Diners' Paradise
Burmese. Guatemalan. Vietnamese. Colombian. A corner of Allston has become the region's ethnic cheap eats capital. These 20 restaurants will leave your taste buds dancing.
Maybe you know someone who waxes poetic about the yak stew he once ate in the valleys of Bhutan. Now that he's back in the United States, he complains that the local Bhutanese restaurant's version is inauthentic.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I am that guy.
Actually, I'm not that bad, but I do have a gastronomical wanderlust that results from having grown up in Hong Kong, traveled to 32 countries, and lived in Queens a short walk from New York City's No. 7 train, dubbed the "International Express" in reference to the many immigrant neighborhoods through which it travels. One subway ride would transport me to foodie heaven, where the curry powder hangs in the air, the lamian noodles are hand-pulled, and the Hong Kong cha chaan teng food of my youth is abundant. When I moved to Boston, I wondered: Could I ever replace the eating life I once enjoyed in Queens? Replace it I did.
I've discovered that the crossroads of Harvard and Brighton avenues in Allston is the region's epicenter of ethnic eating. In the surrounding 500-meter radius, the variety of cuisines is staggering: Brazilian, Burmese, Cantonese, Colombian, Guatemalan, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Nepalese, Pakistani, Salvadoran, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants, all scattered within walking distance.
The nearly 40 ethnic restaurants in the neighborhood boast a mixed clientele of immigrants and foreign visitors and students, who come to sample familiar dishes from home, as well as adventuresome eaters who seek authenticity in esoteric dishes and inexpensive fare. In Allston, almost 70 percent of residents are younger than 35, and more than 40 percent speak a language other than English at home.
A Pakistani hole-in-the-wall sits between a hookah bar and a pizza joint. The cafeteria-style food court housed within the Super 88 Market is packed with people carrying around trays of Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Indian, Cantonese, and Thai food. One stretch of Harvard Avenue takes on the trappings of Seoul, with Korean restaurants, a Korean grocery, a Korean hair salon, and even a Korean Internet/gaming cafe. Stock your fridge with smoked fish from the Russian grocer, mango achar from the Pakistani market, baklava from the Turkish market, kimchi from the Korean market, and guarana soda from the Brazilian grocer. Cap off your meal at the Taiwanese restaurant on Brighton Avenue with fresh buns from the Taiwanese bakery across the street. Wash down your Colombian tamal with a pint from the adjacent pub.
On this and the following pages, we've listed this crossroads' 20 can't-miss gems. "Sihk faahn," as eager diners wish one another in Hong Kong.
Italian
Alfredo's
229 Brighton Avenue, 617-562-8222, Closed Sundays
Inconspicuously situated next to an auto repair shop, this tiny storefront Italian restaurant is built for takeout. If you're lucky enough to snag one of the nine seats, Alfredo will cook your dinner, serve you, and then regale you with tales of his native Abruzzo. A true one-man show, he even makes the delicious mozzarella in the basement. Must order: pizza rusticana ($13.95)
Korean
Buk Kyung II
151 Brighton Avenue, 617-254-2775
The large windows that adorn this spacious restaurant steam up in the winter as diners do away with coats and scarves and warm up with spicy Korean fare. Order a bowl of jambong and cast a net with your spoon in the spicy broth for mussels, shrimp, and squid. Slurp the springy noodles, then cool your mouth down with the complimentary assortment of panchan (the Korean equivalent of hors d'oeuvres) laid out on the table on small dishes. Must order: jambong ($9.55)
Colombian
El Cafetal
479 Cambridge Street, 617-789-4009
Order the tamal colombiano at El Cafetal, and you'll be warned that it will take extra time to prepare. It's worth the wait. Tender pieces of beef and pork are steamed in a plantain leaf with potatoes, carrots, peas, and cornmeal, and the concoction melts in your mouth. Save some room and order a side of maduros (fried sweet plantains); fruit has never tasted this good. Must order: tamal colombiano ($8.50)
Indian and Pakistani
Grain and Salt
431 Cambridge Street, 617-254-3373, grainnsalt.com
Grain and Salt's awning succinctly proclaims "Fine Indian Cuisine," but that's too modest. The menu spans the subcontinent, but it is the Punjabi and Mughlai food from the region around the Indian-Pakistani border that draws Boston's Desi population in droves. For an authentic taste of Pakistan, try the complexly flavored haleem, a traditional Mughlai beef, wheat, and lentil stew with hints of mint. MUST ORDER: haleem ($14)
Cantonese
Kantin
1095 Commonwealth Avenue (inside Super 88 Market),617-562-8388.
When I get homesick for Hong Kong food, I head to Kantin, a stall within the Super 88 food court, and order my favorite roast pork with rice -- char siu fan. The menu here is large and a bit scattered, but excellent versions of all the classic Cantonese comfort foods are accounted for, including beef chow foon, wonton noodle soup, and various types of congee. Must order: roast pork with rice ($6.70)
Japanese
Ken's Noodle House
1 Brighton Avenue
(inside Super 88 Market), 617-254-5524, kenramen.com, Closed Wednesdays
Sit at the counter and your mouth will water as you witness the art of ramen preparation. This is a far cry from the bastardized instant version. If you're lucky, the restaurant will have its Nishiyama ramen in stock, specially imported from Sapporo, and you can slurp your noodles like the expat salaryman sitting next to you. Must order: "The Sapporo" miso ramen ($9.80)
Pakistani
Madina Market's Kitchen
72 Brighton Avenue, 617-787-4400
Attached to a small Pakistani grocery, Madina Market's Kitchen has the ambience of a cafeteria, but the food transcends the decor by tenfold. For a traditional taste of Pakistan, order the nihari and some nan. The slow-cooked beef stew is hearty and spicy, and the airy nan is the perfect sponge with which to enjoy every last drop. Must order: nihari ($7.95)
Taiwanese
May's Fusion and Cuisine
97 Glenville Avenue, 617-782-1688, maysfusion.com, Closed Wednesdays
A short walk from the bustle of Harvard Avenue, this small restaurant sits tucked away on a quiet residential block. Although it was recently renamed and its menu revamped to cast a wider "fusion" net, its strength remains its Taiwanese home-style dishes. A perfect meal here includes the Formosa turnip cake and the zha jiang mian, a lightly prepared Chinese version of spaghetti with meat sauce. Must order: Formosa turnip cake ($4.95)
Vietnamese
Pho Viet's
1095 Commonwealth
Avenue (inside Super 88 Market), 617-562-8828
My favorite colonial vestige is the banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich made with French bread. The ham banh mi at Pho Viet's is the best in town: The bread's hard shell cracks in tandem with the crisp carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, daikon, and chilies; the soft inner part of the bread mingles with the ham; a spread of mayonnaise, pate, and Sriracha hot sauce offers a sweet, cool burn. Must order: ham banh mi ($3.25)
Thai
S & I Thai Cuisine
168A Brighton Avenue ,617-254-8488, si-togo.com
Brush up on your Thai as you eavesdrop on the regulars. Better yet, ask them to decipher the Thai-language specials on the wall of this little spot. If you do, you'll be rewarded with "secret" dishes like the excellent pla gra prow (fried tilapia). Or simply order the addictive pad ki mow off the regular menu -- pet pet if you want it to really burn. Must order: pad ki mow ($7.25)
Japanese
Shabu-Zen
80 Brighton Avenue
617-782-8888, shabuzen.com
Shabu shabu, or Japanese hot pot, is a true dining experience. The spacious Shabu-Zen indeed has a Zen decorative motif, but you'll have too much fun cooking at your table to notice. The process is simple: Order, wait for soup to boil, add raw ingredients, cook until done, mix and match sauces, and enjoy. Any of the seafood or meat platters are easy to order, and each contains fresh meat and an abundance of vegetables as well as noodles. Must order: seafood platter ($11.95)
Shanghainese
Shanghai Gate
204 Harvard Avenue, 617-566-7344, Closed Tuesdays
Shanghai Gate is consistently populated by Boston's mainland Chinese diaspora. The restaurant's spare wooden furniture sits beneath an exposed ceiling, and on the back wall is a simple mural painted delicately, as if with a calligraphy brush. The menu offers dishes that will redefine your conception of Chinese food. Cold appetizers, like the five-spice tofu or the scallion jellyfish, preface the meal like a perfect aperitif. The lion's head casserole elevates the modest meatball to new heights. Must order: lion's head casserole ($2.95)
Guatemalan, Mexican, and Salvadoran
Taqueria el Carrizal
254 Brighton Avenue, 617-779-0022
This cheery spot combines three countries' cuisine onto one menu, but the Salvadoran fare is the main attraction. The pupusas are puffy corn tortillas, and I could happily make a meal of a few of these stuffed with chicharron (fried pork) and queso con loroco (a sour herbed cheese). For a more expansive dining experience, the Salvadoran combination offers pupusa, enchilada, and tamal. Must order: Salvadoran combination ($6.95)
Burmese
Yoma Burmese Restaurant
5 North Beacon Street, 617-783-1372, yomaboston.com
Boston is one of the few US cities that boasts a Burmese restaurant. Situated in vegetarian-ville (two vegan eateries are on the same block), Yoma offers a range of vegetarian and meat dishes. The La Phet Thot (green-tea-leaf salad) is rich in the hearty taste called umami; it's a multilayered sensory experience. And the freshly ground, complexly flavored Burmese curry powder makes the chicken curry the best in town across all cuisines. Must order: chicken curry with potato ($7.95)
Cantonese
Gitlo’s Dim Sum Bakery
164 Brighton Avenue, 617-782-2253
Gitlo’s serves a la carte dim sum all day in a playfully festooned dining space. Excellent versions of Cantonese standbys, such as har gow (shrimp dumpling) and char siu bao (roast pork bun), are complemented by slightly more esoteric creations such as the XO sauce daikon cake, lightly fried cubes of Asian radish flavored with Hong Kong’s famous salty/spicy/sweet XO sauce. Must order: XO sauce daikon cake ($3.65)
Nepalese
Mt. Everest Kitchen
182 Brighton Avenue, 617-254-4912
It’s easy to overlook Mt. Everest Kitchen in a neighborhood with several excellent restaurants that serve similar regional cuisines. Be warned: Pass up this small restaurant and your taste buds will have reason to revolt. The khasiko masu (above), a dish that marries the most delicious elements of the cuisines of India and Tibet, is a light and well-spiced goat stew flavored with cilantro. Must order: khasiko masu ($11.95)
Brazilian
Cafe Brazil
421 Cambridge Street, 617-789-5980, cafebrazilrestaurant.com
Do as the Brazilians do and order the feijoada, their country’s national dish. Available only on weekends, this dish’s familiar (and not-so-familiar) stewed meats are enough to make even the most ardent carnivore blush. This cheery, spacious establishment has been serving Allston’s Brazilian population for 22 years, and it doubles as the best place in town to watch Brazilian soccer on TV. Must order: feijoada ($14.95)
Korean
Color
166 Harvard Avenue, 617-787-5656, Closed Sundays
If your life ever feels drab, a visit to Color will perk you up. The walls in this small eatery are painted bright yellow, and the food emerges from the kitchen through a set of closet doors. For a twist on KFC,
try Color’s Korean fried chicken, or clear your sinuses with the classic Korean stew kimchi chigae (far left).
Must order: kimchi chigae ($8)
Taiwanese
Jo Jo Tai Pei
103 Brighton Avenue, 617-254-8889, jojotaipeiboston.com
Take a seat, listen to the waves of conversation in Mandarin, and smell the aromas; you might as well be in one of Taipei’s famous night markets. Jo Jo Tai Pei is the keystone of Boston’s “Little Taiwan” – a Taiwanese bakery and a bubble-tea cafe are across the street. Try the three cups tofu (left), and you’ll wonder how such a perfect combination of flavors could be made so simply. Must order: three cups tofu ($8.99)
Indian
Indian Dhaba
180 Brighton Avenue, 617-787-5155
Modest and no-nonsense like its namesake – a dhaba is an Indian roadside diner – this small eatery serves comfort food in true Indian highway fashion. Order at the counter and watch your meal get whipped up as you wait. For a collision of worlds and tastes (and to further your dhaba experience), order a dish off the Indo-Chinese section of the menu. Must order: chicken Manchurian (above, $10.95)
Jason Beerman lives and writes in Allston, where he is currently thinking about his next meal. E-mail him at jason@jasonbeerman.com.
