Bonchon Waltham

Came by for dinner the other night and it was a mediocre experience. Ponzu is a Japanese/Korean…read morerestaurant in downtown Waltham with seating indoors exclusively. Started off with the tempura appetizer and it was ok. There were a couple pieces of shrimp along with a few pieces of fried vegetables. The batter was different than what I'm typically used to in Japan... The miso black cod was tiny and more of an appetizer. It was nicely seared on the side and I found the sauce a touch too overpowering... Staff was courteous and sweet. She checked up with us throughout the evening.

A variety of dishes that need work, but overall made for a good experience…read more The agedashi tofu was decent, if sometimes the batter was a bit thick. The sashimi salad was a bit of a miss, as there were only four slices of fish, and then some iceberg lettuce (!) that was underwhelming for the price paid. The beef negima, beef rolls, were decent, though sometimes the beef was a bit tough. The mains were a hit and miss; the tofu soondubu was the better of the two, with tofu that retained its heat well, nicely diced vegetables in the interior, and a decent flavoring in the hot soup. The rice was a good texture. The Nabe Yaki Udon had a soup that I didn't find super compelling; it seemed a bit artificial, but not enough complexity at the same time).

Party A

See all

Madras soju cocktail

UMI Fine Japanese & Asian Cuisine

3.9(289 reviews)

2.3 mi

Ordered to go, and it was really good. Pleasantly surprised by the peppery crispy shrimp! Had good…read moreauthentic flavor to it and wasn't too spicy. Also, the Yaki udon was very well cooked nice thick noodles. I didn't dine in so I can't comment too much on service or ambience. But the restaurant seemed clean with a lot of seating. Good for families and friends. And service was pleasant with my order being ready as soon as I walked into the restaurant

Fantastic food in a hidden, non-descript strip mall off the highway off-ramp in Waltham, Umi…read moreprovides as close to fine dining food quality as you can get. I ordered two rolls, the new rainbow roll and the new tiger roll as well as a tako nigiri. The new tiger roll is now one of my favorite sushi rolls ever. A harmonious combination of flavors between the sweet mango, the fatty tuna, the crunch of the asparagus and the earthiness of a thin slice of truffle makes this roll an experience to remember. Fast and friendly service and white tablecloth ambiance makes this a place to come back to while in town. I did two nights in a row

More seating

King Salmon, Toro, Wagyu

See all

Naksan BBQ

3.9(248 reviews)

5.2 mi•Allston/Brighton

•$$$$

Came here with high expectations and was mildly just satisfied rather than blown away. I've heard…read moregood things about Naksan and while the meal was good, it wasn't excellent nor did it have me raving and wanting to go back for more. The setting feels very modern and clean. Staff were okay, not too attentive honestly which isn't great when they're supposed to be tending to your meal. The food was okay, but not amazing in quality or quantity - just all right and expensive. Overall, I probably wouldn't come back, but this was by no means a bad experience. It was nice to try, but it wouldn't be my first choice for KBBQ moving forward.

The service and banchan were great. It's an upscale vibe so the prices reflect that. The meat…read morequality itself was fine. Nothing outstanding. Oh and they didn't have soju at the time which is kind of odd.

Banchan (side dishes)

Steamed egg (comes with the combo)

See all

Night seeing at Naksan park( Rumi& Jinwoo daying place from K-pop demon Hunters)

Seoul Soulongtang

3.8(684 reviews)

5.6 mi•Allston/Brighton

Came to get naengmyeon on a hot summer day. On a weekday at noon the place was empty, no wait…read more Service was quick and polite but not friendly. The staff even seemed surprised when I said thank you and commented that the food was delicious. The banchan that came with the meal was sadly mediocre. The naengmyeon itself was delicious. Perfectly chewy buckwheat noodles with shredded cucumber and slices of beef/radish. The broth was okay -- not the best I've had for naengmyeon but satisfactory. I paid around $25 with tax and tip, which seemed pricy.

Good! Would go back, wasn't super blown away, authentic but limited. Grill was closed an hour…read morebefore close so we couldn't get a handful of stuff we wanted, but service was delightful and kind. Large space inside, casual dining ambiance. Kind staff!

Seoul Soulongtang 11/2025

Army stew - before ramen

See all

Soulongtang

Seoul Jangteo

3.9(225 reviews)

5.5 mi•Allston/Brighton

pretty good food and good service. i got the stone bibimbap…read moreand kimchi and seafood pancakes. there's nothing really special because they sell traditional korean food but it was good and i enjoyed it.

Located in the midst of the Allston/Brighton, this is a good spot for some Korean comforts…read more Frankly, it was my first visit in several years, but the staff were very welcoming and the food still very comforting in the cold weather we have. My personal favorite thing to order was the Tangsuyuk, especially with how it was served separately from the sweet and sour sauce. Yes, I know it's just another crispy fried pork dish, but as someone who seeks comfort in food, it's definitely worth a try. Anyway, not a personal fan of their seafood pancake as it seems pretty doughy for my taste, but would definitely give everything else another go (or perhaps try something new) the next time I visit!

Dining area

See all

Kaju Tofu House

3.9(841 reviews)

5.5 mi•Allston/Brighton

Best food I've ever had in my life omg I came down to Boston and this literally made my whole tripread more

Jose our server was very proactive and kind. He would check on us often and made sure everything…read morewas good. Besides the amazing service, food was delicious and came out fast! Highly recommend. Jose, nuestro camarero, fue muy bueno y servicial. ¡Agradecido de tenerlo como nuestro ser, volveremos solo por él! ¡Gracias

7.3 mi•West Roxbury Center, West Roxbury

Interior

Choice of Tofu Soup and Galbi

See all

Bimbim guksu

Sharon Korean Kitchen

4.6(96 reviews)

I really wanted to try the spicy rice cakes. It was delicious. It had a mildly sweet undertone with…read moremostly a very yummy spicy flavor. I tried the seaweed rolls, too. I don't know much about Korean food, but it was fun to try some dishes I have never had before. Everything we ordered was enjoyable and tasty!

We are frequently visiting Sharon Korean Kitchen - food is authentic and always fresh. We find it…read moreconsistently delicious whether it's take out or eat in.

See all

Counter

Woori

3.9(228 reviews)

5.4 mi•Arlington Center

This small but quaint restaurant is packed with great meal options and whatever you choose is hot…read moreand cooked to order! Ours was amazing and hot and oh! So Tasty! Take a look at my photos and you can see that it was so visually appealing and once you ate a bite your mouth will thank you! YUMMY IS ALL I CAN SAY! We all had a great lunch and service! Check it out and you will be back for more!!!!

It was a cold wet day, we took a trip down and were the first party at dinner opening! We spent…read moresome time in the book store next door until then! Accessible by bus (stop is right outside) or street parking if you drive. Our server was super nice and attentive! Thank you first of all! We ordered the following dishes: +Kimchi seafood pancake - overall profile nice, different look then I've seen but flavor profile was fine for me, messy and fell apart but many places are like that no biggie scoop em up! +Spicy beef stew with glass noodles and rice. Flavorwise, well seasoned broth enjoyed it on a cold day, wish it was actually spicy. Pork bulgogi, I'm usually accustomed to gochujang chili paste style with onions and carrots but they have a different take. It was more a tangy sweet bbq or teriyaki style with a load of bean sprouts (i personally hate bean sprouts not that i can't eat it haha) not my cup of tea tho. Overall thank you for the meal and the great service. Dishes didn't hit it out of the park for me. All the best!

See all

Kimchi seafood pancake

Woojeon Korean Cuisine

3.8(132 reviews)

7.2 mi

For a quick weekday meal (somewhere between lunch and dinner), I returned to Woojeon. This time, I…read moreordered the Soondaeguk (blood sausage stew, $15.99), received my number, waited 5 minutes, and receiving order. The stew itself was quite packed with offal and blood sausage, and even a few pieces of lung. It also arrived piping hot. The broth, however, proved underwhelming. While spicy, it lacked depth of flavor. The entree came with a bowl of rice, bean sprouts, kimchi, and roasted seaweed laver. I surprisingly liked the kimchi. It was savory and not too tangy. Consider it's a food court, I won't penalize the presentation or diminutive banchan size too much. However, the stock needs work.

Enjoyed the stone bowl bibimbap here, keeps the food nice and hot and yields crispy rice! It was a…read morebit light on the beef, but good portions of veg. Banchan is broth, kimchi, bean sprouts and roasted seaweed - the kimchi was pretty good, wished the bean sprouts had more flavor. I came around 4:30pm so there were plenty of tables available. The guy who took my order was pretty quiet and handed me a pager. It went off about 15 mins after my order. Would definitely return to get my bibimbap fix!

See all

Storefront

Seoul Topokki

4.0(180 reviews)

5.6 mi•Allston/Brighton

This was our second time ordering delivery from Seoul Topokki. We remembered it being really good…read morethe first time, so we went for round two. We ordered the cheese topokki (soft rice cake, fish cake, vegetable, & mozzarella in Korean spicy sauce) & the beef bulgogi bowl (fried marinated beef, vegetables, steamed rice & side of soup). The cheese topokki was just as good as we remembered - chewy, flavorful, comforting, & a little bit weird. The cheese was poorly distributed, but it was still very tasty. The beef bulgogi bowl was really underwhelming. Firstly, it was very little food. We were promised vegetables, but there were only a few scarce onions & zucchini pieces mixed in. It was also dry. It was devoid of moisture & sauce, so we added some from the fridge at home. The side of soup was a joke. It filled only about 2/3 of the container & looked so sad, we wondered if it was the sauce that we we so desperately needed. Nope, just a meager amount of watered down miso soup. So the conclusion - great topokki, sub-par bulgogi, non-existent soup.

We came here on a Saturday evening without a reservation and were seated with no wait. The service…read morewas great and our orders both were taken and came out pretty quickly. For the food, we got the tuna kimbap, Seoul toppoki, and bulgogi hot pot for two. Everything was SO good. The ingredients were fresh and the food was flavorful (sweet from the bulgogi, savory from the mushrooms, spicy from the toppoki sauce, salty from the tuna, and sour from the pickled vegetables). The price for the portion size was a great value and we ended the night feeling very full and even had to pack up an entire container of the hotpot for two that we didn't finish. Overall, we had a great time and I can't wait to come back again. This might be my new favorite Korean food spot in the Boston area.

See all

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

10 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Bella C.

7 years ago

A couple of days ago I was with a couple of my friends walking down moody street looking for bubble tea and lunch. We couldn't decide between Bistro 781 for brunch or Bonchon. I personally will admit that I was leaning more toward bistro 781 but my friends decided to do Bonchon. I wanted to stay away because of the reviews that I've seen in yelp but to my surprise I was shocked in a very pleasant way. This is a great example of not judging a book by its cover and that's a personal learning lesson that I'll take away. To begin the environment was warm and welcoming and it was nice that everything looked very new and fresh. The music that was being played really helped because I was able to Shazam several songs to add to my Spotify! The service was super prompt and very friendly. The two servers that were there were young and were extremely nice. Our server which I can't quite recall his name (I wanna say Peter) was super relaxed, funny, and helpful! I always appreciate when servers give their own personal and how assessment of the food and recommends things. He recommended that we got the seasoned fries and the large drumsticks in soy garlic to start. I'll have to say the chicken wasn't dry at all and had a super nice crunch! The bulgogi that I got as an entree was extremely good but the sauce was a little too spicy. I'm not sure if the sauce is something that's pre packaged since this is a chain and they can't do anything about the spice levels. However it was extremely good. My friends and I were pleased and will definitely be coming back! read more

Jon H.

7 years ago

Came here last Sunday for dinner service with a buddy of mine. The food overall was pretty good even for soft opening! We got the medium combo and the drumsticks were my favorite! We also got an order of the boneless wings and they were a tad disappointing but thats because I was expecting more chicken tenders rather than bites. Had I known before that they were bites rather than strips I would have been okay with that. The coleslaw and the radish were quite fresh and good. The music here was pretty solid which made the environment pretty nice and enjoyable. Ive been to the Bonchon in allston and I was surprised to see the menu was a bit different which is understandable due to the fact that each franchise is different. Another thing I love to add is that they do provide a fresh ice cold glass for each beer that you order which not many places do so kudos there! All in all, great spot to grab some fried chicken other than your standard KFC and Popeyes. Flavors here are great. My only complaints: -Hire some more servers because two servers for the number of tables that I saw that were in the establishment seems a bit low. -Our server seemed a bit unprofessional due to the fact that he was wearing large boots and baggy sweatpants -Increase the portion sizes in the japchae and fried rice, for the price that I paid the amount I received wasnt much read more

Wei C.

7 years ago

This place have the most flavorful chicken I ever have in my life. I ordered a large combo half and half ( soy garlic and spicy). The spicy have a little kick to it and if you love spicy there's nothing wrong with that kick. Soy garlic was flavorful, I love it. Kimchi bacon fried rice was excellent. The portion was big so is the bulgogi taco, it was huge!!! I don't understand why people have all the time to go on Yelp to compare this place to other nonsense restaurant like KFC / CRAVE / Pho 1. It's ridiculous!!! If you all cannot understand that they are Bonchon then go to those places and eat there. And for those who don't know how to read the menu, then you all need to go back to do some more studying. They serve BONELESS CHICKEN WINGS NOT STRIPS!!! You cannot tell between boneless wings and strips then you should not be ordering it. And those of you cannot enjoy what they have on the menu then go back home and make your own meal. read more

Ying K.

7 years ago

This place is great!!! Been here since day one when they have their soft opening back in April. Foods are better than other Bonchon or local area. Their chickens are crispy and not heavy breaded like the one in Allston. The one in Allston is thickly coated with dough and not crispy. Bonchon Waltham did a good job with their foods and chickens, I just loved here. Service are always good. The place is always clean, food is fresh, and staffs are friendly. Most important, the manager is well manner when she bring out our food. She make sure everything is right. I don't know what's up with all those nonsense complaints about the management, but you got to give credit to this one. People just have no respect for restaurant nowadays, always wanting something for free. That's they go on Yelps, wanting attention. read more

Shawn B.

2 years ago

I had a really disappointing experience at this restaurant. I placed an order for pickup, and when I arrived, I gave my name, but I was informed that the food wasn't ready yet. I waited for 30 minutes with no update, and no one called my name during that time. Finally, when I asked about the status of my order, the same person who told me it wasn't ready handed me the food that had clearly been sitting there the entire time! To make matters worse, they didn't even apologize for the mix-up. The lack of communication and customer service was really frustrating. read more

Heayon S.

7 years ago

Food was good. Really slow service & we had to ask for and check on our food status. Had to even ask for water. At the end, we ended up canceling an order that never showed. read more

Rebecca A.

7 years ago

Just another reason why everyone should just go to CRAVE. Better portions, better QUALITY, better service (maybe), better everything.

Jennie S.

4 years ago

I see there are some negative reviews but I can honestly say I did not have that experience! Give this place a shot!

Junhai S.

7 years ago

chicken is not extremely bad but definitely not tasty at all.

Brian P.

4 years ago

Best bibimbap north of High Street in Waltham!

Bonchon Waltham - korean - Updated September 2026

People who viewed Bonchon Waltham also viewed

Asia Wok

3.1

(161 reviews)

The food and service has been far above my expectations, while keeping their prices reasonable. One…read moreof my favorite quick Asian spots for dinner!

I don't know why this place has this many bad reviews. I found their food very tasty and tough…read morequality. If there's anything I hate is when fried chicken wings are overcooked or undercooked and they were perfect. And the lo mein was delicious. We're just gonna have to give it a shot. I personally think you will be happy.

Feng Shui Kitchen

(84 reviews)

This place is decent, not amazing; not terrible. I've come here a few times and the costumer…read moreservice is amazing. I really like the people who work here but the food the last few times has been a little bland, lacking salts; ie soy sauce, salt, anchovies, tamari, etc. they should really look into putting more flavor in this. I honestly do like the place, cause it has potential - not cause the flavors I've been met with

I've been getting take out here for years, but recently things are bad. Ordered the kung pao…read morechicken, and there was hardly any chicken. It was almost all just celery pieces! Plus I'm not against spicy food but this had the spicy peppers cut up really fine and was much spicier than I could stand or that I'd ever had before from here. Won't be going back.

Ginger Exchange

3.4

(93 reviews)

Fodd was excellent. Customer service was tough. I had to keep searching for someone if I needed…read moresomething it was so empty.

My go-to delivery sushi. I have probably ordered from here 20 times! I will say about 10% of the…read moretime I order from here something is messed up or inconsistent about the order (too little sauce, forgot to add one of my add-ons that I paid extra for). Other than that I have no complaints! The 3 roll combo is a good value and I will continue to order from here.

Lobster Wok

(104 reviews)

They seemed more interested in selling produce and eggs to Chinese Patrons then my food order…read more Food has gone downhill and the price has risen a lot. I am finally done with this place.

Trust me, I didn't expect much when I entered this small establishment. I'm literally slowly making…read moremy way around the "Chinese" spots around the area until I've tried them all. I wasn't expecting anything and definitely not expecting any form of "service" as it *is* a Chinese spot. Yet, she spoke to me. She reached out and conversed in a manner that only this culture could really explain. She wanted to know me and why I was even here in this area. One eyebrow up, I explained. Two eyebrows up, almost an hour later, I still explained. All I knew was that she welcomed me and wanted me to feel home. There was nothing else past that. It's just the culture. It's Chinatown outside Chinatown, and Chinatown outside China (and everything else associated with it). They take the time to purchase produce on behalf of their customers at close to cost price. They take the time to welcome people in. I'm one of them - out of place, out of the element - and she gave me almost an hour of her time. She even apologized for the "yellowness" of my order due to the time it sat there while we conversed BUT I simply told her I'd see her again. Her family welcomed me to Massachusetts. And moments later when I dug in to the food I brought home, I knew home was here. They served up some seriously legit Chinese influenced dishes. BEST PART? The posted menu is only a front. How do I know this? She read me and invited me shortly to the private chat group for the daily cuisine specials directed at those wanting to taste home. There is some legit culinary techniques here. I'd voyage more into it but I'll respect the secrecy of it all. Come with respect, explain a genuine intent to partake, and perhaps, you'd be invited to the ball of a lifetime. I know I am for one awaiting and ready for it. These guys *can* seriously cook.

Sichuan Cuisine

4.1

(97 reviews)

The chicken lomein was very good. Fresh noodles with shredded chicken…read more Service was quick. Was served my meal with a smile snd the restaurant is very clean and updated

One of my favorite little lunch spots in the area. Simple, straightforward, no BS kinda casual spot…read morewith decently priced lunch specials and an acceptable culinary repertoire to back it all up. In fact, ever since the other Chinese spot changed ownership, I entirely switched to eating here whenever I want a quick sit down Chinese meal. The food is good. It comes out pretty fast. It's done pretty well. And the best part, it just doesn't remotely hurt the wallet. Even being a regular, I'm still amused at how the service is so stereotypical Chinese in the way that I'm just another soul coming in to be fed and not remembered or acknowledged. Mind you, I'm here a LOT and am usually the only one sitting there eating while delivery people repeatedly come and go. Anyways, two reasons why I'm unable to give them 5 stars. First, the tap water they serve...tastes like @#$%. I don't know what it is but I've actually started bringing my own water bottle (or just ordered a soda). Two, the steamed rice is inconsistent. Half the time, it's perfect. The other half...is wet and mushy (I want to say a reheat but isn't that just such a faux pax in Chinese cuisine?). Nonetheless, this is one of the few four and less starred places on my list that I will still continue to frequent and recommend to anyone in the area wanting a quick and decent meal for cheap!

3 Fortunes Chinese Restaurant

3.1

(100 reviews)

Let's start by saying the price is great along with the food. Every week i've got to have a meal…read morefrom this place just because is that good. if you're in the area and wanted to get some Chinese/Cantonese food, this is the place to go. Don't just read the review, go there and find out for yourself. You'll thank yourself you did.

Considering the low price and the big portions, this is the best American Chinese food in Waltham…read more The pillars of Chinese food (general gau, fried rice, spare ribs, and egg rolls) are all really good. However, the main attraction (crab rangoons) needs some work :(

Number One Taste Chinese Food

3.5

(162 reviews)

I ordered lunch today and was genuinely excited to try this place based on the reviews. A colleague…read moreordered the wonton soup, which looked promising, so my expectations were fairly high. Let me preface this by saying I truly enjoy Asian cuisine, both authentic dishes from various regions and well done American Chinese food. I understand and appreciate the difference between the two. Unfortunately, this experience fell short on both fronts. Several reviews praise the pork fried rice, but what I received was simply rice, soy sauce, and a few bits of pork. Pork fried rice should have depth aromatics, egg, scallions, and proper wok flavor. This did not meet that standard. The General Gau's chicken was served cold and coated in a reddish, lightly spicy sauce, with the majority of the dish consisting of batter rather than chicken. It lacked texture, balance, and freshness. The soups were equally disappointing. The wonton soup tasted like a highly saturated version of the original, lacking real flavor and nuance. The egg drop soup was similar...flat and uninspired. I understand that American Chinese food is its own category, but even within that category, there are many establishments that execute it far better. This meal was not reflective of the praise it receives. I was genuinely looking forward to this lunch and left very disappointed. I hope the owners read this review and take it as constructive feedback. Chinese food is a delicacy for many people, myself included, and it deserves care, balance, and pride in execution. I truly hope the quality improves, because the potential could be there, but this visit missed the mark. I hope the owners review this post

It was very wonderful, I like there quick delivery and there restaurant was great too, I love it…read moreso much and it was so good to see the people there as always

Pho and Thai

(180 reviews)

Pho & Thai is my number one thai spot. I am a thai curry girl through and through and nothing…read moredisappoints me more than when they don't give a lot of curry broth and Pho & Thai doesn't jip, they give so much broth and it makes me so happy. Not only do they give tons of broth, it also tastes incredible. I appreciate the size of the containers and the spice levels. We always order online which is super easy and our food is always ready on time.

Pleasant staff. Ordered take out-was reasonable wait. Pad Thai was dry and average flavor. Probably…read morewould not order that again

The Green Peapod

3.1

(114 reviews)

Five stars for super fast delivery! I live within the delivery zone and from the time I ordered to…read morethe time it was at my door was less than 20 minutes. I was super impressed. My food was piping hot! Three and a half stars for food. I ordered chicken pad thai and red curry chicken. I enjoy pouring the curry on the pad thai and I was very satisfied. Very generous portions of chicken in both entrees. I have certainly had better but I've definitely had worse. This scratched my itch for Thai food. I will definitely order again.

We used to love ordering from GPP, but unfortunately, the quality has really gone downhill while…read morethe prices have continued to go up. Lately, the food often tastes like it has simply been reheated. The rice arrives cold and dry, and the egg rolls--now $8.50 for two--are soggy and taste like they've been sitting around. The chicken satay skewers also seem to be getting smaller and smaller. The chicken lo mein has very little chicken in it; you practically have to dig through the noodles to find a piece. It's disappointing because GPP used to be one of our favorites, but at these prices, the quality and portions simply aren't what they used to be. I hope the owners take notice and correct some of these issues. We will not be ordering from here anymore.

Fusion Taste Arlington

(227 reviews)