Between Massachusetts’ two major east-west highways, drivers are offered more restaurant options, including some hidden gems.
Travelers on the Massachusetts Pike tend to stop at service stations for food breaks, as it is a toll road with relatively few exits. However, Route 2 to the north is quite different; it has no tolls, more exits, and some of the “highways” are not really highways at all, but old-fashioned two-lane roads, especially the further west you go (almost all of the section west of Greenfield is two-lane).
One of the hidden gems of Route 2, it’s just a few miles off the highway yet remains largely unknown. Perhaps because it’s located in an old military facility, it might seem like the last place worth visiting for a restaurant. However, Bandoleros Mexican Grill is much more than that and delivers on all fronts: food, service, and ambiance.
Devens was once the largest army base in New England, but it was decommissioned in the mid-1990s and is now a residential and business hub. It’s a bit of an odd place to be, as parts of it are off-limits to the public. Though it’s considered a separate community, it’s actually part of three other towns: Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley. — It doesn’t have its own post office, library, public school system or city hall.
But it does have a village center of sorts, where the residents (just under 2,000) can get food, gas, and some light shopping, although Ayer, a commercial district a few minutes north, tends to be where locals go for their everyday needs. To say that the “downtown” area of Devens is quiet is an understatement, but Devens Common has a charm of its own, with lots of green space and a laid-back atmosphere, and Bandoleros in the middle of it all is easy to miss from Jackson Road, Devens’ main thoroughfare, despite being a little off the beaten path.
Bandoleros first opened in Devens in 2021, taking over the space that was once home to Devens Grill. The restaurant underwent extensive renovations before opening and is spacious with a tranquil dining area with bench seating and sofa-like chairs to the right, a sleek lounge area with a bar counter and several high-top tables to the left, and a spacious patio overlooking the common space just outside the bar. Inside, paintings of famous Mexican figures adorn the walls, and moody lighting creates an intimate, cozy atmosphere. There is ample parking outside, and the spacious common space just outside is a great place to stroll leisurely after enjoying a meal or drink.
Mexican restaurants in and around suburban Boston tend to focus on familiar dishes like nachos, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and chimichangas, and Bandoleros certainly offers all of those dishes, but the restaurant feels a bit more upscale than the many small independent Mexican joints that dot the area, or the ubiquitous Mexican and Tex-Mex chains, and the menu reflects that, with a number of homemade dishes that may be less familiar to those who frequent Mexican-American dining spots.
And while “familiar” dishes tend to be inventive in both ingredients and presentation, they never are: Their housemade blue corn quesadillas, for example, are a world away from the cheesy quesadillas you’ll find at any chain or local pub, and roasted poblanos, portobello mushrooms, pickled onions, tangy crema and zesty pico de gallo all combine to make this small plate a memorable dish that can easily be doubled for a full-course meal.
There are plenty of taco options here, but the al pastor option, which contains a delicious combination of tender marinated pork, fresh pineapple, cilantro and onion, is a real highlight.
The best dish on the Bandoleros menu has to be the excellent torta ahogada, which originates from the central-western Mexican state of Jalisco and is essentially a pork and bean sandwich smothered in hot and spicy criollo sauce.
A simple yet flavoursome dish you won’t often see is choripolo, chicken and chorizo tossed in a rich cheese sauce served over rice.
Seafood lovers have several choices, including “Camarones Salceados,” jumbo pan-seared shrimp served with avocado and rice, and can even be ordered with a sweat-inducing diabla sauce.
Bandoleros’ bar menu, like its food, goes far beyond basic drinks: they use fresh ingredients, so you might have to wait a few minutes for your drink to be made, but it’s well worth the wait.
The margaritas here are works of art and made with organic agave, while the Elmer’s Wajacan is a twist on the old-fashioned that’s pretty intense thanks to the use of mezcal. The Diablito might not be for the faint-hearted, using ghost tequila (yes, a pinch of ghost pepper) to mix heat with the sweet and sour flavor of tamarind. A safer drink might be the Pepe Fino, a grassy, woodsy drink made with gin, cucumber and rosemary.
Bandoleros also serves beer and wine, and has an extensive list of tequilas, ranging from the basic Patrón to the wallet-friendly Class Azul Ultra, which tops out at just over $400.
Devens is a very fascinating place with a lot of history, but it’s a place that many pass right by, probably because it feels off-limits to visitors, but it’s actually open to all (at least most people) and welcoming, and it’s one of many communities just off Route 2 that’s worth visiting. One of the main reasons to visit Devens is this little-known Mexican restaurant that locals know well for its food, drinks, and hospitality.
Bandoleros Mexican Grill, 4 Ryan’s Way, Devens, MA, 01434. mybandoleros.com
[Ed note: A second location of Bandoleros opened earlier this year and can be found in Concord.]
