Guanachapi’s

This is my 3^rd year living in Waltham and I’ve been to this spot a number of times. The inside décor isn’t the best but as long as their food is good I’m happy.
I always enjoy their burrito. It comes with a slice of avocado, slice of lime and a side of salad and green pepper sauce. It never disappoint. The price is also reasonable. Besides the burrito, I’ve also order their meet plate with rice. The portion is plentiful. The flavor is great. Love their plantains. Also tried the tostada and it was awesome! But its not always available when I order.
This is always my go to place. Definitely recommend this to people.

GREAT BREAKFASTS!
I’m a bit torn about submitting this review, for fear it will expose this hidden gem of a breakfast place. But, I know that I’d wanna know, so hear I go…
My wife and I «discovered» this spot after eating dinner here one day. But what caught our eye, and has kept us going back for years, is the breakfast! Yes, this place does serve breakfasts… and they are terrific! Sure, you can get the typical «American» style fare: eggs, home fries, bacon, etc. But, try something «new» and «exciting»! Our favorite is the «Tipico Salvadoreño», a hearty meal with scrambled eggs w/​tomatoes & onions, refried black beans, cheese, fried plantain, sour cream, and a slice of avocado. Oh, and it comes with two corn tortillas — the thicker variety, not the wafer thin ones you find in the supermarket. My only complaint… not a huge fan of their coffee, but my travel mug solves that problem!
A couple more things… Don’t let the décor of this place fool you. Yes, this place could use a fresh coat of paint and some new fixtures, but since my priority is the food, I’m still happy to go there. Oh, and this is located right next door to a very popular breakfast spot on Moody, one that has lines out the door every Saturday and Sunday morning. Don’t get me wrong, that place has yummy breakfasts, too, but why wait in line on a cold morning when you can step inside next door and try something different and (IMO) much yummier! Mmmm… :-)

Everything was ok until my 3 year old pulled gum from under the table and said «mommy look play dough I will play with it». I made him stop and look under the table and for my surprise it was covered with gum. I look for a table without gum and for my surprise all of them have gum stuck under the table. I ordered huevos rancheros and a side of bacon, the two good things were the refried beans and the plantain. Everything else either didn’t have flavor or was disgusting. I know that Latinos back home on lower end places tend to stick their gums under the table but at least someone scrap them out every day. I would never came back to this place as I can just imagine how they clean their kitchen.

So the service here isn’t great… things are a bit slow and there are no additional pleasantries… BUT… that said… great food and margaritas and prices are great…
Salsa wasn’t impressive at all…
Loved the special burrito and kids quesadilla.

Damn I miss this place. My go-​to Hispanic/​Latin food spot. Although service is a bit slow and food takes a while, good food takes its time! I ordered this place that had Fried Plantains, Fried Casava, Fried Pork Belly, Beef, Rice & Beans and a Salad. Yup… thats ONE plate! And I killed it. Their Fried Pork Belly is simply amazing! Super crispy skin and melt in your mouth fat. The beef and meat on the belly was flavorful. Plantains were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside — just perfect! I’m hungry just thinking about it…

Food is good but the service is totally bad I wish I can have some one nice when they pick up the phone.

The servers speak minimal English because Guanachapi’s is delicious authentic cuisine. Their plates are massive and well worth the $ 10 – 12. I enjoyed every bite of the bistec encebollado and loved the pickled vegetables that came with the garnachas.

I’ve gone three weeks running and methinks I might be a fan. Wednesdays are the day to go for $ 1.50 pupusas. Pupusas on other days are $ 2.50. Everything I’ve had so far is delicious. The Guatemalan horchata (white) is awesome. The Salvadoran (brown, a little nutty) one takes a bit of getting used to.
My go-​to orders are: tamales (when they have them), pupusas, plantains, and horchata. For the uninitiated, pupusas are Salvadoran corn cakes stuffed with beans and cheese or cheese or pork. The plantains are ripened ones so they’re naturally sweet and fried just enough that they’ve got a nice crisp texture on the outside and sweet and tender on the inside. It is served with what appears to be freshly made sour cream. It is light and pairs very well with the plantains.
The Salvadoran enchilada is also very good. The meat is plentiful and extremely flavorful. It is very similar to a tostada minus the beans. If you like corn and you like sweet corn beverage, you might like the Atol Elote. I didn’t care for it here because it was a bit on the sweeter side. It is like sweet corn soup.
The pollo asado (grilled chicken), carne asada, and pollo frito plates are great, especially if you have a large appetite. They come with rice, black beans, and sides of corn cake and slaw. I’ve yet to finish one plate in one sitting.
Street parking is not an issue but there are municipal lots within a one minute walk. It’s a stone’s throw from the commuter rail and the #554 stops right in front.
When paying the bill, check to see if gratuity is already included. It is automatically added to the bill even if it is a small party e.g. two people.

I honestly don’t know where the good reviews are coming from, I’ve eaten in so many spsnish restaurants and the food quality of this restaurant completely failed. As previous reviews, salsa has no flavor, nachos tasted like if they were a year old, rice no flavor, sopa de camarones (shrimp soup) tasted like if they just added water to left overs and the price for the food is way expensive. Go to mi tierra restaurant or margaritas.

A good indicator a Hispanic restaurant is good: You see Hispanic people eating there, all the time!!!
The name Guanachapis is a combination of «Guanachos» and «Chapines». People call Salvadorans «Guanachos», and Guatemalans «Chapines.
Anyhow, I’ll be honest to say that the service here, sucks, haha. They are slow, and if you order for pickup, they will say 15 minutes, but in reality your food will be ready in 30. Why 4 stars you ask?
Well, their food is delicious and reasonably priced. When was the last time you got to have 3 delicious meals out of a $ 10 plate? Portions here are huge.
Everything I’ve had here has tasted delicious. Here is the list:
— Fried Yuca (also known as cassava) and chicharrones (Hispanic version of bacon).
— Carne asada
— Seafood soup
— Pupusas
— Fried plaintains
— Salvadoran Horchata
— Salvadoran enchiladas
— Burritos,
— Tacos, etc.
Another piece of advise: The waitresses speak very little English, so don’t be surprised if they can’t understand you too well, or vice versa. I know not everyone can, but if you can come with someone that speaks fluid Spanish, that’s your best bet.
I’m the first one to admit, everyone who lives in the US should make an effort to speak English. But to those people complaining about the waitresses not speaking English– I would like to know if they complain the same way when they go for sushi and can’t understand their waiting staff? Or when they get their nails done? If you want pseudo Hispanic/​Mexican food, go to Moe’s or Q’Doba (I love those places btw)
Also, this is not a fancy place, so don’t expect anything fancy. It’s a small restaurant selling homemade meals in large quantities.

My family and I had a late lunch here. While my brother was eating his plate, he found himself munching on a hair. My brother, as well as my family, were disgusted. My brother completely lost his appetite. We told the waitress who didn’t even apologize. We were not even given a discount. We will never come back to this place.

I could not agree more with some of the other postings. I am not sure about lunch but the breakfast food is something that I wouldn’t even feed my dog. I could barely eat the food as it was so bad. The women who work there are some of the unfriendliest people I have had the u comfortable pleasure of interacting with.
They barely understand English as well as have little understanding of what you are asking. Service was poor and took them forever to get something. Most of the tables were emptying out and the we had multiple people bringing things and mostly the wrong things.
Morning restaurants seem to be few on Moody Street on Sundays. I would stay away from this nasty and unfriendly establishment.

Not much to say about this spot, It has great spanish food, services is kind of slow, but thats why i call ahead and just take it to go. more or less worth the wait, but if u dont have much time on your hands, dont go…

Something’s strange about this place, based on the reviews. As of this writing, Guanachapi’s has a 4 star rating on Unilocal (something many of Boston’s best restaurants haven’t achieved), but the food is barely edible. This wasn’t the sort of experience that there could be two opinions about. The cook did not try and fail. There was less effort and finesse than a school cafeteria meal.
The chips (stale and bland) and salsa (so bland and watery it couldn’t really be called salsa) were a bad start. I’m not one of those people who complains if food isn’t blistering hot, but this was about ¹⁄₁₀^th the flavor of a mild supermarket salsa. Enchiladas were so tough I could barely saw through the cheese (same bland sauce as the salsa), my husband’s chicken had no seasoning, and rice was just a plain pile, as were beans. I have no idea where the yucca and plantains in other people’s reviews came into play.
I’ve eaten in lots of good restaurants in Central America, so I can’t accept that this place is «authentic.» Authentic does not mean the worst ingredients and cooking available in a particular country.
Maybe there’s some secret to ordering that we didn’t hit on, but I don’t think so. Other reviews have complimented the enchiladas and beans, and the descriptions don’t come close to matching what we had. My only guess is that there’s a bad cook in the rotation who literally can’t even make salsa. Regardless, I recommend avoiding this at all costs. It wasn’t even cheap.

The décor might be lacking, but the food is kick ass!

This place has all the charm of a spanish gang den. However, the food is BANGING. On Wednesdays they do a papusa special which makes the hour I just did at the gym totally worth it. Also try the plantanos. Not as sweet as I’d like, but very filling.

amazing
All the inconveniences of a place that doesn’t speak the same language as you, but all the quality of an authentic place is in the food. I used to go twice a week when I worked within 20min from there. They poach their chicken for their tacos and burritos and it is usually crazy moist. Decent beverages and usually has mexican soap operas on during the day and soccer in the evenings. I’ve had the Ecuadoran omelet, chicken tacos (more times than I can count), a couple different burritos, and the Chicharrones (really good). i still haven’t made it for breakfast but hope to soon.

«Good“s:
— Carne asada burrito… all for like $ 8
— plantains with sour cream
— horchata (it’s a powder mix, but when you miss the real thing, it’s better than nothing)
Gripes:
— Service is usually very slow and somewhat unresponsive…
— Vinyl on the tables — very sticky, very tacky.
— Everything else on the menu just seems slightly over-​priced.

OMG! Pinch me… have I died and gone to heaven? Guanachapi’s is the best! As a California transplant, I’ve grown to love my New England home but have lamented the loss of Latin cuisine… until now. Guanachapi’s reminds me of the neighborhood joints that were so common in my old neighborhood. Lets go through the checklist:
Mish moshy décor +
Half the lights turned off to same energy +
Most of the diners look like the staff, not me +
The food is connected to the traditions of the cook/​owners +
Served simple food found in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico +
I had three pupusas, two pork, one cheese and beans. I could have simply sat there and gorged myself on these delectable Central American treats. My partner went the Mexican route and had chicken enchiladas. The black beans that came with his entrée were divine! They had yuca and plantains, horchata (not too sweet) and much more.
This was our first time in central Waltham was was pleased to see other taquerias in the ‘hood. Still, it will be hard to beat the amazing food we had at Guanachapi’s.

Food is excellent, service attentive, location is good (if you’re already in Waltham that is). Extremely authentic. My friends and I were the only non-​Spanish speakers in the place when we went.
Why 4 stars instead of 5?
–Mi Tierra down the street has similar food for lower prices, though it isn’t quite as well located
–Taqueria Mexico is even cheaper, though Taqueria is primarily Mexican food and has a somewhat different menu selection
–The horchata doesn’t have cinnamon in it! I don’t know if perhaps this is a regional thing since this place boasts food from much farther south, but … no cinnamon? Frowny face
— Low ambiance. It’s not a posh place. It’s a family restaurant, good for good food, super casual. There’s a TV broadcasting Spanish teledramas and a mural, and the place is well kept and the tables spread out, but it’s a tiny bit sterile.