If you spent any part of your life from age 18 - 25 in Boston, then you are quite familiar with Fajitas & Ritas. The Texas BBQ joint, self-described as "unabashedly fun," offers food and drinks in a rowdy atmosphere at rock bottom prices. It's basically a college kid's dream.
The restaurant is on West Street between the Common and Downtown Crossing.
The Texas vibe is apparent the minute you walk in the door.
Though the food has its roots in BBQ, the restaurant's decor pays homage to it's home: Beantown. I love this mural of the Prudential Tower, which is appropriately painted on a tall column.
They've also got a great version of the Zakim bridge.
In addition to the hero paintings of the best known monuments, they also have the whole Boston skyline painted across the ceiling beams.
On our trip this week we were seated at a table for two right in the front windows, looking out onto West Street.
Knowing that their food, especially the BBQ, is messy, the restaurant provides an entire roll of paper towels for every table.
The minute you are seated, you are delivered a basket of yellow corn chips with a side of salsa. Who could resist?
After a long work day I was very ready for a drink. I went with the PamaRita. It was Lunazul reposado, Pama pomegranate liqueur, triple sec, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. The drink is very light and goes down like juice.
Let me tell you, after two of these, I was feeling good. Real good.
To start, my dinner date and I ordered the fried pickled jalapeños. The jalapeño slices were not as hot (spice wise) as I was expecting. The batter was nice and the chipotle blue cheese dipping sauce was the star of the dish. Chipotle and blue cheese are two things that definitely belong together.
For the entree round, my friend ordered the chicken, bean and cheese burrito. The serving size was very generous and the burrito was packed!
After a few bites, she said, "I wish there was salsa inside the burrito. I should have asked for that. But, I do love the beans. They are super flavorful."
When it was my turn to order, I was completely torn. As anyone who dines with me regularly will tell you, when given the chance to order nachos, I always will. However, since we started the night with a bottomless basket of chips, I was feeling a bit on chip overload.
I ultimately decided on the veggie and cheese quesadilla. While most places only put peppers, onions and mushrooms (if you are lucky), Fajitas & Ritas also includes broccoli and cauliflower.
The outside of the quesadilla was perfectly crisp and the cheese was oozing out of all sides. The veggies inside the quesadilla were clearly seasoned with black pepper and they had some kick!
Fajitas & Ritas prides itself on a fun atmosphere and the night we visited the crowd was definitely in a partying mood. In fact, we were just a few seats over from a twenty person surprise birthday party where all the guests wore masks of the birthday girl's face and screamed, "Surprise!" when she walked in.
Since this meal, everyone I've told about it has had the exact same reaction, "Oh man, I love Fajitas & Ritas!" This weekend you can show your love for the restaurant by coming to celebrate their 25th anniversary on Saturday, May 3rd.
Saturday night from 6:00pm - 9:00pm West Street will be closed for the Fajitas & Ritas 25th anniversary block party. Two bands will be performing, Drunken Logic and As the Sparrow. You will enjoy fajitas, tequila wings, beer, sangria and margaritas.
Admission is free, but you must be at least 21 years of age. You can get all the details of the event here.
Are you a Fajitas & Ritas lover?
