With gas, you get salsa; at church, wings

Burritos ($6.75) are enormous parcels of rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes, plus a choice of beef, chicken, chicken with mole sauce, carnitas (pork), chorizo, or vegetables. They also come with King’s smoky homemade salsa, which is absurdly good. During the summer, don’t miss the cucumber and lime agua fresca ($3.50), blended with ice. It’s a much more refreshing version of that old gas station staple, the Slush Puppie.

But the best part of Villa Mexico is King herself. A warm host, she calls everyone “my friend,’’ and she seems to really mean it.

Villa Mexico Cafe, 296 Cambridge St., Boston. 617-957-0725. www.villamexicocafe.com. Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

On Seaver Street in Roxbury, there’s a building so grand it could only be a house of worship. Indeed, it’s a church, the United House of Prayer for All People (formerly Temple Mishkan Tefila). But in the basement, you’ll find a cafeteria serving big portions of soul food for small prices.

All parts of the chicken come baked, fried, and barbecued. There are pork chops and barbecue ribs, turkey wings, Salisbury steak, and whiting. Each plate comes with two sides such as collards, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potatoes. For dessert, you’ll find banana pudding, red velvet cake, and other appropriate sweet things.

Volunteers do the cooking, and the proceeds go back to the church. Nothing at the United House of Prayer Kitchen costs more than $10, and the daily blue plate special will run you $6.99. And that includes lemonade or tea. “We’re not trying to hurt nobody,’’ says kitchen manager Gordon Galloway with a laugh. “We’re trying to appeal to the families in the community. We do what we can.’’

United House of Prayer Kitchen, 206 Seaver St., Roxbury. 617-445-3246. Tue-Fri 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat-Sun 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

On Quincy’s Wollaston Beach, you expect to find fried clams. As you might guess, they’re a specialty at Tony’s Clam Shop. Run by the Kandalaft family, it’s been operating in the area since 1964. It opened for the season March 26.