Lone Star Taco Bar on Brighton Avenue is a Texas-themed taco joint that has absolutely nothing to do with Texas, and that’s fine by everyone involved.
You’ll probably pass it on a weeknight and think it looks like every other Allston bar — low ceilings, loud music, the particular darkness of a place that never sees noon light. Walk in anyway. The room is small, the bar runs most of the left wall, and by 7 p.m. on a Friday, the kind of crowd that has strong opinions about mezcal is already two drinks in.
The margaritas are the reason you’re here, at least for the first round. They make them with fresh lime juice, which sounds obvious until you’ve spent enough time in Boston ordering margaritas that taste like a Sweet’N Low packet dissolved in grain alcohol. The frozen mango version runs about $12 and is cold enough to cause a brief, clarifying headache. Worth it. The house tequila is Sauza, the rail whiskey of tequilas, but you can upgrade without anyone making you feel bad about it.
Now, the tacos. The menu is not long, which is a point in its favor. The carnitas is probably the move — braised pork, pickled red onion, a hit of cilantro, done. The fish taco holds up too: battered tilapia, cabbage slaw, crema, and a lime wedge that you’ll actually use. Each taco is around $4 to $5, which means three of them plus a drink is a completely reasonable weeknight dinner for under $25 if you don’t go crazy on the margs, which you will, so plan accordingly.
They also do a decent job with chips and guacamole, which are priced at the going rate for this kind of place — not cheap, but freshly made and finished with a little salt that earns its keep. The queso is better than it has any right to be. Skip the nachos unless you’re sharing with four people; they’re enormous in a way that stops being fun halfway through.
The staff is reliably fast and not particularly interested in your life story, which at 8 p.m. on a Saturday is exactly what you want. The patio out back opens in warmer months and adds maybe twenty seats to a place that otherwise fills up quick. If you’re going with a group larger than four, show up early or accept standing at the bar like adults.
Lone Star is at 479 Cambridge Street in Allston — not Brighton Avenue, the Cambridge Street branch — though there’s also a Somerville location on Beacon Street if you’re coming from that direction. Parking in Allston is its own ongoing civic emergency, so take the B Line to Harvard Ave and walk five minutes. No reservations. Card accepted. Cash also fine.
It is not trying to be a destination. It is trying to sell you a good taco and a cold drink in a room full of people who live nearby, and on that count, it succeeds more reliably than most places with far loftier ambitions.
