It looks residential and expensive but, in reality, yeah, it's residential and expensive. But poke around Beacon Hill - and a little outside - and you'll find affordable eats, especially on Charles and Cambridge streets. Take the Red Line to Charles/MGH, unless otherwise indicated.

Ma Soba Vegas Roll. Ninja Roll. T.N.T. Roll. Rock & Roll. The inauthentic but damn cool combos served at this sleek, L.A.-based haunt are not for sushi snobs. Yet the pictures in the menu should win anyone over - the Gari Gari blends shrimp tempura with crab, avocado and cream cheese, and Soba will put "dynamite" (salmon flakes) in anything, per your request. 156 Cambridge St., Boston. Mon-Wed 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Thu-Fri 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m. (866) 210-5641
www.masobaboston.com

Panificio How good is the salmon nicoise here? So good that we still forced it down after filling up on bread - Panificio's speciality. The thin crust pizza, the apple-cinnamon-raisin French toast, the panini with prosciutto - it's all carbs and all good, especially for brunch, where a low-key crowd gathers, ready to chow down. 144 Charles St., Boston. Breakfast: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-11 a.m.; Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Sun 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m.; Weekend brunch: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. For info, call (617) 227-4340
www.panificioboston.com

Pour House Loud, crowded and open nightly 'til 2 a.m., the Pour House is the perfect haunt for young professionals and recently-legal drinkers. The friendly staff does a fine job of pumping out everything from early morning omelette to late night nachos, with nightly specials like Saturday's Burger Mania and Thursday's Mexican Madness. The price is right and nearly everyone's single. Who needs napkins? 909 Boylston St., Boston. | MBTA: Red Line to Park Street. 8 a.m-2 a.m, daily. 21+. (617) 236-1767
www.pourhouseboston.com

The Upper Crust Now this is the way to make pizza modern: Unlike California Pizza Kitchen, which sometimes goes too far (pears and cheese?), Upper Crust updates the traditional thin-crust, Neapolitan pie with toppings that make sense. The MGH combines spinach, broccoli and feta. The Uncommon tosses jalepeños in with the the bacon and pineapple. Even the straight pepperoni has a little tang - for under $10. 20 Charles St., Boston. Sun-Wed 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Thu-Sat 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (617) 723-9600
www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com  Find more Beacon Hill restaurants