The Painted Burro - Harvard Square

I went into The Painted Burrow with my husband because we wanted to have a margarita, and we thought it would be a good place to go. We sat down at the bar, and my husband said, “I’m interested in a margarita.” The bartender replied, “Yeah, we’ve got a lot of them,” then kind of tossed the menus at us and walked away, like maybe we’d offended him by craving tequila.

When my husband asked for a recommendation again, the bartender suggested the house margarita. It was okay—I honestly can’t even remember why it wasn’t better. The whole experience just felt pretty underwhelming. Plus, it took forever to get the check.

For comparison’s sake, we walked across the street to Source and asked the bartender there if he could make us a margarita. The contrast was wild: He wanted to talk about our preferences! He asked what we liked in a margarita! He actually seemed excited about making us a drink! And, not surprisingly, he made us some fantastic margaritas. It was an excellent experience.

So, contrary to what you might think, if you’re looking for a margarita on Church Street, don’t go to The Painted Burrow. Go across the street to Source. They have a much better bar program and a bartender who actually cares and wants you to get a drink you enjoy.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 2

Wasted 2 hours for COLD mid tacos. The menus had wrong prices. Bottomless scams

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 2

Bottomless brunch was pretty good ($29). Just know service can be slow between each order!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Ridiculous prices. I was charged $10 for a tiny taco smaller than my hand. Looks like they just reheat frozen food, as my chicken was cold. The restaurant also had an off-putting smell you could expect at a public bathroom (not sure why that was). Table service was very lacking and waiters seemed to disappear. Truly unfortunate experience to have come here.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great happy hour deals, the birria and quesadilla were very good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

absolutely disgusting service. rude male server only letting white people hide out from a tornado warning, while throwing the rest of us outside. disgusting.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Steak tacos are 10/10. They serve chips & salsa to start before everything, also good. Nice atmosphere & aesthetic inside, surprised there wasn’t more people in there.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My wife and I both got food poisoning immediately after we ate at that place.
5% kitchen fee is outrageous on top of that. Waitstaff was unattentive for the place that was not at all busy. We were one of three tables that were filled out of 40 tables that they may have in the entire restaurant. One of the worse brunch experience we have had in Cambridge.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Had a team dinner here and the staff were amazing! Maria managed our hectic party flawlessly! The drinks were delicious, but the food was just okay. I really enjoyed the tres leches!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

I came here within the last two weeks to order queso. They sell their chips in commercial bags to go and I am trying to understand why...or how? The bag of chips I received were so stale, they were probably an appetizer offered at the Last Supper. I opened the container of queso....did I order Child size? I would be exaggerating if I quantified the portion as 2 cups worth. I spent restaurant costs on an amount that was Qdoba/Chipotle -adjacent sized. The worst part of my 1st experience here: this was some of the best damn queso I have had and I 'queso' frequently. Yes, I also did not see the plot twist approaching. It was creamy and flavorful, which only highlighted the inadequate portion. Even with inflation and the current administration's economic resolves, receiving a cup of queso for an adult is hard to accept. I want to try other items but am afraid I will receive a Toddler amount of food again. Damn shame.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 5

I came here for Mucho Monday—all you can eat for just $29—and it was incredible! Every single dish was packed with flavor and came out hot and fresh. The portions were generous, the vibe was great, and the service was so friendly and attentive. Such a steal for the quality! I’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Food was delicious, although the entree portions were on the smaller side. Got the roasted chipotle chicken enchiladas, guacamole, tres leche cake, and churros. Churros were absolutely delicious, and enchiladas were tasty too. I feel like the chips were a little stale, but overall Guac was good. Also tried the sangria, which was good but not very strong. Would go again to try out the tacos.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

This is an amazing place, our server Maria was able to accommodate us even when the restaurant was about to close. The food tasted amazing and the tres leches cake was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is always good and the margaritas are superb. My last visit had my reservation parked out in a dark corner in the basement. Not ideal, but hey, I understand it's always busy on weekends.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5