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So uhm ya when i first moved to Boston Anna's Taqueria had just started. I popped my Boston Taqueria cherry in the Brookline location. Maybe it was because they were new, or i was freshly arrived from the Real West and Mexican food, but the food then was appaling, un satisfying, dry, awful, gross, and not good period.
So 10 years later, i have either A) I have fallen into an alternate universe or B) Anna's has made some strides. I was pleasantly surprised when i ate here for lunch while at work one day. I work at MIT, sounds cooler than it is, trust me.
Its cheap, they give you a ton of food, and its good. I'm addicted to the Mexican plates, pork carnitas thank you very much add some jalepenos and we're gold. I do also love the fact that they have jarritos, best mexican soda around, althought to be a truly mexican spot they should have the Strawvberry (fresa) flavor of soda.
Yay Anna's! I was pleasantly surprised.
Scale of 1-10 (multiple visits):
7 Food
7 Service
5 Atmosphere
7 Value
It's a 7 if you know what to order and the ingredients are fresh. It can dip to a 4 otherwise.
Never go to this place after fasting for 30 hours....bad move. Real Bad Move. My stomache was cursing at me for like 2 days straight.....But can anyone criticize me? Not eating for 30 hours...only thing that came to my mind was shoving down hot, cheasy, steak quesidia or that super burrito filled with just goodness....
If you live anywhere close to boston, you've already heard or tried Anna's. I've been to all three locations and all I can say is, thank you God. This mexican goodness is a gift to all poor college students in the area.
First things first. You don't have to wait long till you eat your food. So if you are hungry and wanna eat real fast, this is the place. Second, you don't have to spend too much money filling your stomache. Third, your mouth gets to enjoy an explosion of many flavors all at once.
Heaven? Almost.
Oh Anna's, you do me right. Whenever I can't resign myself to a lunch of yogurt and a turkey sandwich, but I also feel cheap, I walk on over to the Anna's in the MIT Student Center. A steak super burrito with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, accompanied by some chips and guac to share, and washed down with a Diet Coke, is basically amazing, if not my comfort food heaven. The employees are friendly, quick, and don't skimp on the steak (or anything else you ask form for that matter). I don't care that I may or may not find myself in a food coma afterwards; I'm pretty sure it'll just make my afternoon go by quicker.
I was super excited to see they were open for breakfast after playing tennis one morning. I victory danced over to the counter, and ordered a breakfast burrito with potato, egg, cheese, and oh no bacon? (minus one star)? Ok, sausage then. And extra hot sauce please!
So I'm not sure if it was because I was starving, or because it had been forever, but the burrito disappeared fast into my belly. Well half of it of course, because I couldn't finish the whole thing. It was delish! I heart you Anna's! See you soon...I may even play tennis more often just so I have an excuse to stop by!
"Steak super!" (burrito is implied....)
Yes, that's my order a couple times a week. It may or may not be the most authentic burrito ever, but it is a darn tasty, filling, cheap, convenient, balanced(ish) meal.
*Quality, seasoned steak, not stringy fat and tendons (Qdoba...).
*Rice that's so tasty it must be cooked using a chicken broth.
*Good salsa with lots of fresh cilantro.
*Soft, chewy, moist tortilla with gooey lovely cheese that is aligned with the long axis of the burrito so it's in every delicious bite (not always so at Boca Grande, which is otherwise pretty close).
*Pinto beans that are cooked just right.
*Lettuce, there to add a little roughage and pretend it's a balanced meal
*Sauce, tasty, though not hot. This is probably the only minor shortcoming, it would be nice to be able to spice it up on days when I feel like something hot, but in honesty I've never asked for a hotter option.
*Wrapped properly, so it doesn't leak and you can easily rip the foil away gradually as you eat it.
You get change back from your $5 bill for a filling portion of all this goodness.
This place rules.
I blame Anna's for the 10 pounds I gained when I took this job in Cambrdige. Once I found out that they opened one on MIT campus, I practically go there twice a week for lunch. Now normally for all their other locations, I give 5 stars but I have to, I repeat HAVE TO, take away a star because the MIT location skimps on their proportions. The flavor is still there but the super burrito would be the size of the regular small burrito at the Davis Square one or Brookline one. I know there's an obesity epidemic in America but c'mon I ordered a SUPER burrito, not a small one. Do I have to call the Somerville Anna's employees to show you how it's done?
Back in my undergrad years, Anna's was a guilty pleasure. Because it was the only thing I could get between getting out of the late afternoon cross-registration class recitations and getting picked up by the Wellesley bus on Mass Ave. I miss it. I love it. It's a little sketchy. A Wellesley girl on MIT Campus some times draws white eye balls when waiting in line. But I loved every bit of it. I guess I should get some college friends to go back for reunion. wahahaha
I have to start this off with a disclaimer that I realize that I'm not back in San Diego where I spent my time in the Navy. San Diego, where the taco shops in the barrios might as well be deep in the heart of Mexico; where a real carne asada burrito is $3.50 and is the size of your forearm.
I hate this saying, but Anna's is what it is, New England's version of Mexican food. It's good, but it's not great. The steak ( I guess they never heard of carne asada) burrito is almost 5 bucks and is the size of my..... well, not my arm. I had to get 2 just to put a dent in my hunger. Most of Anna's are closed at 11p.m. What good is that after a night of drinking? I don't want to be too hard on Anna's because it is tasty; I guess I was just spoiled by S.D.
I have gotten, and liked:
-Taco with chicken, cheese & salsa
-Taco with carnitas, chicken, & salsa
-Taco with steak, chicken & salsa
-Burrito with chicken, cheese, & salsa
-Quesadilla with steak, cheese, & salsa
-Quesadilla with steak, cheese, salsa & rice
Anna's has turned me into a creature of habit...but an oh-so-delicious habit...
Okay, I have now lived in Cambridge for two years and I've come around to Anna's. Maybe it's because I've learned what to order (two pretty good al pastor tacos for $3.10!!!), or maybe it's because I've learned that I need to lower my standards for lots of things while living here, but for food quality/freshness/price, Anna's is really not half bad. No, it's not a Bay Area burrito, but it is basically the best thing going in the MIT area. Plus lots of hours.
Okay, so Anna's Taqueria is not the Cal-Mex that I love. True.
But over the years, I have learned to…
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THIS PLACE SUCKED!!! They are stingy with everything, the steak tasted like burnt roast beef with cigarette smoke infused in the meat. I hope the Phantom Gourmet never comes here they will be greatly disappointed....I almost died from a tongue attack!!! YUCKY YUCKY YUCK!!!!
Man, Anna's. Five years ago applying to schools, I half-assed my MIT application - it always seemed kind of dorky and dingy, was supposed to be super stressful, and just didn't seem like it'd be a good fit for me.
That was five years ago. Before there was an Anna's there. Freshman year, my friends who did go to MIT kept sending me the news - "Did you hear we have an Anna's now?" Damn. I will honestly say that one year and one delicious burrito place could have seriously affected by college choices and changed the rest of my life.
Hindsight is always 20/20, though, and I will live my life on - perhaps it was for the better that I didn't spend four years eating three meals a day of delicious super steaks and chile verde quesadillas while paying half what my college meal plan cost... sigh.
Seriously though people, this Anna's is as good as the rest and perhaps a bit better in some ways. For example, they don't charge meal tax so everything is just a bit cheaper. Cha-ching!
How Major Moments of My Life Might've Been Different If I'd Had a Burrito From Anna's at My Side:
BIRTH: The doctor tells my mother to push, and there I am, crowning. My dad faints at the sight of my bloody bald head, but he has revived by the time she's pushed out the afterbirth-covered foil tube. We are both the same length. Once I am swaddled, the nurse unwraps the silvery foil of the tube. It is still warm, but the tortilla is a little dry.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: I cry. The kids are all much bigger than I am and the teacher - a woman with a heavy accent that I barely understand - has little patience for the timid little girl. At lunch time, I sneak off into the corner and unwrap my burrito. The guacamole is soothing. One of the kids has tortilla chips and we trade parts of our meals. I make a friend.
FIRST KISS: It's 10 at night and he's dropping me off after a fun afternoon of ice skating. We can barely see one and other by the light of the moon, and he misses, moist lips grazing the edge of my mouth. Burritos in hand, our breath smells like onions and the spiciness burns our lips. This feeling in my stomach is like salsa, butterflies. I feel like dancing. We grin and try again.
GRADUATION: It's raining and I don't want to be there, but my parents put their foot down and demanded that photo op. The general atmosphere is one of weary victory. The nonstop stream of names goes on for hours, and I praise myself for thinking ahead and bringing lunch. Of course, I spill oil down the front of my robe; luckily, it's too dark to catch in the photos. On my way back to my seat, I step in a puddle and accidentally splash my diploma with mud. It'll be a great story later.
LOSING VIRGINITY: I didn't realize I would be so hungry after sex. Nor did I realize how annoyed I would be when he just rolls over and goes to sleep after he comes, leaving me feeling strangely...empty. My burrito is on the nightstand, and I quickly unwrap it and tear savagely at it, savoring the feeling of sating physical hunger. When he finally wakes back up for another go, it's not nearly as fulfilling as that burrito. But it is more fun.
FIRST TIME EATING ANNA'S: Uh, yeah...this is kind of the same.
"Carnita's Super."
I have no idea how many times I uttered those two words at the MIT student center Anna's during my undergrad years but it was a lot. Yes, that's right. Super burrito. Easy to eat, and easy clean up. It was my go to place when I needed a quick bite in between classes. Or when I didn't feel like cooking dinner, I'd grab it on my way back to McCormick/Sid Pac. Service is super fast. There's something about the way their tortillas are steamed that make them not too dry and not too soggy. Just right. The quesadillas are great too. The tortillas come out nice and flaky. mm...now I'm craving anna's.
When Anna's replaced Arrow Street Cafe in the student center, I gained 11 pounds in one semester. Coincidence? Nope. Eating two Super Burritos stuffed to bursting with Al Pastor pork, rice, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa every day will do that to a person. It was like Super Size Me: Mexican-style, except I wasn't destroying my body purposely to make a statement -- I just couldn't help it.
Even when I could no longer fit comfortably into the majority of my pants (Hello, muffin top), and had more than the beginnings of a double chin, I couldn't stop eating at Anna's -- the food was like crack. Delicious, guacamole-y crack. I couldn't stay away from the Super Burritos (They also came in regular size, but hey, go big or go home, right?), or the Quesidillas. Mmmm, quesidillas. Those were the best, because the special tortillas used to make them had the cheese baked right in. Greasy flaky cheesy tortilla + pork + rice + sour cream + guacamole + lettuce = super messy, super delicious, and SUPER bad for my waist line.
It took me an entire summer of non-stop running to shave those burritos and quesidillas off my stomach, legs and hips, but...totally worth it.
I am shocked by how much I liked this place. Seriously, a burrito chain in Boston...come on how good could it be? Well, apparently the answer is pretty damn good.
I ordered the grilled vegetable burrito and watched with amazement as they hacked huge pieces of grilled veggies down for my meal. There was broccoli, corn, squash of some sort, zucchini, you name it. Delicious. Roomie got the grilled veggie quesadilla. Equally good, but a little on the oily side.
I like that they warn you up front that their rice is made with chicken stock. This saves you from asking only to be met with a blank expression or being told there are no pieces of chicken in it so it's totes vegetarian. Service was fast and friendly too.
I'm very glad to know that I will not live out my days in MA Mexican food free.
Well it's no El Pelon.
I don't understand the following here - I was less than impressed.
The burritos taste like something I could make in my own kitchen - and I'm an Irish boy with kitchen ingredients consisting of saltine crackers, jelly, some fruit & almond mix, and a couple ketchup packets.
It's inexpensive, which is good. And it better be, since the chicken burrito I ate wasn't worth much.
A burrito is the perfect food for a college student. It's filling, cheap and has such variety that it can breed good debate while waiting in line at the book store. It is only logical that an Anna's should sit in the MIT Student Center.
In terms of quality and speed, the Anna's here is just as good as the other locations. What you get here is indistinguishable from its tasty cousins. If you're in the area and need some flavor on the cheap, you won't find a better burrito.
So let's set the scene. It's a rainy rainy rainy fall afternoon and I am sailing a regatta out of MIT and i come into the boathouse after a particularly grueling set and I find that one of my teammates has gone to some place named Anna's during their offset and plunked a foil wrapped burrito atop my gear bag. Little did I know that I was about to experience one of the most amazing burritos I have ever had in my life (at least East of the Mississippi).
I love Anna's. It is the bright spot in my bleak Mexican food-less time I spend on the East Coast. The burritos and quesadillas are amazing (I recommend chile verde) and they are prepared very quickly and all in all this place adequately satisfies my Mexican food cravings until I make it back to the Bay Area.
Take this review with a grain of salt. This establishment could easily earn a higher rank if it were not held to the high standards of the Coolidge Corner Anna's.
Growing up coming into my friends apartment in brookline meant 1 thing. Anna's. Party? we can get anna's first. Board games? Anna's for lunch. Dropping someone off after a trip out to the suburbs? Lets swing by anna's.
Though the burrito establishment on MIT campus shares the same name as the one in CC it is not on the same level.
The burritos are inconsistent, the flavor and mixing of the ingredients are not quite right and the biggest flaw, it has none of the anna's character that i have grown to love. This place feels... fancy. Clean, polished, brightly colored counter... even the people who work there seem more professional. Thats not what i want when i get annas. I want the nitty gritty, i want the annoyed look from the worker when you dont realize its your turn.
Do yourself a favor and take the trek out to brookline to experience anna's how it is meant to be.
I have been working close to here for almost 2 years now, and until recently ate here at least twice a week. I love love love this place.
The food is perfect for someone who is hungry, doesnt want a burger, but wants something that will sustain and will taste good while on the go. Anna's is the answer for local people who dont get long for lunch. Not a big fan of the mexican plate, but there chicken or carnitas Super Burrito is fantastic... just the prices went up quite abit recently so the 5 stars it is... that said they have got a little bit tighter on there additions.
I love Anna's Taqueria. So why the one star?
Cuz the one at the MIT student center sucks compared to their branch in Beacon St., Brookline. I used to eat every week over there and the two times I ate at the MIT branch, the difference was drastic.
So while I love Anna's, I will never go to this branch again.
Clean efficient and delicious.
Anna's is a great place for having a taco. I went there during Splash, and though it was crowded, it was very fast. I was in the door and out in less than fifteen minutes, and the small staff served between 30 and 50 people at a time. The speed was a huge benefit.
The food was asi-asi. It was comfort food and was good for a good time.
It was affordable for my very low budget, under five dollars for a supper burrito.
I wanted to start this with welcome to the land of suck, as so I shall. Now, 90% of the food this place doles out is total crap. The meat is boiled and has a spongy consistency puzzling even the most fine-food deprived college student. The burritos come out large, stuffed with your choice of steak, pork, chicken, black and red beans, rice, and the traditional accouterments. The burritos come in regular and super, though everyone just orders the super as they are so close in size and it is the better deal for the price. The quesadilla comes out as a hot mess. I'm not talking about any reality show winner here; wrapped in tin foil the quesadilla is is impossible to open without pouring hot oil all over yourself. Similarly, there seems to be no good way to get sour cream with your quesadilla, though default is inside. Since the quesadilla isn't cut, it is not prime for dipping, and the eat on the run style of the wrapping makes it very difficult to enjoy.
Now you are probably curious why I gate it 5 stars, well that is all due to the breakfast burrito. This little gem is what reminds me there must be some higher power out there looking out for me. Scrambled eggs, cheese, hash browns (the little cubed potatoes) with meat, and sausage (rice optional, and I always leave it off since it makes everything taste subtly of chicken). I throw a little "green" sauce and sour cream on it then am off to class. Since it is sealed tighter than the pentagon, the breakfast burrito is the perfect traveling companion, too bad it is only sold until approximately 10:30am.
Bottom Line: The breakfast burrito may win the award for my best breakfast in Boston. It definitely wins the most mobile breakfast, right above the Belgian waffle.
Burrito criticism is really a matter of degree.
Anna's had the authentic flavor, but with some significant lapses. The burrito tortillas were off. Maybe they were under-steamed, but they were too thick and chewy. And when the tortilla is off, it throws everything out of whack.
Fillings were not as tasty as Boca Grande. Maybe they were overshadowed by the tortilla.
The Horchata was so sweet it was almost undrinkable.
Still, this is better than anything I can get around Albany. But there is better to be had around Boston. If you are in the area, and need something to scratch the burrito itch, this will do the trick. Just skip the Horchata.
you know what I think is, its that new england and boston is hard pressed to find decent mexican food and thats why everyone likes anna's so much. If they had mexican in anywhere else they would never go back. Anna's is the Fridays and Applebee's of mexican food.
I went to the MIT version of Anna's the other day with some friends and ordered myself a steak super burrito. I had thought about just a 'regular' burrito, but I did NOT want to leave the place hungry, sooooo decided to go with the super.
I was not disappointed.
I have had burritos from Qdoba and Boloco and this one was better than both. Qdoba's taste great going down... but an hour or two later aaaaand well, you're in discomfort. Boloco is decent... but for the price i expect a little bit more.
Anna's serves up a delicious burrito for a very nice price (bout 4 bones).
It's worth the couple thousand calories. I think.
I mean, it's Anna's Taqueria in the student center, is anybody going to make up their mind about going here based on my Yelp review?
But when you do go here, here's some advice from someone who's had well over two hundred Anna's burritos: the steak is chewy, the carnitas are dry, and the chili verde is way too hot, so stick with the chicken and grilled vegetables (really flavorful and cut right before your eyes). An al pastor quesadilla is by far the most delicious thing you can get here, but subtract two weeks from your lifespan each time you order one. And the breakfast burritos are so tasty that it is actually unfair.
A prime example of how you can successfully train your tastebuds to enjoy bland Mexican food and then be compelled to eat it again. And again. And again...until you wipe out your meal card and have to search for free food on campus.
On the bright side, Anna's did introduce me to the burrito al pastor (only to find much better versions elsewhere), and I could get a tamarindo Jarritos without having to leave campus.
Be prepared to know exactly what you want and repeat it over and over again until you get to the cashier.
"Ok, steak burrito with rice and lettuce!"
(Guy steams tortilla, passes it on.)
"Chicken?"
"Steak! With just rice and lettuce."
(Grabs a gigantic spoonful of beans and hovers it over my tortilla.)
"Beans?"
"Ahh! No, just rice and lettuce."
"Rice?"
"Uh huh!"
"Lettuce?"
"Yup!"
"Salsa?"
"Ahh! Stop!"
Ordering at Anna's can be a stressful experience, but I usually end up getting what I came for. Back in college, Anna's hit that perfect sweet spot of a meal I could afford ($4) with a serving size that always seemed to be exactly the amount of food I wanted to eat. Whenever I'm back in Cambridge, Anna's is one of the few places I make sure to visit before I leave town. The biggest problem with eating here is that everyone will know you did, because you will smell like a burrito for the rest of the day.
So, yeah, Anna's at the student center is your typical Mexican food place. The plus side is that their service is fast, fast, fast. If you're at MIT and you need to eat something fast before heading to a meeting or a class, just go there. However, the food only tastes good the first few times you have it. After a while you just have it cause it's convenient and cheap. Or because you're starving and nothing else is open.
Anna's is a good place to get a burrito once in a while; eat it too often and you will definitely get sick of it fast. Their breakfast burritos are delicious, and their fresh squeezed orange juice is very good. Be careful when eating their burritos and quesadillas; even though they're wrapped in foil and plastic and then put in a paper bag, the juices can still leak out. The service here is insanely fast; make sure you know what you're ordering, or they'll get annoyed at waiting.
ok, you can't expect "Mexican" food in Massachusetts, but please, have you compared it to the wrap (to quote me, eating at the wrap is like giving up on life) this is five stars for a cheap clean lunch spot with fresh ingredients.
Their hot sauce is delicious, the meats tasty, which is saying something because even the chicken has flavor (I say the same thing about chicken as I do the Wrap), the rice is also extremely tasty, the quesadillas are my favorite, consistently crispy and buttery and delicious. I think your expectations count a lot toward your experience, and I suspect West coasters will be annoyed, more of the fans will not be accustomed to or expecting Mexican food.
I consistently come here 1 or 2 times a week. I work at M.I.T., so it's close, and it's quick and cheap. Anna's Taqueria any location will be inconsistent, yes it's not "real" mexican food, but it's pretty much a fast food place. I usually only get 1 or 2 things every time I go, and for the most part, I'm fully satisfied. Great salsa, fresh ingredients, and I love cheese on everything.
It keeps me coming back, so I give it 4.5 stars.
Three stars for convenience, and that's about it. If you want to fill your stomach for cheap and you're at MIT, then this is your place. If, however, you're looking for a little flavor and don't mind spending a couple more bucks, you might as well just head upstairs to the Subway and have lunch with Jared.
Can't say the food is bland; they threw enough salsa on my burrito to make sure of that. Almost as if someone dared me to dump a bottle of Pace down my throat - and I was dumb enough to do it.
Felipe's in Harvard Square is far superior in my opinion.
I must admit, this is the best mexican food ive had in Boston.
Before you get your undies in a bunch, let me tell you, I am from LA. I love mexican food. I think without it I would be dead. In Boston, this is my.... 10th mexican place? All of them got 4-5 stars on yelp yet have been disappointments.
When I came here, however, I was pleasantly surprised. It was affordable, and pretty good. It's not LA, but it'll do while I'm here.
Hint, get the quesedilla and put burrito ingredients into it. the flaky tortilla hits the spot. wash it down with horchata, but get a small, it quickly gets old.
i got carnitas, it's definitely the way to go.
I have been told that, as a native New Englander, I am not capable of appreciating "real" burritos. Several people have also told me that Anna's Taqueria isn't authentic, that the salsa isn't spicy enough, that things are miss-named. These people are missing the point. I work across the street and eat a burrito at Anna's at least once a week. I don't care what you call them, they are delicious. The tortillas are soft and chewy, the salsa is packed with cilantro, and the guacamole is fresh. The portions are generous and cheap. There's frequently a long line when I go there during lunch hours, but I've yet to wait more than 5 minutes in line. The only bad thing I can say about them is that the dinning area could be cleaner. This winter there were some globules of an unexplained brown liquid clinging to the ceiling. Condensation? A leak? I don't know. There are tables outside so I usually take my burrito to go.
I've tried Boloco's (exotic, but too small, overpriced) , Chipotle (delicious but overpriced), and Border's (not ok) in Boston. At Anna's you're likely to get the cheapest and best burritos in Boston. The guys at the counter give you extra jalapenos free of charge and generous amounts of salsa. I'm going to have to admit, however, that I still miss a good California burrito.
Brookline, MA
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Porter Square
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Davis Square
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT
Category: Pool Halls
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