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Last year, two new grab-and-go Mexican restaurants opened in Harvard Square, bringing the total count to four. With such hot competition, the question naturally arises: Which one is the best?

It’s an inflammatory query, but we have answers. Read on to hear The Crimson's Arts Board defend their favorite local spots in an attempt to settle the debate.

Tenoch Mexican

Situated on Mount Auburn St. right next to Tasty Burger, Tenoch Mexican’s Harvard Square location offers authentic Mexican food and a wide-ranging menu just steps away from many of the upperclassmen houses. Upon entrance, it is immediately clear that Tenoch leans local, standing apart from the cluster of tourist-facing restaurants around the corner. The space opts for simplicity — metal trays, paper-wrapped food, and white tile — yet this stripped-down look feels intentional. Everything that might have gone into finery or superfluous embellishments has been redirected to the kitchen, a priorities system that announces itself before one has ordered. Behind the counter, the staff manages to be both quick and genuinely personable, moving through orders with efficiency but never rushing past the opportunity for a friendly exchange, as if they’ve figured out that speed and kindness may not be at odds with one another after all. While their burritos and tacos are delicious, the power of their menu comes from their range of protein options — including suadero, campechano, chicarron, and cecina — and their delicious tortas.

—Staff writer Melina Fonseca can be reached at [email protected]. Staff writer Hannah M. Wilkoff can be reached at [email protected].

Felipe’s Taqueria

I don’t even know why we’re doing this article — Felipe’s is the clear winner. Just take a walk outside in Harvard Square on a Friday night to see which restaurant Harvard students prefer. It’s not just the place you go to get a burrito after the party, it is the party. The rooftop bar is the perfect place to get a drink and meet new people on a night out. Achilito’s and El Jefe’s are chains that have expanded into Boston, but countless people make the trip into Harvard Square just to eat at Felipe’s. And of course, the food is miles better than the competitors. Felipe’s doesn’t overload everything with onions like El Jefe’s or try to fill out their burritos with french fries like Achilito’s. It’s good quality ingredients served at lightning speed. It’s not just the best Mexican restaurant in the Square — it’s the best restaurant, period.

—Nicholas D. Best

Achilito’s Taqueria

For those interested in heat, look no further than Achilito’s Taqueria. Their items pack the greatest spicy punch of all the Mexican restaurants in the square — and that doesn’t just come from hot sauce added after the fact, but rather the spicy protein options themselves. Even the simplest burritos and bowls brim with flavor, no need to add on a slew of extra toppings. This simplicity is a testament to the quality of their ingredients, and it makes the restaurant marginally cheaper than some of their peers. Furthermore, since Achilito’s opened relatively recently in 2024 and has yet to cement itself in the canon of late night Latin bites, you’ll rarely find a massive line. Instead, you get excellent flavor and quantity in a third of the time it’ll take you to move through the queue at Jefe’s.

—Staff writer Ria S. Cuellar-Koh can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @riacuellarkoh.

El Jefe’s Taqueria

I do not believe I’ve seen the inside of Jefe’s in the daytime, except for the one day that I stumbled in at 8 a.m., ordered the Mexican Breakfast Burrito ($9.75), and ate it all in five minutes. Jefe’s in the wee hours is both the most magical place on earth and an ethnographical study waiting to happen. At Jefe’s, one points at a bunch of random items on display in the metal tins, gets them stuffed in a tortilla, and then consumes it all at a speed that constitutes a choking hazard, which, it could be argued, is the perfect metaphor for what college is. Plus, the guacamole and queso do not cost extra. Naysayers will criticize the outrageous lines and the general hectic atmosphere of this storied institution, but some things — like a midnight quesadilla in sub-zero temperatures — are worth the wait.

—Staff writer Angelina X. Ng can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @angelinaxng.