Mexico Lindo Melrose

I have been doing takeout from Mexico Lindo in Melrose during the pandemic. They do an excellent Chili Verde, and the dinner portion is gigantic and only a few dollars more than the lunch portion. During the restrictions, they only started taking orders at noon. Now they are back to their normal hours. If you ask around about Mexican food, they are invariably mentioned. No Taco Tuesday deals.

They are located in downtown Melrose with free on-street parking. Northbound parking on Main Street is 30 minutes, but on the other side, it's 2 hours. Go figure! There is a big lot just behind them with 3-hour parking.

The bar area is back to normal it used to be the takeout pick-up area. The dining room is pleasant, and I think the seats in the booths have been redone.

Warm chips and salsa arrive promptly. I really like these thin and crispy chips. The salsa was smooth but was really tasty, not too hot and not too tomatoey. Of course you get the dreaded rolled-up napkin with the silverware inside. Why do they do this? It leaves you with a small wrinkly unusable napkin. Now you get the rolled-up silverware placed on top of a couple extra napkins, so somebody noticed. It was interesting to see that some people got paper menus, and some, like me, didn't.

From the limited lunch menu dinner menu, I picked the Chile Verde ($14.99). "Pork loin braised in a green sauce of special fresh Mexican “tomatillos” and spices. Served with tortillas". The menu doesn't mention rice and beans, but they are included. The rice was good, and so were the refried beans that had some texture left. The little cabbage salad was a nice upgrade from the lettuce and tomato you usually get in other places. The Chile Verde was really excellent, with tender pork in a delicious sauce. The tortillas were light and really palatable. It doesn't make sense to order from the lunch menu when the dinner dish is only $3 more. 06/15/21

Lunch Dinner CHILE COLORADO ($14.99). "Beef simmered until tender in a red tomato sauce, onions, mild peppers and spices. Served with tortillas". The beef was tender, but the chile lacked seasoning. This was a far cry from what I got at Toritos. The promised peppers were absent. For some reason, I got corn tortillas that were fine, but I like the flour ones better. Rice beans and the salad is always pleasant here. 06/29/21

SUPER NACHOS CON CARNE ($9.99). "Your choice of chicken, beef, shredded beef "picadillo", or our homemade Mexican Style Sausage". Chorizo of course! This must be the first plate of nachos that I have had that didn't have sliced jalapenos. This was a well-engineered plate with plenty of chorizo and cheese on all of the very fresh chips. The chorizo was good, but I wish it was a bit spicier. The guacamole was tasty and chunky. There were some refried beans on the bottom. Wish there was more all over. 07/13/21

BIRRIA DE BORREGO ($18.99). "A secret of "Don Matute" Lamb shank marinated overnight in wine and guajillo pepper sauce, baked to perfection, garnished with lettuce, salsa Mexicana and a slice of avocado". The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender and very tasty. The sauce was excellent. Not sure what to do with the lime, so I did nothing. 07/27/21

They have a nice patio out back that I for the longest time wasn't even aware of. Today was a perfect day for having my lunch out here.

This is what the takeout version of Chile Verde looked like. I might revert back to doing takeout when I get a craving for Chile Verde again. This is a way bigger serving.

The service is always prompt and friendly.

Address: 449 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176 Phone: (781) 662-4056

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