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Alex's Chimis
Category: Restaurants Caribbean Caribbean [Edit]
358 Centre St(between Wyman St & Forbes St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain
(617) 522-5201
- Nearest Transit:
-
Centre St @ Wyman St (41)
Centre St @ Creighton St (41)
Centre St @ Sheridan St (41)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
41 reviews for Alex's Chimis
Review Highlights
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"Their rice and rotisserie chicken with platanos is the bomb." In 13 reviews -
"Excellent, bargain-priced Dominican food: superb sandwiches..." In 6 reviews -
"The fried pork is just delectable in all its heart-stopping..." In 6 reviews
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41 reviews in English
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Review from Narissa S.
Andover, MA
1/31/2012
Can I just say that Alex Chimis is my favorite Dominican food place. I have been going here for years (my hair salon is right around the corner)
The plates are cheap. The chicharones are great along with the sweet glazed plantanos, the rotisserie chicken, rice and beans and the red onions. Amazing. You get more than enough in your plate!
Granted my Spanish isn't that great (only when I'm drunk) but every time I go there I whip out my Spanish skills and order my food! They are so friendly and nice, they tend to laugh when I mess up a few words but they still help me out.
I live in Andover now, sometimes I find myself driving all the way out to JP just to have their food! -
Review from X X.
Boston, MA
Updated - 5/24/2012
I don't know if what I wrote had an effect, or I just happened to get lucky the other day. I again ordered the chicharron combination. This time howerver, without me saying a word, I was asked whether I wanted "half or whole". From what I recall, that's never happened before. Now it's possible I've been asked that every single time and didn't understand what they were asking me. It's possible that when they hold the thing up for you with the tongs, they're actually showing you the size of the chicharron and not the appearance (would tend to make more sense, wouldn't it?).
Anyway, I said "half", and surprise surprise, I got the cheaper price. Couldn't really tell there was any less meat in the box, though! Also got lucky with the white sweet potatoes (aka batata or boniato, tropical sweet potatoes, which I've now tried cooking myself) as they'd just finished frying a new batch. Delicious meal as usual, though the chicharron was a little dried out in places.
So, in the end: the price differences are transparent now, the dude behind the counter can still be a bit intimidating, and Ferret M.'s allegations are pretty much idiotic. I can now heartily endorse Alex's Chimis as a great place to try some cheap, flavorful Dominican eats. And hey, it's also a great place for people-watching, so stick around and eat there.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/29/2012
All right, so I just wrote a nasty review of this place. Then I thought about it some more, realized… Read more »
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Review from Vanessa C.
Boston, MA
3/9/2012
The best $5 box of chicharron con limon you will ever find in your life. OK well maybe not in the world, but def in Boston. I don't even mess with the rest of what's out - just a big fat box of triple-bypass-in-three-years for me, please! Take it home and eat it over some white rice with extra lime and sriracha on the side. then call your cardiologist and thank me when it's over.
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Review from Sandy H.
Brookline, MA
7/14/2011
I really, really wanted to like this place and I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but I was really disappointed with the food. I missed all the great Dominican food that I had while living in New York and I really wanted to find a place in Boston to get my fix, but unfortunately, this place is not it.
We got the whole rotisserie chicken with a side of rice with green peas and fried sweet plantains for $16 (a great price). The plantains and rice were good and the chicken was seasoned well (it does fall off the bone), but extremely dry. I thought they had put the sauce on the chicken, but to my disappointment, they didn't. We only realized this when we got home and opened the take out box.
I think I need to give this place another try, but until then, I've definitely had better. -
Review from Beverly G.
Quincy, MA
8/1/2011
Let me just start this review by saying that I'm Filipina, and so I take fried pork very seriously (we Filipinos do love us some fried pork - it inspires an almost religious level of devotion). That being said, I also have to say that Dominicans give our fried pork a run for its money.
Wow. Just... wow. The fried pork is just delectable in all its heart-stopping glory. It goes especially well with the rice with gandules, which are quite well-seasoned.
The rotisserie chicken is pretty good. Sometimes, it's a little dry and the skin is a little over-burnt, but it's pretty good. Ask for them to put their salsa on top of it; it adds a nice kick and moistens the chicken a little.
And the price is right. Two years ago, I was looking for a restaurant to cater my husband's birthday party. I'd placed a call to a few of the myriad Hispanic restaurants in the Hyde Square area, and while they weren't expensive (as catering goes, I suppose), my notoriously cheap self was kind of loath to the idea of dropping $400 worth of food, even to feed upwards of 15 people. I was close to just deciding to cook for the whole bash myself. Then I called Alex's Chimis. I bought a tray of rice, a tray of fried pork, and two whole rotisserie chickens. End cost: $120, which fed all 15 of my partygoers... and there were leftovers for DAYS.
It's kind of a little hole in the wall and easy to miss (if it's possible to miss the mouthwatering smell of fried pork wafting from the restaurant in all directions), but if you're in the Hyde Square area, you definitely shouldn't miss Alex's Chimis. -
Review from Mike M.
1/7/2012
Alex's Chimis was my first encounter with food from the Dominican Republic. My first thought was "Oooh a Dominican Republic Hamburger. I wonder what that will be like?". Apparently it was just an issue of translation, since it looked more like a pulled-pork sandwich (an awful one at that). I also ordered Orejita and a Relleno de Yuca. The former happened to be a flavorless piece of lard, while the latter a quite tasty stuffed cassave. I think should you happen to find yourself at Alex's Chimis, stick with a 1/2 chicken combo with 2 sides. If I find myself in the area, I'll do that next time as the side dishes look unique and interesting.
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Review from Capricia G.
Boston, MA
6/11/2011
$5 for the perfect portion of pork, plantains, pickled onions, and lime? Yes, please.
Ask for a menu, (they have them) they have a ton of delicious stuff that isn't mentioned here on Yelp, dudes. Get a chimi. Get fried chicken. Get a papaya shake. Then bring it all to me.
My only wish is that it was open as late as Food Wall. And that I didn't try going pescatarian that one time, because later that week, I walked by Alex's and fell off the wagon. -
Review from Tunisia M.
Boston, MA
6/17/2011
So this would be my 2nd experience with Dominican food and now thanks to this place not only am I convinced that I like it, I'm hooked. And all it took was a lunch sized portion of succulent, fried pork chunks paired perfectly with golden rice and pigeon peas to do it.
One way to know for certain that the place was the real deal was that there were generally Dominicans in there when I went and the ordering was done in spanish. For someone with measly 10th grade Spanish knowledge, it was a bit more than thrilling but not exactly intimidating because they speak English too. The menu may not be proudly displayed but that doesn't mean you can't ask about it. Definitely worth the little bit of a trek from the dot which means the next time I return it'll be for leftovers that can last for several meals. -
Review from Nandanie R.
Braintree, MA
2/6/2011
I also can't believe that I never wrote a review for this place either. This place is a MUST if you love Dominican/Caribbean food and if you are in JP, Boston.
Their rice and rotisserie chicken with platanos is the bomb. So freakin good, and the portions are freakin' huge for cheap...I spent $5 on a plate. Every time I'm hangin out with my mom, she's like...let's go to Alex's Chimis. I went here for the first time 2 years ago with a good friend of mine. We got a plate of chicken, rice, and platanos, and we shared a cheeseburger (Dominican style). I also got some West Indian Cola (one of my favorite carbonated indulgences). It was very good...i gotta make a trip down there soon. -
Review from Anna W.
10/20/2010 ROTD 3/18/2011
Being pregnant has its ups and downs. One of the downs is that I am constantly hungry. I do mean CONSTANTLY. And, it hits me like a mack truck from out of nowhere. One minute, I will be fine, and the next, I am whining that if I don't get some food in me ASAP, I will morph into pregosaurus-bitch. Now, this is where one of the "ups" comes in. Luckily, the last time I complained of hunger, we happened to be in JP and hubs suggested Alex's Chimis. I replied, "I don't care, as long as it's close and we get the food fast!"
The restaurant is on a main street in JP, but it doesn't really have a sign, and the cloth sign that was in front of it was half-peeled off, so we almost drove by it. When we went inside, I noticed the small restaurant and very plain decor. There were people sitting down and eating, but there are only about seven tables total in the whole place. I looked for a menu, since I had no idea what to order. I didn't see a menu to speak of. I then looked for a paper menu. Still... nada. Wow, this place was already 0-for-3. Then, I noticed the glass cart heaped full of rotisserie chicken, fried chicken wings, plantains, pork, beans, etc. That served well enough as a menu for me. I quickly pointed out to my hubby what I wanted and sat down at a nearby table to wait for the food.
Ordering takes quite a while -- there was a line when we got there, and even though we were only like the fourth party in line, it still took a good 15-20 minutes. We finally ended up getting a whole rotisserie chicken (chopped, with sauce), some rice (they ran out of rice and beans and said it would be a 15 minute wait, so we instead opted for a different kind of rice that resembled Chinese Fried Rice) and some meat-filled pastry thingies.
Everything was delicious, especially the chicken. I am a dark-meat kind of gal and my guy is light-meat, so between the two of us, we were able to polish off the majority of the chicken. The meat pastries were equally good (though could have used a tad more meat filling) and the rice, though I suspect not as yummy as the rice and beans, was satisfactory. All that food plus two drinks only cost $19! Great deal, and my tummy was happy again. 2-for-2! -
Review from Alexis B.
Boston, MA
9/30/2010
I've driven by Alex's Chimis. I've read about it on Yelp. I've heard other JPers talk about it. But I have never been until the other night. After reading the other reviews BF and I walked in expecting the ordering to be difficult. It was so easy. Just point. We got a whole chicken, a side of rice and peas, 2 maduros, and a small chicaron. Onyl $21 bucks for all of this food! It was awesome. The chicken was delicious. We of course said yes to the sauce. The rice and beans were great. So fluffly. The plantains were HUGEEE. I've never had them whole like this. I've only had them sliced and fried. Anyway that rocked too. But the show stopper were the chicarons. So crispy. So fatty. So delicious. For real just try them. I love you Alexs Chimis.
I want to try their patties next time. -
Review from Josh K.
Somerville, MA
8/13/2010
Alex's Chimis is a great local spot, and like all good neighborhood spots, its feel is somewhat between a YMCA type community center and a restaurant with people coming in and out chatting, discussing, etc, except with no membership fees or monthly dues.
There is some seating at Alex's Chimis, but I'd especially recommend this place for take-out. The staff is really friendly, but if you are order anything other than the signiture rotisserie chicken, you might want to keep in mind you are on caribbean time, so just grab a Goya Guava drink and relax for a little while.
My cousin, Gordon Z., ordered the rotisserie chicken and I (not knowing this place is all about the rotisserie chicken) ordered the hamburger sandwich, which was more a thin steak style than hamburger style sandwich. It took them a while to prepare. When it was finally ready, the beef was a miss for me. It was not that flavorful and slightly chewy. However, the crunchy delicious roll and sauces would make any sandwich delicious. Next time I'd get the same sandwich but with the chicken. The rotisserie chicken was top notch, really nicely seasoned, moist, and delicious. Alex's Chimis is worth the trip for the rotisserie chicken. -
Review from Peter S.
Roxbury, MA
10/23/2006
This place is Dominican, but Yelp doesn't have a slice for that. Can they really claim to know Boston without a Dominican choice on here? Seems to me there are more Dominicans around than Cubans nowadays. Definitely looks to be the case in my lovely little neighborhood.
Why is Alex's Chimis a five-star restaurant? I'll tell you why. If you can make my mouth and belly sing harmonies without giving me the urge to calculate my finances, you get five stars. If you cost a ton I'm going to be on you like a hawk looking for flaws and you better not let that water glass get below half full!
In Alex's recently expanded little place, you can get a half a rotisserie chicken and two sides for $7! Yehoo! Order me up two and I'll bust a gut!
Actually, even I am surprised when I polish off just one of these deals.
One catch, most times you have to order in Spanish. Of course, you could stumble your way through and maybe get sold into some other deal, which might still be good. Like, they get sick of you and just pile one side real high instead of two.
Luckily, I have just enough vocabulary to eat here. Eventually I'll get down to this island country and study up. I sense more good food.
For sides they've got Yuca (con cebollas, si tu quieres), Moro (rice and beans, don't forget to roll the r!), Tostones (Fried Plaintains), Maduros (Sweet Plaintains) and some pork stuff I haven't tried yet but seems to be pretty dry most places you see it. Damn, making myself hungry. The place is named for the chicken sandwiches I believe, but I've never gotten one because the cost almost as much as a half-chicken!
Any night of the week you can see whole families pulling up and hauling out boxes full of bird, which is how I was originally motivated to cross the threshold.
Oh, and if they say "Chile? Or "Salsa?" say "Si!" and nod your head emphatically. Once in a while you get a dry bird and that stuff helps out, besides the fact that: spicy is always good. -
Review from T L.
Boston, MA
11/11/2011
I love their chicharones (probably spelled wrong) fried pork like I hear some people love crack. Fried crispy crunchy heart attack deliciousness. They have other food and its good, but I cant stop ordering the fried pork.
$5 plates is their small size, you get a choice of plantains, or potatoes, or rice with it. Plenty of food for dinner, rich and filling.
Staff are friendly, helpful.
I don't pretend to speak Spanish, but they don't care.
I haven't tried Yelys down the street to compare even though they serve similar food.
I love Oriental de Cuba as well, but they are much more extensive and expensive. -
Review from Amanda T.
Jamaica Plain, MA
7/22/2010
I've driven by Alex's Chimis many times, but didn't stop until today. The second you walk in, you are hit with the aroma of the most awesome rotisserie chicken. With my high-school level spanish, I ordered un pollo (a whole chicken) and sides of maduros (sweet plantains) and tostados (crispy plantains). The chicken was fall-off-the-bone delicious -- so gorgeously caramelized, intensely flavored with Dominican spices, and covered with a generous dose of garlic sauce. The crispy plantains were ok, but the maduros were outstanding -- creamy and sweet, like banana pudding.
And the whole chicken and a medium sized box of maduros and tostados cost $15. How much better could that be? You could feed 2 people for lunch and dinner with the amount of food I got.
I'm adding Alex's Chimis to the long list of reasons why I love living in JP. -
Review from Cecilia L.
Cambridge, MA
2/11/2009
Alex's makes awesome roast chicken with sides like rice and beans, plantains, yucca, cassava and the like. They do a steady takeout business, or you can eat among the ugly white linoleum.
Could be the best plantain I've ever had. Our order came with a huge, fat whole one hot from the fryer, straddling the length of our plate like a giant slug. A sweet, delicious slug.
Chicken is near perfect too, crispy and not too greasy, spicy without being too salty. Say yes to the garlic sauce.
The two of us ate for $12. Kind of hard to make yourself understood, but be patient and persistent and you will eat well. -
Review from oiyan p.
Boston, MA
12/30/2009 1 photo
Everytime I go to my brother's place in JP, I'm enticed by the smell of fried chicken and roasted pork from Alex's. So I finally went to check it out for dinner when I saw the take out menu on my brother's fridge.
I called ahead to order a 1/2 rotisserie chicken w/2 sides ($7.99) for pick up. Silly me, I didn't realize that they had a counter service set up. When I got there, there were a few other people in line to order food. Following everyone else, I walked up to the glass encased counter and asked the man with the big butcher knife for some roast pork shoulder/pork belly with crispy skin, 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, rice and beans, and fried plantains. I got all of this for $16!! I mean, I know I went there with one thing in mind, but when I saw the pork, dude... had to get it!
Mind you, none of this food is for dieters, but isn't that what makes it so good???
The rice and beans were so good, buttery, flavorful, well seasoned.
The plantains... perhaps I'm not used to Dominican style, but they were kind of dry, like big fat soft plantain chips. they didn't really have much flavor to them. I think I like my greasy fried up sweet plantains i got in Cali better.
The chicken... even though they say they have the "best rostisseri in town" on their menu, eh... I think it's just ok. It was on the dry side, though seasoned well.
The best of my personal bargain banquet of food was the pork - the chicharon (fried pork rind+pork belly). Sweet Jesus! This was awesome. Don't tell my mom, but I think this was better, more juicy, more flavorful than the Chinese version of roasted pork belly with crispy skin.
They also claim to have an awesome Dominican style burger, which I'll have to try next time. For now... I'm FULL!!! -
Review from Dave G.
Boston, MA
1/22/2009
Eight dollars (!!!) for a huge thing of rice and the best chicken ever. Get extra sauce. Don't worry if you don't speak Spanish, just smile, point and say yes to everything they ask - especially when they hold the sauce bottle.
If you need a quick snack, they have fried chicken and great empanadas for a dollar each. Also, bring cash and don't be intimidated. -
Review from Scott M.
Jamaica Plain, MA
8/26/2011
Great food at great prices. No pretentious BS like at Tres Gatos or CANary Square.
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Review from Matt R.
Fort Worth, TX
3/15/2009 1 photo
After seeing this restaurant on the Phantom Gourmet I had to try it. The food is Dominican and reminiscent of the fare down in Florida. For some strange reason this simple and moderately affordable cuisine cannot be found within the city of Boston. And now lets talk about the food!
As I walked inside I noticed the stacks of rotisserie chicken in the warmer that had just come off of the grill. I ordered the half chicken combo with rice and one gargantuan maduro (sweet plantain). The chicken had a delightful crispiness and succulent flavor from their marinade. The plantain was probably the best I've had - soft, flavorful and crispy on the outside.
Here's what I'm not crazy about - the price. The combo with half a chicken and two sides totaled $8. In Florida, I could get the same combo for about $6 and it includes a drink. The sell their whole rotisserie chicken for $8.99. At Costco you can pick up a whole chicken for about $5 and even Foodies in the South End sells whole chickens for about $6.
Overall it was a good experience but not sure if I'll go back. -
Review from Kendall F.
Jamaica Plain, MA
1/8/2008
My downstairs neighbor suggested this place and we are so happy we tried it out.
When you walk in its got kind of a strange ambiance..it kind of feels like a small ice cream parlor except in the glass case there is chicken. There is a bit of a language barrier when you order here-- unless you speak Spanish. (which I don't) So usually I just point to what I want and the guy puts it in a box. When he asks you if you want sauce on the chicken...say yes. I don't know what it is but it is really tasty!
Everyone seems really friendly and the prices are really really reasonable...I recently got 2 whole chickens large rice/beans and a bunch of sweet plantains for around 30 bucks! And it fed 5 people.
All in all this is a great place to just go and pick up a quick, cheap dinner.. -
Review from Erin H.
7/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
My boyfriend and I ordered from Alex Chimis last night, and I am very glad we did.
The worst part of the whole ordeal was getting the order in and getting my address correct. The woman on the phone could speak very little, broken English, and I speak almost no spanish...this would prove to be a very long and drawn out phone conversation...but oh well!
The food on the other hand, was absolutely phenomenal...it couldn't have been any better. We got a combo plate with 1/2 a rotisserie chicken and 2 sides, one side we got was the rice and peas (those things in the rice that people think are beans are really peas) and for the other side we wanted french fries, and they said they didn't have any (now I don't know if this was because of the language barrier or because they had ran out, which seems strange...but either way no fries!) so we opted out of the second side and got a side of stripped fried pork in stead (for my boyfriend, I am no the biggest pork fan in the world).
The food got to my house incredibly fast and we were only charged $12!! It was amazing, the chicken was season so well, and it was very juicy. The rice was perfectly seasoned as well, and so delicious, and they gave us a huge serving. And the pork was very good as well (I had to try it), it was very juice on the inside, but the outside had this amazing crunch to it.
They would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn't for the difficulty of ordering or the no french fries!
I will certainly be ordering from here again, I am kind of sad I just discovered this place!! -
Review from Travis D.
Winthrop, MA
4/24/2011
I had the pork chimi, and it took about 10 minutes for them to make it. They told me about the wait ahead of time, so I'm okay with that. It was damn good, but I couldn't place some of the flavor. Then I think I figured it out... a ketchup and mayo blend for sauce. I think. Kinda weird, but not bad. There is no menu, but most of the regulars walk up and just start pointing to rotisserie chickens that they want. For the 5-6 bucks you'll pay for whatever you order, it's worth it!
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Review from Judi M.
Revere, MA
7/26/2011
We got a large order of food from here for a party for 25 people. Alejandra was helpful with our order, explaining to us that they would give us eight chickens cut up, a full pan of rice with pigeon peas, and 30 pastelitos (10 each of chicken, beef, and ham). The total for all of this was $175. Everyone at the party loved everything, especially the rice! Moro de guandules is my favorite, and this stuff was really good. The chicken was definitely a hit too. The pastelitos were good, not the best i've had, but good. Although, some of them were hollow. And if ordering for a party, I would go with two per person and skip the ham. The beef and chicken ones were gone in minutes.
Overall, the food was fantastic, and I will definitely be eating here again! -
Review from Jen L.
Arlington, MA
6/1/2009
This is getting 4 stars because I need to come back and try the rest of the stuff (rice, yucca, etc).
I grew up a couple of blocks from this place and was wandering around my old neighborhood when I decided to go grab a chicken so I could pack a lunch for work.
Best idea evar! You can smell the chicken and spices from a ways away. The bird is juicy, spicy, and not at all greasy. It really reminds me, oddly enough, of my mom's t-day turkey. I think I should mention here that my mom grew up in the Dominican Republic and uses the same spices on her turkey and there is NEVER anything cranberry ever touching her turkey :)
I saw a case full of arroz con gadules, tostones (NOM), etc. so I will have to come back and get a full meal. I keep reading the maduros are awesome, so I cannot wait try them. Here is a hint, the best maduros are the super ripes one. They caramelize and get crisp in the oil when they fry. A starchy maduro is a bad maduro.
I will most definitely come back. -
Review from Timan G.
Redwood City, CA
12/29/2009
I'm originally from NYC, where there's a sizable Dominican population and thus tons of delicious options for Dominican food. In Boston, it's harder to find such places. I was excited to hear about Alex's Chimis decided to give this place a try. We basically sampled a bit of everything--minus the chimis (I don't know what we were thinking!!)
The food is well flavored, though the rice could have been more moist. I really enjoyed the pork, empanadas and fried chicken. The morir soñando was also good but there was too much ice. If you order a lot of food, they'll sometimes throw in some free flan. It was good flan, but maybe its price sort of skewed my opinion. I went with 5 people, and we ended up stuffing our faces for $8 each (we had platanos, tostones, pork, stewed chicken, fried chicken, rice and beans, drinks, and free flan).
In the end, though it's not the best Dominican food I've eaten, Alex's Chimis is pretty tasty and cheap. The portions are a decent size and the service is fast. The seating options are pretty limited, but if you go at night, there shouldn't be much of a wait. Watch out for weekends though!
I promise to try the chimis next time. My friend told me they were delicious... -
Review from Jarrett E.
Allston, MA
3/31/2009
Mmmm, so tasty. If you are a fan of chicken, like me, you have to give this one a try. While it may not look like much on the outside, (or the inside for that matter) the food here is fantastic, and inexpensive. Alex's Chimi's is one of those places that you bring your visiting friends to as a must go while they are in Boston. Sure there is plenty of good eats in the Boston area, but when 10 bucks can feed a hungry two, you can't pass it up.
Also, as said below regardless of what Yelp states, they don't accept credit cards. But there is an ATM at a convenience store a block away. -
Review from Ferret M.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Updated - 9/2/2011
my little chicken-shack
always keeps me comin back
gotta get my punishment
deserve it cuz i'm white, man!
First: the chicken is GREAT. not good but great. i keep coming back, despite how difficult they make it.
"siguiente? nex? NEX? yes! step up! wha you wah?" "can i have a chicken please?" "have?" "yes, can i have a chicken please?" "half?" "no. a whole one". what does he give me? ah! you see how this works now? fuck them.
but now let me ask all you white folks a question: if an establishment that was operated by English-speaking whites charged higher prices to people who speak Spanish, you'd be outraged, wouldn't you? i hope you would. we should be past those sorts of prejudices by now. do white folks love being overcharged? penance for the sins of our forefathers.
the guy with the big knife is an asshole and these people hate whites. enjoy their chicken, you hipster spaceshots!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/16/2009
the only thing good about this place is the food, which is quite good. i like their practice of… Read more »
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Review from Mcslimj B.
Boston, MA
6/17/2009
Excellent, bargain-priced Dominican food: superb sandwiches and rotisserie chicken.
I haven't eaten much Dominican food since the South End's excellent Miami Café closed. But Alex's Chimis, a humble, 12-seat counter-service storefront, has rekindled my fire for the cuisine. There's no posted menu, so start by asking for the well-translated takeout menu. The namesake chimi is a delicious entry point: a smallish sub on good Cuban bread, a long crusty sandwich roll. The foundation of the chimi super ($5) is a single layer of thin ground-beef patties seasoned similarly to kubideh or gyros (perhaps reflecting Middle Eastern influences on Dominican cuisine), topped with pickles, shredded lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a Thousand Island-like dressing. The chimi de pierna ($5) is even better, with similar fixings but more generously loaded with slow-roasted pork shoulder. Both are messy and fantastic.
Alex's star attraction is a series of very fine rotisserie-chicken combo plates, all of which include two generous sides. The combo Dominicano ($8) is typical: it features half a rotisserie chicken with crisp, amber-bronzed skin. (I recommend accepting "sauce" -- a drizzle of intensely garlicky dressing -- when offered.) Sides include familiar Caribbean starches like platano maduro (ripe yellow plantains, cooked soft with a nicely caramelized exterior), tostones (flattened, crisp-fried slices of young plantain), yuca (big chunks of mild cassava), batata (large rounds of deep-fried sweet potato), papas (large-cut French fries), and guineos (boiled young banana). Grain options include moro (white rice with green pigeon peas) and the popular cho fan (like a Caribbean-Chinese fried rice, with bits of pork and chicken, mung sprouts, peas, and corn). Deep-fried offerings sans sides include individual pieces of chicken ($1.25), chicharrón, pork skin with a goodly layer of meat and fat left on ($5 for the rather large "small"; $10 for the enormous "large"), and orejita ($2), gelatinously crunchy pork ears (better than they sound). Pastelitos ($1) -- house-made turnovers filled with ham and cheese, beef, or chicken -- are excellent and a bargain.
Soft drinks include canned Goya tropical-fruit juices ($1.25), fresh-squeezed juices and lemonade ($2.50-$3), and excellent smoothie-like batidos ($2.50) of interesting tropical fruits like zapote, a/k/a mamey. The morir soñando ($3), a DR favorite that adds sweetened milk to a fresh-OJ base, tastes like a gourmand's Orange Julius. I can't say much good about this recession, but one positive glimmer is how it's forced me to give a second look to long-standing, worthy places like Alex's, which is now 10 years old. Food this value-priced, filling, fresh, and homey is worth a trip even in better times.Listed in: Worthy Latin American…
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Review from Edwin M.
Jamaica Plain, MA
9/19/2008
Ahhh. I love me some Alex Chimi's! Let me tell you if you have a tooth for spices then stop at this place. It has great Dominican/Caribbean food and soft drinks imported from there. The people are quick, kind, and pleasant. Just be careful cause this food will make you a good meal for a dinosaur, if there were any left.
Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Jennafir O.
Allston, MA
3/21/2009
Yeah, I'm a fan. I don't expect to find anything better, the plantain's are outstanding, the rice is different but yummy. And the chicken, it's perfect. The skin is the best part, make sure to get lots of sauce, extra infact. Go earlier to avoid chicken that is a little drier. I'm glad it's only 3 miles from me. Also bring cash, they don't accept credit cards as yelp states. This is a great place to try and bring out-of-towners to, I have yet to find better in Boston, and I'm pretty sure I won't try anymore. Also, hella cheap!
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Review from Wendy G.
Roxbury, MA
6/8/2009
So I've actually been coming here for years and am just now writing my review. This is my "other" home cooking take out place, you know the one you go to for home cooking when you don't want to the actual cooking. I've never had their Chimi, which is what they are famous for because I come for the rotisserie chicken. It's usually a perfect golden brow and super tasty. If they ask you if you want sauce, take it! They always have the right sides to go with it like rice or yuca and they also have all the little fried foods us Hispanics love. They only got 5 stars because I placed an order for 10 chickens (for a party) and did not get any kind of discount or extras, but I guess that's how they stay in business.
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Review from Zsaleh H.
Jamaica Plain, MA
7/16/2010
We just ordered from Alex's Chimis for the first time--delicious, non-pretentious food. We got a rotisserie chicken (moist and very flavorful), a side of rice with peas (delicious, and I usually don't care much about rice), and a side of fried sweet plantains (I could have eaten them all night). The ordering process took a little while, between my broken Spanish and the employee's broken English, but she was very nice and we got everything we wanted without a hitch. Plus, it's cheap! We'll definitely be ordering again.
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Review from Eric S.
Boston, MA
9/19/2008
I give this place 5 stars really the chicken must be the best ive eaten without the grease and fat the rice is tio die for great seasonings and fried plantains yummy.....
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Review from Terrence H.
Boston, MA
7/14/2011
This place is delicious. Period. My friend and I ordered 2 half-chicken plates with rice and beans and Jamaican patties. Be forewarned that this place can get kind of busy if you're there around lunch time, and the seating area is not very large. Also, don't go just before closing time or you'll just get the chicken left overs.
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Review from Vlad W.
Sudbury, MA
8/26/2010
Went there on Yelp's rating and came away badly disappointed.
The place is a chicken joint with low prices and very ordinary fried Caribbean food, not particularly flavorful and definitely unhealthy. The pickled onions that came with chicken were the only bright spot .
I do not understand why Yelpers are raving about the place. To those who would say that I I just do not understand this kind of food - I do. Been to Puerto Rico several times and had it MUCH better there. -
Review from Edward G.
Oakland, CA
7/5/2008
This place is great. BTW a Chimi is a Dominican style hamburger. I guess Alex's has chicken ones but usually they are beef. Try the Chimis, i'm telling you they are GOOD! and only 5 dollars for a SUPER with everything
Also ask for the natural juices. I don't think they have a menu and there's a few things you have to ask for to get. -
Review from Kalimah N.
Boston, MA
9/24/2009
They're very good but...
I have been going to Alex Chimmy's for probably a little over two years. I was turned onto them by the latino girls I work with. My favorite food there is the pork, sweet plantain and the rice and peas but I have tried other things and they are good as well.
However I have found that they are very impartial to their non-latino and irregular customers (even my latino co-workers who turned me onto them have said the same thing). I have experienced being told different prices and receiving lesser quantities so I don't frequent them that often. -
Review from Dan O.
Jamaica Plain, MA
2/16/2010
This place is definitely a "hole in the wall'. It is real small and sometimes has a line out the door. I have had the chicken on every occasion. There is some sort of garlic sauce that you can ask to be put on the chicken. I recommend the sauce. The pickled red onions are tasty as well. They only make a few things here, but it sure does draw a crowd. I have enjoyed this place. Cash only so hit up the ATM prior to going to Alex's Chimis.
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Review from justin k.
Suffolk, MA
7/27/2009
unfortunately, i work two blocks from alex's chimis. so i am tempted to eat there everyday.
the chicharron is to die for, and it may seriously kill you if you eat a ten dollar plate of it. you will be wading in pig fat. you cannot go wrong here. you will only go right . . . right to higher cholesterol and another belt knotch.
and as for the reviewer that says they are rude to "non-spanish speakers" . . . they do speak english . . . and try smiling . . . it helps.
viva alex's!!!!
