BuenoMalo

Review summary

1. S

   Sigita

   Berlin

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Neighborhood spot we had not visited in a while but were happy to have picked it for an early dinner. What stands out the most is the consistently excellent service. The young staff is clearly trained in how to provide attentive service without hovering. The service was so good , it highlighted the mediocre service of other restaurants we normally frequent. Bueno Malo management clearly have a mission to train their staff. Food is on the pricey side for Cal/Mex but portions are generous and delicious . The beans and rice for the table are a nice touch but lack flavor. Chips and salsa are an up charge but the chips get refills. We were happy to have rediscovered this local gem and will be coming back soon.
   

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2. L

   Linder

   Greater Boston

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Maybe we hit an off-night. There was a private party that appeared to impact the other diners, as service was slow. The early part of the meal was fine - cocktails and the queso dip were yummy. We had also ordered the spicy shrimp to go with the chips/dip, which did not appear for at least 20 minutes after the chips/dip. The shrimp were burnt on the outside, and some were quite undercooked on the inside. In addition, the spice level was over the top for something like shrimp. When we let our server know, she talked about sometimes it's spicy, sometimes not (so, in other words, quite inconsistent), and because of the party they were delayed (explaining the burnt but uncooked aspect). We then got our main meal, burritos and tacos. The tacos were stuffed, so much that it was not possible to keep much of it from falling out. Midway through the meal, I was about to go back to the carnitas taco, when I noticed a hair sticking out of the meat. I pulled it out, and just then our server came to check on us. I showed it to her. She held it up and examined it, and took it back to the kitchen. When she returned, I was in the ladies' room, but my husband reported that they insinuated that I planted the hair as "no one in the kitchen had blond hair". My hair is not actually blond, but whatever. They comped us on the tacos, we paid and left, as we had both lost our appetites. Overall, not a good experience. The restaurant underwent some renovations and appeared to have upped their game a bit. They did not. It is still just a taco/burrito joint - and a pricey one at that.
   

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3. c

   caitlin

   Greater Boston

   5 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Excellent service and fresh food and drinks. Highly recommend.
   

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4. M

   Michael

   Greater Boston

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 19, 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   We love Mexican food so we thought we’d give BuenoMalo’s a try since it has very good reviews. We started with a couple Margaritas and the mushroom empanada appetizer. The empanada filling was very good, although they were little overcooked. Most Mexican restaurants will serve complimentary chips and salsa. BuenoMalo does not, which was a little disappointing. For our main course my girlfriend ordered the shrimp Classic Burrito, I ordered the chicken California Burrito. The burritos were large, but had a lot of rice filler and tasted bland. We found our overall dining experience at BuenoMalo’s underwhelming and did not consider it a very good value.
   

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5. M

   Mark

   Greater Boston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 18, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   The food is great and consistent but they were really busy last night and my server went awol for a while. luckily we weren't in a rush or super hungry so it was okay. and he did apologize. good place, just wear your patience hat if it's busy. two tacos are planty for a meal. large and tasty.
   

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6. C

   Christopher

   Greater Boston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 12, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Fantastic cocktails and amazing hospitality. Thank you Mark for the attention to detail and service for the perfect cocktail!
   

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7. j

   jessica

   Greater Boston

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on October 12, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The food was amazing. The wings were the meatiest I’ve ever eaten and the flavor profile was out of this world. Chips were nice and crunchy, tacos were full to the brim. Service exceptional! Will be back again !!
   

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8. S

   Scott

   Greater Boston

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 12, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We love BuenoMalo and visit as often as we can! Dinner last evening was wonderful as have all the other times we’ve visited. There is simply no better place and Andover.
   

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9. k

   kristin

   Greater Boston

   10 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   10 reviews

   Dined on October 5, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Food is excellent. Margaritas are definitely too small. They should consider putting them in a margarita glass.
   

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10. M

    Michael

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 28, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    One word terrific, staff on point, food original.
    

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