East Boston residents are already claiming a severe addiction to her chicken mole,’ but everything that chef Angela Atenco Lopez produces out of her small kitchen on the corner of Lexington and Brooks streets is nothing short of spectacular.
Angela’s Cafe, which opened a few months back to rave reviews in the Globe, Phoenix and Boston Magazine, is as authentic as you’re going to get for Mexican cuisine in Boston, hands down.
Owner Luis Garcia, Lopez’s son who named his new eatery after his family’s matriarch, said you won’t find any canned, pre-made or jarred sauces or food here at Angela’s. From the salsa to the pico de gallo to the guacamole to the mole’ to the tortillas, Lopez makes everything at the cafe by hand and from scratch.
“It’s very easy here in the U.S. to get pre-made or canned stuff, but my mother doesn’t believe in cooking that way,” said Lopez. “She likes to do everything by hand and makes all the sauces from scratch, and you can taste the difference.”
You truly can. I got to try Angela’s for the first time Monday and was blown away. Lopez first sent out a true gorditas—no, not that Americanized imitation you find at Taco Bell. This was a nice blend of chorizo and queso fresca piled on top of a freshly made soft tortilla. 
Next, I tried a soft taco stuffed with marinated flank steak that was shredded topped with a chipotle sauce and rolled.
For dessert I took on - at this point feeling a little stuffed -  a crispy taco that was topped with shredded marinated chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado and onion.
Everything was bursting with flavor and freshness that left you craving more.
The one thing that made the meal truly spectacular was Lopez’s special chipotle sauce, a secret family recipe that includes soaking the chipotle peppers overnight and then blending them  with tomato, garlic and onion, creating a smoky, spicy sauce that you’ll want to pour over everything you eat at Angela’s.
The family, which hails from Puebla, Mexico, a city the size of Boston, located south of Mexico City, has been involved in restaurants and cooking for many years. Garcia, who came to the U.S. in 1992, became a cook (like his mom) and soon took over Lenny’s Spa after Albie Sacramone’s death in 2005. After Lenny’s was sold, Garcia moved his operation to the family’s current location at 131 Lexington St.
“We are still doing a fusion of Mexican and Italian-American food like we did at Lenny’s,” said Garcia as he points to menu items like chicken, broccoli and ziti and chicken parm subs. “But more and more, people are coming for Mexican, so I think eventually we’ll just have Mexican food.”
And people have been pouring in to Angela’s to sample the fare from as far away as Newton, Watertown and even Rhode Island, thanks to chowhound.com, an Internet Web site and message board dedicated to promoting small, good restaurants by word of mouth.
“The response has been unbelievable,” said Garcia. “People really love the food and keep coming back. Now, at night, we have a line.”
Angela’s inexpensive menu has also made it attractive among locals. All dinners are under $13, appetizers range from $2 to just under $9, and lunches are in the same range. The inexpensive prices also enable patrons to sample several different menu items (as I did) or share menu items during lunch or dinner.
Angela’s also has a full breakfast menu and opens very early each morning to accommodate the growing crowd of hungry diners.
“We were doing breakfast at Lenny’s and thought why not bring breakfast here,” said Garcia. “If you think about it, Orient Heights has a breakfast spot, Jeffries Point has a breakfast spot, but after Lenny’s closed, Eagle Hill didn’t have one.”
On weekends especially, Lopez’s assistant chef, Pedro Castillo, dazzles patrons with large portions of French toast, pancakes, eggs Benedict and other specialty items.
“It’s not easy to cook for a large breakfast crowd, so I have to tip my hat to Pedro,” Garcia said, smiling.