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Came here for dinner last night with Katie G, and we were both thrilled with the place. It has an unassuming exterior, and a kind of dingy (but clean) interior, but don't let that deter you - the food is excellent and the staff (owners?) are super friendly.
We started with the chips and guac, which was not only delicious, was an extremely large portion. Even splitting it, we were both pretty full before our meals arrived. We each had the pupusa platter - 2 pupusas, a whole plantain and rice and beans for $7.95. The pupusas were truly excellent and the sides were great as well. Granted, I've only had one other pupusa experience in my life, but these were far superior to those. My one complaint? They should have chicken or beef pupusas, so us non-pork-eaters have an option other than cheese!
Thanks to our appetizer, we could each barely finish HALF of our dinners - guess I have a pre-made dinner for some night this week!
I'm so psyched to discover this place, since I always love finding excellent restaurants in my 'hood! I will most definitely be back :)
Hungry? Don't have a lot of money? Like flavor? Like friendly service?...
I found a place for you!
Head over to Moody Street in Waltham, MA for some excellent Guatemalan and other Latin American cuisine at Mi Tierra!
At first glance, the place doesn't look like it would offer much. It's a small place tucked away on Moody Street. It doesn't have glitz and glamor, but what it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up in food.
My friend and I came with our appetites ready to savor the delicious food. We started our dinner with an order of guacamole and tortilla chips. The guac was heaping serving of a yummy flavor blast at only $3.99!
Next, we ordered our meals. We both ordered pupusas y platanas. I had mine with pork; my friend had hers with cheese. When the order came, we quickly realized that we would have not only tonight's dinner, but tomorrow's lunch. The serving was huge! The delicious pupusas filled our stomachs and the beans and rice were delicious. The plantains were mouth-watering and heavenly!
Mi tierra makes their own hot sauce. Don't leave until you've tried it!
Our waitress was very friendly (although a little slow on the check...we had to go up and ask for it).
I have already recommended this place to several people and will continue to do so. Mi Tierra gets 5 stars!!
After reading the reviews, I was expecting smashing food. I was disappointed. I ordered the much-lauded mixto papusas, which were dry and hard to chew and kind of tasteless. The fried plantains tasted good, but were dripping with so much oil I was feeling too unhealthy to really enjoy the flavor. As an upshot, the black beans were great. My boyfriend got a shrimp dish in which the sauce was relatively tasty and the number of shrimp was generous. Plenty for me to have lunch the next day, but not for him.
We recently came back from a trip to Guatemala, so I can confirm the authenticity of this food... which means it's not deliciously spiced up yet sweet at the same time a la Chipotle. It's authentic, which in this case means a bit dry and plain.
My husband and I decided to try Mi Tierra after reading the many reviews on Yelp. We had never been to Moody Street and weren't sure about the place when we drove up, but that didn't stop us. The ambiance isn't much. The walls are painted nice bright colors and there are pictures of Guatemala around you.
I decided to order the pupusa platter (after reading so much about it on here) and my husband tried the steak and chorizo special. Wow!!! The food was amazing. First off, the black beans and rice they serve was absolutely wonderful. They were not greasy at all and the flavor was amazing. My pupusas were delicious and the plantains that came with it were really good.
My husbands meal was just as amazing. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned and was eaten with their homemade hot sauce. Plus, the chorizo was fantastic.
Overall, the food was great and the price was even better! This one is definitely going on the rotation!
My husband and I come here just about every Saturday for breakfast. I have the scrambled eggs with cheese, platanos, sour cream, beans and tortillas. It is super filling and delish! My family is Central American so, for me the BEST Central American food will always be had at home - in the meantime Mi Tierra will do.
Awesome fried pork - yes, that's what I said - fried pork. The Papusas are great, I got the combination plate that includes rice, beans. Everything was pretty tasty - service is kinda slow though.
I moved from Waltham to Chicago nearly 5 years ago, but I still keep a Mi Tierra card in my wallet at all times...just in case I miraculously and unexpectedly find myself in the Boston area and need to place a takeout order. Because basically, Mi Tierra is the best restaurant in the world. Yes, THE WORLD. If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be Mi Tierra's volteados with rice, avacado, homemade queso and pupuas. Just thinking about it makes me weep with longing. I LOVE YOU MI TIERRA!!!
First, I feel the need for a disclosure. I am not Guatemalan or Salvadoran. I am, in every respect, save for the whole religious part, your WASP next door. In addition to not being associated with either of these ethnicities, I have disliked all of the fundamental ingredients of this type of food for the greater part of my life. The closest I would get to this type of cuisine was grilled chicken and tomatoes in a taco salad bowl with lots of sour cream. That was my "Mexican" fare. Hold the beans, salsa, rice, cilantro, cumin and coriander, please!
Within the last six months however, my palate has changed. So when I saw the reviews for Mi Tierra, I was excited to expand my culinary horizons. I was intrigued by the menu and really anxious to try their black beans since this is one of the ingredients that I have recently fallen in love with. For the appetizer we ordered the corn tamalitos with cream and cheese. I was in love. They were sweet, moist and incredible when eaten with a bit of the cheese and sour cream.
For my entree, I had the Pork Chicharrón with Avocado. The dish was well-presented with delicious white rice, to-die-for black beans, a half of a perfectly ripe avocado, two warm corn tortillas and the fried pork. I was under the impression that Chicharrónes were fried pork skin but this dish was fried pieces of cubed pork meat. Eating this pork made every turkey I have ever eaten at Thanksgiving seem moist. It was so incredibly tough and dry that some pieces I couldn't even cut, never mind chew and digest. If I had to intepret the sahara desert through food, it would be this pork. The taste was not bad, but I was expecting something crispy and this was not crispy, the meat was dry as a bone.
But I am still giving Mi Tierra four stars because my husband's Papusa's were delicious and my son's fried chicken (C'mon what did you really expect a 13-year-old WASP to order?) was sublime. The service was prompt and extremely friendly.
The restaurant itself is not fancy, the decor leaves a bit to be desired, especially those little glass chandeliers that were considered very posh in the 80's, but can still be found in households where people cover their furniture in plastic. But I liked the bold wall colors and most of the wall hangings, aside from those framed posters that look like the ones you can win at the local carnival- you know the ones, usually of 80's heavy metal bands or women in thongs washing cars . . . the ones at Mi Tierra weren't featuring thongs or bands, but landscapes of Central America.
So, all in all, I really liked this restaurant and aside from my pork (which could have been a totally traditional preparation that I just didn't care for) everything was delicious. For one appetizer, three entrees, a soda and three beers, it came to about $55. So the value was also pretty good. I'd recommend heading a little further down Moody and giving them a try! Oh they also serve Breakfast all day!
Outstanding Guatemalan / Salvadoran fare at nice prices on Moody St in Waltham.
Newcomers to Boston often take a while to discover Waltham, a neighboring small city that boasts 80 restaurants within a 15-minute walk of its central Common. These encompass an impressive swath of world cuisines: upscale Italian, Spanish, French, and New American; pan-regional Indian; authentic and Americanized Chinese; Yankee barbecue; real Mexican and Tex-Mex; Irish pub and American saloon fare; excellent pizza and subs; plus Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Cambodian. It's also home to Mi Tierra, a humble family-run Guatemalan and Salvadoran place that has quietly operated on upper Moody Street for more than a decade.
Many customers here are Spanish-speaking Central-American ex-pats feasting on generous plates of authentic fare built on mild, starchy ingredients. My standby is the pupusa combination plate ($9), which includes two pupusas, each a hand-rolled, griddled masa tortilla enclosing an inner layer of minced pork and/or herb-flecked white cheese. The overflowing sides include a tomato-based dipping sauce, curtido (a tart slaw), white rice, mashed-then-grilled black beans, and two fried plantain halves. While good vegetarian options are available, meat lovers may favor dishes like "costilla, chorizo y chuleta" ($14): a simply grilled beef rib, pork chop, and sausage (plumper, finer-grained, and milder than its Castilian cousin), served with casamiento (black beans mixed with rice), salad, and tortillas.
Seafood fans should sample ceviche de camarón ($13), chopped raw shrimp, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro marinated in lime juice. Splurgers can order the lone over-$15 option here, a fisherman's plate ($24) loaded with broiled clams, scallops, shrimp, and fish, served with pungent mojo de ajo (garlic sauce), salad, and rice. Massive breakfast plates are served all day, like the montañero ($11), a chewy grilled beefsteak topped with fried eggs and served with black beans, crema (a little wheel of soft, tangy cheese), and masa tortillas.
Soft drinks include excellent tigernut-flavored horchata ($2.50) and the wondrous, unique atol de elote ($3), a hot, pudding-like beverage of sweetened, cinnamon-spiced pureed fresh corn.
Portions are substantial: you should order modestly on your first visit: cleaning your plate at lunch will sustain you far into the evening, but you may need a siesta. The two dining rooms don't offer much to look at besides a wall map, bare booths, and CNN en Español. But friendly service, soul-satisfying food, and recession-friendly portions make Mi Tierra a worthy anchor to Waltham's international dining smorgasbord.
Mi Tierra is awesome. I wish more people new about this place. You get so much food for your money...the value is amazing. Everything is super fresh and homemade. Burritos to die for. Beans and guacamole are out of this world.
Looking for a new spanish place I checked out Mi Terra tonight. It very good. The plantains were to die for and the tamalitos were amazing. I got cheese pupapas and my husband got the meat version. The portions were enormous, I hardly made a dent and I left stuffed. The sauce they give you on the tables makes everything especially amazing. The decor was pretty strange and I think the pupasas needed guac. I left full and happy for less than $15 a person.
Absolutely delicious. Apparently this place has been in effect since 1997. I lived in Waltham from 99 to 2000, and yet somehow I never even heard of this place. My loss. You need to try:
The fried pork. They have it as an appetizer and as a main dish. I wish I had gotten the main dish, so I could have had more of it. Slow cooked then fried chunks of pork, with lime and a light salsa and hot sauce. If you like eating pig, you need this. Hell, I need more of it. I cannot stress how much I loved their fried pork.
They do a mean fried chicken too, light and crispy and not too oily. Awesome. And their pupusas were delicious too, with a stewed pork that was nicely flavorful.
And their basic things are amazing too. The fried plantains are perfectly cooked, fork tender and sweet and not too oily. Same for the tortillas, thick and delicious and well-cooked. And the refried black beans? As a hater of black beans, these were tasty and with just a little bit of texture to them that you don't get most places.
The service is quick and friendly, and while the ambiance is pretty much just a generic Moody St restaurant: who cares? The food is brilliant. You need to eat here.
I heard about Mi Tierra from several different people raving about their authentic Guatemalan and Salvadorian cuisines. And when I realized that this place is literally right around the corner from my house, I decided I needed to give them a try. Picked up their menu one day and ordered from them a couple weeks later.
Much to my dismay, I was actually not at all impressed at all. Of course, I should probably make it known that I am from NY (LI to be exact), where there are a lot of Latin Americans around which includes Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican, Brazilian, Chilean (is that a word?), Argentinian, Venezuelan, well you get the point. So maybe I was bias because I know of the cultural flavors and pretty much grew up around it.
While the staff is super friendly, please note that I had ordered take out for my meal, and so I can not review of their sit-down service. My meal was $9.95 and there was in fact a ton of food. However, quantity does not make up for quality. I had gotten one of their traditional combinations: "Aguacate Y Chicharrones" - which basically was fried pieces of pork, white rice, refried beans (which I didn't touch because it was like a block of beans and had no flavor at all), and half an avocado. This also came with a cup of watered down salsa and 2 fresh made corn tortillas (which were pretty thick and wasn't all that good - I ended up taking 1 bite and throwing the rest out) and a couple of limes.
The only way this dish was edible was throwing on some hot sauce on the fried pork, mixed it up with the avocado and squeezing the lime over it. The pork was very bland and hard to chew on and definitely needed to be jazzed up.
Good Latin food should not need to be covered up by any other flavors, but unfortunately, this was one of those times. I don't think I'm gonna be back, since I can find better Latin food elsewhere and probably for cheaper.
If I could bring Mi Tierra to DC with me, I think my life would be perfect. The beans, the pupusas, the tamalitos, the plantains--what more do you need in life?!
This is the second of two places on Moody St. that sustained me. This is the most wonderful family-run restaurant out in the area. Don't judge it by its unassuming outside or its neighborhood (located in Waltham's "funeral home district", also home of the sickening Dragon Chef.) Some must haves:
1. The homemade cheese wheel that comes with most meals.
2. The sweet corn desert with cream
3. The papusa's--cheese filled tortilla's with a delicious hot sauce.
4. The black beans--words cannot quite do justice to the awesomeness of their black beans. They are the most sustaining and delicious form of bean I have yet to encounter. I think the proper term is "stick to your ribs."
My favorite restaurant in Waltham. I live in Boston now and when a friend who used to live here came to visit from London, she requested a trip to Mi Tierra for dinner.
Everything is so incredibly fresh and clearly cooked with care. For what you pay, you get fantastic ingredients. Plus I always have enough left over for another meal. Frankly, I don't really mind that the decor isn't anything special. I'd rather pay less and have a homey, family feeling restaurant.
Maybe I'm a creature of habit but I always wind up having the same thing when I come here. Fresh Guacamole for an appetizer, then the carne asade or steak tacos, and finally the sweet corn for dessert. Plus stealing a few bits of fried plantains from a friend's plate.
This is also a great choice for vegetarians, many options and their beans are vegetarian.
Good food for a good price. The meats are marinated well. Their plantains are just right too and with the sour cream, yum! My friend loves their guacamole.
It's not open on some random day, I think Wednesday.
I always find parking right in front of the restaurant, but I think they have a lot in the back too.
This authentic Guatemalan restaurant is sitting right there on Moody Street who would've known?!
Very good food in a very clean and friendly environment.
This place is great for breakfast or a heavy lunch or dinner.
Many marinated meat dishes; and yet, a vegetarian can also have a tasty colorful and balanced meal (They have beans done with vegetable oil not meat derived fats). It may seem such a small thing but they give you avocado, and sour cream. They also make unusual fruit shakes and excellent plantain.
The walls are swimming pool blue and the decor is very reminiscent of what you'd find if you were there.
A little further off than most of the restaurants on Moody Street, this is one of Waltham's hidden treasures. Exotic (Guatemalan) food, generous portions, inexpensive prices and excellent service make it a great destination for a weekend dinner. It is a very serene restaurant with almost no wait times though it is always fairly occupied. I am not a huge plantain person but their fried plantains are just delectable. YUMMMMY!
This is my new favorite breakfast place. I don't know if they've always done breakfast, but they do a good job with it. I ordered the scrambled eggs that are done with tomatoes and onions. They come with beans, cream and plantains. I luuurve plantains and I really enjoyed the way these were prepared, it looks like they were cooked, not fried. I do wish that the coffee was better, the decaf seemed like it was instant coffee. Service is lackadasical, but friendly.
Papusas! Papusas! And tomalito!! Really great. No alcohol and the inside lacks ambience, though it's clean and the waitstaff are pleasant. Oh man, I want some of their papusas today.
A wonderful, extremely overlooked restaurant. Their pupusas are handmade and fantastic - much better than any other pupusas I've tried. Their black beans are also absolutely terrific, mashed into a patty type shape and then grilled or baked or something. If you're a vegetarian (or not a vegetarian), you'll love this simple meal: avocado, black beans, rice, sour cream (which is actually a little round peice of fresh white cheese - very tangy and delicious), and a mixed (pork and cheese) pupusa. So filling and delicious. This place is highly recommended. You will feel like you ate somewhere really special.
I'm a vegetarian and this is one of my favorite mexican style restaurants. I've never ordered a complete meal here, but every time i order a sampling of the appetizers and have a wonderful palette of flavors in my mouth.
In particular the tamilitos are amazing: they seem to be made from freshly ground corn and have a great, subtly sweet flavor; they are served with some sweet cream and freshly made white cheese!
I also love their version of enchiladas which is a tostada covered in beans, cabbage, cilantro, and other tasty things. Even the tostada just covered in guacamale is a treat (even though i can't explain why it tastes so good there). The pupusas are great, as are the plantains. This is a great restaurant, and you can eat relatively cheap there (unless you are like me and you order too much food because it all tastes so great).
Waltham, MA
Category: Latin American
Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
Category: Mexican
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