music is blaring. You can see the tiny establishment in its entirety including the kitchen without turning your head. The people hanging out there are clearly part of the ambiance. The best way to describe this place is to imagine how Luke felt when he walked in the Cantina in Star Wars.
Everything is good here. The portions are hefty and the prices are crazy cheap. The food is authentic and the small menu features specialties from Mexico and South American country. I recommend working your way through the different types of breakfast platters (served all day). My general philosophy is to never trust an expensive Mexican restaurant, and this place is living proof.