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Man, I don't wanna believe the news I heard today, but my sources are impeccable - The Forest is closing. I moved out of Cambridge a couple months ago, but a piece of me remains at the bar in The Forest. Three of my seven favorite bartenders of all time work here (yes, I keep a list, and these are the last three whose whereabouts are still known to me) and I'll miss the friends I made there, too. I never considered myself a regular, but let's just say I'm known to the staff and the regulars.
Ah, well, there seems little point in giving an extensive review, but let's just call it the friendliest place I've ever frequented. Let's talk about the apps - the sauteed green beans, the street corn, the chicken wings and livers I used to eat in my pre-vegetarian days. The moles were the only authentic ones within a mile and a half. I unknowingly followed the chef, Jim Fahey, up and down Mass Ave, from the late lamented Porterhouse Cafe, to the then-outstanding but not after Fahey left Spirit Bar, finally settling at The Forest.
Depressing news even though I don't get into Cambridge anymore. To you who loved it I send my condolences, and to you who didn't get it I also send my condolences. You missed out.
Initially awkward. I waited in the doorway, alone, without anyone from the restaurant looking at me for a good 5 minutes. Not even a "Hi, I'll be right with you."
However, when I was seated, my waitress was prompt, polite, and pleasant. The salsa was OK; had the color and texture of jarred, but was fairly flavorful. I chose chicken enchiladas with the mole of the week (yes, they feature different kinds of mole), a toasted hazelnut, chocolate, and pasilla sauce. It was dark, sweet, spicy, and delicious. The chicken inside could have used some seasoning (and maybe some cheese or something for moisture), but was otherwise tender and tasty. The plain white rice was disappointing, but the black beans made up for it.
Will I go back? Yes I will.
we have been going here off and on for years since we used to live in the neighborhood. food is still very good. true camb. bar atmosphere. booths are a bit stiff, but if the food is good I will sit on the floor. this last time everything seemed a bit spicier. maybe just a new cook. I liked it.
like stereo jack's and harv. house of pizza nearby, a mass. ave. tradition
in every way.
Kind of a weird name for a Mexican restaurant, no?
Anyway, I just got a drink here with a friend around 8pm on a Friday. The bartender was nice. My friend liked her mojito, and my bloody mary was definitely large - maybe not the spiciest, but still good. Definitely did the job.
The atmosphere is kind of weird. The music is borderline American pop-py, and it's loud inside. There are some games in the back.
Anyway, didn't taste the food, but I'd probably come back here for a cheap drink - and if everything else in the area was crowded
Bloody mary: $6.50
Mojito: $8
(beer was cheaper, d'oh)
I've been waiting to write this review for a while, so I don't sound like I have a stale chip on my shoulder or something...
I'll state the positives first: The service was competent, and when our server changed from the first to the very pregnant lady, the service got a LOT friendlier. The margaritas are good, and the selection of tequila is surprisingly good for New England. The mole poblano sauce is not bad, a little too sweet... but pretty good, and something I would pick up by the quart if available.
Now, if you just want the good, it's time to stop reading. :) From here on out, it goes downhill... fast.
The booths are a terror, uncomfortable, and coming apart. Someone got into the seat behind mine and successfully loosened the backrest to the point that it sagged on me.
The food was really sub-par. The $8 guacamole was bland, and consisted of mashed avocado cut with either milk or mayonnaise. The guacamole was a light green, not the bright green of a fresh avocado. I added some of the hot salsa as well as pepper and salt to it, and it brightened a bit, but the avocado flavor just wasn't there. For $8, it's something to avoid. The (very good) mole poblano sauce was served on burnt chicken breasts that had been grilled instead of braised in the sauce. The shrimp enchiladas were tasty, but they were made with low quality feeder/cocktail shrimp. The cheapest stuff on the market.
So there it is, uncomfortable place, and I felt scammed.
However, the mole sauce has great potential, especially if the meats it is served with were handled with more care.
Overall this places gets a bit "eh" from me. Not worth it...
Seats are terrible - very uncomfortable
Food - ok. Nothing to write home about. Better than I had expected it would be based on the look of the place but I guess you can't judge a book by it's cover.
Drinks - good enough if you like tequila - have a few of them and i'm sure the place will look much better to you.
Went on a Friday night - at 6:30. not too busy but was packed by the time we left. Interesting crowd of clientele...was actually surprised at how packed it was. I wouldn't be rushing back here anytime soon.
Like some other reviewers, I'm torn about this restaurant. On the one hand, if you like a nice heavy plate of cheese enchiladas with rice, beans, and guacamole, I think Forest Cafe is pretty good. On that front I would definitely rate it above Border Cafe. There are other highlights on the menu as well, though it's been too long since I've eaten them to make a recommendation.
Again on the positive side, you can find some quirky music and culture in the restaurant. Once when I ate here there was a guy singing and playing guitar--his songs mostly consisted of a bunch of jokes in Spanish.
On the negative side, I don't think I've had worse tortilla chips and salsa than I did tonight. The chips were tasteless and stale, and the salsa was no better than I could buy in the discount aisle of the supermarket. I get the feeling that the ingredients are often less than AAA quality, and I would not be eager to order fish.
Service was friendly but somewhat inattentive. The waitresses often stand behind a wall which means when you look for them they're often nowhere to be seen.
The dining room side of the restaurant consists of a bunch of booths that, as other reviewers have mentioned, are pretty uncomfortable. Even for fans of "straight back" seating won't be entirely happy: there are lumps! The bar looks a bit more taken care of and they have some nice widescreen TVs for watching sports.
So here's my advice: if you're looking for an enchilada plate or like your mole on the sweet side, you should come give it a try. If you're willing to spend a little more and get much better food, try Olé in Inman Square. If you want to save a little and again get better food, try Tacos Lupita.
Loved it
Forest Cafe is a delicious salt-fest. I used to come here fairly often, both for the food and the drinks. One of the most enjoyable afternoons I have ever spent at a bar was here, where my friend and I agreed to meet. We randomly started talking to the girl next to us (probably the only other person in there), who was an archivist at Harvard University. She really had such a cool job!
Even though I don't have a guarantee of meeting someone interesting like her every time I go to Forest Cafe, I would still return. Service is decent, the food is good (no it's not "authentic"), and the atmosphere is A+. It's kind of dark, there's fun stuff on the walls, and there's lots of Cambridge regulars to oogle at (what exactly would it be like to be wealthy enough to own property in Cambridge??).
All in all, I'll be returning. This Thursday, actually.
I'll be upfront with you. I have a soft spot for the Forest. I love the regulars like one may love the quirky characters in a book. I know many of them by name but have managed to remain an anonymous observer of them. I will say that Peter St Claire O'Mally has been missing from the scene for a while and that saddens me. I miss his Sean Connery-esque accent, free drinks, and amusing anecdotes.
Moving on, I pretty much always get the same thing (Cafe Burrito with chicken and red sauce, no rice and a large 3G Margarita) and I'm always happy. I always feel comfortable coming in by myself and sitting at the bar for a beer, a marg or a glass of sangria. Its my local; easy going, friendly, affordable, interesting. Plus Big Brian the bartender is a total hotty, he's always there for me with a snide remark about my personal life that, for some reason I continue to share with him...hmm...
Moral of the story: It's my go-to for a beer, the game, and good time with friends. OLE!
Every time I go I get the same thing - the Tinga Poblano. It's so good that I could probably eat it every day and never get tired of it. I also love the chicken coriander soup. The margaritas are delicious and pretty potent too. Sometimes the waiter seemed sad and nervous, I wanted to talk to him but there was a wall there. The seats are a little uncomfortable too, but it is a great place.
Hardly fashionable and fashionably late, I showed up to brunch and was greeted by the HOI!s of my peers and the stink eye of my wife.
She was a sour girl the day that she met me.
The eatery which was lauded for its thrifty meals and good Mexican food was enough to drag me out of my slumber. Well that, and an barrage of early morning wake-up calls. My friends are like gnats.
It was empty this particular morning, and we were seated at a table by the window where I could easily view children who looked like the Farside Boy and quarreling couples trapesing by. The space is divided restaurant/bar by a low lying partition, and in case I didn't realize it wasn't a white table cloth establishment before I came, the enormous dangling blow-up corona really drove the point home. There is a jukebox and antiquated photos of Mexican yore modge-podged on the walls, and gives off the feeling of being a pub.. which I am generally not accustomed to when it comes to tacos.
The menu item names alone imply traditional dishes, mostly because I knew within minutes I would be butchering the Spanish language and remotely cause the Man with the Blue Guitar to shed a pigmented tear. While figuring out my dish, I realized that everyone had already ordered cocktails, unaware.. I took the Spring Break route and opted for a large margarita, salt rim. Novice. Everyone else went for a mojito(which can be served up classic, or Mexican style with tequila). The margarita was cool/refreshing, and could have been purchased in mix form at my local packy, and I actually enjoyed the mojito for its sweetness, although I am not sure it fit the bill for everyone else.
Foodwise, I decided to order the uh..-references website-MIGAS de NUEVO LEON, which is scrambled eggs, crisp tortilla pieces, bacon, pica de gallo and "Mexican cheese". Side of sour cream of course..no "plop of guac" this time. We all ordered items with elaborate/butchered names and when it came time for Chloe's softspoken beau to order his meal, "el gordo" fit the bill. Plain.simple. He will slit your throat in your sleep.
Although my dish was the least aesthetically pleasing of the bunch, my compost pile of delight was perfect. Where were you Saturday mornings in college Leon? WHERE WERE YOU. I was not used to having tortilla chips in my meals, but this small addition gave some texture to the grub..almost like breakfast nachos.
It was a good meal, and it was a good morning. The highlight of the whole event(pardon my momentary dip into esoteric waters) was when I thought Adam's boyfriend, Jarf snuck away for a cigarette and I went on a whole "Now that he's gone...." soapbox decree about how I didn't think he should move to Oregon with him(the land of Nike HQ and Everclear(the band)) and out popped Jarf who was curled up under the table...who was down there because......still no idea.
"I will buy you a garden
Where your flowers can bloom
I will buy you a new car
Perfect shiny and new
I will buy you that big house
Way up in the west hills
I will buy you a new life
Yes I will"
--dedicated to Adam's new life, Jarf, Mormons.
"I was ten years old
Doing all that I could
It wasn't easy for me
To be a scared white boy
In a black neighborhood"
--Liz D.
Have fun in Portland. Sucka.
I'm going to have to hop on the 3 star bandwagon for this one. It's Sunday, it's raining, we need the sort of sustenance that only a HUGE brunch followed by slothing around my apartment in pajamas while gingerly tracing Haribo rattler gummys down boy's shirt into his (covered) bellybutton (x files style) while watching movies about toothy vaginas can provide. This is what Sundays are for.
Practically empty on a Sunday at noon, sort of suspect. We sat ourselves by the front window alongside my wife, her confidant, Adam, and Jarfy, Jarfy and I perched on the window seat across from a portrait of Nadya's abuela on the homestead. And by perched, I mean seriously I felt like I was 3 feet up in the air, lumbering 20 inches over the tabletop busily calculating the distance my fork will have to travel from plate to mouth, determining the object's terminal velocity, and what the odds are that this piece of omelet will shift it's weight and wind up rolling merrily along the way down the front of my shirt. Questionable.
Our waitress arrives while we're discussing "my future girlfriend" and the social impact of large glasses x rat tails and how it's affected modern day OSHA standards in the workplace. Glass ceiling. Boy and I order a mojito, a questionable one at that. It has ginger ale in it? Uh, whatever. Just bring it, Mama needs her medicine. I ordered what was essentially a ham and cheese omelet covered in both red and green sauce, with a "plop o'guac". One plop was plenty. Just a plop. One plop. While the omelet appeared mighty, it was just enough. In fact, I almost wanted a little something else after. It also had a side of black beans, which I quickly gobbled up.
Boy ordered some sort of Mexican inspired pork chop that was served alongside two fried eggs, potatoes (awesome!), a link of chorizo, and there may or may not have been black beans. He expressed to me that it was pretty tasty, and our general consensus was that the food was more than decent for the money. My omelet was only $6.50 or so and drinks were $5 a piece, can't really complain about that for a slightly more than satisfactory meal.
**see wizard, i edited it.
S'ALL FOR CHEWWWWWWW. Love, Janet
The Forest Cafe is what I think would happen if you gave your senile grandmother a pattern for a Mexican Restaurant and actually let her do it.
The evenly spaced decorations that look like they came from iparty, the perfectly stenciled native looking design that hovers at eye level along the entire wall of the "dining area", and the hand sewn reupholstered bar booth backings. Not to mention the Mexican food. Gramma has an idea of what Mexican food should maybe taste like, but has never had it herself.
The margaritas were shitty, and it's not like they didn't have enough booze in them, they just didn't taste good. The salsa tasted like chopped veggies in tomato paste. The chips were almost stale. The enchiladas in mole sauce were actually just boiled chicken wrapped in tortillas and barely drizzled in what may have been a great mole sauce, but honestly there wasn't enough on my plate to give a qualified opinion. I was hoping they had some hidden gem on the dessert menu, but, surprise there wasn't even a menu.
The only thing keeping this stupid place from one star is the wait and bar staff. They were both very attentive and friendly.
otherwise: Suck.
First and foremost, don't expect anything fancy. Your waitress will probably forget to bring you a fork, and you can forget about a refill on your diet coke, so ration accordingly. If you don't set the bar very high, you'll have a pleasant dinner.
Food materializes in front of you about five minutes after you order it, and for the most part it's moderately delicious. In fact, as far as Mexican restaurants go, it serves my favorite food (but my second favorite Mexican restaurant is Taco Bell, so that might tell you something). The food is somewhat pricy and the waitresses are bitchy, but the place makes up for this with fantastic drinks and friendly bartenders. The decor and vibe are strictly dive, and there's a cute drawing of a dinosaur on the wall in the men's bathroom. I'd recommend the place; just don't go in hoping for a life-changing experience.
I was told that if I was looking for decent Mexican fare in the Boston area I had to come here.
I was lied to :'(
I ended up having some weird swordfish thing because their version of well, pretty much everything, was incompatible with my taste buds. I got the feeling they were attempting to be gor-may which does not at all match the surroundings.
Three stars because it's not the worst I've had out here and the server was pleasant enough. Seriously though Boca Grande is down the street and cheaper/faster/just as fancy.
During my visit to Cambridge this last summer ('07) I was walking down Mass Ave., just enjoying the balmy Friday afternoon and checking out the menus on the restaurant windows that I passed by.
When I took a peek at Forest Cafe's list of offerings, a middle aged local popped out to have a cigarette and struck up a conversation with me - which took me by surprise since for the most part I felt that New Englanders were quiet stoic sorts. I think he had a few beers in him, as he was quite genial and started expousing the virtues of the joint, saying that his buddy either owned or ran the place. He then invited me inside for a drink. I thought "Sh*t. Why not?" as I was on vacay anyway.
We sat at the bar. I told him that I was from L.A. and asked him what he thought about the Mexican food Forest Cafe served. He said is was good. I took his word for it since I wasn't hungry. We talked about living in Cambridge. I asked him if it was a pain-in-the-ass during the winter. He said you get used to it. The manager came over and the dude introduced us. We exchanged pleasantries and shook hands like gentlemen.
We talked for about another half hour, during which time I bought him a beer b/c he was such a cool dude. He was a little thrown off by my token of generosity - you woulda thunk I bought him a bottle of champagne by his expression of appreciation, but he actually just ordered a Coors or Budweiser.
I got up to continue my walk back to my buddy's apartment.
Three stars to the Forest Cafe for being so welcoming to a traveling soul.
The margaritas are passable, the enchilada is decent, and the burrito is the size of my head, but really my major reason for coming here was watching the Guinness atomizer/carbonator/awesomeness infuser. We sat at the bar at the end and got a front-seat view of the transformation of a can of hops and barley water into a swirling heady pint of goodness. So cool.
The regulars are super creepy at that end of the bar, though, so unless you enjoy being leered at while chowing down, get a table.
Know what I love about yelp, you can give a little dive bar with a weird menu four stars and people know you're not comparing it to the seasons.
Is the food here life-changing? no.
Does the decor make you think you're in a museum? no.
Are the benches comfortable? no (sit at the bar).
But the place is colorful. They actually have a *selection* of moles. The bartenders are super nice. And the vibe. . .well, it's exaactly what I want when sitting in a mexican place, eating chicken enchiladas con mole and drinking beer.
So kudos to you Forest Cafe. . .and i'll be seeing you soon.
I'm from Illinois; my pallet for Mexican food is quite simple. I've never had Mexican food so displeasing. Seriously. If I could, I would give zero stars. ZERO
They charge $7 for guac?!?! The margarita was obviously made with cheap mix and maybe had half a shot of tequila. The mole sauce tasted like molten chocolate cake in a really bad way; I think they used nestle cocoa to make it. The salsa almost tasted like sweet pasta sauce. Ick
I will not be returning
Blah... I'm sorry I've always heard the forest cafe is great, but I can still recollect the semi gross dark meat chicken they used in one of their entrees.
You know when you bite into a dish and have to spit a piece of meat out that has some funky something in it? That is my experience here.
I think this place needs to be remodeled in more than one way....
Wow. Really, wow. I'm at a complete loss for words. That was, by far, the worse 'Mexican' food I've ever had, even worse than anything I ever had in the Northern mid-West. The worst part was, it was also ridiculously over-priced. Their profit margins must be through the roof, because they're charging as though they were a top notch Mexican eatery but are clearly using canned/bottled ingredients. Their mole seriously tasted like Nestle chocolate syrup! The enchiladas were just completely bland and flavorless. And how do you mess up rice and beans? Seriously. Also the margaritas were clearly made with a pre-made mix. I could make a better one for less with store bought ingredients.
There are only two good things I have to say about this place: 1) the beer prices are good, I'm not going to complain about a $3.50 Negra Modelo, and 2) their nachos rancheros tasted good, though still not particularly Mexican, I have no idea what they stuff they were trying to pass of as chorizo was.
Oh yeah, also, what is up with people saying that it _used_ to be kinda divey and has been upgraded? I'd probably rate them a 7 out of 10 for diveyness. Black ceiling? Love it in my bars, but it's not what I'd call a sign of class.
Ok. I'm very surprised to see the negative reviews here - especially the nasty review regarding brunch. My most recent experience here was in fact brunch at the Forest Cafe. The brunch was excellent in my opinion, especially considering the value...$7 for a complete, authentic Mexican style brunch. The coffee was in fact superb - that is if you like dark and aromatic blends. If your choice is to leave the crowds and pretentious attitude behind - please give the Forest Cafe a try for brunch! (I've recently given up on Johnny D's, Soundbites and S & S, which are generally not worth the pure madness on a busy Sunday).
I'm an avid foodie with about 10 years of Boston dinning experiences and I have to give the Forest Cafe two thumbs up. If you are wondering how this place stacks up against similar restaurants (Rudy's, Cactus Club, Border Cafe, or Jose's) - those mediocre places don't even come CLOSE to the quality of the food, margaritas, and service here. In fact - I find the Forest Cafe to be more comparable to "high end" Mexican restaurants, such as Ole Mexican Grill in Cambridge.
Good food, fine beer list. I am going to get some sort of fun marg next time I go.
Great guacamole (with a spicy kick!) and burritos. The enchiladas looked really tasty although I did not have a bite.
I was there with a huuuuuuuuuuge group of people and the staff was so accommodating and attentive.
I'd go back.
The food isn't that impressive, but it's a decent place to go if you're in the area, want to sit down with your friends and have some booze and Mexican food but can't put up with the insanity of Border, .
Oh, also they give endless amounts of free chips and salsa.
Me and my labmates versus:
Margaritas (unsalted and salted), roast chicken mole verde, roast pork mole rojo, pollo burrito, enpipianes plate of roast chicken in green pumpkin seed sauce, enchiladas tres marias (chicken and cheese with mole poblano, a veggie burrito, enfrijoladas of grilled veggies in black bean sauce, chips and salsa, guacamole
Who wins? OTHER Mexican joints (u know, the type that you go to NOT because they have great food but because they serve you TONS of it and the margaritas come in vat-sized pitchers)
Not a bad place, but it just doesn't stack up those great Mexican restaurants where the powerful margaritas are everflowing and the dishes come as lakes of cheese, beans and rice
We went because we wanted to try their mole sauce but most of the sauces were quite disappointing. They weren't awful, just completely tasteless (like thick food coloring). The red mole sauce was the best tasting, its spices were blended well with the cacao flavor but it lacked a certain kick or spiciness
Unfortunately, most of the meat in the chicken and pork dishes was also dry as cardboard and chewy.
We had a good time nonetheless because we got a chance to play hooky from work and drink margaritas in the middle of the day!
I really REALLY want to like this place. I moved into the neighborhood (just blocks away actually) about 2 years ago. I heard good things and read good reviews about this place, so I tried it immediately. Had a decent meal, and liked the vibe of the bar on the other side, so I assumed I was on my way to becoming a regular.
Then I met the bartending staff.
I am a guy who likes to eat at the bar when eating alone, which is about half the time. I am a good tipper, and not pushy/needy. What I do need is the bartender to be attentive and slightly polite. Every bartender I have 'experienced' in this place has brought new levels to the word rude. And the food that they toss at you (3 minutes after you order it) is bland. the tortillas are stale, the chicken is stringy and the cheese is overpowering.
I have given it a try. I am no food snob. But I am destined to never return to this place after giving it more than a handful of opportunities
Forest Cafe was a childhood favorite of mine. Sigh... Now it makes me sick every time I eat there (twice in the last 10 years, Saturday night and once in '98).
I don't know if the food served at the Forest Cafe is authentic. Mexico is a big place. I'm willing to entertain the possibility that 'authentic' Mexican food doesn't all taste the same.
Authentic or not, the food at the Forest Cafe is dairy centric and very different from any other Mexican food I've ever had. All the dishes seem to be finished with liberal use of aged cheese and cream. Dish by dish we ate:
-Above average chips and salsa,
-Really bland potato cake thingies with unpleasant sauce, aged cheese and cream,
-A dish called 'Chile Relleno' that consisted of a big, flat slice of pepper topped by somewhat crunchy zucchini and bathed in cheese (it looked like a plate of melted cheese),
-A kind of tamale that I had never tried before and don't really look forward to trying again, they tasted more like muffins than tamales and were served covered in aged cheese and cream,
-Tres Marias cheese enchiladas, served with almost no beans and rice and topped by the customary aged cheese and cream mixture.
The specialty margaritas were acceptable, if a little foamy and not very strong and the tequila list offers some selection but isn't terribly exciting.
Ultimately, if your idea of good Mexican food is plates covered in dairy products with beans and rice used only as garnish then this is the Mexican restaurant for you. However, if you don't really like paying for food that makes you sick and you think that beans and rice should be cast with more than a cameo appearance Mexican food (especially vegetarian Mexican food) then you should probably look elsewhere.
Oh, and the booths are awesome! Really excellent straight back seating for those of us with good posture.
Amazing food! The best Mexican I've had around Boston. Forget about the overrated Border Cafe on Harvard Square! The Forest Cafe is much more low key, the food is way better, and so are the margaritas.
I highly recommend going there for lunch! The food is the same quality but much cheaper. Too bad they're only open for lunch Thu-Sun... But if you want Mexican lunch on a Mon, Tue or Wed, you can always go to the Boca Grande taqueria that is one block down.
Why all the hating on Forest Cafe? Okay, it's not gourmet Mexican and isn't authentic. I don't need to take a culinary trip to Oaxaca every time I eat Mexican food! Sometimes I'm just happy with gooey, cheesy, american-ized enchiladas and a decent margarita. Even though this place has gotten some rhythm about watery margaritas, I can safely say that I've never experienced that. And after eating at Cafe Romero with their miniscule margaritas that are so tart you feel as if you're drinking battery acid, a normal margarita in a nice large glass with lots of salt is just fine by me. In all fairness to other reviewers though, I've never ordered anything but top shelf margaritas.
And yes, while the guacamole is a bit bland and some of the tables are so small that you can't fit chips, salsa, and your dinner plates on at the same time, the grub here is pretty good. Try the "Mark"-arita... it's a bit on the sweeter side and is just perfect after a long day at the office. The burritos are also really tasty here.
With Forest Cafe what you see is what you get. It's unpretentious, unassuming and underappreciated. This place won't shake your world with its culinary delights, but it will satisfy you at a price that's okay for the end of the pay cycle.
REVISED: I am now subtracting a star because my friend reminded me that when we ate here she found a piece of metal in her food and they didn't comp her meal. Bad Forest Cafe. Bad restaurant.
The place smelled musty and old - not a good start.
The servers were not overly friendly.
The coke was actually pepsi (thanks for telling me, not), and the water/pepsi ratio from the soda gun was way off.
The mole was overly sweet without any complexity. On pork it was almost inedible. Fortunately I didn't order it.
The Swordfish was too dry, and I wondered whether it had been frozen...I'm leaning toward yes.
Plaintains were terrible - dry and tough.
Free chips and salsa were also pretty bad.
I used to live in California, and so I am probably biased, but on any given night I would go to a place like Chevy's over this, and chevy's is just ok.
2 stars because it's local, and I applaud the idea of serving non-cliche Mexican food, but the bloom has long since faded off this rose, and otherwise it would have been 1 star.
Not cheap, nor outstanding in flavor...but a decent place for sit-down Mexican when you're not up for one of the many burrito places near by. I'd much rather come here than that crazy Border Cafe or whatever it's called in Harvard Square. Yummy guacamole, good beer selection, and delicious chocolatey mole sauce...Prices are on the high end (avg $13-15 for a main entree like enchiladas), but you'll definitely have enough food for the next meal.
For a city that doesnt have any great Mexican options, this is a fine place to go for south-of-the-border eats. I am always happy with the Enchiladas Tres Marias (cheese with three sauces: salsa roja, verdes, and mole from Puebla) which comes with rice and black beans. They also have a fairly extensive tequila selection if margaritas are yr thing.
Dive bar with great food. You have to know what you're getting into before you go here.
There are some old school alchies that have been drinking here for like 30 years and you can tell. They are rowdy but they usually don't last very long into the night.
The bartenders are really nice and the margaritas are almost decent. The soda is always flat, or at least the diet coke is.
BUT...this place get's four stars for 2 reasons:
1)Wed night is TRIVIA NIGHT. That's right, 10 pm I get to feel like an idiot while these Harvard and MIT students kick my ass. The losing team gets free shots and the winning team gets a crappy prize, so losing is better anyway.
2)AWESOME food. Great salsa, great mexican food like yummy crab enchiladas and this awesome roasted corn with cheese appetizer. Pretty much all the food is good, but especially whatever specials they have.
The mexican brunch really isn't that good so go to the Temple instead.
I have to give this one a mixed review.
On my first trip there, I loved it-- I had enchiladas tres marias and a really excellent strawberry margarita. The one drawback was that it was winter and whenever the door opened a cold breeze blew in.
I ate there again recently, take out this time, because I was craving the tres marias that I'd had before. It arrived one enchilada short and cold. My partner ordered a crab taco that tasted like it was canned crab right out of the can-- salty and weird and not dressed in any way.
So...I'd eat there again, just not take-out, and not seafood. And I'd have a big strawberry margarita.
A friend of mine raved about this place and this weekend some other folks were pushing to watch a game here so I went. Underwhelming. Admittedly I sat at the bar and watched football with a nice crowd of townies (and I really mean that in the best way possible, as opposed to the proto-yuppies that were up the street at Spirit) but the food was just acceptable and nowhere near excellent as I'd been promised.
Nachos were uninspired and needed the basket of chips in order to scoop up the flaccid chips that had been covered with a heaping pile of the kitchen sink, including clearly canned beans. The chicken quesadilla was your standard grilled tortilla with a cheddar cheese and dry grilled chicken, thank heaven for beer and sour cream to wash it all down.
If you are going to watch a game the crowd is friendly and service is pretty good. Not a lot of televisions, but there was space at the bar when everywhere else was turning folks away. So if you're looking for your basic knock-off Mexican restaurant and are looking for a quieter place than/ can't see the point in the line for / too cold to walk to the Border Cafe, this is for you.
Weird Mexican place with high highs and low lows. My favorites are the mole enchiladas, the elotes (green beans), and the camarones.
5/18/2007: I know this place has totally mixed reviews, and my ratings have swung wildly, but for lunch Forest Cafe offers a ridiculously good value. I think the chef is on crack sometimes, badly overcooked fish for instance, but there are major hits like a shredded swordfish stew today, and the aforementioned highlights.
7/9/07: OK, here's my stance on Forest Cafe. It's OK for lunch. It's so cheap that no matter what you get it will be a good value. I'd stay away from dinner except known good options: elotes, mole enchiladas. Swordfish today was, like always, not-fresh tasting and/or overcooked. Nobody ruins fish like Forest Cafe. Mashed potatoes were delicious! Nobody is as inconsistent as Forest Cafe. Guacamole tasted off like always. Salsa tasted like the tomatoes came from a can. I say 4-5 stars for a luncheon special, 1-2 stars for dinner overall, though there are 4-5 star items on the menu. Confusing? Well, Forest Cafe is confusing.
I am highly suspicious of Mexican restaurants in which all the employees and owner are White.
So, I went once, wasn't impressed, and haven't been back.
More like 3.5 stars... Forest Cafe is probably the best Mexican food around Harvard Square... Now, considering their main competition is Border Cafe, this ain't sayin too much! The enchiladas mole are reliably good... not sure how someone could compare them to Hershey's. Their appetizers are what really make it worth coming here... go for the green beans and the guacamole. Considering the price of %#!@)( avacados in Boston in the winter, their guac is actually a pretty good deal.
If you're a vegetarian and ordering the cheese enchiladas, i recommend asking them to put less cheese and put spinach or rice inside instead, as the cheese gets a bit overwhelming.
The biggest downside is the service is kinda crap (ok, not so much crap as bizarre and discomfiting).
I agree with what many people have already said, the food at Forest Cafe is barely tolerable. Its good enough that you will eat the food once you order it, but its bad enough that you never want to eat there again. I was surprised by the lack of healthy options (no salads at all!) and the lack of vegetarian entrees. Their vegetarian entrees are simply meat entrees with cheese substituted for the meat. I mean, would it be so hard to put some tofu or something in there?
That said, Forest Cafe still gets three stars because they have an awesome pub trivia night on Wednesdays with a really funny host. The good beers and the trivia make up a little bit for the crappy food.
Neighborhood: North Cambridge
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Porter Square
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Porter Square
Category: Lounges
Cambridge, MA
Category: Mexican
Boston, MA
Category: Mexican
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