Jose’s Mexican Restaurant is closing on Sherman Street at the end of August, management announced Tuesday via social media. The colorfully decorated outpost run by chef Carlos Mendez has been serving for more than 20 years in Neighborhood 9 near Danehy Park.
The eatery’s Arlington site, Jose’s Torta Mexicana, will stay open, and managers said they are also “looking for a new location” to replace the one at 131 Sherman St. that they hope to open “sooner [rather] than later.”
“It is the end of an era,” managers said of the purple-and-orange converted home, which became a destination by virtue of its isolation.
Rumblings about a closing were heard as far back as September 2019, according to Marc Hurwitz’s Boston Restaurant Talk, with management worrying that diners would no longer have access to the attached parking lot. On Thursday, calls to Jose’s weren’t picked up, but a message was left seeing answers on what was behind the closing and whether Cambridge or Somerville were in the running for a new location.
Mendez and his crew boasted that Jose’s served the most authentic Mexican cuisine in Cambridge and enjoyed introducing customers to traditional fare such as pozole and sopes in addition to the dishes customers expected, including local favorites such as poppers and barbecue dishes.
Harvard Square’s Border Cafe, which opened in 1987, announced in February that it would not reopen. Though Cambridge has more-casual eateries such as Anna’s, Felipe’s and El Jefe’s Taqueria scattered citywide, there are also sit-down Mexican restaurants such as Olé and Corazón de Frida in Inman Square.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.