La Hacienda

We love food that’s vibrant, and fresh, and flavorful. So here’s a spot for real, home style Mexican and Salvadorian cuisine: La Hacienda. La Hacienda started out as a food truck back in the 90’s. And they’ve since grown to three full service restaurants with locations in East Boston, Everett, and this one in Revere, Massachusetts. And according to owner Aldo Calleja, it’s a celebration of Latin culture and community. “The way I would describe La Hacienda is… it's a Mexican-Salvadorian restaurant, live music, mariachis… The reason why we have both Mexican and Salvadorian cuisine is because my mother's from Mexico and my dad's from El Salvador… we have a little bit of both, because that's the cuisine that we grew up with. My brothers and I. It's the most Mom and Pop restaurant that you'll ever go to. We have family working in here…

Well made margaritas. The food's excellent. You know, we don't cut any corners. We create a real fun environment in here.” And the kitchen creates some really tasty, fresh, and authentic dishes. Most you’ll be familiar with, so of course there’s plenty of guacamole, and tacos, and enchiladas. That stuff is the backbone of the menu, all very popular. Would definitely recommend. But I’d also encourage you to try some of their more interesting dishes. Like the Aguachile. So this is a spicy shrimp ceviche, which means the shrimp is cooked in some fresh lime juice, along with onions and cucumbers. And it’s simply presented with some crunchy tostadas on the side.

Or, you can go for the Tostones. They’re basically smashed and double-fried green plantains, served with some housemade aioli for dipping. Definitely very addictive. But the number one selling appetizer at La Hacienda is the Pupusa. This is basically the National Dish of El Salvador, made with a thick corn tortilla, and stuffed with your choice of cheese, beans, and pork, comes with some pickled slaw and mild red sauce, and pretty much every table orders it. “When you bite into a pupusa, you get the real flavors of El Salvador. You know, you taste the corn, you taste the gooey cheese. With the sauce on top, you actually eat it with your hands. So it's a bit of a messy dish. Salvadorian people will make fun of you if they see you eating a pupusa with a fork and knife, it's meant to be eaten with the hands.”

For more of a knife and fork kind of meal, check out the Chile Relleno, it’s basically a cheese stuffed Poblano pepper smothered in a rich tomato salsa, excellent vegetarian option. But for all you fellow meat eaters out there, La Hacienda has some massively satisfying options. Just check out the Super Combo Fajitas overflowing with grilled marinated steak, shrimp, and chicken. Even bigger and better is the Picada Platter. I mean just look at the sheer size and scope of this thing. It’s like the entire menu on one plate: you have grilled chicken, steak, pork rinds, wings, shrimp, queso fresco, grilled tortillas, fried yucca, potatoes, and a bunch of tasty sauces for dipping.

And for all those delicious Mexican flavors served with a dramatic flair, just check out the Molcajete, serving sizzling hot in a traditional volcanic rock mortar bursting with colors and flavors. “It's cheesy. You're getting your steak, you're getting your pork, you're getting chicken, and then you kind of put it in, into a tortilla, almost like a fajita. You make your own little taco out of it. It's very filling. It's definitely meant for two people, bare minimum, maybe even three… the cheesiness in it is what I think makes it very special. And as well as a presentation, you know, a hot, boiling volcanic rock right there in front of you. It's my favorite dish.”

If you come to La Hacienda for brunch on Sunday, my favorite dish is the Quilaquiles. They’re basically like breakfast nachos, featuring fried corn tortillas tossed in salsa, along with onions, queso fresco, a fried egg, a little crema, and sliced avocado. And if you ask me, it pairs perfectly with a Michelada, which is like a cross between a beer and a Bloody Mary.

So you have tasty drinks, delicious food, a fun atmosphere. And a friendly, hard-working family behind it all at La Hacienda. “It's very flavorful. It's very spicy. You know, you're, you actually feel like you're biting into something. It's not, it's not some bland piece of steak. It's not some bland rice or beans. You know, we really put in a lot of effort into the ingredients, into making sure that every dish that comes out is really, you know, you really feel the taste of El Salvador or Mexico in every bite.”