La Qchara has it allGreat Atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff and an amazing menu selection with something for everyone very reasonably priced.I’ve been coming here for years and I only wish I lived closer.The owners treat you like family and go over and beyond to make sure everything is just right.I Highly recommend giving themA try!

Have brunch with your friends, family here on weekends! But the South American foods are not my favorite!

Food was absolutely great! Menu has lots of choices but personally I think that is awesome! Makes me want to come back and keep trying more dishes! Super tasteful! Venezuelan egg Benedict was amazing! Staff was great! Thank you.

I was really excited about this place, but it was a miss for me and my husband. Cilantro tastes like soap for him, so before ordering we asked for recommendations and explained this to them, we swapped the sauce per their recommendations and still they sprinkled it all over the plate and the new sauce had cilantro too 🤦🏽‍♀️ I wouldve rather for them to just inform they were not going to be able to accommodate us and we wouldve understand. Their coffee is great! Some flavors are too overpowering and salty (not as they normally taste, feel like theyre over seasoned). Staff is nice and they seemed to be understaffed, since you can sit but still need to order in the counter (it doesnt say that, so we waited there and didnt know if they were coming or not). I dont think we will be visiting again.

Love the music 🎶Great customer service,Great eats.Nice place for relaa

Smelled like a gas leak, forgot my drink, drink was gross, food was good but not great, Staff were friendly, my friend liked her food and drink, nice atmosphere, outdoor seating, good menu, decently authentic with some twists. I likely wont return

The food is delicious but a little pricy for breakfast with a drink.

Fantastic ambiance, great food, one of my favorites for breakfast in the greater Boston!!

The Huevos Rancheros and the Venezuelan Benedict were delicious!!! Paired with the Horchata, on of their many smoothies, or one of their many juiced!!

Recent update- this is still a great place for casual atmosphere and delicious food. Ownership/ management really nurtures a fun atmosphere.La Qchara is a Relaxed Neighborhood place where everyone is welcome and the food is WORLD CLASS. (Im not exaggerating!) . The Lunch menu is huge, staff is nice and prices are reasonable, especially considering the great quality

This place had a pleasant atmosphere, service was friendly and careful to keep appropriate distance. Unique food, enjoyed their version of eggs benedict. We would order that again.

This is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. The food, smoothies, and juices are fantastic! My kids absolutely love their yuca fries.

Safe dining practices. Cheerful staff. Excellent food.

Friendly staff, an extensive menu of freshly prepared food and drinks. Great for folks with various food restrictions, as they have several gluten and/or dairy free options. Pleasant indoor and outdoor seating areas as long as you dont mind an occasional passing train. Plenty of parking nearby.

The menu items are good and definitely give some new options from what we here in the area typically have to choose from other breakfast places. When you go in and set yourself it is not clear at first that there is nobody coming to wait your table, you need to order at the counter, which is fine but one needs to know before sitting at a table for 5 minutes waiting for a human to come. The meal prices are just ok. The drink prices are out of control. It was very busy when we went in, a line out the door for drinks and it seemed the counter staff was unorganized and needed more help back there to expedite things.

Very happy I found this place very tasty and clean

Every time I come here the food is consistently amazing! I love how you have your staple menu and also have new treats all the time. Wish I took a photo of the breakfast quinoa dish, but I ate it so fast! Black beans, quinoa, plantains, poached eggs with mango salsa. JUST WOW.Thank you for being such a local staple.

Place had a nice atmosphere walking in, wasnt sure what to do when we got in, no one lets you know you order from the counter, no servers or waiters, be ready. the food was great i have to say, menu is toooo long, but food is tasty.

Happened to be passing through the area in the late afternoon and was planning to get something more lunch-like, but I was drawn to drawn to the centro americano breakfast. It was a perfect blend of diced spicy chorizo, a cheese empanada, two eggs over easy (as God intended!) and the best part of all: fried plantains. Now Ive had all these elements before, but the way the geniuses in the kitchen at La Qchara put this together have me trying to figure out an excuse to get me back to Melrose in the near future...Beyond my amazing breakfast, the menu has a lot of other great options that I hope to try on my next visit. If your looking for a fresh twist on the classic Latin food joint; head over La Qchara!

La Q is one of our go-to restaurants and is such a gem. The food is great, and the menu is interesting. We especially love the mole cachito, the Nutella coffee cake, the coffee, the horchata, the Venezuelan Benedict and the arepas. Service can be a bit slow at times, but is always friendly. If I could change one thing it would be to make the smoothies thicker- sometimes they just seem too thin. But overall we love this place and are so happy we can walk to it! Also great decor!

Loved the food. Very flexible with the menu items, changed out certain things for us and th food was delicious!

Excellent local place for delicious drinks, good lunch. Maybe a little small for a fancy dinner? Maybe? but we love it here

If youre looking to try some delicious Spanish food with amazing flavor definetly recommend this place. I ordered the carne Asada dish and the steak was cooked just right and the flavor was out of this world. My wife ordered the tostado with chicken. Has chicken onions and the buns are made of plantains. They had many other delicious choices like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. They also have a cafe that offers coffee espressos and iced coffees, they even have horchata!!!! Being from Saugus I will definetly be coming here more often to eat also on Tuesday kids eat free!!

I celebrated my PhD last night in this great restaurant. happy to tell that we enjoyed a awesome evening and the venue was clearly the reason for the happy event. The waiters contributed in a graceful style, the cooking was extremely good and my buddies were so delighted. We shall no dout come back again for more celebrations. thanks very much.

Food and raw juice was really good. I didnt feel bloated after eating. Left a star out because the service was a little off.

Food is not that good, dirty. tenoch & cafe nero are sooo much better. Gross, rude staff and will NEVER come back.

Just found this gem of a restaurant recently. Its all fresh ingredients....lots to choose from. It may be my go-to restaurant for brunch, lunch, coffee, smoothies, and feel good food. Love love love!

Ordered takeout around 3pm on Labor Day. It wasn’t busy upon pickup.Plantains were good.Tres leches cake was okay. Only item I would prefer from elsewhere.Tequenos were good, and sauce was tasty.

Not authentic Venezuelan in the least bit. My wife lived there for 15 years. Overpriced and I suspect that the wireless credit card processing machine has been compromised. We got a call from our credit card Fraud Dept hours later. We had to cancel the card and have a new one issued. I would recommend this place to absolutely no one.

The best specialty lattes around! Also has great Latin breakfast menu.

Good food with huge portion.

Most food like the fish tacos, tostadas and fajitas were delicious. Chorizo torta was just ok. Linonadas to drink on a hot day were perfect and refreshing as was the frozen mocha.

The place was buzzing with customers dining in and sitting at tables outside. Had a great variety.

Service was excellent. The food sublime. We will definitely make this a visit often place esp when we are craving this type of food.

I was very hungry, and did a random food search on Google Maps and found this place. I will definetly be going back. The Cuban torta, arepas and yuca fries were great. I can appreciate the wait for my order because everything was made fresh.

Delicious food, super sweet staff and great selection of coffee, sweets, smoothies, juice and other food! My mom and I had brunch here and the food is to die for! A great Latin American gem!

A wonderful birthday breakfast on St Pats. Using my reward points and birthday coupon, and I had everything free on LaQchara. Thanks, Emily!

Never never order a hot latte here. Coffee here basically is just some flavored milk. Not coffee really. Writing the review after numerous fails.

Best place in town to get a nice Burrito, or a plethora of other Latin specialties with a unique twist that truly separates them from others. La Qchara goes above and beyond by reinvigorating classic staples and perfecting them, and they also offer a fine assortment of coffees and drinks. Truly, a gem.

Love all their healthy options. Must try the quinoa bowls and chia pudding. The stag is very nice.

This had to be one of the most unsatisfying chilaquiles I’ve order in my life!!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! Okay so let’s start of with me calling the restaurant to see if my food was picked up by dash and the girl that picked up the phone said it wasn’t, called dash the order was picked up and 5 mins away from my home. I ordered 2 orders of chilaquiles. Both did not have queso fresco and one of the chilaquiles had cabbage, yes cabbage!!! the other one was something I did not order. I don’t know how they have 4.4 starts to be honest. Worse $74 wasted!!!! Don’t order from here.

A must go to location! This place always delivers! I love their drink options, and food is always delicious! Sadly, I dont live close by to eat there everyday. And they offer catering for events!

The cachapa traditional was ok. It didnt taste how it should. I am Venezuelan so I know how it should look and taste. The dishes names made me feel home but that was about it.

This place is amazing! Delicious food, I ordered from them 2 days in a row it was that good!

This place is an absolute gem with Central and South American cuisines. The restaurant is one of our absolute favorite - chilaquiles, the tortas, pabellon criollo, carne asada are just a few of our favorites.

Excellent food. I ordered the Pabellon Criollo and my ordered the fish tacos. Very impressed. The seasoning and the flavors were perfect, very balanced. We ate on site outside and the atmosphere is nice. The have a busy takeout business too. The staff is friendly too.

Ordered a veggie burrito online through uber eats. I specifically spelled it out in English and Spanish please no peppers (allergy). and guess what? my order came with peppers, had to trow it away. Save your money in a competent food bushiness.

Best owners ever. Friendly, attentive, just awesome.

If you havent eaten here, youre missing out on one of Melroses greatest gems. Seriously - stop reading this and go place your order already.

Great coffee and great food in a great atmosphere! The ambiance and decor of La Qchara is warm and inviting and so is the staff.There is always something new on the menu or there is a new special, so you could never possibly get bored. I had the holy mole with was two arepas topped with eggs and mole sauce, served with plantains. It was delicious. I also had a banana nut muffin which was large, fluffy and topped with tons of nuts, all which made it stand out on the counter.For coffee, I had one of the barista specials. There actually were so many tempting barista specials that I asked the cashier for recommendation. Upon doing so, she suggested the Smores which surpassed my expectations. It was a tasty chocolatey compliment to the wonderful food

The smoothie was mostly ice chunks. Tasted very watered down. Cute restaurant though! Very clean, and wide selection. I’ll give it another try and see if they do a better job on food items.

Just pure awesomeness! The veggie burrito is a must try along with the plantains. Good service.

I went in the other day I didn’t see any gloves being worn in the restaurant. This is a huge concern especially because of the coronavirus. Is it that hard to make sure you always have gloves in stock? Disgusted me so much I had to leave.On top of all that, someone I assume is the owner was screaming at the poor girls! VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!Bad business ! Do not waste your time coming back . The business cannot delete my review or silence me !

There is a wide variety of Latin American foods so plenty to choose but not necessarily authentic. If you are expecting authentic chilaquiles not the place for you, it is a take on it. Horchata is good if a tad too sweet. For the quality of foods slightly overpriced.

Really really good.

You MUST try the empanadas -such a hidden gem and it’s so good I almost don’t want everyone else to discover it. However, I also want this restaurant to be around for a long time so I’ll let you in on the secret - this place is awesome. I’ve yet to have something from the menu that isn’t fantastic. A must try if you live around the Melrose area.

Our favorite place for coffee and lunch.

Went to this spot cause some friends recommended it. And they were right. Food was delicious. It tasted so fresh. Drinks were great, and staff super attentive. Glad I gave it a try

Everything about this place is amazing. Coffee bean intellegentcia coffee is the best. Latin hash is one of the best bfast plates I ve ever had, see below

Delicious food

Food is very bland. Also, if you order from a place called Oscar’s Taqueria on Uber Eats it is actually just La Qchara—so beware. It’s perplexing why you would list both La Qchara and Oscar’s Taqueria as two separate businesses when in fact they are one...it’s shady at best.

Amazing food, cool location for lunch, coffee, etc. Had the pabellon criollo the other day and chilaquiles today(pictured). Very good and authentic tasting.

Wanted to find a place where I couldve had a taco and breakfast, weird but needed. I came to this place for brunch and was able to receive a satisfying Spanish omelet for brunch. I enjoyed their frozen caramel drink as well, they have wonderful drinks. I really enjoyed the fact that is was a little self serve. You would be able to order and pay first, then seat yourself hang out and leave when youre ready. It was different but was cool.

Great coffee, excellent breakfast

Great little corner breakfast spot. (How much more of a food person, But the coffee was very good). Scrambled eggs are great fresh veggies, pastries were delicious.

Great food and service! Always a great experience and thanks Emily for being the best!

Best spot for a post Fells hike.

Awesome service and drinks!

Every time I order from this place my order is made wrong. If you ask for no guac, they’ll put it, if you ask for guac, they won’t. The smoothies are incredibly overpriced for the cup of water you receive. Not to mention all former staff says that they were treated horribly.

I really like this place. I usually get something spicy and meat based. The menu is slightly impenetrable... But Im usually tired with an 8 year old when I go. The sauces are good. Everyone who works here is really nice. Kinda the local-post-high-school crew. Sometimes the chef is different and things are not always great. But always good. Shakes are great.

Great variety of different coffees i recommend the brazil or Ethiopian coffee .friendly and attentive staff

Pricey but amazing food, cool modern Tahpas bar in Melrose right off the commuter rail.

Our absolute favorite breakfast place! Their lunch and dinner is a must too. The food is always fresh and delicious. And they have the best coffee/espresso around!

Ordered the Venezuela quinoa bowl via uber eats, but received the Salvador quinoa bowl instead which had onions and pineapples (things that I don’t like at all). Also the quinoa tasted like nothing. Won’t be ordering again from here.

What a treat! Searched for 7 am restaurants in the area and the menu for this place stood out. They treat their coffee seriously - there are many options, and in particular for me, the Cubano and Vietnamese coffee are delightful. Everything on their menu is served all day. Definitely worth checking out for anyone that wants to explore the area or visit a diner that stands out from the rest. The owner and staff were charming, prices are good and the wait between the order and being served minimal.

Everything was pretty good but my experience in the end was very unpleasant. The (I assume) owner was very rude and disrespectful to me when I pointed out that his menu said the pancakes were served with maple syrup and what was given to me was high fructose pancake syrup. I simply asked for honey instead because what I was given wasn’t maple syrup and he rudely told me It was. Very abrasive and unwelcoming. Pancakes were dry and couldn’t stand on their own or otherwise I would have just skipped the syrup issue.Just cause you CAN claim to serve breakfast all day doesn’t mean you should. And the rudeness?? Unnecessary. Maple syrup is an actual thing man.

Amazing place with great lunch and breakfast options.

I love this place! Sadly the other day I went and got take out and only half of my order was there. I ordered a veggie burrito and guacamole, but I only got my veggie burrito and didnt have enough time to go back. Ended up paying 18+ for just one burrito which is insane!

I love this place! Ive been many times, and the food is always good. Ive never been disappointed with a meal or drink or dessert, and I always recommend La Qchara to my friends and family.

Great atmosphere. Service is a bit slow at times (food mainly, although Im sure its because its being made to order and more complicated dishes). Fairly pricey, but youll definitely get your moneys worth with whatever you order. Unique food options, and my toddler has loved everything hes tried from their menu. Great for breakfast or brunch. Good outside seating, although loud when a train is nearby (which happens often).

Great food ..Great serviceCant beat that..

My new favorite brunch spot, great coffee, and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. I cant wait to come back and try more things on the menu. Also, the restaurant has high chairs, and is kid friendly!

Great coffee and food. Very high amount of choices for both and prices are reasonable. Plenty of seating as well, highly recommend.

So excited to find this place. We like Venezuelan food and coffee and were pleased with our breakfast. The cheese areppa was very good. The Cuban omelette was a little dry but was hot and cooked fresh. My eggnog latte was delicious. The place is small and cozy with small tables. They seem to get a lot of coffee-to-go orders. Will definitely be back.

Poor food quality and multiple sanitary issues, one being an issue I just read the owner admits too. Bringing uncooked food from the kitchen to show a patron while arguing with them. Im sure that food wasnt thrown away, it was then served to some poor person thinking their food was handled correctly. Any establishment that is willing to speak down to a customer and argues over a piece of meat is not worth another visit..response to owner....if you as the owner fail to realize that 28 positive 4 or 5 star reviews vs. 8 negative reviews is a well balance then I can see why your resteraunt is lacking in some areas. Hope the Health inspection goes well. And thank you for the kind words, I will have a magnificent summer.. far away from your unsanitary establishment.

This place has now become my number one breakfast place!! Coffee is great, food choices are amazing, good vibes, fun atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food made well!! Ill be coming back, you should plan on coming too!! PS The Coconut Peach muffins, are fantastic and a total surprise!!! Get a few!! Lol

Ive always had a good experience here for breakfast and lunch. The chia puddings are so good and they have a great selection of delicious coffee drinks. Kind staff, a great neighborhood staple, in my opinion!

**Update** I spoke with their manager, Rebecca and she apologized for what she said was not the type of customer service experience she wants people to have at her restaurant. She didnt know why it happened the way it did but offered to give me a gift card to give them another chance. I appreciate the olive branch gesture and will try them again. I will add that the food that did come, was pretty good. We will be giving them another shot.Horrible customer service experience. It started off with them being far later than what was initially quoted for delivery. When we received the food, one of the dishes was missing. I called to ask what happened and the woman told me they ran out of the material to make it so they just didnt make it. I asked why no one called to let me know to pick something else and she replied she was busy. I asked if she had refunded my dish and she said no. I asked if she was planning on it and she said no. I then asked for a manager and she said none were available. I asked for her name and she mumbled something then hung up. Incredibly unprofessional. I will never order from them again.

I love the concept. I just wish the speed of service could be improved and staff training was better. The menu is great. I love having this place as an option but the service frequentlty is lacking.

Was recommended by a friend to come here and boy was it worth it. Wanted to try everything on the menu and the breakfasts were fantastic. Were definitely coming back!!

Over priced.

The food is good and it comes out quick. The prices are reasonable. There is parking in the back and sometimes you can find parking in the front.

Pros:1. Friendly and knowledgeable service.2. Original and fresh healthy dishes, with just enough of a diner-like flair to make it fun and affordable.3. BYOB4. Atmosphere is very relaxed5. Dietary restriction friendly including vegetarian and gluten free6. Convenient parking7. Delicious drinks from smoothies, to coffees, to fresh pressed juicesSuggestion for management:Hire an interior designer to handle the much warranted attention you are attracting with your awesomeness. Not only does the space get very crowded and hard to move around without bumping into other diners (even as a small person), mostly its in need of sound-softening as the noise reaches an uncomfortable level. If this is a financial issue, try reaching out to interior design students or recent grads at local colleges, they would love to do this on a budget to add to their portfolio.

The food is good. The coffee is great. The people are super nice. My only criticism is that they need to ditch placing orders at the counter (like a pizza shop) and hire some waitstaff to take orders at the tables, like most of the other places in town.

The food here is excellent. I come here for breakfast lunch or just a snack. The service is average, sometimes they lack a little in communication. All of the drinks are expensive but delicious. Sometimes when they don’t have certain ingredients though, they’ll add different things into smoothies. I can tell when the smoothies aren’t the same and it’s tough to be paying 9$ and not getting what you know you love.

Had lunch there for the first time. Delicious food, nice staff, very accommodating. The quinoa salad was scrumptious and the portion was very generous. Prices are very reasonable. Al fresco dining is delightful. Highly recommend and will be coming back often!

This place is great! Fresh muffins and baked goods. Amazing service and just a lovely place for brunch.

Clean, quick, delicious. Solid spot.

Changing from 5 stars. The food here is good once you actually get it. The problem is theyre so disorganized it takes way too long, and often different items come out at vastly different times.The worst is is you order anything from the bar that takes any assembly (chia pudding, smoothie, horchata). The queue for these items takes an unbelievable amount of time 45 minutes last time I was there. They are busy taking new orders, making quick things like coffee, and never get to your order.

Even though the food took a little more time than expected, it was well worth it. Portions are perfect, food is cooked deliciously, naturally, and drinks are also very tasty and flavorful. I should also add that the atmosphere inside is very cozy, inviting, and thankfully it was nice and warm (cold and rainy day).