Gato Exotico Turns CambridgeSide Mall Into Tequila Circus

Gato Exotico, the theatrical Mexican outpost from the team behind Harvard Square’s Wusong Road, has moved into CambridgeSide and turned a stretch of the mall into a loud, tiki-leaning hideout. With over-the-top decor and a menu built for sharing, it lands somewhere between theme park getaway and neighborhood hangout. Birdbath-size margaritas and $5 tacos keep things approachable for groups, office crews and anyone trying to turn a weekday into a mini vacation.

A Maximalist Escape

The dining room looks like what The Boston Globe calls a "Polynesian fantasyland with a touch of Liberace," filled with carved stone statues, geometric red latticework and cheetah-print flourishes. The review describes Gato Exotico as an audacious oasis that nods to 1990s mall spectacle while chasing modern hospitality. The whole point is to put on a bit of a show and then give people a place to camp out over oversized cocktails and shared plates.

Kitchen Led by the Enriquez Family

Owner Jason Doo, who also runs Wusong Road, told The Boston Globe he is "betting on the Kendall area" and has turned the food side over to Ana and Sergio Enriquez. "This is not my cuisine. This is definitely the story of Ana and Sergio," he said, as the paper reports that the mother-and-son team is in charge of tacos, tamales and other regional dishes. The setup splits the high-concept room from the day-to-day cooking so the menu stays grounded while everything around it goes full spectacle.

What to Order

The menu blends budget-friendly street-food staples with bigger spreads for the table: tacos starting around $5, enchiladas and heftier plates in the mid-teens, plus a Popocatépetl platter that is built for groups, according to Eater Boston. Diners can expect house-made tamales, empanadas, flautas and several meat-focused entrees meant to be shared. The bar leans hard into tequila and mezcal, with cocktails arriving in playful glassware and tiki mugs that match the room’s flair.

Margarita Week and Hours

According to the restaurant’s website, Gato Exotico celebrated a Margarita Week from Feb. 18 to 22 with ticketed tequila and mezcal tastings and lists its lunch and dinner hours online. The site shows lunch service beginning at 11 a.m. and dinner starting at 5 p.m., along with a schedule of guided tastings during the promotion. Contact information and reservation details are posted on the restaurant page.

Why It Matters for CambridgeSide

The opening gives CambridgeSide a bold independent dining anchor as the mall shifts away from its old Galleria identity and leans into a more restaurant-driven future. A Cambridge Chamber announcement welcomed Gato Exotico as an "exciting new restaurant concept" and cast it as a complement to recent additions at the waterfront complex. For locals, it offers a theatrical, relatively wallet friendly alternative when the neighborhood wants something with more personality than the usual chain lineup.