A tale of two tables

These two restaurants, though only a short drive apart, tell very different stories about Waltham. One reflects the growing wave of upscale dining that’s redefining Waltham’s image. The other holds onto the sense of family and community that has long defined the area.

If you walk down Waltham’s Moody Street on a Friday, you’ll see a bustling atmosphere filled with conversation, color and restaurants that express different cultures. In the heart of Moody Street, there’s Vinotta, characterized by dim lights, wine glasses and white table cloths. A few blocks away, hidden behind a gym and across from a parking garage on Charles Street, there’s La Taqueria Mexico, a small, bright restaurant where the owner knows almost everyone by name.

These two restaurants, though only a short drive apart, tell very different stories about Waltham. One reflects the growing wave of upscale dining that’s redefining Waltham’s image. The other holds onto the sense of family and community that has long defined the area.

Armando Olmendo, who runs La Taqueria, said the restaurant first opened in the 1990s. “Moody Street is nice, but it’s expensive. Buying this place was a smarter move,” he said, noting that the spacious place the restaurant fills also came with two housing units. Olmendo’s father-in-law, now 93, bought the building and the two units next to it. He still lives there and comes by the restaurant to check in on the customers and staff. 

Inside the restaurant the walls are decorated with authentic Mexican artwork; the furniture is shipped from Mexico. Olmendo’s son helps in the kitchen, and his wife and sisters come by when it gets busy. During one visit a teenage hostess walked in for her shift and greeted him with a hug. He smiled and said, “Hola, mija,” explaining that she was like family. That warmth extends to the customers, too. Olmendo said that many of his customers have been coming for decades. He even visits many customers at their own jobs.

Changing times

Over the years Olmendo has watched the area change. The big parking lot nearby is now a set of residence buildings, and rising prices have made food and rent less accessible. He notes that the new residential buildings replaced a former parking lot, which has made customers less likely to visit the restaurant. 

Lora, one of the restaurant’s employees, has worked at La Taqueria Mexico for six years. She moved to Massachusetts from Georgia in 2019. One day after a doctor’s appointment, she saw a “Help Wanted” sign in the window. “I went in and asked for an application,” she said. “Armando was in Mexico, but when he got back, they called me.”

She has been there ever since. Lora helps with estimates for catering orders, often placed by universities and high schools around Waltham. Most of the Hispanic community here, she explains, is from Central America. “There aren’t many Mexicans,” she said. “That’s why this place matters.” 

Lora’s favorite part of the job is meeting people from different cultures. Some customers come in because they saw birria tacos on TikTok or are looking for authentic Mexican dishes. The restaurant is known for making unique dishes, like horchatas and menudo (cow’s stomach). Lora explained that customers may be surprised with the new dishes they try but end up loving it once they do.

Though Lora notes that, despite the mix of customers from different cultures who come to the restaurant, the Hispanic community has been going out less. “With everything happening politically, people are more cautious,” she said. A few months ago customers from Newton brought in a poster for a peaceful protest and asked if it could hang in the restaurant. It’s still up today, a sign of La Taqueria’s commitment to community involvement.

Notably, some of Lora’s favorite memories are of community events, such as the night Bentley students threw a fundraiser for cancer awareness. “They brought a DJ, and the whole place turned into a party,” she said. Brandeis senior Hannah Barnett called La Taqueria “very chill” and said she loves practicing her Spanish with the staff. “They’re so sweet,” she said. “They always talk with us.” Her friend Maya Williams added, “It’s the perfect spot when you want a quiet night — good food, good people.” 

Modern upscale

Just a mile away Vinotta represents a different chapter in Waltham’s story. Owner Dante Bellucci described his restaurant as “the first upscale, white-tablecloth place in the area.” Whether or not that’s technically true, the vibe inside fits the claim.

Bellucci has been cooking since 1979, starting in Pescara, a coastal city in Italy’s Abruzzo region. His career took him from North Cambridge to Newton Centre, where he co-owned Tartufo before opening Vinotta in 2020. The restaurant’s menu features seafood, handmade pasta and locally sourced ingredients. Bellucci takes pride in every detail, from how his servers dress to the way they talk to regulars. “The atmosphere,” he said, “is everything.”

Unlike La Taqueria, Vinotta’s customers aren’t always Waltham locals. Bellucci said that the restaurant attracts people from Wellesley, Weston, Newton and Brookline. He noted that Vinotta is a destination spot: the kind you plan ahead for. 

He also mentioned a noticeable shift in dining habits across generations: younger people are moving away from wine and toward cocktails. “Wine sales have gone down maybe 25%,” he said. Bellucci inspires guests to deepen their understanding of wine, with his restaurant serving as the venue for discovery. 

Vinotta’s online presence is active and carefully curated, showing elegant plates of pasta and seafood that match its fine dining atmosphere. 

La Taqueria, on the other hand, keeps things simple; it doesn’t post much online, but its reputation spreads through word of mouth. Both approaches fit who they are: one focused on presentation and experience, the other grounded in community and familiarity.

Together, these two restaurants capture the tension running through Waltham today: a city balancing tradition and progress. Moody Street has become a symbol of both the city’s growth and rich history: Up-and-coming restaurants with high-end dining like Vinotta, anchored by other restaurants like La Taqueria that preserve Waltham’s commitment to community.

This story was produced in collaboration with the Brandeis University Journalism Program, overseen by Professor Adriana Lacy with mentoring for student journalists by Waltham Times editors June Kinoshita and Mary Pratt.