Best of Boston

2009 Best Mexican Restaurant

Ole Mexican Grill

In the quest for great Mexican, of which Boston has little (relative to, say, El Paso or San Diego), much recent praise has been heaped on the champions of ‘authentic’ cuisine, and on pre-Hispanic recipes like cuitlacoche crepes. But you know what? Sometimes we don’t want to munch fried grasshoppers. Sometimes we want enchiladas with damn good rice and beans. And so we’ve rediscovered our love for Olé, where chef Erwin Ramos serves mole and pozole as authentic as any out there, but isn’t too proud to serve chiles rellenos and shrimp tacos, too. (By the way: The latter, stuffed with pickled cabbage and gently fried camarones, are worth their weight in Spanish gold.)

11 Springfield St., Cambridge, 617-492-4495, olegrill.com