Umami Tsunami Taqueria in Dorchester is an absolute hidden gem. It has that authentic small mom-and-pop spot feel that you don't find as often anymore, and you can tell right away that the focus is on great food and great service. The birria tacos are incredible--perfectly crispy tortillas, packed with tender, flavorful meat, melted cheese, and served with a rich consommé that takes them to another level. Every bite is packed with flavor and tastes like it's made with real care. If you go on Taco Tuesday, it's even better. Their Taco Tuesday deals are awesome and make it easy to try a few different tacos without spending much. It's easily one of the best Taco Tuesday spots around. What also stands out is the staff. genuinely friendly, welcoming, and makes you feel like a regular even if it's your first time there. That kind of hospitality combined with amazing food is hard to beat. Between the authentic mom-and-pop vibe, incredible birria tacos, great Taco Tuesday specials, and super friendly staff, Umami Tsunami Taqueria is definitely a place I'll keep coming back to. read more

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5 stars alone for the Birria Ramen. So so good. We also got the small platter (we already ate the flautas by the time we took the photo). Delicious. The carne asada was on the dry side but the other proteins, including al pastor, were good! Love the salsa/condiment bar. read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - Birria RAMEN - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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satisfying meal when looking for a quick bite! I only tried their birria tacos so far, but it was so filling I didn't have room for anything else. The tacos were really good though. read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Excellent food, excellent work on delivering via UberEats and excellent in-restaurant service and food (at it's best when coming right out of the kitchen). I've gone in a few times and tried a variety of items off the menu - all excellent. Platters are great for the variety - would love a medium option but that's being a bit needy. Would also love to see chimichangas at some point but again, not a need. Still 5 stars and somewhere I recommend to people often. read more

I've gotten the food a few times in the past 2 months and I must say, the experience has been disappointing. Every single time the food takes 30 mins +, even when they aren't busy at all. I've worked in restaurants and get pick up from plenty of other places, I don't know of one other place that consistently takes that long for a single order when there are no other customers. One time it even took almost an hour! On top of that, I haven't seen the older gentleman who I presumed was a manager, he was fantastic, but the last time I went in to pick up an order the behavior from the staff was questionable. I arrived to pick up at about 7:25, and the door was locked but they were still open. I then stood there, knocking, with another customer, and waited until the cashier opened the door. She then told the other customer she couldn't place their order because they decided to clean early that night, and then let me in. Again, I have worked in restaurants before, I get it, you want to clean early so you can leave on time, but I've never seen this apply to denying customers from ordering 30~ minutes before closing, especially one customer! It makes sense if it's a party of 6 for dine in, or if you close in 10 minutes, but one person 30 minutes before?? On top of that, the cashier wasn't very friendly, and I had to wait for about 10-15 minutes for my food (on top of the 20+ minutes beforehand when I placed my order). I did not once get an apology or any reason as to why my order was taking so long when the restaurant was dead. Instead the cashier just did her closing work in front of me. She then left and went into the back, and another person came looking for a pick up. They knocked and tried to get in but the worker was nowhere to be found to open the door. When I finally got my food, the gorditas were missing the cheese on top. This whole experience is so much different than what I remember from when this place opened. The food is still good, but lacks in some areas like the rice in the burrito having no flavor, the tres leches is dry, the gorditas being dry occasionally, and the salsas really aren't that flavorful tbh. I still recommend the guac, al pastor, and birria tacos. read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - Birria Tacos and Tsunami platter - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This taqueria in Dorchester was cool. Well decorated with lights and trinkets. I enjoyed the tacos--the service was fast, and they had all the classic options. One unique touch was a cutesy blue taco that came with the meal, which I thought was a nice touch. I ordered the al pastor taco, which was flavorful, and I liked that I could customize my toppings. I also noticed something interesting on the menu--Birria Ramen--so I'll definitely be trying that next time. Overall, the service was great, and the food was delish. read more

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Unfortunately they ate, just like I did my food. The carne? Asada-ing. The guac? Amoley-ing. I wish their horchata was nut free. 5 stars read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - The goons - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I want to like this place but as I'm eating it I'm getting multiple weird fatty pieces of meat in my carne Asada tacos. The beef empanadas are flavorless. I got a burrito once before and it was also pretty bland so this is my second time giving this place a chance. I ordered carne asada, pork and chicken tacos but they only gave me carne asada and chicken. They also forgot my sauces. Kinda bummed. read more

It was so fucking delicious how made the best burrito how they made really good I think all of you go there just try it believe me

Order two mexican party meal and came back for a carne bowl. I was very pleased with freshness and quality of food. The seasoning of the meat was exquisite and there was a little bit of everything. The service was polite and to the point. The ambiance was clean and you get feel of mexico. The offer extra toppings from taco bar! All their food safety credential were posted. I love the flavoring! read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - food almost gone! - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Another day of something new and something local. Wifey came across this spot in a local Facebook group so we decided to check it out. It was a great find! We met one of the owners, Brian, he was really nice, friendly, and very helpful. I got the lengua burrito and wifey got 3 tacos. She got chicken tinga, carne asada and lengua. We both went to Anna's recently and were disappointed lengua wasn't on their menu anymore so we were excited to find it here! The burrito automatically comes with cheese and beans, so if you don't like, make sure you tell them to exclude it. You have a choice of 1 protein with some items have an up charge, a choice of 5 toppings, and a sauce. I wasn't sure how spicy their sauces were so I got their signature tsunami sauce on the side. I should've had it in the burrito because I couldn't get enough. Wifey really liked her tacos too. Next time we go, we will def try the carne birria. We also tried the horchata and hibiscus drink. Both were very good, not super sweet like other spots. Wifey described the horchata as Christmas in a cup. read more

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I've definitely been influenced by several Instagram foodies raving about this spot. I pass by it often and figured I'd give it a try Parking is available right out front and there is a lot that you can park in (unsure if you can stay a long term) which I went to for a quick pick up Came in on a Tuesday during peak lunch hour and all their tables were preoccupied - good sign The guy Quang taking orders was super friendly , answered tons of questions and offered samples of his hibiscus tea for curious patrons. One thing I noticed that could automatically be improved is a clear concise menu - there was a tv screen showing promotions : on Tuesday's in particular when you buy three tacos you get another three free which is great . Other than that on a side wall, there are scattered pictures with their offerings which I felt to be a little messy/took time to figure out just what to buy I landed on a small Tsunami Platter (two chicken tinga taquitos, two tacos, one empanada, one Gordita (choose three proteins- I went with carnitas, al pastor and lengua) to get a sampling of what they had to offer- set me back $25 I then ordered a burrito which comes with choice of protein (I picked al pastor) refried beans, rice and cheese automatically and a choice of 5 toppings (I went with lettuce, pickled onion, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo). Another $12 They have three salsas to choose from, I went with guacamole salsa and spicy hot tsunami Food was made to order and I waited about 10 Minutes. Took it to go and when I got home temperature was still pretty warm. The offerings from the platter were OK. Felt things were a bit dry and definitely needed sauce- I think that the lengua was my favorite protein The burrito was something I was disappointed with - instead of the chosen toppings being incorporated into the burrito, I got them on the side which felt cumbersome to have to keep applying sour cream, guacamole and pico to each bite . I prefer the burrito over the tsunami platter and thought it was more worth it but the execution of how the toppings were given was a huge miss I really wanted to like this place and came with huge expectations - the staff were incredibly nice- but definitely room for improvement Don't think I'd go out of my way to come back, but definitely wish them well, as I think this is a newer local establishment read more

I had high hopes but was pretty disappointed. While the food was packaged well and the ordering experience was easy, the taste was severely underwhelming. We got chicken empanadas, several street tacos, birria tacos, and the chicken tinga quesadilla. Every single item was dry and lacking both flavor and salt. Even adding the salsa they offered did nothing for the flavor. The "umami" is definitely missing here. read more

Fantastic place! I especially love the banh mi tacos. The burrito is quite sizable for the price. And SUPER nice owner.

Amazing birria tacos! Looking forward to trying other stuff on the menu, looks like lots of variety

Birria tacos were excellent, reminds me of tacos you'd get in LA. Birria ramen was also great! Loved the condiment/salsa bar as you can add more cilantro, radishes, lime or salsa to your liking! Hibiscus tea was refreshing. Will try the Horchata next time. Good food, nice owner! Will be my new go to for taco Tuesday! read more

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Love this place. Been coming here once a week for past 2 months. Food is fresh. Very reasonably priced. I get 2 meals out of a bowl. Tried one sitting. Sluggish rest of afternoon. Super friendly. Park at health center or Santander. read more

The flavors transported us straight to a taqueria in the heart of Los Angeles--easily one of the best Mexican spots in the Boston area! We sampled a variety of meats: beef barbacoa (in both birria ramen and tacos), chicken tinga, al pastor, adobada pork, and carne asada. Every bite was tender and flavorful, with or without sauce, though their housemade guacamole sauce is downright addictive. Their beverage selection is just as impressive. We think we spotted Jarritos in the fridge, but we couldn't resist the horchata and a delightful hibiscus-tamarind juice that felt almost magical. We also noticed Mexican tamarind candy sticks behind the counter--fingers crossed they'll be adding mangonadas to the menu soon! read more

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Had a great experience at Umami Tsunami Taqueria recently. My favorite was the flautas with guacamole salsa, but you can't go wrong with anything. Staff was friendly and attentive. Will be coming back often! read more

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I love this place! The self serve pico, salsa, lime etc is fantastic. The decor is nice, the staff is always kind, and the food is delicious

Food was delicious and authentic! Great, quick service. The spicy birria ramen and gorditas were full of flavor. The barbacoa beef was very tender. Our kids enjoyed the nachos and cheese quesadillas. The tres leches cake was also a hit! We look forward to coming back! read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I've Been here a few times recently. the food is fresh and delicious!! You won't be disappointed.

Gordita is otherworldly. Burrito is among the best I've had in Boston if not the best.

I've ordered from here many times and all the food we get is great. I like getting the build your own burrito bowl, and my husband gets tacos. Very friendly owner as well. read more

Just tried this new spot over the week and will be revisiting! We got the burrito and street tacos. Both were good! Beef was just a tad chewy but not enough to stop me from ordering it again. I couldn't decide if the lengua or shrimp tacos were better. We are going to add this to our regular neighborhood rotation. Hoping they add queso (hopefully better than Achilitios which is our other fav Mexican spot) and some more Asian inspired items! read more

Very nice place with even nicer service . Didn't take pics of my food because I ate it so quick , it was delicious. I have to come back for the Ramen and everything else I didn't eat. I'm short Just go eat there !! you'll like it.. read more

The food was pretty good. I stopped by after dance practice and pretty fresh. I liked it. read more

Umami Tsunami Taqueria - Carne Asada with everything and guac. - Mexican Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Best tacos in all of New England. Hidden gem. We are LA natives and finally found the good stuff. The hot tortilla chips and handmade tortillas are just what we've been missing. Love the street style tacos. Al Pastor is highly recommended, even had lengua which is hard to find! read more

Update review: Had their tacos about 6 months ago and it was good. Came back recently and they changed their double soft corn tacos into a single one which is better imo. They also added a new blue corn tortilla which was great also. They also added a salsa bar that I recommended a while back which is amazing. Great food and quality is still good! read more

While the food is delicious, service and speed could be improved. I understand its usually busy around lunchtime but it shouldnt take 45 min for 1 item. My order was seamlessly forgotten about and i didnt even receive an apology. I ended up being late to get back to work. The phone wasnt working correctly and online ordering was down. I hope they work out some of these issues because they are a great addition to the area read more

Probably wouldn't eat here again. Flavorless and dry. There are way better Mexican options out there

Empanadas pretty good and would definitely come back for a quick bite. I think the owner served me, was nice and very helpful

Service was uncomparable and the man was really nice, gave us free juice and the food was amazing. The places ambience was a nice, small restaurant with music. Very underrated place and low prices with big portions. read more