Waltham’s finest restaurant? Taqueria El Amigo brothers interview – NBC Boston

It is not what this Massachusetts household ever thought would occur once they took over a long-running Mexican restaurant: to make it in America. However their authenticity and love for meals helped catapult their new enterprise to turn into one in every of Yelp’s top-rated locations to eat within the nation.

A band of brothers share a ardour for Mexican meals and supply a each day serving of their tradition of their small institution on Willow Road in Waltham. Whenever you stroll inside, if it isn’t already apparent by the music or the décor, absolutely, when you odor what’s cooking, you realize Taqueria El Amigo is the place one comes for a slice of Mexico.

“We are the spicy that generally life wants!” co-owner Omar Timoteo mentioned.

Omar is one in every of 4 Mexican brothers who, of their late teenagers, have been dropped at America by their father. Years later they got here to personal the now-famous restaurant.

El Amigo has been a good friend to the Higher Boston space for greater than 20 years. It was below completely different house owners till 2021, when the Timoteos have been requested to take over.

“We promised the final house owners we will attempt to do our greatest,” mentioned Omar’s youthful brother, Jonathan.

A few yr after taking on, they obtained the eye of Yelp — and, welp, the remainder is historical past.

“The next week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it was like, loopy,” famous Jonathan. “Since we opened till we closed it was like loopy, loopy, loopy.”


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The Timoteos struck gold however confess they struggled to supply the service prospects deserved due to the overwhelming response after the popularity from Yelp — lengthy strains are sometimes stretched exterior the restaurant.

“It is so in style now. It is arduous to come back in the course of the lunch hour,” famous Ivona Kelly, an everyday at El Amigo.

“It is type of like a diamond within the tough,” mentioned buyer Mike Bickoff. “You do not know about it.”

Thomas Newman, one other buyer, mentioned they serve “a few of the finest tacos I’ve ever had.”

Though the meals and the environment convey within the prospects, it is the connection among the many brothers and employees that they imagine is the key ingredient.

“The connection that now we have with my brothers is one thing completely different as a result of we do not combat. We get collectively after which we talk about issues. Yeah, we bump heads generally, however moreover that, hey, it is a part of the job,” mentioned Omar. “As a Mexican tradition, now we have that in our blood, being collectively, being useful, being comprehensible, being enjoyable, being loopy when it must be loopy in an actual approach, generally in a foul approach, too. However it’s a part of it.”

The Timoteo brothers have spent their grownup lives studying from — and adapting to — a international land. Now, they get to share part of their heritage with others.

“Day by day we see a brand new face. And that is one thing that basically that we have been actually pleased with,” Jonathan mentioned.

“You are displaying one thing of your tradition to a unique tradition that they may not have identified, they most likely had not tasted earlier than, and now they’re a part of it,” Omar mentioned.