At a glance:
92 Peterborough Street, Boston, MA
Price: $
Stars (out of 5): 4.8
Ah El Pelón Taqueria, how I’ve missed you! I came to this Mexican tacos and burritos joint twice before when I stopped in Boston for a short while. Imagine my excitement when my friends and I found this place close to the movie theatre where we watched the most recent Pixar animation and Disney film: Inside Out (great movie by the way, gotta give Disney credit for making attempts to address mental health and bring about social awareness regarding teenagers’ internal struggles).
Pelón in Spanish literally means hairless (pelo being hair). The interior décor is as quaint as the eatery’s name. There are pictures of families and customers lining the walls. And the place has little to no room to sit, but plenty of outdoor picnic tables for a nice day!
Their menu is not large, but every item is distinctly authentic, cheap, and DELICIOUS. Seriously, I would not keep coming back to the same place for Mexican if the food were not on point.
In addition to the regular menu, they have the daily specials written on small chalkboards. I made sure to try them.
Ok. The food. The food is hearty, quick, and everything you want Mexican food to be: fresh, flavorful, guac-filled, and heartwarming. The tacos caramelos under tacos de la casa (house-special tacos) are my go-to. For $8, you get two overloaded soft shell tacos filled with amazingly juicy and plump carne asada (grilled steak), fresh guacamole, hot sauce, melted cheese, and salsa fresca. I like spicy food so the hot sauce was not hot enough for me, but it was homemade and packed with boldness. The juices from the steak mixed with the melted jack cheese was so decadent, and complemented well by the fresh salsa fresca and guac that brought me to a sea shore. Lastly, the double-tortilla was warm and inviting as I sunk my teeth into the meaty umami of the steak. The wedge of lime on the side is a perfect kick to add to the whole ensemble if you are so inclined.
And because I love this place so much, I also ordered a daily special, which was the Sonoran hot dog. Hot dog wrapped in bacon, topped with more bacon, onions, diced tomatoes, mustard/mayo/ketchup, and guac, all on a grilled bun? Yes please. I admit, this hot dog is not for everyone. I personally normally stick to just relish and/or mustard on my hot dogs, so I was quite surprised at my decision to get this, especially since it has ketchup. (Ketchup on hot dogs is like… ummm what? I mean the hot dog is already quite a sweet meat with such a weird flavor profile… but to each his own, right? Who am I to commentate on other people’s condiment options.)
Ok back to the Sonoran hot dog. It was delicious! Flaws: a little salty, the hot dog was floury, and definitely I didn’t enjoy the mayo nor the ketchup, but mixed with the mustard, they were bearable. The bacon had a smoky flavor and the tomatoes and onions were nice condiments. The toasted bun sealed the deal for me. Nicely done.
My friends got the carnitas (braised, shredded pork) burrito and the tacos Americanos (grilled chicken instead of steak), respectively. Both enjoyed their meals and commented on the nice mix of flavors and the heartiness.
For dessert, I had a coconut flan. Yeah I know, I pretty much tried everything. The flan was not as smooth as I had hoped. In fact, there were a lot of curdles in there. Maybe that was what authentic Mexican flan should be? Or maybe it was overcooked? I loved the shredded coconut hidden in there, and the caramel coconut syrup was not overpowering but instead subtly sweet, subtly nutty. Very satisfying.
Also, try the fish tacos. They will change your life for a moment while you are eating them. At least they did for me.
Eat on!
(Eats) By the Esplanade 