BOCA: Soupy and Sloppy

[Seconds Please]

I can only say that I love(d) BOCA. They have a great menu and the food quality if solid. They do a great job compared to Anne's and others etc.

HOWEVER, I just had the typical rude, sloppy experience that made me leave Anne's.

They are starting to rush. They are NOT listening to orders, either in Spanish or English. They are putting together the orders in a very sloppy manner. And my biggest complaint. Soupy.

Their beans come with so much water it ruins the meal, whether a burrito or not. You all know what I'm talking about. The burrito falls apart or the water soaks into other items on the plate.

But get this. This afternoon I went to the Mass Ave BOCA and politely asked for the beans to be dry/seco, drained. I thought he wasn't listening. He threw down a ton of water with the beans. I asked again. He mubbled a "no." I then asked one more time. He said "no".

I left.

Bad service, incorrect orders, rush job. I see this as a sign of things going down hill. It was the same for Anne's a few years ago.

My two cents.

[tamerlanenj]

Anyone had the burritos at the place next to chacarero in downtown crossing?

[Luther]

I've heard from a couple people that they're not good. The place just a couple blocks away towards Chinatown (which has had a couple different names) is supposed to be great, according to someone who posts here alot.

[9lives]

That's Burrito Express which I mentioned above. First it was Reat Taco, then Cancun Express (also in East Boston). Both were very good. The Burrito Express people bought it from and/or are related to Cancun Express.

I've actually heard good things about Sabroso; the place next to Chacarero; but haven't made it there yet...anyways end up at Chacarero or La Grassa's when I try to get there. The same guy owns Mediteranneo..the gyro place around the corner which I think is pretty good.

[Bostonbob3]

Maybe El Pelon doesn't make the best burritos in town, but they're always pretty good, they have excellent hot sauce choices, and the service is consistently friendly and efficient. I'd rather have a B+ burrito served with a smile than an A- thrown in my face.

[9lives]

I'm a little downtown centric; especially for lunch but I'll throw out another plug for Burrito Express on Bedford St. Had an excellent chorizo taco there yesterday...chorizo, onions and cilantro.

[Bostonbob3]

What kind of tortilla do they use for their tacos?

BTW, a chorizo taco sounds great.

[brooklinehound]

If you're in Brookline and want a really good burrito, try Betty's Baja Burritos in Brookline Village. I think it's way better than either Anna's or Boca Grande.

[galleygirl]

Baja Betty's is the worst that Bostn has to offer on the burrito front, IMO....Their beans taste like mud, and leave the same heavy feeling in your stomach. Everything seemds to be an add-on, and the vegetables never seem to EVER include anything green. a constant roration of potato, corn and mushroom do not a veggie burrito make. I've lived down the street since it opened, and it was 3 strikes, you're out.

[Gabatta]

I think the Boca on Mass Ave is definitely the worst location. Your assessment is right on, the service is indifferent, and the food is sloppy. They really struggle communicating about orders in English as well. I can't speak Spanish, so I couldn't comment on that.

[Bob Dobalina]

When in the Porter Square neighborhood, skip Anna's, Boca and Qdoba and walk down Somerville Ave. to Tacos Lupita - far, FAR superior to those places in every respect.

[Seconds Please]

Lupita's is wonderful... but a bit too far for a work lunch.

And just for all of ya to know. I emailed the company to tell them what happen. I'll let you know if and what they reply.

[Dax]

Lupita is a 3 minute walk down Elm from porter.

[LStaff]

I've only been to boca grande twice and I thought it was slightly better than Anna's but it seems like they are following in Anna's footsteps. I only get certain items at anna's (like refried beans and pork) due to the high water content of their black and pinto beans and chicken and steak - high salt content is another matter in itself.

I find the rudeness and unnecessary rushing very aggravating - especially when its slow. If you would just listen to what I ordered, instead of rushing to get it done, I would not have to re-ask 5 times and you wouldn't have to re-do it and get so annoyed.

I'd like to see Chipotle come in here and clean Anna's clocks. They really do need to knocked off their high horse.

[pamalamb]

The grilled veggies at Anna's are always excellent. They chop up a fresh batch for every serving, usually consisting of zucchini, red onion, broccoli, sweet potato, and corn. If they miss any of the items that you want, just tell them, and they'll chop some in.

[The Chowhound Team]

Please keep discussion here focused on Boston chow. If you'd like to discuss Chipotle, please head to the Chains board. Thanks.

[Luther]

I have never had a good burrito at Boca Grande. The meat isn't marinated, so it gets dry and boring-tasting. The beans and rice are often undercooked. The tortilla is too thick. Every time I eat there I wonder why I didn't eat somewhere else.

Conversely, Anna's has only served me a bad burrito perhaps once or twice out of about 100 times. That stuff is good. The Porter location is excellent.

Why do you refer to Anna's as Anne's? I don't get your joke.

[Seconds Please]

Anne - it was a typo. Oops.