Don’t ask us how, but there’s a Mexican food restaurant around every corner. That makes it easy to offend someone by saying Jefe’s is better than Felipe’s. Tread carefully. 

El Jefe’s

If you’re looking for the ultimate burrito locale, look no further. El Jefe’s Taqueria is the utopia you’ve been waiting for. Their style? Classic burrito bar. Subway may have introduced the design-your-own model, but El Jefe’s perfected it. There’s no better item than a burrito to fill your drunken belly at 3am on your way home from a night out than El Jefe’s (which is open until 4am daily just for that reason). The burrito bar offers all of the classic toppings—rice, beans, meat, salsas—as well as specialty mixes like spicy mango pico-de-gallo and roasted vegetables.

Felipe’s 

This is not the place you take someone on a date—this is a place you end up with someone, who may or may not be a date. Head to Felipe’s with your buddies at 1am to chow down on an incredibly satisfying burrito, quesadilla, or some other Mexican staple that’s filled with a custom combination of beans, rice, and meat or vegetables. If fitting all of the contents in a single flour tortilla is a difficult task, fitting the burrito in your mouth is an even more challenging one. But that doesn’t stop people from trying.

Border Café

With its colorful neon signs, old-timey wooden tables, and massive margarita glasses, Border is a refreshing taste of authentic Tex-Mex in the middle of suburban Cambridge. You may wait 40 minutes to be seated on a weekend night, but the steaming-hot quesadillas and griddle-cooked Mexican vegetables will be worth it. Plus, three of Border’s classic House Margaritas on the rocks later and you’ll forget all about the wait. Open until 1am most nights and even 2am on weekends, Border bustles with the guacamole-fueled energy of both locals and college students late into any given night. Time passes quickly in this dimly-lit haven, so don’t be surprised if you end up spending three hours here, but it’s guaranteed to be a three hours well spent.

Qdoba, Zambrero, and Chipotle

Gone but not forgotten. These 3 restaurants could not keep up with the competition and have all closed its Harvard Square location in 2019. Sad... but honestly we didn't even notice when they closed.