Papagayo Downtown

Good drinks. The food is also pretty good. Wednesday night service was slow. I like that this place has 3 floors. I do not like how the ladies room door is directly across tables on the 3^rd floor. One of the better places around downtown crossing for sure.

This is the place you go to when you’re so hungry that you’ll settle for less than mediocre food. Never a first option, more of a survival move.
The service, food, ambiance… it’s all fine. I recommend the grilled shrimp lettuce wrap tacos, very simple and basic. The standard shrimp tacos on corn tortillas are literally covered in different sauces and the shrimp is heavily fried in thick batter.
You’re better off walking down the street to Legals or Salvators, a little pricier but 10x better food and overall dining experience.

I went for lunch. The wait before we got any service was looong, particularly because the restaurant didn’t seem that busy. The guac was good for the two of us, and the shrimp quesadilla was fine. Nothing spectacular, but okay if you want to sit down and catch up with a good friend on a random Friday. Definitely get the house margarita. It was strong and filled the long wait time quite nicely.

Tacos are flavorful. We had the fish tacos and trailer park tacos. Order either one of these and you’ll be happy. Guacamole is ok, a little under-​seasoned for my taste and the first basket of chips were stale. When they came to refill, we saw that they just ran out of a big container of chips which must’ve been sitting there for a while. Second basket of chips were better. Drinks are ok, their Paloma had Campari in it which isn’t very classic and had a bitter taste to it so wasn’t thoroughly enjoyable.

I had a work dinner there recently with a decent-​sized party and was pleased enough with the restaurant. The upper deck seating area was nice, and the ambiance was fun and lively. The fresh guacamole was delicious with just the right amount of spice and a hint of the lime, and the queso dip was tangy and hot, albeit a little burnt.
Seemed like everyone enjoyed their food — I had beef quesadillas that were delicious and tasted cooked, not heated or microwaved. The draft beer was more or less room temperature, which was a let down in an already-​warm area, and the servers did their best to manage a large and not quite connected crowd.
The wait to use the single occupancy men’s room was quite long. That wasn’t fun or necessary in a downtown Boston eatery. Chip in for some stalls, yo. Otherwise, I dug it. The tequila selection looked like fun.

Food was okay, but not great. I love margaritas and almost always order classic on the rocks. This one was way too sweet. The server was really nice, but overall it’s a mediocre experience.

The food was good here. I had a groupon last year and it was a good deal. They seated us immediately and service was good. My only complaint is that I wanted their house margarita and ordered it by pointing to the banner that advertised it as a special deal, maybe 7 dollars or something. Once we got the check they said I got a more expensive one. Not a huge deal, it was probably my fault that I wasn’t clear enough. But the food was good — I got the fajitas and guacamole and chips.

A group of friends and I came here yesterday for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. I didn’t have the highest expectations and the result was pretty much what I imagined.
We were standing at the corner of the bar and it took insanely long to wave down the bartenders’ attention. Granted I know it was Cinco de Mayo and even taking this into account, all 3 of the bartenders kept hanging around one end of the bar. I’m surprised they didn’t spread out more and keep to respective zones.
Margaritas were very sweet and didn’t taste very strong. I also ordered the beef taco and the beef was SO chewy. I kept trying to bite off so that I could save beef for each bite of taco but it was too tough so I ended up eating all the beef first on accident and then just having taco filling left to eat.
They passed out some Corona-​branded party favors for the holiday, which was kind of fun.

I’ve been to other Papayo’s but this one is by the worst. I went two nights ago, a Tues night. We sat down at the downstairs bar, probably first mistake as the bar was not clean. There was a bartender maybe cleaning behind the bar, or I’m not sure what he was doing but he didn’t look up or make eye contact. We sat there for at least 20 minutes without anyone asking if we wanted drinks or even acknowledging we were there. Finally a different bartender asked for our drink orders and we ordered drinks and food. There were no pleasantries with this bartender. A little later, the two bartenders started arguing with each other. One said he’d been running around if she could help and she said she had been busy all night without his help.
I would give this place 1 star, but there are few casual Mexican restaurants downtown and the food is decently ok.

Thought I had a ‘meh’ experience here today that could have been a fluke, but looking at other reviews it looks like this location is a real bust.
I came here today for lunch with a friend and was quickly seated and the waitress was even semi-​quick to come over and take our orders. When they brought out the chips and salsa I unfolded my napkin to see an unclean knife with a fork. We’re off to a good start.
Food was 7.5÷10 — inhaled my Trailer Park Tacos (cheat day, ya’ll!), and now that it’s 4:00 I’m hungry again… meh.
Our waitress was covering our high top and the bar, which wasn’t super packed, but kept her busy enough to forget my water for the salty tacos. Ended up getting this after I had finished my meal. Womp. To make up for her mishap she showed up again later with another glass of water… which happened to have a chip in the glass. I skipped it in fear of cutting open my mouth, esophagus, stomach lining (nothing dramatic at all) with a rogue piece of glass.
I wish I could say I won’t be back, but the truth is — I always get outvoted when it comes to Mexican food and people wanting to go to Papagayo. Maybe avoid the DTX location and head to the Seaport instead? I don’t know. Or just go to Chipotle.

Food is flavorless and gross, the only edible thing was the guacamole! I will never ever go here again, I emailed them to let them know how unsatisfied I was and no surprise no response from management. Skip this place & head straight to Fajitas & Ritas!

I have sat both upstairs and downstairs with the same result. Cool location. Some good Mexican food at an appropriated price. Great prices Margaritas at only $ 6!!!
The problem I have encountered here is the service. Both times it took entirely too long to be greeted after we sat. Additionally, our servers did not seem engaged and tended to be apathetic towards us and the job. It took away from our dining experience.
A good Mexican place with Groupons that always seem available. If you can deal with subpar service, then it is worth it.

Black bean soup, ceviche and verde enchiladas were good. Server’s pacing, despite explicit sequencing request, was a major fail. The entrée arrived when I had barely started the ceviche.

Go to papa gayo in seaport (summer street location) if you want a good meal with good service. The staff at this location has no idea how to run a business.
I’ve been to this location a few times since it’s close and convenient to movie theater, the food is OK and it’s always good for a laugh at how bad the service is. No one is stationed to greet people at the door, if you want to be out at a reasonable time you should sit at the bar. Someone will arbitrarily drop your food off without letting you know what the plate is so you can rearrange the order to match with the person that actually ordered it. You will not be checked on so be aggressive if you need something or go get it yourself, they won’t notice or care. Always order spicy guac or you will just get some bland avocados mushed around with cilantro. Finally, go ready for a good laugh because the service here is more comical than going to Dick’s last resort.

This was a horrible experience. We had a party of 7 (4 adults and 3 kids) go there before seeing the Nutcracker. We made sure to make reservations in advance, so it’s not like we caught them off guard with the party size. We were seated on the top floor and there was a bar right behind us. Still, it took forever to get our first round of drinks (just sodas and kids drinks, nothing fancy). It took even longer to get chips and salsa to our table. First came the chips with no salsa. They did bring the ketchup for the kids’ meals at that point though, even though it wouldn’t be needed for a while. The chips were not warm like the ones you usually get at a Mexican restaurant. 5 or 10 minutes later the salsa came and it was ice cold, like it had been kept in the back of a fridge set too cold.
After a while our food came. 2 people in our party got combo fajitas. The meat was chewy and not well seasoned. The rice was bland and the refried beans were even less flavorful. One person got a quesadilla. She said it was «okay». Nothing great but not horrible. I got the braised shortrib taquizas. The presentation was nice and the meat tasted pretty good but beyond that, there was nothing to it. There was a little plate with 3 tiny sections containing a little bit of onion and cilantro, another with a small bit of an ancho bbq sauce, and the last section had a dollop of mashed avacado. Of course the three little sections of this plate were each too small to fit your fork into to scoop it out so you could add it to your taco. And that was it. There wasn’t any sort of side with it. Not very filling, especially for $ 18 (one of the more expensive items on the menu). The kids ended up getting the best meal out of all of us. They got chicken fingers and french fries. They all liked the chicken fingers and the adults that tasted them agreed that they were really good chicken fingers. So they had that going for them.
We had some time to kill before our show, so we decided to get dessert. Also, we hadn’t eaten much so we were still a bit hungry. I got the flan which was decent. My party also tried the churros and the sopapillas. The churros were decent but a little dry. The 3 sauces that came with them were pretty good though. The sopapillas were terrible. My wife compared them to soggy poptarts.
Reading the other reviews here, I guess if you come here for cocktails, it’s a good place. We were a family meeting up for a meal before seeing a holiday show. I guess we just expected better food since we were going into Boston. We live in Taunton (which is mostly bland chain restaurants) and our local Mexican restaurant (one of the few non-​chain places) blows this place away. I guess next time we go into town to see a show, we’ll try something else.

Weird multi floored layout provides good table privacy for an oddly shaped space– which is good, because when I’m licking fish taco discharge from mis manos, I dont want you judging me. Sheesh.
Seriously, this is somewhere between authentic and Amexican, but it hits the right notes. Fresh flavors, lots of variety. I most recently had baja style fish tacos, green chile enchiladas and churros. Neither entrée was exceptional, but i thoroughly enjoyed both, and there was effort and skill put into the preparation. The churros were terrific, but how hard is that? Still– cant knock it.
Solid tequilla list and good selection of beers on tap, including Negro Modelo.
There was a urinal full of vomit in the weird downstairs bathroom, so they must be doing something right… or very wrong.
Orale.

This is literally the worst Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to.
Veggie enchiladas: a soggy tortilla with a tiny bit of bland salsa, about 2 tbsp of flavorless steamex veggies, watery black beans, that’s it.
Fajitas: same soggy puddle of blandness, but in fajita form.
Guac: this was the most depressing. Half-​frozen, no spiciness, and $ 10.
MY GIRLFRIEND IS GOING TO DUMP ME FOR TAKING HER HERE

More like 3.5 stars tbh. This is a solid, consistent spot to get a good margarita and some mexican (ish) food for not a ton of money. The house margarita is not made with the usual sugar loaded mix with a dash of tequila, but fresh lime juice, agave, and enough tequila to make it a real drink.
You start out with free chips and salsa which they keep refilling if you ask, and I do. I know people are obsessed with their guacamole, but it’s not that great. Not terribly flavorful/​seasoned, and I get it with a «hot» level of spice and you can’t even taste any heat. For the price (10.50), and the size you’re better off just mashin’ up some Haas avocados yourself.
The only thing I have ever had to eat here was the fish tacos. And let me tell you, they are the best. Three tacos, really good sized pieces of whole fish (not chopped up cat food) with great cabbage slaw and seasonings to compliment.
All in all, a good option in the Downtown Crossing area.

This place was mediocre. It’s a Mexican inspired restaurant, not authentic. Not sure what the tikka tacos were about, they were odd. My salad of shrimp and avocado was delicious. A dining partner liked the fish tacos. You can’t order tacos ala carte, or at least, their menu doesn’t offer this. An order of tacos is exactly two tacos. They don’t serve Horchata, and our server said it’s not customary in Boston. The table side tomato salsa was good not great. This visit made me miss the better authentic Mexican eateries in Chicago. The service was friendly, the restroom was clean, the sunny second floor was lovely and the real estate is nice.

I’ve found that people like to not like papagayos. But my experience here has always been positive. I’ll start with negatives– the guacamole just isn’t that good, which is surprising since the waiters always brag about it. I think it’s supposed to be one of their best items on the menu. If I only had the guac at this place, I might be leaving a two star review right now. But luckily I didn’t! I’ve had their tacos (fish is the best!) and their taco salad (huge! Comes in a massive taco shell bowl that looms over the contents. Very tasty though) and their drinks (tequila selection solid, and good margaritas). Food is a solid 3, and the atmosphere is really lovely, particularly for downtown boston. All in all, it’s a good Mexican fix in Boston, and there’s not usually a wait or anything. I like this location better than the one in somerville.

I decided to stop by Papagayo for dinner. The place is huge.
I had a regular margarita which was not very good, and had the tacos al pastor. The meat was tasty, but the presentation was horrible, the side dishes were all mixed together (the salsa verde got all mixed with the beans), the pico de gallo was not fresh and the rice portion was too small. I expected more for an $ 18 dish.

First time at this place and I must say that I’m impressed. Being from the south originally, I know good Mexican, and good Mexican is something that is lacking in Boston for the most part. I won’t go so far as to say that this place is the most authentic Mexican food that you can find, but the way they do it hits it pretty damn well. If you want authentic, go check out some of the places in East Boston. For downtown Boston, this is some good stuff.
Guacamole: First off, you have to enjoy cilantro, because the leafy texture you’ll encounter is due to a generous helping of cilantro, which I personally felt was fantastic. They have three spicy levels; we went with moderate just to be safe because hot varies from place to place, despite being New England «spicy.» To be honest, there wasn’t much spicy to it, but the waitress brought over some hot salsa so we could mix it in if we wanted more of a kick. I’m a fan of their guacamole and will get the hot version next time. Also note that it’s $ 10 for a bowl, so it’s not complementary. I have no qualm with this, but some may.
Refried Beans: Holy good god were these fantastic. With the first bite, I could tell there was a smokey taste to it. Turns out that they cook it with bacon, and man did that make the already good beans into heaven in a bowl. Truth be told, it didn’t taste so much like bacon but more like the bone and meat scraps of a spiral ham, similar to the flavor it adds in a navy bean soup. Regardless, these are the best refried beans I’ve had since moving up here 14 years ago. They don’t need anything added to them. In fact, I used them as a condiment for each bite of my fajitas.
Fajitas: I had the skirt steak fajitas and they were pretty good. The meat was very tender and modestly seasoned. These won’t blow your socks off, but I would definitely put them in the good category.
Taquizas: Think of these as fancy build-​your-​own tacos. My girlfriend ordered the braised short-​rib taquizas and they were very good. While yes they are pricey for only 3 tacos, the quality makes up for the lack of quantity and the taste is pretty unique. The sauce was more on the tangy side than the BBQ or spicy side. The overall flavor isn’t my kind of thing, but they were definitely made very well.
Staff: I had absolutely no problem with the staff at all. The manager seated us promptly (arrived around 5:45 on a Wednesday after work). The waitress was not only very good about being there just enough, but was also very personable and funny. What was already a good experience was made better.
My only complaint is this: no chimichangas?! I love chimichangas, and by how this place did everything else, I would almost guarantee that they would make one mean chimichanga.
Cost: I put that it’s between $ 11-​$ 30 per person, but keep in mind that is just for the food. If you have drinks, be prepared to double your bill. The assumption is that you’ll have one, or two, or several margaritas while you’re there, as they have an extensive list of them. I had 3 beers while my girlfriend had 4 of the Especials. That right there tallied to about $ 75 ($ 15 for the beers, $ 60 for the Especials). The margaritas were not giant, so remember that when you go to order. Just take that into account before figuring out how much it will cost you.

Not very far from my work, we decided to go to a Mexican place and this was our choice.
We went at peak hour, so it was kind of packed but there was some place to fit us. When we entered in a guy came to ask for how many people like almost every place, then he took us to our table, not too much waiting, maybe a couple of minutes.
The place is nice, tables are made from wood and there are both benches and chairs. After we sat down, we got the menu very fast, and after taking a look at the drinks we order some Modelo tap beers, they weren’t very strong but I liked them.
As appetizers we ordered some nachos with guacamole and salsa, as having the combo was more expensive (maybe the size was bigger), but it was more than enough to try them.
Both salsa and guacamole were good, dipping nachos inside them was perfect to wait for the main dish.
we didn’t know the difference between burrito and enchilada, so we asked the waiter for that and he kindly explained it to us.
I ordered a beef enchilada, but my friend ordered a burrito. The size is pretty big, with rice, beans, cheese and lettuce as sidedish.
Service was attentive, so before finishing our drinks they asked if we need something more.

Papagayo has a large space (3 floors), and large menu, though is a bit pricey. During a conference visit I stopped by for lunch and enjoyed a white sangria and the breakfast tacos. I was happy they let me sub the chorizo for beans, as they do not have the most extensive vegetarian options (they did have a califlower taco I could have gotten). The taco trio was large and very filling. One negative would be the shoestring fries that came on the taco; they made it hard to eat and were too salty. The service was friendly and relatively prompt. Decent option for mexican-​style lunch in downtown Boston.

I really wanted to write a good review for Papagayo Downtown. I had been to the one on Summer Street for drinks and appetizers and had only nice things to say.
Unfortunately, this location failed in just about every respect. (Note — although I have spent a lot of time in Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, and the Yucatan, I don’t go to tex-​mex restaurants with the illusion that I’m going to an «authentic» Mexican restaurant.)
We ordered: guacamole, house margaritas, half-​and-​half fajitas, «Verde Enchiladas» (sic).
Guacamole: excellent — the best part of the dinner. The chips were stale. The salsa was terrible.
Margaritas: very good — no complaints
Half-​and-​half Fajitas: the beef was cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. The chicken was very tasty. Only three flour tortillas (why flour?). The salsa was terrible (see above). The rice was tasteless.
Verde Enchiladas — Besides the poor grammar (it’s enchiladas verdes), the enchilada was tasteless. The flour tortilla was more like an arepa, The tomatillo sauce was boring.
There were no condiments on the table, not even salt.
The noise level was deafening — really off the scale. This wasn’t an accident; no sound deadening was installed. Restaurants do this to increase the hubbub.
And lastly, the men’s room, by building code, for this size restaurant, is supposed to have facilities for 3 men. Papagayo’s is single use. After trying multiple times to use it, I gave up and went to Macy’s. What possessed the owners to disregard this law — and common sense requirement — is beyond me.

I like to be my own critic. I saw that this place was 3 stars overall. My mom wanted a restaurant that has rice and beans. I thought, why the heck not. Can’t be that bad since I love the location on Summer Street in South Station area.
Wish we went to another place. Upon entry, it was dark and unwelcoming. We were seated on a high top, which my mom wasn’t happy with as she’s tiny and the bar stools were super high. The chips were hard and stale tasting. Our server, Chazz, was awesome though. Super nice, attentive and made sure that were okay at appropriate times.
Food was okay. Mom got Pollo la Brasa with a side of rice and beans. I got the skirt steak fajitas with no beans. I hate beans. Mom was okay with her dish — she wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce it came with but she liked her rice and beans and scraped off the sauce on the chicken.
If I return, it may be just to check out the bar for a drink…

A star for location and another for getting the check quickly. Food: the salsa is too salty and the chips are hard and cold. The chicken enchiladas were dry and hard. Got the queso dip and it was horrible. It was cold and runny. Did I mention tasteless for a cheese dip?!
Next up is service. The menu never got taken away and no one brought us plates to eat with. The person that brought the food out just piled the entrees on the menu! Water never got refill. Overall I would not recommend this place.

Terrible.
When we walked in, two hostesses (AND the manager) were standing by the door and looked at us blankly when we asked if there was a table for two. I’d say there was a decent 30 seconds of them staring at us awkwardly — until we said we’d just take seats at the bar. I’m most annoyed and disgusted with them — as I’m sorry, were we bothering you? And the manager didn’t seem to even care.
The bartender was slow, not friendly — and every request we had to make ourselves. She was disheveled and frazzled when the spot was not even busy.
Food and beverages were the same as always. Decent, not outstanding.
We’ve been here numerous times. I wanted to give them a single star (or even NEGATIVE) after last night — but did add on another because our other times here have been okay.
Note: the bus boys and cooks seem to be the only competent people here.
AND both of us have worked in the restaurant business and agreed this was one of the worst!

This is my first visit to this location. I usually visit the Papagayo in the seaport district, and I must say the food and drinks are just as good (thank goodness!)
This Downtown location is a lot smaller and has a homey vibe to it, which is nice. My all-​time favorite food here is the fish tacos. You MUST try the fish tacos! Favorite drink here is the rona-​rita — Coronita engulfed in a house margarita, yum!
The service here was a bit slow, especially when they didn’t seem too busy that night, but the deliciousness makes up for it.

Things I can depend on:
1) a really great margarita
2) chips and salsa
3) someone breaking a plate or glass
4) food that is nothing special… not good and not bad
Things I cannot depend on:
1) service
Honestly, this is nowhere near authentic. A lot of the food is bland… including, unfortunately, the guacamole. Service is usually slow. However, margaritas are A++++ and huge. Will definitely go here again and again for the margs, food may just have to tag along.

I’ve been here several times, and while I’ve never had a great experience, I’ve also never had a truly bad one. Food is nothing exceptional, but they do have some delicious margaritas (even for the tequilaphobic like me – try the watermelon habanero margarita for some sweet heat).
Regardless of the quality of the food, Papagayo will always hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to my wonderful boyfriend. For that, they deserve one trillion stars. Thanks, Papagayo.