Ok, arrived, waited 30 minutes. Hubby waited in the car with the kids, since there was no place to wait. When called 2 of us (party of 5) went up to claim our table. I called hubby to come in with small children. Host (term used very loosley) told us he would not seat us, because the other were not immediately there, and we would have to wait again. Blah Blah Blah, not child friendly I guess. Then when we waited for the next table they place us at a table for 4, squeezing a chair at the end for us, and we were lucky enough to get a seat next to the ice machine, boom, bang ice being dropped into the machine every 2-3 minutes. Yippie GREAT. Oh, yeah, Did I mention we were in the servers path. Every time food came out we had to move our seat in. Wait, forgot to tell you about the dirty wet broom placed next to our table. Waitress was ok, not great, came by only when we caught her by eye contact. Food was fine. no complaints about the food. Not on my repeat list, shame on you Border. *** Had to downgrade, just noticed they overbilled me =( disappointed read more

Joshua was our waiter and we will have no one else. The food was delicious and everything was hot when served. Joshua is superb and very conscientious of his customers. He extremely attentive without hovering. Great job Joshua. See you soon. Kim and JoJo from Pride Chevrolet. read more

Been eating at Border Cafe for about 30 years and never had a bad meal. I usually get the Catfish Mardi Gras and it's fantastic.

Border Cafe is my favorite Mexican restaurant. The service is always fast, the food is cooked efficiently, and the food tastes excellent. If I had to pick any place to go for dinner, I would definitely pick Border Cafe. The tortillas are always fresh and never taste old. Also, the food is not over priced. The price is always affordable and easy for a quick dinner with the family! read more

After years of going to the border cafe with family and friends, today is the first time I have a complaint. Not about the food or waitstaff but about one particular manager that was reluctant to accommodate our party. He offered us two separate tables, which defeated the purpose of dining together. When we got to our table(s) we were unhappy with the arrangement and asked if we could push the tables together. This manager, unhappily, honored our request which made us feel uncomfortable. However, our meals were delicious and our waitress was extremely accommodating! read more

This it top notch Mexican with an American flare. The complementary chips and salsa is enough to make me come back here time and time again. Also the prices are perfect for an aspiring journalist like myself. The best thing to get is the Route 66 chop salad for only around $8. Unfortunately they took the spicy mozzarella triangles off the menu a few years ago which I'm still not over. I've never had their margaritas but my mom seems to like them so I'm sure they're good. read more

I have enjoyed every meal I've had at this location and the one in Burlington. The service was fast and friendly. The fajitas are excellent and the popcorn shrimp appetizer is fantastic. (Ask for extra sauce and use it on your fajita roll-up.) The gran gold margarita was great as well. read more

I really like this place, the restaurant layout is nice and open. the selections are great, alot of vegeterian options. the food comes out pretty quickly, the drinks are good as well. I would have to say the best dish that i always have to order is the Corn and Black bean Empanadas on the vegeterian section, most of the time everyone else ends up liking what i ordered and wishes they did the same lol. The only negative review about this place would be the food is not always consistent, one night you might love your plate and the next time you order it it might not taste the same... but the empanadas usually remain delicious mmmmm, i would recommend this place to TRY read more

If you need a quiet night don't go there. It's a good plce to have some good drinks, see and be seen and have some good apps.

I had previously been to the other location and this was my first time here. I love those hot chips with salsa. It is really nice to have something to nibble on as you are waiting but the service is so quick that you barely get a chance to eat them which is good cause I tend to love those bad carbs, Anyway The waitress was attentive, helpful and quick. I had the catfish fajita which was really good. Where else in Saugus can you get good catfish or for that matter anything good to eat? The price is so reasonable. Look I know it's not up there on the"fine dining scale"but for what it's worth : Hands down a good place to go to. read more

Border Cafe really hasn't changed since this location first opened on the other side of Rte. 1 - you'll get fast friendly service, generous portions, and decent prices. The waitstaff is attentive; our party rarely had to ask for drink and chip refills, and when my friend realized he had received the wrong item, they promptly took it back and gave her the right one in a matter of minutes. The fajitas are what I usually get here, but the Cajun/Creole specialties are also pretty decent; however, they tend to slather on the sauce for items like Catfish New Orleans. I'd stick to the Tex-Mex items unless you get the jambalaya, which is excellent. This location is also excellent for parties; I saw a few birthday parties go on during my last visit. Nice space for large parties (although not if you show up at 7pm on Friday night with a party of 12 and not expect a wait). read more

This is mine and my husband go to place on Rte one. It is good and very reasonable priced. Chips and salsa are great, chips are served warm. We share the fejitas for one which is penlty for the both of us. The food comes out very fast, sometimes to fast when you just want to sit and relax while dining. We always it at the bar, as their is often a wait for a table. read more

Two words: Tejas Chicken... I yearn for these babies, and have a passionate connection to them. If you like spicy, please do your taste buds a favor and try them :) read more

They serve both mexican and cajun food. The cups are very large. I had Chili and the Beef Burro with Jambalaya rice. Both were very good. I will be definitely be coming back the next time I am in the area. read more

Took the family there last Sunday and the wait was about 45 min. This was about 6 pm . but the Guest person was fantastic in quickly seating the people. We were actually seated within 25 minutes. I had the usual Chicken quesadilas and they were fantastic. The server was very friendly and she kept refilling my wife's diet coke. The girls got their usual desert that they offer. Highly recommend this place. It is clean, and friendly. Being in the pest control business, i am very picky where i eat. read more

Chips, when they are hot, are unbelievable. The sodas are MASSIVE and are perfect to cure hangovers. The beef fajita is were its at. Get that or the chicken burro every time you will never be disappointed. CONS: Only Spanish Beers. read more

I went for lunch with my boyfriend this afternoon, as we both are devoted Border Cafe lovers. The hostess sat us by the front window and there were a few flies swarming us as soon as the chips and salsa came out. We stuck it out, but as soon as the food came out there were at least seven flies around us!!! It was disgusting!! I asked the waitress if we can move, which she sat us to the table next to where we were by the front window, and they literally followed!! I was so disgusted at how many flies were in this place and how dirty it is, I can only imagine how the back looks. I was so upset that I asked to take it home (which I should have asked for a new meal since the flies landed on my food). The waitress just said sorry without any empathy to the fact we couldn't enjoy our meal there! Everyone else was seated away from where we were, which didn't make sense in itself. I will NEVER go back to the Border Cafe in Saugus... I will go to Burlington. I should have asked for some type of compensation, but the waitress Alicia seemed to care less besides getting her tip for the 10 minutes we were there. I highly do not recommend this place to anyone!!! It use to be my favorite but after seeing it lately, it really is plunging and absolutely dirty! They really need to do something about the issue with flies. read more

Border Cafe was the very first Restaurant I tried in Boston, back in 1995, when I moved here. I've been going there for years and I enjoy everything, food, service, price and now the new location is even better. read more

I've been coming to the Border Cafe for years and it's as good as it has ever been. The food is great...if you're looking for inexpensive, fast, and fun food, look no further than the funky Tex-Mex vibe at the Border Cafe. It's best to come early or on off-hours so you can be seated right away. Parking can be. Challenge sometimes and there's usually a wait with the dinner crowd, but it goes by quickly and they serve you ice-cold drinks and bottomless chips and salsa while you wait. The chips are always hot and crispy with the perfect amount of salt, and the salsa is fresh with a kick. Once you're seated, service is efficient and friendly. The appetizers are delicious and not to be missed. Try their signature Tejas Chicken, it's their version of buffalo chicken served crispy and juicy on skewers with Mexican hot sauce. The Cajun Popcorn is also tasty, a generous amount of shrimp with a tangy dipping sauce. Another customer favorite is the Chorizo Flambado, a skillet of chorizo sausage and tomato with bubbling cheese and warm soft tortillas. Move on to the meal and go for the fajitas. The portions are enormous and I challenge two people to clean the plate. A heaping portion of meat or fish and spiced grilled onions arrive at the table fragrant and steaming. Choose from blackened chicken, steak, blackened catfish, or El Pueblo shrimp. All are delightfully marinated and/or blackened. They're served with all the fixings (cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole) and come with tortillas and your choice of their popular jambalaya or traditional rice and beans. Minus one star for the ruckus but overall it's a great place to be. Two people can eat for $30 and a family of four can eat for $60. It's cheap ethnic eats at its best. Chain restaurant or not, the Border Cafe is a Greater Boston fixture and is not to be missed! read more

Great food for the price, loved getting the shredded beef and chicken tacos. Chips and salsa are really good too. You have to time it right, this location is always really busy !! read more

The food, atmosphere, and service is great. I always enjoy coming here for dinner. Best salsa!

Border Cafe or EAT as we call it due to the giant neon sign that says it out front is a great restaurant, kid friendly and decently priced. I recommend the Crawfish Etoufee or the Gulf Coast Seafood Enchiladas and the Margaritas are too good read more

First and last visit 8/8/13. Fajitas (chicken/beef combo) were coated with chili powder which overwhelmed all other flavor. Dining partner enjoyed swordfish tacos. BUT HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART - we were both sick last night! read more

All I can say is check your glasses before you drink them. Just got back and I had to write a review. Two of our glasses had old nasty food or something in them. The glasses were so dirty in side them. Wish I noticed it before we drank most of it. NASTY!!! I told the manager and he said he was sorry that the dishwasher must have been backed up. My husband and I could not even eat. The manager didn't even take the soda off the bill. Then I noticed we got charged for an adult size drink with my son's kids meal. Waiter apologized more than the manager. Hope we don't get sick tonight from drinking out of nasty cups! CHECK YOUR GLASSES BEFORE YOU DRINK!!!!! read more

Always busy so there's a wait but that's ok because they have a fun atmosphere, the staff have always been friendly and the food has always been good and served promptly. i've had the chicken quesadilla, which is big enough for 2 people, the fajitas are great and those nachos are amazing! there was a Cajun shrimp appetizer that was very tasty too. read more

This place is great. I go on a weekly basis for an early dinner and have only rarely had to wait. The only times I've noticed the place "packed" is during school vacations, and the locale is far more spacious than their previous location was. All the wait staff here are extraordinarily pleasant, and keep my fiancee' well stocked in salsa (I swear the stuff runs in his veins - he drinks it!). On the rare occasion I've had an issue with my order, it's remedied quickly and with no fuss. The only thing I really wish is that they had ingredient and calorie listings, but if that's going to stop you from eating, you shouldn't be going here in the first place. read more

Its nice to see the amount of staff are on to make sure service is excellent. Prompt service. Consistently good food.

Been coming here for years and have nothing but great things to say about this restaurant. The food is fresh and the pricing is excellent. Staff has always been very accommodating and not once habe i ever left disappointed. Highly recommend. read more

So disappointing. Have not been to the Border in a while. We went with my family at 5:00 couldn't believe how crowed it was. Which is great for the business but come on management.... Unfortunately the food quality has greatly decreased which is so sad to me. Above all we went to enjoy a margarita and they were horrible.... Ugh what a MAJOR let down. Just felt like the company doesn't care about quality just wants to put out quantity. Server was great!! Just an FYI I tried to email the restaurant instead of using yelp but couldn't find an email anywhere on website. read more

Having recently moved from Texas, Border Cafe has provided a taste from my previous home. When I say taste, I don't only mean the food, I also mean the friendly staff. In the past 3 months I have visited Border cafe many times and I'm always happy when I leave. Customer service on point! One of the bartenders really stood out and made me feel welcomed... Janelle, thank you! read more

This is one of my top 5 favorite restaurants. I always get the chicken fajitas which are great. Wish they gave you more tortilla wraps though. Chips and salsa before meal are delicious read more

I am writing this after an upsetting experience I had last night at Border Café in Saugus. I asked to have the salmon Caesar salad, but instead of the Caesar, I wanted a house salad. The manager came over and said they could not do it and when I asked why I couldn't have the house salad, he simply said no. I then said I didn't want anything else in which he said fine and walked away. So instead of simply putting salmon on a house salad, they lost my business. I have gone to Border Café on numerous occasions, but the fact the manager was so rude and could not obliged my simple request, I will no longer bring them my business. read more

I love this place! They always have good food at a very affordable price. I have never been disappointed with a trip here.

Came in last night with my friend Patrice for some drinks and food. The strawberry margarita was delicious and our server Josh rocked. He had an awesome sense of humor and gave great service. As a server myself I'm pretty picky so I was really impressed. Will definitely be coming back. Gracias, Josh! read more

The host with the tattoo is very rude and couldn't even show us to our table but she did seat all of the white people. She also did not stop staring at us. My family and I felt very unwelcome read more

Never a bad meal here! Food and drinks are excellent, chips are always warm and fresh, staff is always attentive and pleasant!!

This place sucks. Got served raw chicken and threw up the next morning. My ass was on fire from the enchiladas

Very disappointed one of my favorite plate seafood was bad of ready spoiled and they serve like that be careful I told them but they since they didn't care much for it I not going back there read more

The Border Cafe was a lucky find. We usually visit once a week. Yes it's a little noisy, but you can be in & out in 40 minutes. And the fajitas (beef or chicken) are absolutely the best fajitas that I have ever tasted!!! All the plates have a distinctive Cajun twist to them, everything has a little extra flavor and spice. The atmosphere is family friendly, so expect to see kids (especially at lunchtime). As to prices, we usually pay around $40 for two including tip and that includes a round of drinks. When you don't feel like eating at home, this is the place to go. read more

Pros: Great cornbread, chips and salsa! Atmosphere was great as well. The quesadillas were a bit on the "wet" side, but it tasted good. Cons: Lack of parking Overall: I would definitely go back and encourage others to do so as well. read more