El Huipil

Lovely spot with off street parking behind Main Street in Maynard. It’s a neighborhood family favorite for us, so I have had just about everything on the menu on my table at some point. I recommend the chicken enchiladas with green sauce, carnitas chile verde, or the spicy shrimp dish I can’t pronounce and a margarita for dinner, the ceviche for lunch, and the eggs relenos for brunch. It’s all good actually and the beers are cheap!

Decent Mexican food, but Huipil suffers due to poor service. The waitstaff and table bussers don’t seem I’ll tempered, but would benefit from customer service training. The last two times I was there the server said «Do you know what you want?» and did not speak to me again. At a minimum it would have been nice if she checked back after I had tried my meal to see if it was okay and to refill my beverage. I and another table had difficulty getting her attention for refills and asked a girl bussing tables for water refills. She gestured to the waitress and said «she can do that.» Again, not surly, but lacking in manners/​training.

We love this place! Authentic, family owned and the owner always seems to be there. Plenty of choices my kids love… tacos, fajitas. I also go with friends while my kids dance nearby for a margarita snd chips and salsa and the staff is so friendly and the margarita so good. My daughter loves listening to the live Spanish guitar music that seems to be there Friday and Saturday nights. It’s never overwhelming and always just really adds to the environment. We love it. This spot has been a few things over the years, but now we have a winner!!!

Won’t go back. Last 2 times we got home with our food & it wasn’t as ordered. Happened a few times to my parents. It’s to bad too. Off to Acton we go.

Here now with my family this is the only place my 2 and 4 year olds sit and eat with out a fuss because they stuff their faces. I’m eating ceviche it’s close to the best I’ve ever had! Local favorite for me and my family.

So, I don’t want to give this 2 stars because I’m local and think this place was and still can remain a good Mexican spot.
Compared to a year ago, the food has gone down hill in terms of quality, and prices have gone up. They have made some good improvements inside to restaurant.
Past two times I went there once eating in and once take out the food I had was mediocre at best. I got a carnitas burrito supreme last night for takeout, and when I bit into it, I got a mouthful of chewy sharp crispy stuck to bottom of reheated pork. It was obvious they had run out and have me scrapings on half and then reheated big chunks (that were more gelatinous) in the second half.
Eat in I ordered the «made this day» Tamales One chicken and one pork, same exact consistency of meat in both of them, and no more than a spoonful buried in soggy corn. They did take his off the bill, but it shouldn’t have been served, especially when I asked before ordering if they were made that day.
Like a lot of eateries in this area they start out really good then start cutting corners and it results in its downfall.
Will wait a while before going again.
On a positive note, there homemade hot sauce is still the best!

Great little place! Food is super and friendly service. I really liked the margaritas. FYI Guacamole and second order of chips are not free.

Great food! Great music! The only thing was the server, she rushed us out, my husband didn’t even finished his drink and she took it away, I’ll try again hopefully we get a better server.

I went there last night and was blown away!!! The place had a long wait for a table, so we sat at the bar, enjoying a live performer and a fantastic dinner. Margaritas are good and strong, food was super fresh and delicious! In so glad I found this gem.

We love this place! Food is super tasty and the servers are always friendly and attentive!

A waitress – not even my waitress – saw my empty plate and said with a sneer, «That was fast.»
Emailed the owner twice and got no response. I spoke to the owner on the phone; her rudeness was unbelievable. Food is decent but not worth exposing myself to rude employees.

Good quality food, but terribly slow service. Meals came out one by one, after waiting 20 minutes for our order. Then, upon the final meal to be brought out, the waitress tells us that they ran out of that item — would have been good to know that 20 minutes prior.
Overall, perhaps great for takeout but the in-​restaurant service was abominable. :(

This review comes after our second visit here. The first time it was good, though honestly, the quality of beef was discouraging. The second visit was an improvement. If I could, I would make this 3.5 stars.
We got the tacos al pastor, a chicken burrito for The Boy, and a cheese and bean taco and chicken taco. The pastor was very good. The chicken in both meals were good. The two tacos were a little bland in terms of seasoning, but fine.
The spicy watermelon margarita was amazing. Friends there loved the mixed drinks, too. This is what pushes this nice little place towards 4 stars.
We will return again and again.

This place is just alright. I’ve had it twice. Their guacamole is pretty bland and tasteless, and they charge for chips and salsa for whatever reason. No other Mexican place I’ve ever been to has ever charged for chips/​salsa.
I’ve had the carnitas quesadilla and the chicken quesadilla. The carnitas was pretty dry, but the chicken was better.
Maybe their other dishes are better than their quesadillas but not sure I’m willing to give another try.

I have been impressed at the constant improvements made to this restaurant since it opened. From a very basic set up to more of a full functioning sit down service. The food was very well seasoned and the service was great.
The only issue was we were asked if we’d like chips, salsa, and guacamole which were enthusiastically agreed to. We were charged for them on the bill.

For central MA, this is the most authentic Mexican you can get.
Be warned: they will charge you for the chips, salsa and guacamole –it’s not gratis and they don’t say it when they ask if you want some. Worth getting though!
Homemade chips, nice and stout. Awesome salsa, also homemade; really chunky.
I have had the tongue burrito, and the carnitas burrito. Both were out of this world.
The dinner burrito is more expensive but you get salad, guac and sour cream on the side, as well as rice and beans.
The waitress asked if I wanted brown or red sauce on mine, and I chose brown. I wish I hadn’t.
It was just thin mole sauce and distracted from the awesome flavor of the carnitas. Let me say, the carnitas are SO good! It’s moist, tender and really flavorful. Best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot.
They have horchata, and it’s good. I had to ask for hot sauce, which struck me as odd considering it’s the Mexican ketchup.
Anyhoo, go here and eat hearty.
Their food is fantastic.

Decent food, they have added some things that make it better. If I wrote this review a year ago, I would have given 3 stars. I don’t recommend the burritos, they’re flavorless and they use whole pinto beans which makes them fall apart. I love the fish tacos and my husband raves about tacos al pastor — just like the taco cart variety where we’re originally from (a western state).
They have also done a lot to spruce up the ambiance — less confusion about whether you walk up to the counter or sit down, more tables, etc. Outdoor seating, but it’s in a parking lot, so I’d skip it. Waiters & waitresses are always pleasant.
Cons — if you ask for water, they bring a bottle of water and charge you. Same with chips and salsa. I assume at a mexican restaurant the chips and salsa are free. Prices are low enough that I’m not too bothered, but the water thing drove me nuts. You have ice, you have cups, do you have running water?

I have been to El Huipil more times than I have counted, and have had them cater two parties.
The food is delicious. The portions sizes are perfect and the menu is huge. It’s a family run place and service is fine — you order at the front and then they’ll bring it to you — and everyone is nice.
It’s definitely good for kids; El Huipil has a fun, colorful atmosphere and plenty of menu options for the young ones.
As for catering, the food is still just as good (we had burritos and chicken quesadillas for the last party, my younger sister’s birthday party) and everything went smoothly.
The best part about the catering and what makes El Huipil a little more unique are the Mexican sodas, the Jarritos. In every flavor you can imagine; the basics like strawberry and orange and lime, and more interesting flavors like grapefruit, mango, pineapple, and tamarind. It doesn’t matter if you’d rather have a beer, when you go to El Huipil, try a Jarritos. I recommend pineapple or mango, but aside from the strawberry (which was way to sweet and syrupy for me), they’re all good.

Let me start with the food is good, authentic tasting Mexican food, a good option for lunch if your in the area. They now have a full bar and are working at being a more sit down service restaurant then they have in the past — nice improvement. The one drawback (hence the 3 stars) is the place is COLD — obviously that won’t be an issue with the warm weather coming up but right now it effects my choice on coming back or not (won’t be back until it warms up outside — sorry but it really is uncomfortable because of it — and I’m fully grown man!) you know it’s bad when the owners and servers are wearing coats and sweaters while working!

Yes, it is authentic Mexican food, but there are some poor, anti-​customer policies in place that I politely asked the waitress to convey to the manager.
We asked for water and were brought bottled water. That’s a bad policy.
We were asked if we’d like chips, salsa, and guacamole (!) which were enthusiastically agreed to. We were charged for them on the bill. That’s a bad policy.
My friend thought he read that his dinner came with sour cream. He didn’t receive any so he asked for some. He wasn’t told there was an extra charge, and surprise surprise! It showed up on the bill.
If you’re going to charge for items that are normally complimentary at Mexican restaurants, you have a responsibility to share that information with the customer.