Sol Azteca Why is it that the most authentic Mexican joints are underground? With three sprawling rooms and stucco walls adorned with muchos Mexican decorations, the food here is affordable and for real. Their combo platters allow you to combine up to three different dishes for under $15. We mixed the quesadilla and the enchilada de mole verde, which is smothered in a sauce made with ingredients that shouldn’t work together, like poblano peppers, onions, almonds and pumpkin seeds.
914 A Beacon St., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to St. Mary’s. Mon-Thu 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; Fri, Sat 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 5 p.m.-10 p.m. 617-262-0909.
www.solaztecarestaurants.com

Casa Romero For 34 years chef and owner Leo Romero has been running this Back Bay hideaway. He specializes in eccentric and authentic dishes that don’t require a mad dash to the baño afterwards. You won’t find broiled shrimp stuffed with a forcemeat of seafood served over a Huitlacoche cream sauce at Chili’s, amigo. This place can be a little rough on the wallet though, so make sure you really dig your date or get your parents to take you here.
30 Gloucester St., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Hynes Convention Center. Sun-Thu 5-10 p.m.; Fri and Sat 5-11. 617-536-4341.
www.casaromero.com

Olé Grill At this Inman Square eatery, they make guacamole in a stone bowl right at your table. A basic margarita is $6 and the size of a birdbath. This is another one where the entrees will make your cash flee your wallet like Mexican jumping beans, but the Pescado a la Veracruzana is worth the $20, and you’re not going to find any better guacamole in this city. (Remember: Stone bowl, table.)
11 Springfield St., Cambridge. | MBTA: Red Line to Central, then 83 bus or walk. Mon-Thu 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; Fri, Sat 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. 617-492-5102.
www.olegrill.com

Border Café There’s a reason the line spills out the door every weekend. It would be a stretch to say it’s authentic, since they stretch their menu from Tex to Mex all the way to Cajun. But the ski lodge-meets-mead-hall atmosphere is perfect for big groups and that way everybody can get something different and try everybody else’s. We recommend that you share the chicken burro with jumbalaya — with us.
32 Church St., Cambridge. | MBTA: Red Line to Harvard. Sun-Thu 11 a.m.-midnight; Fri, Sat 11 a.m.-2 a.m. 617-864-6100.

Rudy’s The menu here might not be as much from Mexico as it is from Margaritaville, as they offer about 45 different types of tequila. House margaritas start at $4.95, and if you’ve got the cajones try the jalapeno tequila. The food could be described as tasty junk or Americanized Tex-Mex. (Remember: 45 different types of tequila.)
248 Holland St., Somerville. | MBTA: Red Line to Davis. Sun-Wed 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Thu 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri, Sat 11:30 a.m.-midnight. 617-623-9201.
www.rudyscafe.com

Forest Café Located in a divey bar exactly between Harvard and Porter Squares, with decorations that look like discarded Christmas ornaments from the 1970s, and run by an Irishman, this place somehow makes our list. The place does food right. There is hardly any need to waste precious stomach space with apps, as they serve you a burrito the size of a baby panda.
1682 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. | MBTA: Red Line to Harvard. Open 7 days a week 11 a.m. –1 a.m. 617-661-7810.
www.theforestcafe.com