--------------------- BOSTON ------------------------------------------- (As of 1/11/94)
This is a list of recommended restaurants in the Boston area with an emphasis primarily on flavor, quality & value, rather than service & ambience (except for Sunday Brunch), though I've also included the really fancy expensive restaurants that are also (supposedly) pretty good. If a typical meal costs $30/person or more, I've noted that (each $ means $10).
Either I've had a good meal at each restaurant listed, or more likely, someone else has recommended it. Note that most of the comments in the list are not mine, but are from other people who've taken the time to write up something about their dining experience.
If you have comments you'd like me to include (especially if they differ from the current review or are for an unlisted restaurant), let me know at [email removed] or, even better, post them to the ne.food or rec.food.restaurants Usenet newsgroup.
I'm happy to get information about any and all aspects of any restaurant you've eaten at in the Boston area, including
Food: quality, quantity, richness, flavor, seasonings,
preparation, etc.
Are some kinds of food done better than others?
What did you order that was especially good or bad?
Service: pleasant, formal, helpful, rude, etc.
Ambience: crowded, noisy, calm, comfortable, posh,
hole-in-the-wall, dark, danky, etc.
Other: Location, Prices, Hours, Nearest T stop,
Wheelchair accessibility, Child-friendly,
Wine/Beer/Drinks, etc.
Entertaining quotes I can include, as well as any information that would fill in holes in the current list (e.g. T stops, phone numbers, addresses) are also especially appreciated.
I'm mostly interested in restaurants within Rt 128 along the Mass Pike Corridor, especially in areas currently under-represented.
However, I'd also like to hear about restaurants anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts (primarily within 495), Southeastern New Hampshire, Southern Maine, or Rhode Island if they are especially good or very good and an exceptionally good value (i.e. moderately priced) -- that is, if someone should seek them out if they were staying nearby or travelling through the area.
A list of restaurants with new, updated & removed reviews can be found at the end of the restaurant list. It's very long thanks to the many people who contributed reviews, comments & info this past month.
This will turn into a FAQ real soon now (I promise), and be archived in the usual way.
======================================================================
Boston Area Restaurants (by SubArea)
======================================================================
Arlington
---------
Cafe Barada -- Lebanese / Middle Eastern
China Cafe -- Chinese
Seagrape Tree Restaurant -- Jamaican
Shanghai Village -- Chinese
Tandoor -- Indian
Boston (Allston)
----------------
Armadillo Cafe -- Tex/Mex
Barbeque's International -- Indian Bbq
Blackbird Baking Company -- Eclectic
Cafe Brazil -- Brazillian
Cafe Lampara -- Italian
Cafe Shiraz -- Kosher Persian
Chung Wah -- Chinese
Ichiban -- Japanese
Pho Pasteur -- Vietnamese
Quan's Kitchen -- Chinese
Rama Thai -- Thai
Saigon -- Vietnamese
San Francisco Noodle House -- Chinese
Siam Cuisine -- Thai
Thai House -- Thai
Uva -- Italian
V Majestic -- Vietnamese
Viet Hong -- Vietnamese
Boston (Back Bay, Copley to the Commons)
----------------------------------------
29 Newbury St -- Eclectic
Blue Wave -- Eclectic
Cottonwood Cafe -- Southwestern
Grill 23 ($$$) -- Steakhouse
Kaya -- Korean
Mister Leung's ($$$) -- Chinese
PapaRazzi -- Northern Italian
Plaza Dining Room ($$$$$) -- Continental
Rattlesnake Bar and Grill -- Latin American / Caribbean
Ritz Dining Room ($$$$) -- Traditional
Skipjack -- Seafood
Small Planet -- Eclectic
Spasso -- Italian
Turner Fisheries ($$$) -- Seafood
Boston (Back Bay, West of Copley)
---------------------------------
Atlantic Fish Company -- Seafood
Boodle's of Boston -- Steakhouse
Cactus Club -- Southwestern
Cafe Budapest ($$$$) -- Hungarian
Caffe Jaffa -- Israeli
Casa Romero -- Mexican
Capital Grille ($$$) -- Steakhouse
Ciao Bella -- Northern Italian
Davio's ($$$) -- Italian
Emporio Armani ($$$) -- Italian
Gyuhama of Japan -- Japanese
House of Siam -- Thai
Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant -- Chinese
India Samraat -- Indian
Kashmir -- Indian
Kebab & Curry -- Indian
King & I -- Thai
La Famiglia Giorgio -- Italian
Legal Sea Foods -- Seafood
L'Espalier ($$$$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Miyako -- Japanese
Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) -- Steakhouse
Oceanic -- Chinese
Sonsie -- Eclectic
Steve's -- Greek / Middle Eastern
Boston (Beacon Hill / West End)
-------------------------------
Anne's -- Middle East
Another Season ($$$) -- French-American
Bangkok & Tokyo Grille -- Thai
Black Goose -- Nouvelle Italian
Hungry I ($$$) -- Contemporary French / American
King & I -- Thai
La Trattoria -- Italian
Ristorante Toscano ($$$) -- Northern Italian
Siam Cafe -- Thai
Tangiers Cafe -- Moroccan
Boston (Brighton)
-----------------
Bangkok Bistro (Cleveland Circle) -- Thai
Bluestone Bistro -- Italian Pizza
Chef Chow (Cleveland Circle) -- Chinese
El Phoenix Room -- Tex/Mex
Han Mi Ok (Brighton Center) -- Korean
Jasmine Bistro (Brighton Center) -- Eclectic
Korea House -- Korean
Boston (Chinatown)
------------------
Asian Garden -- Chinese
Ba Dat -- Vietnamese
Blue Diner -- Eclectic (Funky Diner)
Buddha's Delight -- Vegetarian Chinese / Vietnamese
Carl's Pagoda -- Chinese
Chau Chow -- Chinese
China Gate -- Chinese
China Grove -- Chinese
China Pearl -- Chinese
Dynasty -- Chinese
East Ocean City -- Chinese
Eldo Tea House -- Chinese
Food Hall -- Chinese
Fortune House -- Chinese Seafood
Golden Gate -- Chinese
Golden Palace -- Chinese
Ho Yuen Ting -- Chinese
Imperial Seafood Restaurant -- Chinese
Kim Fung Restaurant -- Chinese
King Fung Garden -- Chinese
New Shanghai -- Chinese
Ocean Wealth -- Chinese
Pho Bang -- Vietnamese
Pho Pasteur -- Vietnamese
Siam Square -- Thai
Vietnam Restaurant -- Vietnamese
Boston (Downtown / Financial District)
--------------------------------------
Cecil's -- Latin / Caribbean
Country Life -- 7th Day Adventist Vegan Vegetarian
Dakota's ($$$) -- Eclectic
Julien ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) -- New England / American
Maison Robert ($$$$) -- Classic French
Marais ($$$) -- Eclectic
Milk St Cafe -- Kosher Vegetarian
Nara -- Japanese
Parker's ($$$$) -- Traditional American
Rami's Felafel -- Kosher Israeli
Sakurabana -- Japanese
Schifino ($$$) -- Italian
Boston (Dorchester / Mattapan)
------------------------------
Beijing Garden Restaurant (Dorchester) -- Chinese/Vietnamese
Pit Stop (Mattapan) -- Bbq
Thai Gourmet (Dorchester) -- Thai
Boston (East Boston)
--------------------
Mama Julia -- Latin American
Nana Cora's -- Italian
Spinelli's -- Italian
Boston (Jamaica Plains)
-----------------------
Acapulco -- Mexican
Black Crow (Hyde Sq) -- Eclectic
El Embajador -- Latin American
Five Seasons -- Macrobiotic
International Restaurant -- Dominican
Pupuseria Quintanilla -- Salvadoran
Water Cafe -- Eclectic
Boston (Kenmore Sq / West Fenway)
---------------------------------
Buteco (West Fenway) -- Brazillian
India Quality (Kenmore Sq) -- Indian
Maluken (Kenmore Sq) -- Japanese
Sorento's (West Fenway) -- Italian
Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant (West Fenway) -- Chinese
Boston (North End)
------------------
Al Dente -- Italian
Artu -- Italian
Daily Catch -- Italian
Da Natale -- Italian
Dom's -- Nortern Italian
Five North Square ($$$) -- Italian
Giacomo's -- Italian Seafood
G'Vanni's ($$$$) -- Italian
Il Nido ($$$) -- Italian
Il Panino -- Italian
L'Osteria -- Italian
La Conte -- Italian
La Famiglia Giorgio -- Italian
Mama Maria ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Massimino's -- Italian
Mother Anna's -- Italian
Nicole -- Italian
Piccola Venezia -- Southern Italian
Pomodoro -- Italian
Ristorante Lucia -- Northern Italian
Saraceno's -- Southern Italian
Terramia -- Nouvelle Italian
Boston (Roslindale)
-------------------
Sami's (Roslindale) -- Middle Eastern
Boston (South End)
------------------
Addis Red Sea -- Ethiopian
Azita Ristorante -- Northern Italian / Nouvelle American
Bluestone Bistro -- Italian
Bob the Chef -- Soul Food
Botolph on Tremont -- Eclectic
Buteco -- Brazillian
Claremont Cafe -- Eclectic
Hammersley's Bistro ($$$) -- Eclectic
Icarus ($$$$) -- Eclectic
Jae's -- Asian Eclectic (Hip Pacific Rim)
Marcella's -- Italian-American
Nadia's Eastern Star -- Middle Eastern
On the Park -- Eclectic
St Botolph -- Eclectic
St Cloud ($$$) -- Eclectic Nouvelle American
Thai Village -- Thai
Boston (Symphony Area)
----------------------
Bangkok City -- Thai
Bangkok Cuisine -- Thai
Bangkok Room -- Thai
Dixie Kitchen -- Cajun
Goemon -- Japanese Noodle
Shawarma King -- Middle Eastern
Boston (Theater District / Park Square)
---------------------------------------
Aujord 'Hui ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French / Continental
Biba ($$$$) -- Eclectic
David's -- Mediterranean
Joyce Chen -- Chinese
Legal Sea Foods -- Seafood
Montien -- Thai
Rocco's ($$$) -- Neo Italian
Star of Siam -- Thai
Boston (Waterfront / Faneuil Hall)
----------------------------------
Cornucopia ($$$) -- Eclectic
Daily Catch -- Italian
Eastern Pier Seafood -- Chinese Seafood
Gyosai -- Japanese
Jaspers ($$$$) -- Eclectic New England
Joseph's Aquarium -- Seafood
No Name -- Seafood
Old Spaghetti Factory -- Italian-American
Sally Ling's -- Chinese
Seasons ($$$$) -- Eclectic
Tatsukichi -- Japanese
Zuma's Tex/Mex Cafe -- Tex/Mex
Brookline (Coolidge Corner / North Brookline)
---------------------------------------------
Beijing III -- Chinese
Bombay Bistro -- Indian
Capucino's -- Italian
Daily Catch -- Seafood
El Bandido -- Tex/Mex
Enzo Ristorante -- Italian
Harvard St Grill ($$$) -- Eclectic
MiVami -- Israeli
Niko's -- Greek
Noble House -- Chinese
Providence -- Eclectic
Rami's Felafel -- Kosher Israeli
Rubin's Deli -- Kosher Deli
Ruth's Kitchen -- Kosher
Shang Chai -- Kosher Vegetarian Chinese
Shawarma King -- Middle Eastern
Takeshima -- Japanese
Victor's Pizza -- Kosher Pizza
Yu's -- Chinese
Brookline (St Mary's / Longwood)
--------------------------------
Atlas Kitchen (St Mary's) -- Turkish
Cafe Monagene (St Mary's) -- Eclectic
Chef Chang (St Mary's) -- Chinese
Milk St Cafe (Longwood) -- Kosher Vegetarian
Sol Azteca (St Mary's) -- Mexican
Veronique ($$$) (Longwood) -- Classic French
Brookline (Village)
-------------------
Davio's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Sawasdee -- Thai
Shalom Hunan -- Kosher Chinese
Skipjack -- Seafood
Village Fish -- Seafood
Village Smokehouse -- Bbq
Brookline (Washington Sq)
-------------------------
Golden Temple -- Chinese
Haim's Deli -- Kosher Deli
Indian Cafe -- Indian
T.J's Taqueteria -- Brookline
Tam O'Shanter -- Eclectic
Vinny Testa's -- Italian
Cambridge (Central Sq / MIT)
----------------------------
Anago Bistro ($$$) -- Mediterranean
Asmara -- Ethiopian
Brookline Diner -- Middle Eastern
Crystal Restaurant -- Chinese
Fishery -- Seafood
Green St Grill -- Eclectic Caribbean
India Globe -- Indian
India Pavillion -- Indian
Izzy's Sub Shop -- Caribbean
Korea Garden -- Korean
La Groceria -- Northern Italian
Larry's -- Chinese
Middle East -- Middle Eastern
Oh Calcutta -- Indian
Picante -- Tex/Mex
Pu-Pu Hot Pot -- Chinese
Royal East -- Chinese
Shalimar -- Indian
Taj India -- Indian
Tandoor House -- Indian
Viceroy -- Indian
Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
----------------------
Bangkok House -- Thai
Bennett St Cafe -- Eclectic
Bombay Club -- Indian
Border Cafe -- Cajun/Southwestern
Cafe of India -- Indian
Cafe Sushi -- Japanese
Casa Mexico -- Mexican
Casablanca -- North African
Chef Chow -- Chinese
Delhi Darbar -- Indian
Dolphin Seafood -- Seafood
Harvest ($$$) -- Eclectic
House of Blues -- Eclectic
Il Panino -- Italian
Iruna -- Spanish
Mimi's Oriental Grill -- Asian Eclectic
Pampas -- Brazillian
Rarities ($$$$) -- Eclectic Nouvelle American
Roka -- Japanese
Shilla -- Korean
Siam Garden -- Thai
Skipjack -- Seafood
Troika -- Russian
Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Eclectic Continental / N Italian
Young & Yee -- Chinese
Cambridge (Inman Sqaure)
------------------------
Akbar -- Indian
Cafe China -- European-Style Chinese
Casa Portugal -- Portuguese
Chez Vous Creole -- Creole
Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe -- Eclectic
East Coast Grill -- Eclectic
Jake & Earl's -- Barbeque
Koreana -- Korean
Magnolia's Southern Cuisine -- Southern / Cajun
Midwest Grill -- Brazillian/Portuguese
Portugalia -- Portuguese
Sunset Cafe -- Portugese
Cambridge (Kendall Sq / East Cambridge)
---------------------------------------
Biggs Restaurant -- Jamaican
Blue Room ($$$) -- Eclectic
Boca Grande -- Mexican
Buoniconti's -- Nouvelle Italian
Cafe Bombay -- Indian
Chandra's -- Caribbean / Indian
Davio's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Florentina -- Italian
Goemon -- Japanese Noodle
Legal Sea Foods -- Seafood
Michela's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
PapaRazzi -- Italian
Poppa & Goose -- Asian Eclectic
Rayz -- Eclectic
Sindibad -- Middle Eastern
Thai's -- Thai
Cambridge (Porter Sq / North Cambridge)
---------------------------------------
Boca Grande -- Mexican
Capucino's -- Italian
Changsho -- Chinese
Chez Jean -- Classic French
Cottonwood Cafe -- Southwestern
Dali -- Spanish
Ittyo -- Japanese
Jade Flower -- Chinese
Kotobukiya -- Japanese
Maharajah -- Indian
Masao's Kitchen -- Vegan Macrobiotic
Matsuya -- Japanese
Mexican Cuisine [Forest Cafe] -- Mexican
Noelle -- Eclectic
Passage to India -- Indian
Porter Exchange -- Japanese Food Mall
Porter House Cafe -- Barbeque
Ristorante Marino -- Italian
Sapporo Ramen -- Japanese Noodle House
Seki Tei -- Japanese
Snakebites Canteen -- Southwestern
Tapas -- Spanish
Cambridge (West Cambridge / Fresh Pond / Alewife)
-------------------------------------------------
Black Forest Cafe -- Eclectic
Jose's -- Mexican
Joyce Chen -- Chinese
Peacock -- Country French
Pentimento -- Eclectic Natural
Tokyo Restaurant -- Japanese
Charlestown
-----------
Blossoms -- Nouvelle Italian
Figs -- Italian (Pizza)
Olive's ($$$) -- Creative Northern Italian
Chelsea
-------
New Bridge Cafe (Chelsea) -- Bbq
Lexington
---------
Cafe Bellecour -- Mediterranean
Lemon Grass -- Thai
New Asia -- Chinese
Peking Garden -- Chinese
Sweet Peppers -- Italian
Yangtse River -- Chinese
Medford
-------
May's Cafe -- Chinese
Newton (Center)
---------------
Amarin -- Thai
Appetito -- Italian
Chengmai -- Thai
Sally Ling's -- Chinese
Sabra -- Middle Eastern / Israeli
Seoul House -- Korean
Seven Stars Mandarin -- Chinese
Sol Azteca -- Mexican
Newton (Chestnut Hill)
----------------------
Bernard's -- Chinese
Legal Sea Foods -- Seafood
PapaRazzi -- Italian
Sfuzzi -- Northern Italian
Newton (Highlands / Upper Falls)
--------------------------------
Mill Falls ($$$) (Upper Falls) -- Contemporary American
Newton (Nonatum / Newtonville / West Newton)
--------------------------------------------
Genghis Khan (Newtonville) -- Chinese / Mongolian
Karoun (Newtonville) -- Middle Eastern
Ru Yee (Nonantum) -- Chinese
Shogun (West Newton) -- Japanese
Somerville (Beacon St)
----------------------
Chang Feng -- Chinese
Chef Lee -- Chinese
Jimmy Mac's -- Bbq
Somerville (Davis / Teele / Ball Sq)
------------------------------------
Black Forest Cafe -- Eclectic
Daily Catch -- Seafood
India -- Indian
Johnny D's -- Eclectic
Panda (Ball Sq) -- Chinese
Picante -- Tex/Mex
Redbones -- Barbeque
Rudy's (Teele Sq) -- Mexican
Somerville (Union Sq)
---------------------
Elephant Walk -- French/Cambodian
Hometown -- Korean
India Palace -- Indian
Neighborhood Restaurant -- Portuguese
New Asia -- Chinese
Union Square Bistro -- Eclectic
WooChon -- Korean
Waltham
-------
Bangkok Flavors -- Thai
Bombay Mahal -- Italian
EJ's Barbeque -- Barbeque
Erawan of Siam -- Thai
Iguana Cantina -- Tex/Mex
Il Capriccio ($$$) -- Northern Italian
Little India -- Indian
New Mother India -- Indian
Sakura -- Japanese
Saro's -- Northern Italian
Taquieria Mexico -- Mexican
Tuscan Grill ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
VietFoods -- Vietnamese
Watertown
---------
Casa Elena -- Latin American
Demo's -- Middle Eastern / Greek
Kareem's -- Middle Eastern
Le Bocage ($$$) -- Nouvelle French
On the Square ($$$) -- Eclectic / Nouvelle Italian
Porcini's -- Italian
Sepal -- Middle Eastern
Stellina -- Nouvelle Italian
Taste of India -- Indian
Verona -- Nouvelle Italian
Wellesley
---------
Amarin II -- Thai
Captain Marden's Takeaway -- Seafood
======================================================================
Boston Area Restaurants (by Cuisine)
======================================================================
Asian Eclectic
--------------
Jae's (Hip Pacific Rim) -- South End
520 Columbus Ave, 421-9405
(Very good Korean/Thai/Japanese mix. Fresh tasty food w very
reasonable prices)
Mimi's Oriental Grill -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
950 Mass Ave, betw Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 354-1665
(Mixed reviews, a tad pricey -- some find it completely
unimpressive, others think it's great. Nice atmosphere, though.
Try the Korean beef dish, Formosa squid, and tangerine scallops)
Poppa & Goose -- East Cambridge
69 First St (nr Galleria/Lechmere), 497-6772
(A good, cheap meal, but extremely slow service. The same people
have a truck that serves wonderful cheap lunches on Main St at
Tech Square. Good Seegoo Chicken)
Barbeque
--------
Barbeque's International -- Allston
129 Brighton Ave (nr Harvard St), 782-6669
(Barbeques from around the world, but stick to the Indian food,
especially the chicken & lamb tikka and the tandoori lamb.
Inexpensive.)
E.J.'s Barbeque -- Waltham
275 Moody St, 891-7427
(Mixed reviews -- the bbq ranges from ok to excellent, with
large portions and low prices. Good Memphis dry rub ribs,
texarkana ribs, babybacks, chicken, mashed potatos. Beef brisket
& pulled pork are not as good)
Jake & Earl's -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1273 Cambridge St, 491-RIBS
(Excellent southern bbq, same kitchen as East Coast Grill.
Excellent dry rub pork chops. Try the pulled pork & the Memphis
dry-rub rib plate. Mostly take-out plus a small counter)
Jimmy Mac's -- Somerville
300 Beacon St, 547-1700
(Southern-style food place. Food has declined somewhat; the pulled
pork sandwich is now chopped pork and the sauce is not as good.
The new owner actually speaks, so that part has improved. The
hand-made sign on the door says something like "We are now
friendly", but evidently also now mediocre as well.)
New Bridge Cafe -- Chelsea
650 Washington Ave (at Woodlawn), 884-0134
(Best steak tips and pork tips & ribs (red/chinese style) on the
North Shore; their dishes are accompanied by huge steak fries that
are awesome and a house salad with an vinegar-pepper dressing. Be
prepared to wait, esp on Fri & Sat nights, because the place is
always packed.)
Pit Stop -- Mattapan
888 Morton St
(Great bbq, better for take-out. Only open Th, Fr & Sa. Park in
the fenced yard.)
Porter House Cafe -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
2046 Mass Ave, 354-9793
(Very good Texas bbq, superb pulled chicken & beef ribs, great hot
sauce, interesting food, good draft beer, enormous portions)
Redbones -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
55 Chester St (off Elm), 628-2220
(Great atmosphere, all kinds of bbq -- Memphis, Arkansas [bbq pork
chops/great ribs], Texas, Georgia. They are the quality leader in
Texas bbq, including the brisket & beef ribs; elsewhere, almost as
good as Jake & Earl's. Also good sausage, catfish, corn pudding,
greens, pecan pie, and an improving selection of draft beer)
Village Smokehouse -- Brookline Village
1 Harvard St, 566-3782
(Mixed reviews -- good brisket, ribs & chicken, good pecan pie.
Some people love this place, but the general consensus is that
Redbones is better)
Brazillian
----------
Buteco -- West Fenway, South End
130 Jersey St (nr Park Drive & Boylston), West Fenway, 247-9508
57 West Dedham St (betw Tremont & Dartmouth), 247-9249
(Good solid Brazillian fare; the one in the South End is better.
For appetziers, try the frango a passarinho and the little
chicken/meat/cheese turnovers. Good black beans & rice, fried
breaded thin steak (w fried onions & limes), rolled steak w ham
and cheese, and chicken dishes. The feijoada is a bit dry.
Decent but not great desserts & coffee. Limited wine selection,
but a good hearty house wine.)
Cafe Brazil -- Allston
421 Cambridge St (nr Harvest Food Coop), 789-5980
(Good flavorful food in a cozy atmosphere, sometime w a quiet
guitarist playing. Meat & poultry dishes are authentically
prepared and won't disappoint those w heartier appetites. The
tastiest food can be high in fat, e.g. fried manioc & chicken
livers. Nice variety of Brazilian appetizers and side dishes.
Feijoada Completa, served on Saturdays, is superb. Not very child
friendly, though.)
Midwest Grill -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1124 Cambridge St
(Excellent Brazillian & Portuguese food & service, family run w
friendly waitstaff. Generous meat and vegetables, but salad
bar, ambience & service are better at Pampas. No liquor license)
Pampas -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
928 Mass Ave, between Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 661-6613
(Great churrasqueria -- 15 kinds of skewered meat [not strongly
seasoned], including beef, pork, sausage, chicken, turkey, lamb,
goat, and even chicken hearts, all you can eat for $15. Price
includes an awesome salad bar (which can be ordered separately,
for the herbivorously inclined), containing lots of palm hearts.
A great place to go with friends or out-of-town guests. Clean,
comfortable, and apt to be filled with boisterous Brazilians, who
pack many of the tables until they're kicked out. The service may
be leisurely at times, but that's perfectly authentic, too.)
Caribbean / Cajun / Creole / Southern / Soul
--------------------------------------------
Biggs Restaurant [Jamaican] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
111 Harvard St (at Portland, betw Main & Broadway)
(A pleasant place serving good and plentiful Jamaican food. Cash
only. The beef patties and the ackee & salted fish are especially
good. Also try the curried chicken (usually excellent, though on
one visit, it was mostly small pieces of bones), curried goat &
Jamaican fish. No liquor license, but Jamaican soft drinks & good
home made ginger beer)
Bob the Chef [Soul] -- South End
604 Columbus Ave (nr Mass Ave), 536-6204
(Quite good traditional soul food. Especially good fried chicken,
sweet potatoes and collard greens. Also good desserts.)
Chandra's [Indo-Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
266 Broadway (a few blocks west of Kendall Sq), 497-6955
(Indian & Caribbean food, Trinidad style. A nicely done interior,
with decent food, but not worth the long wait, caused by making
everything [except the microwaved frozen appetizers] from scratch.
No liquor license but good soursop punch & ginger beer.)
Chez Vous Creole [Creole] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1263 Cambridge St, 868-3161
([old reviews]: Not much atmospehere -- a little on the shabby side
w tacky posters & a few tables, but tasty interesting inexpensive
food, especially the flavorful conch stew and goat. The menu is
interesting, but often only a few items available. Service can be
lackadaisacal.)
Dixie Kitchen [Cajun] -- Symphony Area
182 Mass Ave (betw Boylston & Huntington), 536-3068
(Pretty good, not as upscale as Magnolia's, and on some nights, the
balance of seasonings can be off, resulting in bland food. But,
other nights they're great, they have dishes that can't be had
elsewhere in Boston, and the food always is inexpensive and comes
in large portions. Definitely try the Gumbo Ya-Ya, the Jambalaya,
and the Jalapeno Cornbread. Also, good bread pudding. No liquor,
and you can't BYOB.)
Green St Grill [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
280 Green St (betw Magazine & Pearl), 876-1655
(Caribbean influence, very good spicy seafood and ribs. A funky
place with unusual combinations of ingredients that usually works.
Often music late. Try the conch fritters. Some of their food
(e.g. seafood stew, gazpacho) can be extremely fiery. Also, a
very child-friendly place)
International Restaurant [Dominican] -- Jamaica Plain
3160 Washington St, 522-7410
(Great inexpensive food. Funky neighborhood.
Try fish escoveitch, carne cerdo con berenguena, mondongo)
Izzy's Sub Shop [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
169 Harvard St, 661-3910
Magnolia's Southern Cuisine [Southern] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1193 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 576-1971
(The old Cajun Yankee has gone Southern, the food is stil good,
though the decor is worse, it's more crowded, and consequently
seems really overpriced, especially for dishes like the grilled
chicken & fish. Some old favorites are gone, but they still
serve jambalaya, blacked redfish, cajun popcorn, awesome banana
muffins & Blackened Voodoo beer. Other good dishes include the
vinegary fried green tomatoes, home smoked salmon with olive oil
biscuits, and grilled pork tenderloin with mango chutney. The
desserts can be unpalatably sweet. Reasonable wine list.)
Seagrape Tree Restaurant [Jamaican] -- Arlington Center
890 Mass Ave (opposite Arlington High School), 646-5999
(Very pleasant, authentic Jamaican & other Caribbean food, which
is always good, and usually excellent. Try conch chowder,
escoveitch fish, anything jerked or grilled. They close fairly
early (last seating at 8:30) and they're small, so reservations
can be a good idea. They're too small to get an Arlington liquor
license, and Arlington prohibits BYOB, but fortunately they have a
nice selection of homemade and commercial drinks, esp. sorrel)
Chinese
-------
Asian Garden -- Chinatown
46 Beach St, in the basement, 695-1646
(Good fresh food, esp Hong-Kong style seafood. Try the eel,
whole roe scallops, lobster, crab, hot pots, chinese broccoli
in oyster sauce, hot tapioca in coconut milk)
Beijing Garden Restaurant [Chinese/Vietnamese] -- Dorchester
1111 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill (nr U Mass), 288-5345
T stop: Red Line, Savin Hill
(Dim Sum from 9am to 10 or 11pm. The dim sum are light, not
greasy, very fresh, w no MSG. Other items on the menu are of the
same quality. Tell them you heard about them via netnews.)
Beijing III -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1366 Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Coolidge Corner, 277-1011
(Mixed reviews, a bit pricey -- some questions about whether food
is handled/prepared safely. Try Dragon & Phoenix)
Bernard's -- Newton (Chestnut Hill Mall)
199 Boylston, 969-3388
(Excellent food, a bit pricey. Try the Hunan Lamb)
Buddha's Delight [Vegetarian] -- Chinatown
5 Beach St, 451-2395
(Temple cuisine -- good vegan variants of Chinese & Vietnamese
dishes. Try the spring rolls, summer rolls, noodle soup, hot &
sour soup, moo shi, Lake Tung-Ting "shrimp", anything spicy or w
lemongrass. Excellent bbq gluten!)
Cafe China -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1245 Cambridge St, 868-4300
(Pretty food, reportedly bland, though. Good wine list
and Swiss desserts)
Carl's Pagoda -- Chinatown
23 Tyler St, 357-9837
(Hole-in-the-wall with good food. Try Carl's Special Steak)
Chang Feng -- Somerville
289 Beacon St (across from Chef Lee's), 864-6265
(Some unusual dishes on menu. Try the bean curd homemade style &
strange flavor chicken. Excellent appetizers, fried & steamed
dumplings & noodles, esp garlic noodles. Occasionally an off
night)
Changsho -- Cambridge (betw Harvard/Porter Sq)
1712 Mass Ave (nr Linnean), 547-6565
(Mixed reports, lots of meat, somewhat elegant but unimpressive;
reports that it has gone downhill since under new management)
Chau Chow -- Chinatown
52 Beach St, 426-6266
(Good cheap Chinese, sometimes long lines. Try pea greens, chicken
w black bean sauce, peking ravioli, hot & sour soup. Excellent
seafood, incl steamed fish w ginger sauce, salted jumbo shrimp,
and fried squid. Avoid the beef dishes; thet're often mediocre &
the moo shi beef, while tasty, was way too oily. Grand Chau Chow
across the street has the same menu but is a tad more expensive
and is fancier & cleaner. Try the fatty but tasty fried pig
intestine [seriously!] and fried tofu w seafood)
Chef Chang -- Brookline (St Mary's)
1006 Beacon St, 277-4226
(Average food -- lots of excellent dishes, especially the seasonal
specialities, as well as some real disappointments. Overall,
moderate prices & a pleasant place to eat. Try the potstickers,
the crispy beef, and the hot & spicy green beans.)
Chef Chow -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Brighton (Cleveland Circle),
Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
354 Chestnut Hill Ave, Cleveland Circle, 566-2275
230 Harvard St, 1 blk s. of Beacon at Coolidge Corner, 739-2469
50 Church St, Cambridge, 492-2469
(Many people find the food consistently good; others are
unimpressed; good lunches, though, and try the Szechuan
Spicy Fish)
Chef Lee -- Somerville
296 Beacon St (across from Chang Feng), 876-7666
(Good Szechuan food, esp the Yu Hsiang dishes, Kangsho shrimp,
and Ta Chien chicken. Also try shrimp-stuffed eggplant)
China Cafe -- Arlington Center
882A Mass Ave (betw High School and Stop & Shop), 646-6621
("Interesting" flavor variants of hot & sour soup and peking
ravioli [they like to add extra sugar to soups and sauces]. Try
the schezuan wontons, scallion pie, spicy aromatic & dry-cooked
garlic shrimp, yu hsian fish, peking noodles, and beef chow foon)
China Gate -- Chinatown
21-23 Edinboro St
(Ok for conch in black bean sauce, seafood in ginger & scallions,
chow foon)
China Grove -- Chinatown
10 Tyler St, 542-5857
(Try the grilled eel and the scallop or shredded eel w yellow
leeks)
China Pearl -- Chinatown
9 Tyler St, 426-4338
(Very good dim sum, almost or as good as Golden Palace & less
chaotic. Good soups & Cantonese & Hong Kong style seafood)
Chung Wah -- Allston
Harvard St
(Cheap & funky, good food, try the Broccoli in Garlic Sauce)
Crystal Restaurant -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
460 Mass Ave, 576-1550
(Good, but not outstanding -- good Dun Dun noodles. Stick with
the specialities, like red sauce eggplant)
Dynasty -- Chinatown
33 Edinboro St (nr Beach), 350-7777
(Very good dim sum, though I've had money stolen by a waiter,
and there are rumors that the wait staff is badly treated
by the management)
East Ocean City -- Chinatown
25 Beach St, 542-2504
(Good place, good service, nice atmosphere, a lot of unusual
dishes. Try house-special soup, clams in black bean sauce,
and chow foon)
Eastern Pier Seafood -- Waterfront
237 Northern Ave, Fish Pier, 423-7756
(Excellent Chinese seafood, moderately priced, w one of the best
hot & sour soups in Boston. Get ginger crab, salt & pepper squid,
grey sole in black-bean sauce, stir-fried pea-pod stems, sizzling
squid w ginger & scallions)
Eldo Tea House -- Chinatown
57 Beach St, 338-2128
(Cheap, good, generous portions. Seafood is good. Try the
Singapore dishes, esp laksha noodle soup)
Food Hall -- Chinatown
Northeast corner of Beach & Tyler, 2nd floor
(Variety of good food)
Fortune House -- Chinatown
3 Beach St, 2nd floor, 482-9800
(Good Hong Kong style seafood; try stone oysters w garlic,
ginger & scallions)
Genghis Khan -- Newtonville
on Walnut St
(Very good, especially for their specialty dish, Mongolian Hot Pot)
Golden Gate -- Chinatown
66 Beach St (between Hudson & Tyler), 426-5022
(All the ambience of an aging truck stop, but consistently high
quality. Try the Butterfly Shrimp w mixed Veggies & the Golden
Gate Chow Mein)
Golden Palace -- Chinatown
14 Tyler St, 423-4565
(Wonderful variety of tasty Dim Sum, probably best Dim Sum around.
Get there by 1 for hot food and the best variety)
Golden Temple -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1651 Beacon St, 277-9722
(Good suburban Chinese food w too much MSG. Usually good wait
staff, but if there are problems, the owner can be unpleasant
if you're not a regular. The lamb is excellent)
Ho Yuen Ting -- Chinatown
13 1/2 Hudson St, 426-2316 [original, and still the best]
58 Beach St, 426-2341
(Very good food; specializes in seafood, but does a good job w
everything. Try hot & sour soup, peking ravioli, hunan chicken,
beef ginger scallion hot pot, hon sue sea bass, steamed & stir
fried flounder, lobster w black bean sauce, salted spicy shrimp,
beef satay, sizzling hot pots, Westlake beef soup, house special
eggplant.)
Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant -- Back Bay
25 Mass Ave, 536-9852
(Wonderful soup and noodle restaurant. Try scallion pancake and
house-special pan fried noodles)
Imperial Seafood Restaurant -- Chinatown
70 Beach St, 426-8439
(When they were Imperial Teahouse, they had good dim sum, but not
as good as Golden Palace. Current status unknown)
Jade Flower -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1908 Mass Ave, 497-8638
T: Red Line, Porter Square (just across the street)
(Not a fancy place; just a long broad hall with tables on either
side. The food gets mixed reviews, but is reasonably priced --
$10 gets you enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch. Good bets
are Scallion Pancakes, Peking Ravioli, Eggplant in Garlic Sauce,
Rice Sticks Singapore Style or just about any noodle dish, Chicken
in Black Bean Suace, Cold Sesame Noodles, and Orange Chicken. The
Suan La Sho Chow actually is hot & sour soup w wontons. There are
reports that the food is gluey & that many dishes taste tomato-ey,
based on a sweet version of yu-shiang sauce. Fast, friendly
service; quick delivery.)
Kim Fung Restaurant -- Chinatown
79 Harrison St, 492-3349
King Fung Garden -- Chinatown
Kneeland St (across from the Mass Pike approach)
(Hole-in-the-wall dive w amazing food. Great Hunan style food
and scallion pie)
Joyce Chen -- Cambridge (Alewife) & Theatre District
115 Stuart St, Theater District, 720-1331
390 Rindge Ave, Alewife, 492-7373
(A comfortable place, very good food, w a high standard of
preparation, but a bit over-priced. Previously the food has
sometimes been overly greasy or salty, though they really excelled
at sauces. Recently, the quality has improved and the menu has
undergone some changes w a focus on low-fat low-sodium foods, and
interesting non-traditional dishes using local ingredients. Some
say the downtown restaurant is better, w excellent peking ravioli
& lemon chicken, and great service, even when crowded before the
theater. At Alewife, the food can be blander (though the soups
are excellent and the Ma Pa Tofu & General Gau's Chicken are very
good), the service is worse, & parking can sometimes be a problem)
Larry's -- Cambridge (MIT)
302 Mass Ave, 492-3170
(Good place for cheap neighborhood urban Chinese fare, nice owners,
no MSG, recently redone decor -- a good place to hang out, but can
sometomes get annoying from the loud jukebar at the bar next door.
Extremely delicious Suan La Sho Chow. Also try the General Gau
Chicken.)
May's Cafe -- Medford
(Well done Szechuan and Mandarin dishes; the Yu Hsiang dishes are
particularly good. Efficient service, very fresh ingredients)
Mister Leung's ($$$) -- Back Bay
545 Boylston St (betw Clarendon & Dartmouth), 236-4040
(Some say best Chinese in town, but quite pricey)
New Asia -- Somerville (Union Sq) & Lexington
326 Somerville Ave, 628-7710
211 Mass Ave, Lexington 863-5533
(Pretty good; very quick-cooked Szechuan-style food, try the
Yu Hsiang [savory green beans])
New Shanghai -- Chinatown
Noble House -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1306 Beacon St, 232-9580
(Well prepared Szechuan & Cantonese food in a pleasant atmosphere,
though some find it uninteresting and overpriced. Try the
Singapore Rice Stick)
Ocean Wealth -- Chinatown
8 Tyler St, 423-1338
(Good for exotic seafood or chef's special duck)
Oceanic -- Back Bay
Mass Ave
(Good seafood dishes, a little expensive)
Panda -- Somerville (Ball Sq)
719 Broadway, 625-9441
(Very decent neighborhood Chinese food. Good spicy wonton
appetizer -- variation of Suan La Sho Chow. Also a good spicy
pork dish w basil.)
Peking Garden -- Lexington Center
27 Waltham St, 862-1051
(Well established, excellent, very good Hot & Sour soup, Dim Sum
on the weekends; try the Chicken with Pine Nuts.)
Pu-Pu Hot Pot -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
nr corner of Mass Ave and Main St
(A nice friendly place, one of the best in the area -- very popular
and busy at lunchtime. They do a nice job w duck in general &
especially w the Pressed Duck Appetizer. The Kung Pao Shrimp,
General Gau's Chicken (flavorful, w interesting spices & slightly
hot) & Szechuan Braised Beef (quite hot) are good too. Pu Pu
Scallion Donuts are interesting. Note that, by default, the
steamed rice has veggie pieces mixed in. Tasty dim sum on the
weekends.)
Quan's Kitchen -- Allston
1026 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 232-7617
(Take out, a few tables, no msg, good & cheap, esp noodle dishes)
Royal East -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
782 Main St, 661-1660
(Still erratic, but some say this is one of the best in the area.
Good quality Chinatown-style food -- chow fun, rice sticks,
fantastic tangerine beef, good Suan La Sho Chow)
Ru Yee -- Newton (Nonantum)
Adams & Rt 16 (Watertown St)
(Not fancy, but the food is great and the lunch specials are
an excellent value)
Sally Ling's -- Newton Center & Waterfront
10 Langley Rd (off Centre St), 332-3600
Commercial St, next to Long Wharf Marriot
(Mixed reviews -- some say bland food, overpriced, small portions;
others say expensive but good)
San Francisco Noodle House -- Allston
1029 Commonwealth Ave
(Pretty good place, spacious, extremely clean. Service is very
polite, but can be haphazard, since it just recently opened.
Nice potstickers and scallion pizza; excellent cheap large
portions of chow foon noodles. Also good tangerine chicken w
tangerine rind actually ground into the sauce. Lots of unusual
seafood entrees on the menu, but many were not actually available,
and you should avoid the sea conch w vegetables unless you like an
overly strong smell of conch.)
Seven Stars Mandarin -- Newton Center
22 Union St, 527-3841
(Great five-flavor chicken, and "ants climbing the tree"; best
scallion pancakes around)
Shalom Hunan [Kosher] -- Brookline (Brookline Village)
92 Harvard St at School
(Tasty well prepared food, generous portions, a tad pricy [though
possibly due to the extra cost of kashrut]. A diverse menu
including veal, beef, chicken, duck, and whole fish dishes, as
well as moo shu, not to mention chicken soup w matzoh balls.
Polite attentive wait staff, pleasant comfortable dining room,
wine/beer available. Quite good for Chinese food; Excellent for
Kosher Chinese. Try the hot & sour soup, veal in garlic sauce,
triple crown, orange-flavored chicken. May have to wait -- it's
very popular)
Shang Chai [Kosher Vegetarian] -- North Brookline
404A Harvard Ave (betw Beacon & Commonwealth), 783-2090
(Kosher Veggie Chinese with mock-meat using tofu, seitan, etc.
Good "beef" w broccoli & "chicken" curry, but dishes are
generally greasy & service is slow & disorganized)
Shanghai Village -- Arlington Center
434 Mass Ave on left just before center of town, 646-6897
(Mixed reviews, though most find the food consistently good &
reasonably priced. Szechuan-style entrees are quite fiery.)
Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant -- West Fenway
70-72 Kilmarnock St, 236-0384
(Cheap & good, try the Shanghai duck, house special soup)
Tai Pan -- East Cambridge
Cambridgeside Galleria Mall, 494-0008
(Pretty good, especially for a place in a mall. A wide variety of
good dishes, many unusual esp outside of Chinatown. Try clams in
black bean sauce, lobster Chinatown, sesame chicken. Sometimes
Karaoke later in the evening.)
Yangtse River -- Lexington
21 Depot Square, 861-6030
(Peking Garden's longtime competitors, very, very good, though
not quite great -- try Hacked Chicken, Yangtse River Beef,
Ma La Shrimp, Twice Cooked Pork)
Young & Yee -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
on Church St
(Good & cheap, but greasy food. A calm refuge from the square;
plays slow sentimental Chinese pop versions of 70's & 80's music)
Yu's -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1374 Beacon St, 734-2929
(Takeout, with sitdown area, now serving noodle dishes. Not fancy,
but good food at reasonable prices. Good hot & sour soup, Peking
noodles, Beef Chow Foon)
Continental / Traditional / French
-----------------------------------
Another Season [French-American] ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
97 Mt Vernon St (nr Charles), 367-0880
(Odette Berry's imaginative French-American restaurant.
Food at lunchtime is only average)
Aujord 'Hui [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$) -- Park Sq Area
Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St, 338-4400
(Mixed Reviews: Some say maybe the best restaurant in Boston;
others say there are much better places in this price range.
Reasonably interesting food, superb presentation, excellent
service. The dining room is extremely spacious, and has a very
nice view.)
Cafe Budapest [Hungarian] ($$$$) -- Back Bay
Copley Hotel, 90 Exeter St (at Huntington), 266-1979
(Expensive classic Hungarian food, good food, classy ambience, but
prices are a bit high for the quality, and it is rumored to have
gone a bit downhill lately)
Chez Jean [French] -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq)
1 Shephard St (at Mass Ave), 354-8980
(Reasonably priced traditional French food; needs redecoration)
Hungry I [Contemporary French / American] ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
71 1/2 Charles St, 227-3524
(Wonderful food in a very romantic elegant atmosphere, esp
downstairs, which has a warmer ambience than the upstairs room,
which can stark & uncomfortable when empty. Food as expected for
the price, excellent service. Try the game dishes.)
Julien [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$) -- Downtown
Hotel Meridian, 250 Franklin St, 451-1900
(An impressive French Nouvelle place w a beautiful dining room that
really must be seen. An enjoyable place but too expensive & too
stuffy [real French accents w real French snobbery]. The food was
very good but w very small portions for the entrees although the
excellent desserts were large & spectacularly presented.)
Le Bocage [Nouvelle French] ($$$$) -- Watertown
72 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 923-1210
(Nouvelle French food. They often host full course meals w various
vineyards & running wine commentaries. Portions are on the light
and rich end of the scale, though there's also regular dishes like
poached salmon)
L'Espalier [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$$) -- Back Bay
30 Gloucester St (nr Commonwealth Ave), 262-3023
(Very expensive Nouvelle French)
Locke-Ober Cafe [Traditional New England] ($$$$) -- Downtown
3 Winter Place (betw Winter & Washington), 542-1340
(American / New England Cuisine in a wonderful (some say stuffy)
old-Boston atmosphere. A meat-heavy menu, dark, rich decor, good
wine list, minimal experimentation. The kind of place where firms
take lawyers when they pass the bar or join the firm, or where you
might go for a very private dinner. Excellent appetizers &
steaks. Reservations a must.)
Maison Robert [French] ($$$$) -- Downtown
45 School St (betw Tremont & Washington), 227-3370
(Classic French w some Nouvelle touches, cooked to perfection.
Not very experimental and somewhat meat-heavy, but very very good.
Upstairs is a formal dining room; downstairs is a more modern
ambience, with a prix fixe menu available. Good, knowledgable,
though slightly haughty service [w a French accent]. Pleasantly
open dining room. One of the best wine lists in Boston. Limited
list of traditional appetizers, w some pastas and soups changing
daily. Very good desserts, especially the apple tart & souffles)
Mill Falls [Contemporary American] ($$$) -- Newton Upper Falls
383 Eliot St (at Chestnut), 244-3080
(Basic & contemporary American food w a lovely view of the falls.
The food can be very good, but the prices are really for the view.
Dress code; a nice place to take the relatives. Very good filet
mignon; good, and somewhat inexpensive pasta dishes.)
Parker's [Traditional American] ($$$$) -- Downtown
Omni Parker House, 60 School St (at Tremont), 227-8600, ext 1600
(Ritzy atmosphere, with beautifully prepared classic traditional
food. Great dessert tray.)
Peacock [Country French] -- West Cambridge
5 Craigie Circle (betw Concord & Brattle nr Radcliffe), 661-4073
(French country cooking using an interesting combinations of
ingredients serving a clientele of tweedy older professor types.
Dingy decor, and the service can be really bad. Mixed reviews on
the food -- from excellent to competent but not great. Try the
melon, cuke & tomato salad, and the shrimp fritters w sole. Tapas
now Monday & Tuesday)
Plaza Dining Room [Continental] ($$$$$) -- Back Bay
Copley Plaza Hotel, Copley Sq, 267-5300
(Expensive Continental food)
Ritz Dining Room [Traditional] ($$$$) -- Back Bay
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Arlington & Newbury, 536-5700
(Super reliable. Quite formal but comfortable. Service people are
experienced and do an effective non-intrusive job. Food is not
creative but classic dishes are well prepared.)
Veronique [French] ($$$) -- Brookline (Longwood)
Longwood Apts, 20 Chapel St, 731-4800
(Classic French cuisine)
Eclectic / Nouvelle American
----------------------------
29 Newbury St -- Back Bay
29 Newbury St (nr Berkeley), 536-0290
(Nouvelle at somewhat reasonable prices. Decent wine list & good
attentive service. Tasty duck soup)
Bennett St Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, 864-1200
(Pleasant environment w decent food)
Biba ($$$$) -- Park Square
272 Boylston St, 426-7878
(Trendy but informal, strange and unusual food combinations, and
the food can be showy but inedible; people's reactions vary widely
from "it's amazing" to "how awful". Good service. Good bets are
the spit-roasted quail and the lobster)
Black Crow -- Jamaica Plain (Hyde Sq)
Perkins & Centre St
Nearest T: the #39 bus stop at Perkins and S. Huntington;
(Small, excellent full-service California-style casual cafe, w
an emphasis on fresh fish and expertly cooked seasonal vegetables,
and light flavorful dishes that may use regional or ethnic
flavorings as inspiration, w attention paid to presentation.
Pizzas, extravagant desserts, Beer & wine also too. Friendly
service. Prices are not cheap for a cafe, but not out of line for
the quality.)
Black Forest Cafe -- Fresh Pond, Somerville (Davis Sq)
Concord Ave nr Huron, Cambridge, 661-6706
Holland Ave nr Davis Sq (not yet open)
(Good seafood & great desserts)
Blackbird Baking Company -- Eclectic
1028? Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave)
(Nice cafe w excellent baked goods & coffee as well as nice lunch &
dinner menu. A high-design interior decoration job, with counter
seats as well as tables; the upstairs landing is more homey and
a fine place to listen to live music many nights. The menu ranges
from unusual vegie-combo sandwiches (asparagus or artichoke
hearts, pesto, various European cheeses, grilled eggplant, that
sort of thing) to soups, pasta, fish & other light entrees,
artfully presented. Good baked brie & a subtle but flavorful
squash soup.)
Blue Diner -- Chinatown
178 Kneeland St (edge of Leather District), 338-4639
T Red Line: South Station
(Fine retro-diner food, which is to say all the flash and fresh
ingredients of a gentrified neighborhood bistro (plus beer and
wine) in a genuine diner setting (assembled on-site in 1947).
The sign in the window says: "Food like your mother would have
made, if she'd gone to a very good white-trash cooking school."
Traditional diner dishes with a twist that makes them inauthentic
but worthwhile. A tad pricy, but top notch burgers, hand-cut
fries, homefries, omelettes & excellent sausage. Pies are worth a
trip all on their own, esp the pineapple meringue or apple)
Blue Room ($$$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Kendall Sq (On Hampshire St), 494-9034
(Very good unusual combinations of multi-ethnic grilled foods;
I love it, but others have been dissapointed. A group can graze
nicely for less money. Excellent Sunday brunch & evening buffet,
with small batches replenished as necessary -- inlcudes roast pig,
a notable tea-smoked chicken, and a nice pumpkin custard.)
Blue Wave -- Back Bay
142 Berkeley St (betw Stuart & St James), 424-6711
(Hip, interesting menu, a good value, can be noisy. A bright open
atmosphere; one of the most Californian restaurants in town. Food
is ample, rasty & reliable. The salads, pizzas & roast poultry
are all first rate. Well chosen wine list w nice selection of
wines by the glass)
Botolph's on Tremont -- South End
569 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 424-8597
(Wild appetizers, good calamari & sweet potato fries, great breads,
wacky gourmet pizzas, risotto-of-the-day, duck ravioli)
Cafe Monagene -- Brookline (St Mary's)
1032 Beacon St, 232-3303
(Hip but quiet cafe w unusual decor. I found the food a tad too
rich. Try the shrimp dumplings & quesadilla w smoked chicken)
Claremont Cafe -- South End
535 Columbus Ave, 247-9001
Cornucopia ($$$) -- Waterfront
100 Atlantic Avenue, 367-0300
(Delicious food in a comfortable atmosphere, emphasis on fruits &
vegetables, but not vegetarian. Try grilled portobello mushroom
carpacio, seafood specials, oven-roasted lobster w veg enchilada,
white chocolate bread pudding. Good wine list.)
Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
134 Hampshire St, 354-8371
(Good imaginative home cooking. Try the latkes, mussel fritters,
black bean soup. Sunday Jazz Dinner. Interesting wine list.)
Dakota's ($$$) -- Downtown
34 Summer St/101 Arch St, 737-1777
(Try the lobster dishes -- especially the mesquite grilled lobster,
the lobster tempura, and Dakota's lobster)
East Coast Grill -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1271 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 491-6568
(Very good. No reservations. Excellent bbq and jerk dishes)
Hammersley's Bistro ($$$) -- South End
Clarendon & Tremont (at Boston Center for the Arts), 423-2700
(Very good. Try the roast chicken w garlic, lemon & parsley.
Interesting wine list.)
Harvard St Grill ($$$) -- North Brookline
398 Harvard St, betw Beacon & Comm Ave, 734-9834
(Expensive but wonderfully prepared food; reasonable portions,
though big eaters will leave hungry; great wine list; very warm &
friendly owners)
Harvest ($$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
44 Brattle St, 492-1115
(Well prepared interesting food, a bit pricy [some say overpriced],
in a very Cambridgy [some say stuffy] atmosphere crowded w upscale
academic types, and decent service. Sometimes quite creative, but
not always successfully. Very good wine list, and a wonderful
place for a business lunch. A bit expensive for Sunday brunch
($10-15), but go early for great Eggs Benedict. The attached cafe
is good for smaller and simpler meals.)
House of Blues -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
96 Winthrop St, 876-3030
(Pretty good food, but go for blues entertainment upstairs.
Try the smoked ribs & chocolate/peanut butter pie. 3 hr Gospel
brunch Sundays, 1/2 for eating, 1/2 for music -- you can get
reservations a week in advance, but they're often not necessary)
Icarus ($$$$) -- South End
3 Appleton St (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 426-1790
(Creative food which keeps getting better, nice atmosphere. Try
the polenta w mushrooms, thai squid, grilled tuna w cumin &
coriander, scallops w black ink ravioli stuffed w white beans,
grilled salmon w lemon sauce. Mixed reviews on the hazelnut
sweetbreads. Avoid curried pork tenderloin & grilled chicken.
Wonderful desserts, eclectic wine list)
Jasmine Bistro -- Brighton Center
412 Market St, 789-4676
(A small storefront, made elegant, serving Hungarian Goulashes,
nouvelle pasta, curries, kabobs, and more, presided over by the
ex-chef of the Cafe Budapest and his family. All the food is
excellent, with high quality ingredients, subtly spiced, and yet
the prices are very reasonable. Exceptional choices include the
tuna cake appetizer, veal gulyas, lamb curry, and the chocolate
mousse. They also do a thriving take-out business.)
Jaspers ($$$$) -- Waterfront
240 Commercial St (at Atlantic Ave), 523-1126
(Fresh native New England ingredients sensually prepared.
Definitely worth going to every couple of years)
Johnny D's -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
17 Holland St, 776-2004
(Pretty good food, natural hormone-free ingredients, reasonable
prices. Try the chicken palermo, blackened chicken strips,
broccoli, cajun fried shrimp, pecan pie. Crowded when music
starts later in the evening. Good for Sunday Brunch.)
Marais ($$$) -- Downtown
116 Boylston (betw Charles & Tremont), 482-7799
(Pricy. Other reviews have recommended the chicken bstilla, goat
cheese terrine, lamb w polenta, chocolate pava & clafouti)
Noelle -- Cambridge (Porter Square)
Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 491-7750
(Try the homemade soups & the spicy Chicken Noelle)
On the Park -- South End
1 Union Park (on Shawmut Ave), 426-0862
(An absolutely delightful hole-in-the-wall with friendly informal
service, and uniformly delicious food. The daily specials are
reliably good, as are the standbys - garlic chicken is a perennial
favorite. The wine selection is thoughtful and changes month to
month. Reminiscent of Hamersley's Bistro, but a little less
formal, a little more friendly and crowded, and less expensive.)
On the Square ($$$) -- Watertown Sq
9 Galen St, right in Watertown Square 923-1522
(Surprisingly good suburban restaurant serving an assortment of
nouvelle dishes with some pasta specialties. Top-notch food, a
tad pricey. Unimpressive wine list. Also home of Caffe Espresso,
which is more casual)
Pentimento -- West Cambridge
344 Huron Ave (nr Fayerweather), 661-3878
(Generally very good food, especially "comfort food" such as stews
& shepherd's pie, but service is uneven & sometimes disdainful.
Soups always sound better than they taste. Homemade muffins and
other desserts are great. At lunch, sandwiches seem small but
fresh. Wonderful place for Sunday Brunch, especially the french
toast & hash browns, though food is limited to omelets & such,
and beware of long lines.)
Providence -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1223 Beacon (at St Paul), 232-0300
Rarities ($$$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Charles Hotel, 864-1200, ext 1214
(Very expensive, very posh, w one of the best wine lists in Boston.
Great atmosphere but pretentious overall, and not worth the bucks)
Rayz -- East Cambridge
Cambridgeside Galleria, 577-0044
(Friendly service, large portions, good bbq and grilled bluefish
in season)
Seasons ($$$$) -- Fanueil Hall
Bostonian Hotel, 9 Blackstone St (nr North St), 523-3600
(Try the Nantucket & Sweet Corn Chowder)
Small Planet -- Back Bay
565 Boylston nr Dartmouth, 536-8993
(Groovey vibes, nice service, reasonable prices, casual, gets
louder later. Try the gourmet pizza, ratatouille, quesadilla,
fried conch, veggie risotto)
Sonsie -- Back Bay
327 Newbury St, 351-2500
St Botolph -- South End
99 St Botolph (at W. Newton), 266-3030
St Cloud ($$$) -- South End
557 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 353-0202
(Interesting Nouvelle American cuisine serving some of the best
food in town. Small menu, but each offering is equally appealing.
The portions are not huge; rather, they are perfectly sized so you
can eat an appetizer or salad, an entree, a dessert, and a
cappucino and not feel bloated when you leave. The atmosphere is
typical snobby, arty South End, but don't let that deter you.
Now serving a dessert buffet 11pm-1am on weekends.)
Tam O'Shanter -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1648 Beacon St, 277-0982
(Good food, good value, live music later in the evening. Often
food combines unusual ingredients that work perfectly [but not
always]. Good inexpensive food on the menu too; try the meat
loaf. Perfect for lunch & Sunday Brunch as well.]
Union Square Bistro -- Somerville (Union Sq)
on Bow St, just outside Union Sq
(Good food, reasonable prices. The french onion soup, baked lamb,
and potato pancakes were quite good; the home-made expresso ice
cream is one of the best in the city. Good bread too)
Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
10 Holyoke St (off Mass Ave), 864-1933
(Expensive, but romantic & sublime -- very good imaginative
cooking, though the result can be extraordinarily variable.
Game meats are a specialty. Reasonably priced lunches. For
dinner, the best bet (though expensive) is the complete dinner.)
Water Cafe -- Jamaica Plain
701 Centre, 522-6458
(Pleasant place to eat. Try the barbecued duck & white bean
empanada, and the cajun seafood gumbo)
Ethiopian
---------
Addis Red Sea -- South End
544 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 426-8727
(Good Harrar food)
Asmara -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
739 Mass Ave, 497-9635
(Quite good Eritrean food)
Indian
------
Akbar India -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1250 Cambridge St, 497-6548
(Very good buffet, unusual South Indian items like black doughnut,
sambar, masala dosai. Try the samosas, allo bada, dahi vada,
garlic naan, tandoori fish, chicken, and shrimp masala special)
Barbeque's International -- Allston
[Look under Bbq Listings]
Bombay Bistro -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1353 Beacon St, west of Harvard, 734-2879
(Good sheesh kabobs & tandoor. Try the makhabar curry, chicken
tikka, chicken or seafood xacuti, sour chicken soup, kulcha &
peshwari naan)
Bombay Club -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
57 JFK at Winthrop, 661-8100
(Better than average, w an adventurous menu. Try achar gosht [for
spice freaks], chicken methi, lamb shorba, veggie curries, reshmi
kebab, kachumber salad, the kadai dishes, the nan, prawn saag &
(for dessert) badami kheer. South Indian brunch on weekends w
idlis, sambar. North Indian buffet weekdays)
Bombay Mahal -- Waltham
Moody St
(Mixed reviews. A great, though slightly pricey, South Indian
brunch on Sundays w good dosai.)
Cafe Bombay -- East Cambridge
(Somewhat expensive for Indian, but there are some good interesting
dishes and breads)
Cafe of India -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
52a Brattle, 661-0683
(Maybe best in the square, reasonable prices too.
Try bhindi masala kadahi, aloo chole, baingan bharta)
Delhi Darbar -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
14 Holyoke St, 492-8993
(Pretty good overall, w excellent weekend brunch -- some say even
better than Bombay Club's -- though they overuse their tomatoey
sauces. Special menu of South Indian vegetarian dishes served
Sunday afternoons. Very extensive menu, and they will adjust the
spices on any dish as you wish. Try the chicken w spinach,
tandoori mixed grill, chick pea dish, mango lassi)
India -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
256 Elm, 354-0949
(Mixed reviews, food said to range from excellent to uninspired,
service can be careless. Good mango lassi, though)
India Globe -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
(Reasonable prices. Good for take out. Try the Malia Kofta)
India Palace -- Somerville (Union Sq)
23 Union Sq, 666-9770
(Great food, esp. the garlic naan (w lots of garlic), the subtly
flavored chana masala, the chicken saag, and a saag aloo that was
very hot but still retained the separate flavors of the spinach
and the spices. Romantic Indian music videos for ambience.)
India Pavillion -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
17 Central Sq (nr Mass Ave), 547-7463
(Quality of food can vary, but often excellent, and cheap. Always
full and can be quite cramped, a wait on weekends. They'll vary
the spicyness on request.)
India Quality -- Kenmore Sq
536 Commonwealth Ave, 267-4499
(Funky place, but one of the best Indian restaurants with Punjab
(North Indian) cuisine, and very reasonably priced. Try the
Chicken Dahiwala, Beef Shajahanai, Beef Kabab Masala & Chicken
Tikka. Also excellent breads, esp the chapati, garlic naan &
spinach poori. Food tends toward the hot side)
India Samraat -- Back Bay
51a Mass Ave, 247-0718
(Good lamb jalfrozie & chicken tikka masala)
Indian Cafe -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1665 Beacon St (at Winthrop), 277-1752
(Standard Indian fare, with above average tandoori dishes and
shrimp samosas. Nice decor, spacious room.)
Kashmir -- Back Bay
279 Newbury St, 536-1695
(Average food, good prices, nice atmosphere, polite service)
Kebab & Curry -- Back Bay
30 Mass Ave (betw Beacon & Marlboro), 536-9835
(A good value for pretty good food. Really good chicken kachumbar
salad, chicken jal frezi and do piaza. Some think only so-so)
Little India -- Waltham
Moody St
(Reasonably priced, good veggie fare, tandoori chicken, and various
biryanis)
Maharajah -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
Mass Ave.
(A small place which doesn't look like much on the outside, but
it's superb, esp for vegetarians, and has great service. Very
good dal, not heavy, and alu gobi. Good tandoori & curries.
Selection at different levels of spicyness, though specializes in
especially spicy food.)
New Mother India -- Waltham
336 Moody St, 893-3311
(Kind of pricey, since they got a modern, swanky mauve storefront,
but very good food, though not as spicy, and good service; lots of
bottled beers)
Oh Calcutta -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
468 Mass Ave, 576-2111
(Favorite of many Indian connoisseurs, especially for lunch.
Good for dinner too; try golden biryani)
Passage to India -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1900 Mass Ave, 497-6113
(The food gets mixed reviews. Good bets are the special dal nan,
and the vegetarian stuffed pepper, a roasted yellow pepper with a
chili-flavored sauce. Service is friendly, place is comfortable
and warm.)
Shalimar -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
546 Mass Ave, 547-9280
(Great place for dinner, w a few things that don't show up at other
places, like the Shrimp Do Piazza [which is entirely different
from the Lam Do Piazza]. Realiably high quality, w extra points
for freshness & adjustability of spice level.)
Taj India -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
781 Main St (nr Mass Ave), 354-4984
(Decent inexpensive lunch buffet whcih is an excellent deal. Good
service. They now have a liquor license.)
Tandoor -- Arlington
(Mixed reviews, small portions)
Tandoor House -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
991 Mass Ave, 661-9001
(Reasonable prices, excellent tasty Mogul style food, friendly
service, though it can be noisy when crowded. Good & cheap for
lunch.)
Taste of India -- Watertown
91 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 926-1606
Viceroy -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
Mass Ave, 2nd floor
(Excellent food -- in fact, this is one of my favorites, but the
service can be erratic, and is sometimes downright awful.)
Italian
-------
Al Dente -- North End
109 Salem St, 523-0990
(Comfortable, though crowded, place, serving ample quantities of
well-flavored good quality food. Moderate prices; pleasant
helpful service. Delicious appetizers; succulent clean mussels &
a light flavorful rotini of eggplant. Wonderful specialities,
particularly a melange of chicken, seafood, artichokes,... w the
ubiquitous side of pasta. Go for the specials of the day.
Gets busy early in warm weather; always is packed late)
Appetito -- Newton Center
Beacon St
(Good food, accent on Italian cuisine, moderate prices;
long lines sometimes)
Artu -- North End
Prince St, nr Hanover
(Pleasant informal place with good Italian bistro food, more
eclectic & less expensive than usual for the North End. Good
lamb & pork loin)
Azita Ristorante -- South End
560 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 338-8070
(Combination of Nortern Italian & Nouvelle American, stylish &
romantic)
Black Goose -- Beacon Hill
21 Beacon St (at Bowdoin), 720-4500
(Great food, and for lunch, quite reasonably priced)
Blossoms -- Charlestown
One First Ave (Rear), Bldg #34, Navy Yard, 242-1911
Bluestone Bistro -- Brighton & South End
1799 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, 254-8309
(Good pizza if you like lots of sauce and cheese; Also
try the smokin shrimp and scallops wrapped in bacon.)
Buoniconti's -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
143 First St (nr Galleria), 491-3663
(Flavorful food, well prepared & presented; elegant, good service,
yet relaxing and not at all stuffy. Lately they have live jazz
music some nights. Awesome bread. Now serving grazing portions.
Desserts always worth ordering.)
Cafe Lampara -- Allston
916 Commonwealth Ave (nr St Paul's), 566-0300
(Good atmosphere, dependable food, great bread. Authentic pizza.
Reasonably priced, pretty good wine list. Good fried polenta,
lentil soup, salads, antipasto & pastas)
Capucino's -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) & Cambridge (Porter Sq)
(Mixed reviews. Generally mediocre food that sounds better than it
is, usually because the flavors don't actually have a chance to
mingle. Pleasant ambience, moderately priced and popular though.)
Ciao Bella -- Back Bay
240A Newbury St at Fairfield, 536-2626
(Upscale, excellent pasta, but last time I was there, admittedly
late at night, the Carpaccio was dry and tasteless)
Da Natale -- North End
448 Hanover St (nr Commercial), 720-4480
Davio's ($$$) -- Back Bay
269 Newbury St, 262-4810
(Very good tiramisu)
Davio's ($$$) -- East Cambridge
Royal Sonesta, 5 Cambridge Pkwy, 661-4810
(Very good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere.
Try the grilled squid & chick pea crespelle, pizzas, corn chowder,
rabbit ravioli, chicken w pappardelle, salmon, skirt steak. In
general, the meat & fish dishes are great but perhaps too rich.
For dessert, try the white chocolate torte & mango sorbet. Good
wine list. Inconsistent service)
Davio's ($$$) -- Brookline Village
204 Washington St, Brookline Village, 738-4810
(Good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere.
Try the salt cod lobster cakes, pasta, duck, lamb & salmon,
braised lamb shanks, and rib steaks)
Dom's -- North End
100 Bartlett Place, off Salem St, 367-8979
(A wonderful but slightly eccentric restaurant. Lovely tiny dining
room, mostly in the basement, can be quite noisy. Dom or his son
will come out to take your order, and if you express any
indecision about dishes, on occasion he will offer a small portion
of the cheaper one for free. Outstanding veal dishes, very fine
pasta dishes, desserts to die for, especially the chocolate
cheesecake. They offer a discount (5%) for cash payments.)
Emporio Armani Express ($$$) -- Back Bay
214 Newbury St, 437-0909
(Marvelous food, exquisite pastries, very good service.
Superb pizza & risotto. A place for the glitterati)
Enzo Ristorante -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
329 Harvard St, 277-1288
(One of my favorites; very nice ossu buco w risotto, excellent wait
staff, moderately priced lunches, nice wines & romantic ambience.
Also try antipasto, carpacio, saltimbocca, pappardelle alla
bolognese, or anything grilled)
Figs -- Charlestown
67 Main St, 242-2229
(Best pizza in town; try the calamari pizza. And try any dessert)
Five North Square ($$$) -- North Sqaure
5 North Sq
(Enjoyable food & intimate atmosphere. Great Ceaser Salad for 2)
Florentina -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
143 Main St, 577-8300
(A great place for a cheap, interesting, authentically Italian
lunch. Pricier but very good food for dinner w great service)
Giacomo's -- North End
355 Hanover St (betw Little Prince & Fleet), 523-9026
(A tiny, get-em-in-and-out place, with prompt, but not overly
rushed service. Go early or expect a long wait. Not a place for
an intimate, lingering evening, but a fun, light, busy atmosphere.
The food is better than what might be expected -- excellent
Italian-style seafood, though the prices seem a bit high.)
G'Vanni's ($$$$) -- North End
2 Prince St (nr Hanover), 523-0107
(Consistently excellent food, emphasis on quality meat & seafood,
prompt & professional service. Good cream of mushroom soup,
excellent seafood pescatore (huge portion!), and superb raspberry
cannoli. Good, but not exceptional house wines)
Il Capriccio ($$$) -- Waltham
53 Prospect St, 894-2234
(Excellent Northern Italian food, a great wine list, a tad snooty.
Try the lemon mousse nut dessert)
Il Nido ($$$) -- North End
257 North St, 742-4272
Il Panino -- North End, Cambridge (Central/Harvard Sq)
11 Parmenter St, between Hanover & Salem St, North End, 720-1336
295 Franklin St, 338-1000
Mass Ave, Cambridge
(Good sandwiches, subs & pasta, homemade mozzarella.
Try the Lobster Risotto and Gnocchi)
L'Osteria -- North End
109 Salem St (at Parmenter), 723-7847
La Conte -- North End
Salem St
(Small restaurant with excellent food, very generous servings,
good, inobtrusive, fast service, and reasonable prices. Excellent
spaghetti carbonara and chicken marsala. Ok wine list)
La Famiglia Giorgio's -- North End & Back Bay
250 Newbury St (betw Exeter & Fairfield), Back Bay, 247-1569
112 Salem St (nr Parmenter), 367-6711
(Large portions, long wait, quality lately disappointing)
La Groceria -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
853 Main St, 497-4214
(Still good food, some say its overrated. Good Penne Amalfi)
La Trattoria -- Beacon Hill
288 Cambridge St (across from MGH), 227-0211
(Excellent pesto and fried calamari)
Mama Maria ($$$) -- North End
3 North Sq at Prince St, 523-0077
(Pricey, but wonderful food and an interesting menu. Fawning
service. Good wine list. A romantic evening in a charming
building.)
Marcella's -- South End
1 Appleton St (at Tremont), 742-7832
Massimino's -- North End
207 Endicott St, 523-5959
(One of the better of the not so expensive North End Italian
restaurants. Try the pork chops w potatoes & vinegared peppers)
Michela's ($$$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Athenaeum St (off First), 225-2121
(Equivalent of very good eclectic restaurant in Italy; good
flavorful food, formal yet relaxing. Menu changes seasonally.
Also a lunch counter usually serving very good food at a very
reasonable price.)
Mother Anna's -- North End
211 Hanover St (at Cross St), 523-8496
(Great food, good portions, reasonably priced. Try the Chicken
Creation [kind of Chicken Eggplant Parmesan] & Shrimp Exquisito)
Nana Cora's -- East Boston
(Small family-owned restaurant w very good moderately priced food,
including some excellent made-to-order dishes)
Nicole -- North End
54 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 742-6999
Old Spaghetti Factory -- Waterfront
44 Pittsburgh St (nr Northern Ave), 737-8757
(Inexpensive family restaurant w funky entertaining furnishings.
Mostly standard fare except for the excellent spaghetti in
browned butter and mizithra cheese)
Olive's ($$$) -- Charlestown
10 City Sq, 242-1999
(No reservations, great food, semi-Italian creative, but very
noisy. Excellent creative seafood dishes, such as whole sauteed
red snapper with garlic mashed potates & eggplant/olive chutney,
excellent desserts. Never disapointing)
PapaRazzi -- Newton (Chestnut Hill), East Cambridge,
Back Bay
Chestnut Hill Mall, Newton, 527-6660
Cambridgeside Galleria, Cambridge, 577-0009
271 Dartmouth St nr Boylston, Back Bay, 536-9200
(Lots of people like this place, though I found the pasta
entries disappointing. Unusual appetizers, mixed reviews on
pizza, good salads, good for lunch. Try the antipasto plate,
insalata toscana, grilled eggplant & mozzarella sandwich, chicken
sandwich & pesto pizza. Good veal dishes, roasted chicken,
lobster ravioli, Tuscan sausage. Chestnut Hill is the best
location)
Piccola Venezia -- North End
63 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 523-9802
(Very straightforward, cheap Italian-American food. A fun place w
a family feel. The place is small, the tables are VERY close, the
waitresses call you dear and put their hand on your shoulder when
you order, and the owner's relatives serenade you on accordian.
This is an order a pitcher of the house red wine kind of place.
The traditional dishes (gnocchi, calamari) are best. Always a
wait.)
Pomodoro -- North End
319 Hanover St, 367-4348
(A small place w a small menu and an exposed kitchen that can serve
some wonderful imaginative dishes, including a nice collection of
soups, stews and specials, at reasonable prices. Try the suckling
pig. Cash only.)
Porcini's -- Watertown
68 School St
(Most people think the place is great -- imaginative flavorful
preparations using quality ingredients (though one dissenting
review found the food overseasoned), good portions, moderate
prices, pleasant professional waitstaff; overall a very enjoyable
place to eat. Excellent Cacciucco (flavorful Italian fish stew);
maple-roasted pork rib chop; wood-grilled shrimp w tomatoes,
fennel & oyster mushrooms; beef tenderloin tart w risotto &
porcini sauce, tuna steak w pimentoes, roasted garlic & tomatoes;
pan fried ravioli w butternut squash & prosciutto; exquisite veal;
very good Spaghetti Bolognese; and irresistible desserts.)
Ristorante Lucia -- North End
415 Hanover St, 367-2353
(Crowded & pricey, but quite good)
Ristorante Marino -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
2465 Mass Ave, 868-5454
(All pesticide-free, anitibiotic-free, hormore-free ingredients,
unfortunately also reportedly flavor-free and overpriced. Good
sourdough rolls. Try the porchetta & pasta. Better than average
wine list.)
Ristorante Toscano ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
41 Charles St (nr Mt Vernon), 723-4090
(Mixed reviews. Some say elegant food, w nice ambience; others
say hugely over-rated w boring food & small selection.)
Rocco's ($$$) -- Theater District
Transportation Building, 5 Charles St South, 723-6800
(Pricey, but very good. Similar to Michela's. Wild theatrical
decor. Great pasta. Very creamy sauce w the Spaghetti Carbonara.
Bread served w olive oil & roast garlic. Interesting wine list.)
Saraceno's -- North End
286 Hanover St (betw Cross & Richmond), 227-5353
(Great Italian food -- perhaps the best traditional Italian in the
North End. Unfortunately not cheap. Get the vegetable side
dishes, because someone in the kitchen really knows how to saute.
Very good service, lovely presentation of the food. Reservations
needed for dinner. A wonderful place to take out of town guests.)
Saro's -- Waltham
Main St (Rt 117 nr 128), 899-SARO
(Not fine dining, but a hole in the wall. Mixed reviews -- from
"unusual and great dishes, w nice ambience and great jazz on the
stereo" to "awful ambience, bored and ignorant waitstaff,
no better than what you can make at home". Lots of food though)
Schifino ($$$) -- Downtown
21 Broad St (betw State & Milk), 523-0590
(Wonderful restaurant w good friendly service. Superb calamari
salad and main courses)
Sfuzzi -- Newton (Chestnut Hill)
Atrium Mall, 300 Boylston St (at Heath St), 965-7707
(Mixed reviews -- overpriced and tries too hard to be hip)
Sorento's -- West Fenway
86 Peterborough St (betw Kilmarnock & Jersey), 424-7070
(Wonderful small casual place; you can taste the garlic when you
enter! Try the Rigatoni Milano. Good pizzas & calzones)
Spasso -- Back Bay
160 Commonwealth (at Dartmouth), 536-8656
(Yes its a hotspot and a meat market, but the food is great)
Spinelli's -- East Boston
282 Bennington St
(Wonderful food, but takeout only. Nr Logan. Great Arancini &
Calzone)
Stellina -- Watertown Sq
47 Main St, 924-9475
(Bistro ambience, combination of Italian & Nouvelle. Well prepared
and flavorful foods. Friendly place. Excellent warm tomato
salad, good spicy black bean soup, outstanding bread. Minority
opinion is that meat entrees & desserts can be disappointing)
Sweet Peppers -- Lexington Center
20 Waltham St, 862-1880
(Good somewhat nouvelle Italian food; very good pizza)
Terramia -- North End
98 Salem St, 523-3112
(Very good Nouvelle Italian food. Entusiastic wait staff)
Tuscan Grill ($$$) -- Waltham
361 Moody St (betw Spruce & Walnut), 891-5486
(Very good nouvelle cuisine. Pricey, need reservations, worth it.
Try the softshell crab, gnocchi, cacciucco, grilled squid, shrimp,
steak & duckling)
Uva -- Allston
1414 Commonwealth Ave, 566-5670
(Nice neighborhood bistro, large portions, good antipasto & pizza)
Verona -- Watertown
18 Mt Auburn, 926-0010
(Awesome wonderful Italian food. Emphasis on steaks, seafood, and
pasta)
Vinny Testa's -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
Beacon St
(Good food with very enormous portions in an informal but tasteful
atmosphere. You'll be happiest if you stick to simple foods.
Good pasta, eggplant and chicken parmigiana, and very good salads.
The bread served with roasted whole garlic in olive oil is great.)
Japanese
--------
Cafe Sushi -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
between Harvard & Central Sq
(Just reopening, previously known for good quality food. Beware
of the 15% service charge they add for takeout!)
Goemon -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) & Symphony Area
1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, 577-9595
267 Huntington Ave (nr Gainsborough), Boston, 859-8669
(Japanese Noodle house with good Soba, Udon, and Ramen with Hot or
Cold Broth and a wide choice of toppings)
Gyosai -- Faneuil Hall
200 State St (at Surface Rd), 345-0942
(Excellent sushi. Also try kabeyaki eel & hijiki appetizer,
broiled seafood and meat dishes, tempura, noodles & soups. Pricy,
Karaoke from 11pm - 2 am)
Gyuhama of Japan -- Back Bay
827 Boylston St (betw Gloucester & Fairfield), 437-0188
(Good sushi; opinion varies as to whether it is great or not.
In any case, it's a fun place, esp for late nite dining -- with
Rock & Roll sushi from 11pm - 2am)
Ichiban -- Allston
166 Harvard Ave (betw Coomonwealth & Brighton Ave), 787-5656
(A small storefront, a tad crowded, lower than average prices.
A good place to sit at the sushi bar. Good sushi, noodle dishes,
esp seafood yaki udon & chachamen noodles & dumplings. Also try
the pressed sushi, cucumber roll, spicy tuna, salmon salad,
soft-shell crab maki (pretty good, but not quite great), chicken &
beef teriyaki. The songpan is ok, but not great, and the miso
soup was flavorless. On a Sunday night a few weeks after the
place opened, the service was truly awful.)
Ittyo -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange]
(Excellent noodle dishes and donburi, especially the eel. Very
good Shrimp & Veggie Tempura w Udon)
Kotobukiya -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange]
(Perhaps the cheapest sushi in town; the quality is ok, but the
ambience and presentation are not fancy)
Maluken -- Kenmore Sq
645 Beacon St on west corner of Kenmore Sq, 859-3149
(Huge menu with lots of variety, especially lots of appetizers.
excellent but expensive fresh thickly cut sushi, good soups &
ohitashi. The tempura is somewhat disappointing; the batter is a
tad too thick, and too little variety in the vegetables)
Matsuya -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1790 Mass Ave (nr Arlington), 491-5091
(Good noodle dishes, reasonable prices, service can be slow)
Miyako -- Back Bay
279A Newbury St (at Gloucester), 236-0222
(Wonderful sushi and other dishes, with a stylish twist.
try the eel and the mackarel oshi sushi, the smoked salmon
sushi & the basil & plum paste maki)
Nara -- Downtown
85 Wendell St (at Broad), 338-5935
(Very fresh and tasty food. Good selection of sushi and also other
dishes for non-sushi eaters. Very friendly owner and waitstaff.
Frequented by Japanese business folk - always a good sign. Try
futomaki (large maki roll), chicken katsu (fried chicken bits w/
veggies), version of California roll using eel rather than crab.
Prices are moderate (more than Porter Square, less than Roka).
Very busy at lunch, but more relaxed at dinner time.)
Porter Exchange -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1815 Mass Ave
(The place to go for an authentic Japanese eating experience,
with a number of little stalls such as you might find at a Tokyo
train station. Includes Kotobukiya, Ittyo, and Sapporo Ramen.
There's also Seki Tei, a sit down Japanese restaurant, a Japanese
grocery, Shiatsu massage, and Masao's Kitchen -- a macrobiotic
restaurant)
Roka -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1001 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Central Sq), 661-0344
(Reliably excellent. Lot of interesting maki rolls)
Sakura -- Waltham
on a little street off Rt 117, a block or so from Rt 20, 891-0720
(Reminiscent of a somewhat rundown Tokyo restaurant w small tables
and Karaoke music. Average but not excellent food. BYOB)
Sakurabana -- Downtown
57 Broad St (nr Milk & State Sts), 542-4311
(Excellent sushi, good Sushi heaven & Boston Maki)
Sapporo Ramen -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange]
(Japanese noodle house)
Seki Tei -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange]
Shogun -- West Newton
1385 Washington St (nr Elm), 965-6699
(Small homey pleasant place, a couple of blocks from the W Newton
Cinema. Consistently good food, reasonably priced for Japanese
food. Non-smoking. Very low staff turnover. Can fill up as the
evening progresses. Good Chicken Katsu.)
Takeshima -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
308 Harvard St (nr Babcock), 566-0200
(Pleasant place, reasonable prices, very good food & service.
a perfect neighborhood Japanese restaurant. Good sushi,
though disappointings review from a recent visit.)
Tatsukichi -- Faneuil Hall
189 State St (nr Atlantic Ave), 720-2468
(Reliably excellent sushi)
Tokyo Restaurant -- Cambridge (Fresh Pond)
307 Fresh Pond Parkway, 876-6600
(Very expensive, mixed reviews. Good yakitori bar)
Korean
------
Han Mi Ok -- Brighton Center
351 Washington St (nr Market), 783-2090
(Very good Korean food in a very pleasant cozy atmosphere. The
food is not as highly spiced as some other places, and the
portions are larger. Very fresh sushi, wonderful noodle soup
dishes, especially the seafood ones.)
Hometown -- Somerville (Union Sq)
9A Union Sq, 623-7220
(Mixed reviews on food, ranging from ok to delicious, and on the
sushi from below average to fresh & well prepared. Friendly
service, reasonable prices, mostly Korean clientele (including
some w diplomatic license plates). Try squid Korean style.)
Kaya -- Back Bay
521 Boylston St, 236-5858
(Try skewered chicken, yaki gyoza, steak tartare, red snapper
shioyaki, galbi, spicy stir-fried squid, bi bim bap, chapchae,
tempura udon, green tea & red bean ice cream. Also good cheap
sushi)
Korea Garden -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
20 Pearl St, 492-9643
(Nice traditional Korean, nothing too inventive. Food stone pot
dishes & bibim-bop)
Korea House -- Brighton
111 Chiswick St (off Comm. Ave, betw Wash. & Market), 783-7030
(One of the best Korean restaurant in Boston, great soup dishes)
Koreana -- Cambridge (~Inman Sq)
154 Prospect (at Broadway), 576-8661
(Very good Korean food in a pleasant atmosphere with comfy booths
and very pleasant service. Very fresh sushi; we were especially
pleased with the freshness of the hamachi. The Korean food is
really very fiery, though they will make it milder on request
(but it will still be quite hot). The stir fried squid and
baby octupus are exceptionally flavorful.)
Shilla -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
95 Winthrop St (off JFK), 547-7971
(Very good Korean food, especially Bibim Bap and cold noodles, and
a fun place)
Seoul House -- Newton Center
57 Union St (across from T stop), 244-6438
(Small family run place w good, reliable, but slightly suburbanized
food. Portions just a tad small; prices just a tad high)
WooChon -- Somerville (Union Sq)
290 Somerville Ave, 623-3313
(Excellent Korean Food. Terrific side dishes come incl with your
meal, which they will keep refilling, including spinach, seaweed,
kimchee, marinated tofu. The food tends toward the fiery side)
Kosher
------
Cafe Shiraz [Persian] -- Allston
[see under Persian]
Haim's Deli -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1657 Beacon St, 734-8350
Milk St Cafe [Vegetarian] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown
350 Longwood Ave, 739-2233
0 Post Office Sq, 350-7275
50 Milk St, 542-3663
Rami's Felafel -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Downtown
[see under Israeli]
Rubin's Deli -- North Brookline
500 Harvard St (nr Commonwealth), 731-8787
Ruth's Kitchen -- North Brookline
401 Harvard St, 734-9810
Shalom Hunan [Chinese] -- Brookline Village
[see under Chinese]
Shang Chai [Chinese Vegetarian] -- North Brookline
[see under Chinese]
Victor's Pizza -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1364 Beacon St, 730-9903
Latin American
--------------
Casa Elena [Peruvian / Spanish / Mexican] -- Watertown
45 Lexington St (at Main, nr Waltham line), 926-3222
(Small, casual, family-run restaurant -- Peruvian owner. Good,
well-prepared, interesting dishes, good-sized portions. Service
ok, bt it can take awhile to get the food. Good fried yucca w
carrot sauce, paella. Moderate prices, dinner only.)
Cecil's [Latin / Caribbean] -- Downtown
129 South St, 542-5108
(Variety of Latin & Caribbean food. Good black bean soup &
Jamaican Jerk Pork)
El Embajador [Latin American] -- Jamaica Plain
3371 Washington St, 524-6812
Mama Julia [Columbian / Salvadoran] -- East Boston
54 Bennington St, 568-9020
(Good Colombian & Salvadoran food; cheap delicious soups)
Pupuseria Quintanilla [Salvadoran] -- Jamaica Plain
Washington St, 522-9680
(Try Salvadoran pupusas, tamales, arroz negro, shrimp soup)
Rattlesnake Bar and Grill -- Back Bay
384 Boylston (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 859-8555
(Good reasonably priced food, fairly authentic.
Urban Canyon Patio in back is nice in the summer)
Mediterranean
-------------
Anago Bistro ($$$) -- Cambridge (Main St)
798 Main St
(well prepared Mediterranean-influenced food, but pricey, and
the flavors were less interesting than I had hoped for, but
others praise it highly. Simple food, elegantly presented.
Try the pan roasted baby manila clams w rabe, duck croquettes,
grilled mushrooms, chocolate rum bread pudding)
Cafe Bellecour -- Lexington Center
10 Muzzey St, 861-9400
David's -- Theater District
123 Stuart St (Transportation Bldg), 367-8405
(Gutsy, full-flavored food. Try the spanakopita, shish kebab,
grilled squid)
Mexican, Tex/Mex, Southwestern
------------------------------
Acapulco -- Jamaica Plain
Centre St
(Good food, very inexpensive, good service. Try the Camarones
Veracruzanos, which is broiled shrimp in wine and garlic with
mexican rice and beans @ 7.95. No margaritas, just wine & beer)
Armadillo Cafe -- Allston
1314 Commonwealth Ave, 2 blocks west of Harvard Ave, 232-4242
(Small range of generally reliable, somewhat eclectic Mexican food,
Great smoked chicken quesadillas. Good chips & salsa, nice decor,
Live Mexican music on week-nights, old rock&roll on weekends.)
Boca Grande -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq & Kendall Sq)
1728 Mass Ave (betw Porter & Harvard Sq), 354-7400
149 First St (nr Galleria), 354-5550
(Not fancy, but nice burritos, and cheap. Sometimes more
interesting stuff, including tamales and elote)
Border Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
32 Church St, 864-6100
(Fun, cheap, pretty good cajun/southwestern food, rodents &
roaches. A noisy studenty Harvard Sqaure-y kind of place.
There's also one in Saugus, which has fewer vermin and better
ambience. Great fajitas & popcorn shrimp)
Cactus Club -- Back Bay
939 Boylston St, 236-0200
(Good lunches, abundant food, reasonable prices; great Venison
stew, and the Mountain Oysters are worth a try. Good people
watching; good place to unwind after work. Dinner said to be
less exciting.)
Casa Mexico -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
75 Winthrop St (at JFK), 491-4552
(Mixed reviews -- it used to be better 20 years ago, but on a good
night, some entrees may still be quite good. Try the Chicken
Mole, Enchilada Mole, and the Camarones al Cilantro. Also
excellent Mexican coffee)
Casa Romero -- Back Bay
30 Gloucester St (betw. Comm Ave & Newbury St), 536-4341
T: ICA/Hynes Green Line stop, also the #1, #55, & inbound #39 buses
(Prices may be on the high side, but for an excellent sampling of
Mexican haute cuisine, this is *the* place to go in Boston. From
the handpainted tile decor to the desserts, this place could have
been lifted right out of Mexico city. Try the chile relleno, the
mole poblano, the avocado soup, and the flan with Cognac and
pleasantly dispel the notion that Mexican food means nothing but
nachos and burritos. Also good margaritas.)
Cottonwood Cafe -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) & Back Bay
222 Berkeley St (at St James), Downtown, 247-2225
Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440
(The most upscale and eclectic of the Southwestern places, with
interesting and tasty food. Good salads, pot stickers, puebla
duckling, zuni roll, desserts, esp. pecan pie. Expensive
appetizers.)
El Bandido -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1412 Beacon St (at Summit), 730-5663
(Pleasantly decorated storefront, serving excellent homemade
Tex/Mex food. No lard! Superb Carnitas Burritos, and they have
Chicken Mole too. No liquor license.)
El Phoenix Room -- Brighton
1430 Commonwealth Ave (at Kelton), 566-8590
(Some like it because it's the oldest Tex/Mex place in town, and
because the attached bar is funky; I'd say it's inexpensive w
large portions, but the food is only so-so)
Iguana Cantina -- Waltham
313 Moody St (betw Crescent & Spruce), 891-3039
(Trendy, good meat dishes. Try the chicken Veracruz & the catfish)
Jose's -- Cambbridge (Alewife)
Sherman St between Harvard & Alewife
(Freshly made chips, OK food, nice people -- perhaps the best
cheap Mexican place. Good salsa w lots of cilantro. Good
fajitas & burritos. Avoid the frozen drinks)
Mexican Cuisine / Forest Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1682 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 661-1634
(Looks like a dive, but don't be put off -- excellent authentic
Mexican food very reasonably priced. Emphasis on seafood; try
the Tuna with Mole Verde or the Salsa Mocajete con Pescado)
Picante -- Somerville (Davis Sq) & Cambridge (Central Sq)
217 Elm St, Davis Sq, 628-6394
735 Mass Ave, Central Sq, 576-6394
(Good burrito place with a changing 6 choice salsa bar)
Rudy's -- Sommerville (Teele Sq)
248 Holland St (off Broadway), 623-9201
(Good cheap basic Mexican, and they have Pacifico beer!
Not as cheap as Jose's, but more options)
Snakebites Canteen -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440
(A more casual, less expensive sidekick to the Cottonwood Cafe.
Try the baked Sonoran Chimichanga)
Sol Azteca -- Brookline (St Mary's) & Newton Center
914A Beacon St, St Mary's, 262-0909
75 Union St (betw Beacon & Langley), Newton Center, 964-0920
(Good haute-Mexican food, reasonably priced. Try the Pork in
Orange Chipotle sauce or Adobo, the Shrimp in Cilantro sauce, and
the Fish in spicy Tomato sauce. Service can be lackadaisacal)
T.J.'s Taqueteria -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
690 Washington St (nr Beacon), 734-8226
(Mostly takeout w small eat in area. Excellent burritos & other
authentic Mexican food; I find their food a tad too greasy, but
try the machacha & carnitas fillings as well as the soups. No
liquor license.)
Taquieria Mexico -- Waltham
Crescent St, off of Modoy
(Very cheap, large servings, huge tasty burritos w lots of onions)
Zuma's Tex/Mex Cafe -- Faneuil Hall
7 North Market Bldg, Faneuil Hall, 367-9114
(Basic East Coast Mexican food. Big portions, but not great.
Very large drinks.)
Middle Eastern / Greek / Turkish / Israeli / Persian
----------------------------------------------------
Anne's -- Beacon Hill
240 Cambridge St, 523-4606
Atlas Kitchen [Turkish] -- Brookline (St Mary's)
1002 Beacon St
(Authentic Turkish cuisine in a pleasant spacious room. Excellent
stuffed egplant and desserts; bland grape leaves. No reviews
on dinner yet, though it appears a bit pricier than you might
expect)
Brookline Diner -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
9 Brookline St, 354-9473
(Small place w stylish food. Good cashew chicken salad for lunch)
Cafe Barada [Lebanese] -- Arlington
Mass Ave nr Capitol Theater
(Lebanese, uniformly good & cheap; excellent grape leaves)
Cafe Shiraz [Kosher Persian] -- Allston
1030 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 566-8888
(Fairly tasty Persian food (as well as a diverse selection of other
stuff), but nothing spectacular if you don't keep kosher, and a
bit pricey for what you get. A spacious place that doesn't get
too busy, nice owners, unremarkable service. The Persian Wedding
Soup is different and worth trying, excellent skewers, and there's
a vegetarian platter very heavy on the garlic).
Caffe Jaffa [Israeli] -- Back Bay
48 Gloucestor (between Newbury & Boylston)
(Good inexpensive Israeli/Middle Eastern food. Interesting falafel
& very good steak tips, shashlik, hummus, and eggplant dishes.
Avoid dessert)
Demo's [Greek] -- Watertown Sq
64 Mt Aurburn St, 924-9660
(Decent cheap food, very good shish kebab)
Kareem's -- Watertown
600 Mt Auburn St, 926-1867
(Cheap but excellent felafel, kibbee, hummus, kebabs, and
sauteed chicken)
Karoun -- Newtonville
261 Walnut St, 964-3400
(Excellent shish-kabobs, shrimp kabobs, shwarma. Excellent coffee
brewed in Ibriks. Inexpensive. Entertainment Fri/Sat nite)
Middle East -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
472 Mass Ave, 354-8238
(Quite good, w a great pumpkin kibby)
Mi-Vami [Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
14A Pleasant St (at Beacon), 277-0272
(Inexpensive, no ambience, but very good shish kebab, grilled
chicken, greek salad, felafel & hummus, and a wonderful smoky
baba ganoush that's one of the best I've ever had)
Nadia's Eastern Star -- South End
280 Shawmut Ave (betw Tremont & Columbia), 338-8091
Niko's [Greek] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
187a Harvard St, 277-2999
(Small Greek place with good moderately priced food. Excellent
avgolemono. Try the skordalia & taramosalata, spinach pies,
gyros, meatballs, grape leaves & roast lamb. Avoid the combo
platter; go for the daily special instead)
Rami's Felafel [Kosher Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge C.), Downtown
324 Harvard St (Coolidge Corner), 738-3577
48 Winter St (Downtown), 426-9770
(Mostly a takeout place. Some think it is excellent, esp the
felafel/hummus plate, but I find the food too greasy)
Sami's -- Roslindale
4197 Washington St, Roslindale Sq, 323-2799
Shawarma King -- Symphony Area & Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Harvard, Coolidge Corner
Huntington St, Symphony Area
(Very good grape leaves -- mediocre baba & hummus. The downtown
one is takeout + counter; the Brookline one is a tad less funky
with a few tables)
Sabra [Isareli] -- Newton Center
45 Union St, 527-5641
(Quite good Israeli food; good lunch buffet. Try the dardara,
moussaka, pilaf, tabouli, hummus, shwarma & shish kebab)
Sepal -- Watertown
555 Mt Auburn St
(Excellent baba, falafel, hummos)
Sindibad -- East Cambridge
145 First St (across from the Galeria), 492-2421
(Mixed reviews, but good sized portions, very reasonable prices
(mostly about $3-5 per item), and the folks who run it seem quite
nice. The place is huge, and at least at off-peak times, you
order at the counter and they bring the food to you. Lots of
vegetarian items as well as halal meat dishes.)
Steve's [Greek] -- Back Bay
316 Newbury (at Hereford), 267-1817
(Excellent hummus, interesting chips, very good gyros.
Rude waitresses)
North African
-------------
Casablanca -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
40 Brattle St, 876-0999
(Moroccan & other foods, pretty good, especially for brunch or
lunch. Nice interior, reasonably priced, especially appetizers.
Very good grilled eggplant & Middle Eastern platter.)
Tangiers Cafe -- Beacon Hill
37 Bowdoin St, 367-0273
(Good middle east appetizers, plus Moroccan entrees. Try the
harina, mujadara, mashwi chicken & sokatha tea)
Russian
-------
Troika -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1154 Mass Ave (at Arrow St), 864-7476
(Good, though simple food, nice atmosphere, very reasonable prices,
slow service. Good lentil soup and pelmeni.)
Seafood
-------
Atlantic Fish Company -- Back Bay
777 Boylston St (nr Gloucester), 267-4000
Captain Marden's Takeaway -- Wellesley
Linden St
(good seafood, cheap prices. Avoid the broiled food; get
the fried stuff. Get the seafood rather than the clam chowder)
Daily Catch -- North End, North Brookline,
Somerville (Davis Sq), Waterfront
323 Hanover St, North End, 523-8567
441A Harvard St, North Brookline, 734-5696
261 Northern Ave, Waterfront, 338-3093
215 Elm St, Davis Sq, 623-0375
(good Sicilian seafood dishes, great place for calamari (esp
the fried stuffed calamari & calamari scampi), lobster fra
diavolo, black pasta aglio et olio (w calamari). You may have to
wait if not there early. Best calamari is in North End; best
ambience is in North Brookline)
Dolphin Seafood -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard Sq & Central Sq), 354-9332
(Good simple fresh seafood at good prices in a neighborhood
atmosphere. Many say its as good as No-Name used to be, though
some say its not that lately good and too crowded and unrelaxed.
All agree the lunch special is a good deal. Try the fish chowder,
lobster & broiled fish. 100% No Smoking. A child-friendly place)
Fishery -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
718 Mass Ave, 868-8800
(Very good seafood. Other reviews recommend the crabcakes,
calamari w roasted garlic, briney oysters, mussels w lemongrass,
smoked alligator sausage, & hazelnut cappucino torte)
Joseph's Aquarium -- Waterfront
101 Atlantic Ave, 523-4000
(good seafood -- the specialty is cheap twin lobsters)
Legal Sea Foods -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq), Newton (Chestnut Hill),
Back Bay, Park Sq
5 Cambridge Center (Main St), Kendall Sq, 864-3400
43 Boylston St, Chestnut Hill Mall, 277-7300
Park Plaza Hotel, 35 Columbus Ave, Park Sq, 426-4444
100 Huntington Ave (bet Dartmouth & Exeter), Copley Place, 266-7775
(Very nice fresh fish, but a long wait & somewhat overpriced.
Avoid anything fancy. e.g. cioppino. Excellent chowder, clam
chili, haibut, lobster casserole, and bananas foster. Kendall Sq
is the best location)
No Name -- Waterfront
15 1/2 Fish Pier off Northern Ave, 423-2705
(Mixed reviews. Many think it has gone down the tubes -- no longer
has great food, except perhaps for the seafood chowder, usually
fast but obnoxious service, reasonable prices)
Skipjack -- Brookline Village, Cambridge (Harvard Sq), Back Bay
2 Brookline Place on Boylston St, Brookline Village, 232-8887
199 Clarendon St, Back Bay, 536-3500
5 Bennett St in Charles Sq, Cambridge, 876-9900
(Consistently good, w several "lite" entrees. Service efficient
and light-hearted, pleasant atmosphere. Mostly standard fare,
except for their wonderful but spicy blackened tuna sashimi.
Good broiled bass & fried seafood platter.)
Turner Fisheries ($$$) -- Back Bay
Westin Hotel, 10 Huntington Ave (in Copley Place), 424-7425
(Try the poached fish w tapenade & the salmon fennel soup.
Expensive, but good service, and they take reservations)
Village Fish -- Brookline Village
22 Harvard St, 566-3474
(good fresh fish, served w pasta & salad)
Spanish / Portuguese
--------------------
Casa Portugal [Portuguese] --- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1200 Cambridge St (at Prospect), 491-8880
(Mixed reviews. The seafood stews and salt cod dishes are good,
and the sausage & fig appetizer is delicious, as are the Vitella
Grilhada (grilled veal) [ask for extra garlic] & Porco Escallopes
[in a spicy sour onion sauce]. The House Special Shrimp is good
too. Ask for your potatoes extra-well done (less oily that way),
and hope that the soup of the day is kale soup. I may have been
there on an off night, but I thought the food was unimpressive
(starting with the bread), as have some other respondents, though
you do get lots of it. Friendly service, low prices, and a nice
selection of inexpensive Portuguese wines)
Dali [Spanish] -- Cambridge (~Porter Sq)
415 Washington St (at Kirkland/Beacon), 661-3254
(Very good tapas, and wonderful Catalan Spanish food in reasonable
sized portion. Good spanish wine selection and excellent Sangria.
A great unique fun place to go with friends or out of town guests,
though it can be noisy when it gets crowded. Can be a long wait
at peak periods, but you can get tapas at the bar. Warm, homey,
romantic, funky Dali-esque decor. Service is quick & not overly
formal service, but can be occasionally fussy. Can be pricey if
you go overboard; it can be better to get a variety of tapas and
fewer main courses. Most of the tapas are very good; try the
baked goat cheese, mussels, marinated mushrooms, chorizo & tripe w
chickpeas. Good oxtail soup. Most main courses are wonderful;
the rabbit is especially good. Some of the desserts are good as
well, esp the dessert crepe w chocolate sauce.)
Iruna [Spanish] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
56 JFK (nr Mt Auburn), 868-5633 (not wheelchair accessible)
(Mixed reviews for a restaurant that's been around a long time.
Many people love the place, others find the food bland. Crowded,
relatively plain atmosphere; service good, friendly, fairly
efficient except when the kitchen bogs down. Somewhat short menu.
Wonderful garlic soup, good squid in ink sauce, authentic Cuban
Black Bean Soup, delicious steak w herbed butter, very good
paella. Outdoor seating during the summer.)
Neighborhood Restaurant [Portuguese] -- Somerville (Union Sq)
25 Bow St, 623-9710
(Huge cheap portions of Portuguese food, very tasty, but not necc.
high quality. Try the roasted chicken, baked cod, grilled pork
casserole w clams. Large aluminum washtubs filled w arroz con
pollo. Fried Sardines in tomato sauce is a strongly flavored
treat. Very tight seating indoors, w no decor, but they open a
very pleasant wheelchair accessible terrace in summer. Also good
cheap, very large, somewhat unpredictable, breakfast specials --
pancakes with fruit, lobster omlettes, homemade bread and jam.
Unusual oatmeal on the weekends. Interesting waiters too, esp. if
you're into the 70's)
Portugalia [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
723 Cambridge St (at Tremont), 354-9340
(A nice clean little upgraded neighborhood restaurant, and an
excellent value. Smallish place, w nice ambiance, not overbearing
at all, soft Portuguese or Spanish music in the background.
Polite but inconsistent service, faster on weeknights, which are
not very busy. For lunch, the mussels steamed in beer is an
unbelievable value. For dinner, the piece de resistence is the
mussels in wine broth appetizer - ask for additional bread (it's
good & toasted hot) to sop up the broth. The veal entree is
tender and tasty, and the accompanying veggies are ok. The shrimp
entrees are also good, perhaps the shrimp could be a little softer
but they're decent size. The prices are moderate, and well worth
the food.)
Sunset Cafe [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
857 Cambridge St, 547-2938
(Large amounts of food, good & flavorful, though sometimes heavy on
the salt, good service, reasonably priced. Specialities include
roast goat, octopus stew, pork & littleneck clams, seafood
casseroles, as well as a killer paella chock full of clams,
mussels, lobsters, etc. Fun to go on Fri or Sat evening for the
fados (Portuguese torch songs) w acoustic guitar accompaniment.)
Tapas [pseudo-Spanish] -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
2067 Mass Ave, 576-2240
(Not really tapas so much as small overpriced portion of variable
quality)
Steaks
------
Boodle's of Boston -- Back Bay
Back Bay Hilton, 40 Dalton St (btw Boylston & Huntington), 266-3537
Capital Grille ($$$) -- Back Bay
359 Newbury St, 262-8900
(Upscale steakhouse, aged steaks almost as good as Morton's, but
this place has the more elegant atmosphere. Stick to meat,
seafood & salads)
Grill 23 ($$$) -- Back Bay
161 Berkeley St (at Stuart), 542-2255
(Steaks and other traditional food in an elegant atmosphere; a nice
place to show off or celebrate. Food has mixed reviews -- some
say food is good; others say terrible. The place is very noisy.)
Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) -- Back Bay
One Exeter Plaza on Boylston St, 266-5858
(Superb prime rib, amazing porterhouse steak, wonderful shrimp
appetizer, seafood dishes & desserts; good souffles too. Best
steak & potatoes in Boston in a high-class, steakhouse atmosphere
w prices to match. Avoid the coffee, though)
Thai
----
Amarin -- Newton Center, Wellesley
287 Centre St, Newton Center, 527-5255
27 Grove St (at Spring St), Wellesley, 239-1350
(rumored to be one of the best, great Pad Thai & Tom Kar Gai)
Bangkok & Tokyo Grille -- Beacon Hill
26 Charles St, 723-5939
(Thai w Japanese dishes too. Good soups, satay, green curries)
Bangkok Bistro -- Brighton (Cleveland Circle)
1952 Beacon St, 739-7270
(Good and consistent, especially good chili fish, shrimp, sate,
pad thai, and stir fries)
Bangkok City -- Symphony Area
167 Mass Ave, 266-8884
(Biggest of the thai restaurants nearby, so easiest to get
seated before a concert. Try the shrimp mermaid, garlic fish,
beef jungle, mee grob noodles)
Bangkok Cuisine -- Symphony Area
177A Mass Ave (nr Berklee), 262-5377
(great Chicken Cashew Nut, Pad Thai & Tom Mar Gai)
Bangkok Flavors -- Waltham
585 Moody St, 647-4484
(good Thai food at very reasonable prices)
Bangkok House -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
50 JFK, 547-6666
(Pretty good food, especially the whole food dishes. Fast lunch
specials Mon-Sat)
Bangkok Room -- Symphony Area
329 Huntington Ave, 859-2969
(Good hot & sour shrimp soup, satay & golden bags)
Chengmai -- Newton Center
Picadilly Square
Erawan of Siam -- Waltham
469 Moody St, 899-3399
(Excellent food -- as good as Amarin. Lovely atmosphere, friendly
service. A large place, so never a wait for a table)
House of Siam -- Back Bay
21 Huntington Ave (nr Exeter), 267-1755
King & I -- Beacon Hill & Back Bay
145 Charles St, Beacon Hill, 227-3320
259 Newbury St (at Fairfield), Back Bay, 437-9611
(Good sized servings of good Thai food, though some say it's not
quite as good as it used to be. One of the best Pad Thai's
around. Try the Chicken w basil, mint & chili peppers, and the
beef tar-tar (oddly named, since it is cooked). The Back Bay
location has better atmosphere, but the food in Beacon Hill is
better.)
Lemon Grass -- Lexington Center
(lot's of people think this is great, but I had a horrible
dinner -- they used too much fish sauce in everything!)
Montien -- Theater District
63 Stuart St (betw Tremont & Washington), 338-5600
Rama Thai -- Allston
181 Brighton Ave (Osco Plaza), 783-2434
(cheap, large portions, well flavored, good Tom Yung Goong soup,
Pad Thai, Fish Choo Chee, Spicy & Sour salads)
Sawasdee -- Brookline Village
320 Washington St, 566-0720
(Usually very good food. Very good golden bags and stuffed wings.
Perhaps they've gone downhill -- the mussel appetizer usually good
was gritty and used cheap mussels; the whole tamarind fish,
usually excellent, was too vinegary)
Siam Cafe -- Beacon Hill
197 Cambridge St (Charles River Plaza), 277-1431
(Good satay & spicy seafood dishes)
Siam Cuisine -- Allston
961 Commonwealth Ave (couple blocks from BU Bridge), 254-4335
(One of my favorite Thai restaurants. Very pleasant ambience
and uniformly good food. Very nice Chicken Coconut Soup and
excellent Beef Macadamia)
Siam Garden -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Mt Auburn St
(Popular, but reported to be awful or at least hit & miss, and they
don't offer to replace bad dishes. Be sure to avoid the rubbery
fried fish.)
Siam Square -- Chinatown
86 Harrison Ave, 338-7704
(Try tod mun, chicken coconut soup, squid pik pow, vanilla tea.
Also good chow foon & steamed ginger fish. Cheap, but small
portions)
Star of Siam -- Theater District
93 Church St (at Stuart), 451-5236
(Decent food, but not the best Thai food around. Good service,
even when crowded before the synmphony.)
Thai's -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Kendall Sq, 577-8668
(Nicely prepared and flavored Thai food, though the portions are on
the small side, and the food is mild, so you may need to ask it
to be made hotter. Good beef spring roll & shrimp asparagus roll,
grilled meats w lemongrass, shrimp chee, red curries & pad thai)
Thai Gourmet -- Dorchester
1155 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill, 436-0444
Thai House -- Allston
1033 Commonwealth Ave (few blocks from BU Bridge), 787-4242
(Some think it is the best Thai restaurant in Boston;
I thought their soups were only so-so; one duck dish
was good though the sauce was just a tad off)
Thai Village -- South End
592 Tremont St, 536-6538
(Small place, very good food. Try fried sweet potato sticks,
mussel pancake, seafood salad. Good soups)
Vegetarian / Macrobiotic
------------------------
Buddha's Delight [Vegetarian Chinese/Vietnamese] -- Chinatown
[See under Chinese]
Country Life [7th Day Adventist Vegan] -- Downtown
112 Broad St, T [State St], 350-8625
(Decent all-you-can-eat lunch buffets)
Five Seasons [Macriobotic] -- Jamaica Plain
669 Centre St, 524-9016
(tasty, fresh, well prepared fish & veggie dishes)
Masao's Kitchen [Vegan Macrobiotic] -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
in Porter Exchange, 1815 Mass Ave, 497-7348
(very good new vegan macrobiotic restaurant; good adzuki
bean soup, macro platters & vegan blueberry "cheese" cake)
Milk St Cafe [Kosher] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown
[See under Kosher]
Shang Chai [Kosher Chinese] -- North Brookline
[See under Chinese]
Vietnamese / Cambodian
----------------------
Ba Dat -- Chinatown
28 Harrison Ave, 426-8838
(Very good large bowls of pho. Good noodle & rice dishes too,
esp the bbq chicken w/lemongrass & shrimp w/sugarcane. A cafe
like atmosphere, and a nice place to share a long table w a bunch
of people when you're eating alone.)
Elephant Walk [French Cambodian] -- Somerville (Union Sq)
70 Union Sq, 623-9939
(very good Cambodian and good French food. Need reservations.
Not inexpensive, but plenty of food for the price. Try the soups,
Cambodian salads, noodle appetizer, amok, and poulet phochani)
Pho Bang -- Chinatown
7 Beach St, 422-0501
(excellent cheap large bowls of pho)
Pho Pasteur -- Allston, Chinatown
137 Brighton Ave (just east of Harvard St), Allston
8 Kneeland St, Chinatown, 451-0247
682 Washington St, Chinatown, 482-7467
(great salads, beef (pho) and seafood soups, very good Lemongrass
Chicken and Shrimp in Special Sauce; other entrees not as good.
Very inexpensive, nice ambience. Lots of unusual non-alcoholic
drinks. The Allston location is better)
Saigon -- Allston
431 Cambridge St
(Try the lemongrass squid and the banh xeo. Good spring rolls
and tofu dishes. Inexpensive)
V Majestic -- Allston
164 Brighton Ave, 782-6088
T: Green B Line, Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines
(The decor might be Food-Import-Company-Calendar Modern, some
entrees might be forgettable, but within certain categories this
place consistently shines. Stick to anything with Special Noodle
or Caramel Sauce. The Rolling Beef is very good here, too, and
the Yellow Crispy Noodle dishes and the Shrimp with Vermicelli
compares favorably with more expensive Chinatown versions. Soups
are good, too, particularly the Sea of Vietnam. Excellent
Vietnamese rolls -- a little spicy, not fried, with a wonderful
dipping sauce. Also very good lemon-grass chicken. A funky place
w friendly and prompt service, despite the frequent crowds. This
place cultivates regulars.)
Viet Hong -- Allston
182 Brighton Ave
T: Green B Line, Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines
(Friendly owners, though the food is not quite as good as it was
before they moved (especially the chicken dishes). Still, the
portions are substantial and inexpensive, and the Fisherman's
Soup, Sea Moss Soup, and the Ginger Fish are excellent, and the
Curried Tofu & Vegetables are very good.)
VietFoods -- Waltham
Willow St, nr River St
(Try the fried wonton)
Vietnam Restaurant -- Chinatown
38 Boylston St, 423-1665
(Oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Boston.
Great canh chua, goi cuon, bun, cari)
======================================================================
Boston Area Brew Pubs
======================================================================
Boston Beer Works (near Fenway Park)
Commonwealth Brewery (near Boston Garden)
John Harvard's (Dunster St, Harvard Sq, Cambridge)
Cambridge Brewery (Kendell Sq, Cambridge)
======================================================================
Very Good Sunday Brunch Buffets
======================================================================
[Note: this list is really incomplete. New entries very welcome!]
Bay Tower Room -- Downtown
60 State St, 723-1666
($32 Champagne Brunch, with jazz)
Blue Room -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
[see description under Eclectic]
Guest Quarter Suites -- Allston
400 Soldier Field Rd (at River St/Cambridge Ave), 783-0090
(wonderful buffet, great ambience, my favorite)
Marriot Copley Place -- Back Bay
(Great food, about $20/head, excellent shrimp)
Rowes Wharf Restaurant -- Waterfront
Boston Harbor Hotel, Atlantic Ave, 439-3995
Sheraton Commander -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
($21 for very good buffet)
Spinnaker -- Cambridge (Cambridgeport)
Top of the Cambridge Hyatt Regency Hotel
575 Memorial Drive (nr BU Bridge), 492-1234
($25/person, large variety, complimentary champagne,
the whole restaurant revolves)
Top of the Hub -- Back Bay
Prudential Center (Boylston/Huntington), 536-1775
(Terrific views of Boston & good buffet)
Turner Fisheries (Seafood) -- Back Bay
(extensive excellent seafood-focused brunch, $22/head)
======================================================================
Outside of Boston
======================================================================
Very Good Cape Cod Restaurants
------------------------------
Abbicci ($$$$) (Yarmouthport MA) -- Italian
43 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 362-3501
Chart Room (Cataumet, Bourne MA) -- Traditional
On the harbor at Kingman Marina
(Food is traditional American family-style - broiled swordfish
w/anchovy butter, baked stuffed lobster, steaks, lamb chops, etc.
but it's very good and is very inexpensive for the location.
Typical entree is ~$10, including salad, veggies, potato. Limited
inexpensive wine list and full bar. Indoor & porch dining w
beautiful sunset views of harbor, Bassett's Island, out to
Buzzard's Bay. As you might expect, the place is PACKED in the
summer time, esp. on weekends, and can be very noisy.
Entertainment on some nights (usually piano player w/bass - show
tunes, traditional jazz, etc.). Hard to get reservations, and
they're definitely advised. Open Thurs-Sat May, all days June -
Sept, Thurs-Sat October)
Chillingsworth ($$$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Nouvelle french
2449 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 896-3640
(Very expensive, but worth it for a special occasion. They also
have a cafe, which is less expensive. The main restaurant serves
a 7 course prix fixe dinner. Excellent food, formal yet friendly
service)
Flume (Mashpee MA) -- Portuguese / Seafood
off Rt 130, nr the turnoff to Mashpee Commons
(A popular place with good seafood, though a bit overpriced.
Go for the Portuguese items on the menu, which are both
cheaper and more interesting)
High Brewster ($$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Eclectic New England
Satucket Rd (betw Airline & Stonybrook), (508) 896-3636
Regatta of Cotuit ($$$$) (Cotuit MA) -- Eclectic
4631 Falmouth Rd (nr Rt 130), (508) 428-5715
(Very elegant, somewhat traditional food. Very fresh, wonderfully
prepared seafood.)
Regatta of Falmouth ($$$$) (Falmouth MA) -- Eclectic
217 Clinton Ave (nr Scranton), (508) 548-5400
(Very good food -- you can't order a bad meal; everything is
exquisite. Especially good mushroom strudel appetizer and
chocolate decadence dessert. Reservations recommended.
Off-season, the service can be slow)
Very Good South Shore Restaurants
---------------------------------
Caffe Bella (Randolph MA) -- Italian
19 Warren St (Rt 139 E), 961-7729
El Serape (Braintree MA) -- Mexican
5 Commercial St, Weymouth Landing, 843-8005
La Rivage ($$$) (Dartmouth MA) -- Classic French
7 Water St, (508) 999-4505
Navona ($$$) (Hingham MA) -- Italian-French-American
415 Whiting St (nr Rt 3), 337-0757
Sapporito ($$$) (Hull MA) -- Northern Nouvelle Country Italian
11 Rockland Circle (nr Nantucket Ave), 925-3023
(Inventive delicious food in a homey trattoria atmosphere.
Terrific food; everything is superb. Well worth the drive.)
Vin & Eddie's ($$$) (Abington MA) -- Northern Italian
1400 Bedford St (Rt 18 betw Rts 58 & 139), 871-1469
Very Good West of Boston Restaurants
------------------------------------
Aigo Bistro ($$$) (Concord MA) -- Mediterranean
84 Thoreau St, Concord, 371-1333
(Try the brandade, the seafood entrees, any North African food,
and the honey-lavender-thyme flan)
Cafe Luigi (Bedford MA) -- Italian
up 4/225 in the Purity shopping ctr
(Good, though not very adventurous, Italian food, fairly cheap.
Nice selection of black pasta dishes)
Grappa (Maynard MA) -- Italian
on Rt 62
(An unassuming place that serves unique inspired Italian dishes at
moderate prices -- a very enjoyable place to eat. Try Eggplant
Napolean, Spit-roasted chicken, and Veal scallopine in vanilla
infused lobster sauce. Reservations recommended, especially on
weekends)
Great Wall (Bedford MA) -- Chinese
in the shopping center on the west side of 4/225 before Bedford Ctr
(Not stupendous, but extremely good standard suburban Chinese food,
probably the best in the area. Serves good Suan La Sho Chow.)
Harrington Farm ($$$) (Princeton MA) -- American
178 Westminster Rd, (508) 464-5600
(This place is way out in the middle of nowhere, in a lovely
victorian house overlooking rolling hills and cows and its just
gorgeous. Its a tad noisy inside because of hardwood floors and
high ceilings, but still very charming. The food is fairly
traditional: duck a' lorange, prime rib, some fish selections.
It was all very well prepared. A short wine list, but well
considered. Enjoyable, though a bit pricey.)
Hartwell House (Bedford MA) -- American
Hartwell Ave (first left with a light N or 128 on 4/225)
(Excellent food, nice atmosphere, but pricy. Good steaks, burgers,
and simple seafood dishes. Good early bird special before 6:30,
w prime rib on Friday's)
Le Lyonnaise ($$$$$) (Acton MA) -- French
on 2A, west of 2/2A rotary, past 27
(Intimate atmosphere, w excellent food. Wonderful duck w plum
sauce)
Little Chef ($$$) (Princeton MA) -- Eclectic
on Rt 31, south of the center of town
(Food is nouvell/grill type stuff, w specialties like sliced
tenderloin with roquefort butter and bacon; seared salmon filet w
lemon caper sauce; duck breast with ginger mango glaze. The wine
list is excellent -- a Wine Spectator award winner. Service is
excellent (except for one rather snooty waiter!) Perhaps the best
restaraunt in the area.)
Quarterdeck (Maynard MA) -- Seafood
on Rt 62
(Excellent fresh seafood, reasonably priced. Reservations
recommended, especially on weekends)
Sherborn Inn ($$$) (Sherborn MA) -- Traditional
33 Main St (Rt 27 nr Rt 16), (508) 655-9521
(Good crab cakes & sheperd's pie)
Thai Orchid (Worcester MA) -- Thai
(Moderate prices, pretty good lunch & dinner buffets, though better
choices off the regular menu. The sesame beef appetizer w
coriander and fried crispy is really excellent. Service is good,
as long as you don't go on a night with a popular Centrum event.)
Very Good North Shore Restaurants
---------------------------------
Asahi (Salem MA) -- Japanese
21 Congress St, (508) 744-5376
Bistro ($$$) (Gloucestor MA) -- Eclectic
(Very good, with lots of Mediterranean food, including fine seafood
and grilled foods of all sorts)
Flash In The Pan (Danvers MA) -- Contemporary American
181 Newbury St (betw Rts 114 & 62), (508) 774-9367
Glen's Galley (Newburyport MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill Eclectic
44 Merrimac St, (508) 465-3811
(Artfully prepared. Menu varies weekly - some standards. Great
seafood. Occasional oddities such as wild boar, antelope,
venison, etc. Get reservations on weekends.)
Grog (Newburyport MA) -- Southwestern/Traditional
13 Middle St (first left off of State St), (508) 465-8008
(1760 meets 1960. Relaxed atmosphere days -- loud R&B/Blues at
night - local artists on display. Try the Black Bean Soup or the
White Ash Blackened Steak - ouch.)
Hilltop Steak House (Saugus MA) -- Steakhouse
Rt 1 [look for the cow!], 233-7700
(A family place w long lines and very good reasonably priced steak)
Joseph's Winter St Cafe (Newburyport MA) -- Italian/Continental
Winter St.
(Cozy up-scale room. Piano bar on weekends. Terrace in summer.
Try the roasted peppers, veal. Get reservations on weekends.)
La Boniche ($$$?) (Lowell MA) -- French
110 Gorham St
(Intimate atmosphere, the courses are perfectly cooked & seasoned,
and the desserts are to die for)
O'Fado (Peabody MA) -- Portuguese
52 Walnut St (nr Central), (508) 531-7369
Palmer's ($$$) (Swampscott MA) -- Italian
408 Humphrey St (at Greenwood), 596-1820
Ponte Vecchio ($$$) (Danvers MA) -- Northern Italian
435 Newbury St (nr Topsfield Fairgrounds), (508) 777-9188
Tom Shea's ($$$) (Essex MA) -- Seafood
(Good food, mostly seafood, w/some meat entrees. Food done a la
Legal Seafood (traditional (i.e., baked stuffed) cajun, broiled,
fried) and there's several pasta dishes. Setting is nice - right
on Essex marshes so you can watch boats coming in from Ipswich
bay. Fairly extensive wine list, good desserts.)
Union Grill (Beverly MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill
208 Rantoul St, (508) 927-2028
(Fresh food, of very high quality, and very imaginatively
prepared. The decor is lovely, the service is excellent, and
the wine list good.)
White Rainbow ($$$) (Gloucester MA) -- Nouvelle American
65 Main St (at Rogers), (508) 281-0017
OK, but not the best choice in the area)
Woodman's (Essex MA) -- Seafood (Clam Shack)
(Lobster and/or clams in the rough -- fried clams, boiled lobster,
french fries, cole slaw, beer and wine, too, I think. Dining on
picnic tables w/paper plates.)
Very Good New Hampshire Restaurants
-----------------------------------
Blue Strawbery ($$$$) (Portsmouth NH) -- Nouvelle American
39 Ceres St (off Bow St), (603) 431-6420
(Wonderful prix fixe dinners using unusual combinations of
ingredients)
D'Artagnan ($$$$) (Lyme NH) -- Nouvelle French
13 Dartmouth College Hwy (Rt 10), (603) 795-2137
Metastasis (Salem NH) -- Eclectic
(Cuisine is an unsual combination of Portuguese, Italian,
French, Californian. Double Diamond & Sam Adams on tap)
Strawberry Court: Restaurant Francais ($$$) (Portsmouth NH) -- French
20 Atkinson St (betw State & Court), (603) 431-7722
Very Good Southern Maine Restaurants
------------------------------------
Alberta's Cafe (Portland ME) -- Eclectic
21 Pleasant St (betw Danforth & Foke), (207) 774-0016
Arrows ($$$$) (Ogunquit ME) -- Nouvelle American
Berwick St, (207) 361-1100
Cape Neddick Inn ($$$) (Cape Neddick ME) -- Nouvelle American
At Rts 1 & 1A, (207) 363-2899
Maine Dining Room ($$$$) (Freeport ME) -- Nouvelle American
Harakeeset Inn, 162 Main St, (207) 865-9377
Very Good Rhode Island Restaurants
----------------------------------
Al Forno (Providence RI) -- Nouvelle Italian
577 S Main St (behind Corliss Landing), (401) 272-2980
(Like Olive's, but better & more refined. Large portions.
Attention to small details. Eat slowly to savor the taste.)
Blue Point Oyster Bar ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Seafood
99 Main St (at Elizabeth), (401) 272-6145
(Cozy well-worn blue-blood room. This serious fish restaurant is
not for the baked-stuffed-haddock crowd. There's a focus on
regional fishes such as trout, shad, pollock, flounder, salmon and
of course, shellfish. Try the shad with roe which was spiced in
earthly realism. The menu changes weekly with daily specials and
some house standards - such as oysters/mussels which are
recommended.)
Le Petit Auberge ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Country French
19 Charles St (betw Washington Sq & Marlboro), (401) 849-6669
New Rivers (Providence RI) -- Eclectic
7 Steeple St, (401) 751-0350
Newport Grill ($$$) (Newport RI) -- Italian
1 Broadway (Washington Sq), (401) 847-8353
Pot Au Feu ($$$) (Providence RI) -- French
44 Custom House St (at Weybosset), (401) 273-8953
Toscano's ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Italian
265 Atwells Ave (DePasquale Plaza), (401) 274--8820
White Horse Tavern ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Eclectic New England
Marlborough & Farewell Sts, (401) 849-3600
======================================================================
Changes Since Last Month
======================================================================
Added a "Changes Since Last Month" section to the back
Moved the "By SubArea" listing to the front, and reorganized it
Broke up Brookline, Newton & Somerville into areas
Split Back Bay into E/W of Copley
Added new Kosher Category
Cross-referenced entries into the Vegetarian Category
New Entries
-----------
Atlas Kitchen -- Turkish
Amarin -- Wellesley
Beijing Garden Restaurant -- Chinese
Blackbird Baking Company -- Eclectic
Black Crow -- Eclectic
Cafe Shiraz -- Kosher Persian
Cafe Sushi -- Japanese
Capucino's -- Italian
Chart Room (Cataumet, Bourne MA) -- Traditional
Claremont Cafe -- Eclectic
Country Life -- 7th Day Adventist Vegan Vegetarian
El Embajador -- Latin American
El Serape -- Mexican
Five North Square ($$$) -- Italian
Haim's Deli -- Kosher Deli
Izzy's Sub Shop -- Caribbean
Kim Fung Restaurant -- Chinese
Little Chef (Princeton MA) -- Eclectic
May's Cafe -- Chinese
Milk St Cafe -- Kosher Vegetarian
New Rivers (Providence RI) -- Eclectic
Oceanic -- Back Bay
Pit Stop -- Bbq
Rubin's Deli -- Kosher Deli
Ruth's Kitchen -- Kosher
Sami's -- Middle Eastern
Seki Tei -- Japanese
Thai Gourmet -- Thai
Thai Orchid (Worcester MA) -- Thai
Tom Shea's ($$$) (Essex MA) -- Seafood
Victor's Pizza -- Kosher Pizza
Woodman's (Essex MA) -- Seafood (Clam Shack)
Young & Yee -- Chinese
Updated Reviews
---------------
Al Dente -- Italian
Aujord 'Hui ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French / Continental
Ba Dat -- Vietnamese
Blue Diner -- Eclectic (Funky Diner)
Bombay Club -- Indian
Border Cafe -- Tex/Mex
Cafe Brazil -- Brazillian
Casa Elena -- Latin American
Chef Chang -- Chinese
Chez Vous Creole -- Creole
Cottonwoood Cafe -- Southwestern
Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe -- Eclectic
Dali -- Spanish
Dom's -- Nortern Italian
Elephant Walk -- Cambodian
Giacomo's -- Italian Seafood
Great Wall (Bedford MA) -- Chinese
Grill 23 ($$$) -- Steakhouse
Hammersley's Bistro ($$$) -- Eclectic
Han Mi Ok -- Korean
Harrington Farm ($$$) (Princeton MA) -- American
Hartwell House (Bedford MA) -- American
Harvard St Grill ($$$) -- Eclectic
Harvest ($$$) -- Eclectic
Ho Yuen Ting -- Chinese
Hometown -- Korean
House of Blues -- Eclectic
Hungry I ($$$) -- Contemporary French / American
India Palace -- Indian
India Pavillion -- Indian
Indian Cafe -- Indian
Iruna -- Spanish
Jade Flower -- Chinese
Jae's -- Asian Eclectic
Johnny D's -- Eclectic
Joyce Chen -- Chinese
Julien ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Korea Garden -- Korean
Koreana -- Korean
Larry's -- Chinese
Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) -- New England / American
Maison Robert ($$$$) -- Classic French
Maharajah -- Indian
Mill Falls ($$$) -- Contemporary American
Michela's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Mr Leung ($$$) -- Chinese
Nara -- Japanese
Neighborhood Restaurant (Union Sq) -- Portuguese
New Mother India -- Indian
Niko's -- Greek
On the Park -- Eclectic
On the Square -- Italian
Pampas -- Brazillian
Panda -- Chinese
Passage to India -- Indian
Pentimento -- Eclectic Natural
Piccola Venezia -- Southern Italian
Pomodoro -- Italian
Poppa & Goose -- Asian Eclectic
Portugalia -- Portuguese
Pu-Pu Hot Pot -- Chinese
Rami's Felafel -- Kosher Israeli
Regatta of Falmouth ($$$$) (Falmouth MA) -- Eclectic
Ristorante Lucia -- Italian
Ristorante Toscano ($$$) -- Northern Italian
Ritz Dining Room ($$$$) -- Traditional
Rocco's ($$$) -- Neo Italian
Sabra -- Israeli
Sakura -- Japanese
Sally Ling's -- Chinese
San Francisco Noodle House -- Chinese
Sapporito ($$$) (Hull MA) -- Northern Nouvelle Country Italian
Saraceno's -- Southern Italian
Schifino ($$$) -- Downtown
Seagrape Tree Restaurant -- Arlington Center
Shalimar -- Indian
Shalom Hunan -- Kosher Chinese
Shanghai Village -- Arlington Center
Shogun -- West Newton
Sindibad -- Middle Eastern
Star of Siam -- Thai
Stellina -- Nouvelle Italian
Sunset Cafe -- Portuguese
Tai Pan -- Chinese
Thai's -- Thai
Union Grill (Beverly MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill
Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Eclectic Continental / N Italian
V Majestic -- Vietnamese
Viet Hong -- Vietnamese
Vinnie Testa's -- Italian
Removed Entries
---------------
Ethiopian Restaurant (Symphony Area) -- Ethiopian
(not recommended)
Giuffre's (North End) -- Italian Seafood
(closed)
Harvard Bookstore Cafe (Back Bay) -- Eclectic Tunisian
(no longer serving interesting Tunisian food)
Mandarin (Cambridge MIT) -- Chinese
(not recommended)
New House of Toy (Chinatown) -- Chinese
(replaced by a Japanese restaurant -- anyone know about it?)
Route of the Caravan (Brookline Washington Square) -- Moroccan
(no longer operating out of T-stop pizza joint, may relocate)
St Petersburg Cafe (Brookline Village) -- Russian
(closed due to fire, may reopen)
Tien's Thai (Marblehead MA) -- Thai
(closed, owner retired down south)
Valdamares (Union Sq) -- Brazillian
(no reviews)Massachusetts