First the food: my very favorite cuisine Mediterranean and they do it so well. The crispy…read moreeggplant is like nothing else: perfectly fried with a honey feta sauce. The dips and bread so good and the watermelon salad divine. Our server was so nice and perfect and the manager was friendly and accommodating. It's a beautiful restaurant with outside seating: fresh, airy, and inviting. I want to come here every week.

Ilona is a Mediterranean restaurant in Boston, and my boyfriend and I came here for dinner on the…read moreFourth of July. He had a $100 Resy credit, which ended up covering our entire meal with a little left over. For the quality of the food and the overall experience, it felt surprisingly affordable and very satisfying. The ambiance is open, stylish, and inviting, with both booth and table seating. We were seated at a corner table, which made the dinner feel relaxed and comfortable. The menu is mostly tapas-style, so it is a great spot if you want to order several dishes and share. One downside is that the entrées were pretty meat-heavy. The kebabs, for example, were limited to beef, lamb, chicken, and swordfish. I would have loved to see a vegetable or tofu kebab on the menu. That said, I was still able to put together a really satisfying meal from the appetizers, mezze, and salads. We started with a dip assortment that came with Lebanese-style flatbread, or manakish. The dips included a spicy yogurt-based dip, beet hummus, and another grainier orange-colored hummus. Everything was flavorful, fresh, and really enjoyable. The standout dish for me was the crispy eggplant. It came as thin, tempura-style slices of eggplant with a pomegranate yogurt sauce and a honey glaze. It was definitely on the sweeter side, but it was absolutely delicious--honestly, I could have made a meal out of that dish alone. We also ordered the fattoush salad, which had the classic vegetables but felt especially fresh because of the watermelon cubes, cherry tomatoes, sumac vinaigrette, and capers. My boyfriend also tried the oysters, which were a special that day. Overall, Ilona was a great dinner spot: cute atmosphere, central Boston location, shareable plates, and tasty Mediterranean food. I do wish there were more vegetarian-friendly entrée options, but I still had a very satisfying meal and would happily come back.

GREAT FOOD! We got the brussel sprouts to share and the smashburger. Highly recommend this placeread more

Another place that I have passed in Coolidge corner a bunch of times when I'm in the area. Esmai's…read morequietly opened up a year or two ago and I was always wondering what was inside. From just looking inside it looks like a very nice American bar and restaurant. For a space in Coolidge corner, it is definitely one of the biggest restaurants in the area since FuGakyu is closed (The OG ). It has two floors as well as a patio space they recently opened. This is an asian fusion restaurant with more emphasis on the americanized side if that makes sense? The patio area was so nice especially once it cools down in the evening with a nice view of brookline. The staff were great at bringing everything and making the food and drinks the focus rather than themselves. The menu is kind of small but mighty with a lot of delicious options. You can choose from salad to a ban mih to pasta to curry to a Hawaiian dish,loco moco! The drinks, though pretty small in size, are all really interesting combos. I got the extra 99 which had scallion, oolong and szechuan pepper infused oil. It was such an interesting savory taste.. One of my friends said it reminded her of the smell of ramen.The Loco moco was delicious. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a burger but it essentially was but just swap the buns for rice. I'm not a fan of egg but it was perfectly balanced with the egg and beef patty. They do have a couple of GF options YAY but apart from the two entree items on their brunch menu it's essentially veggies, fruit and salad. The brunch menu looks delicious so I would definitely come back to try it out. $$ Food 8 Atmosphere 8 Service 7 Loco Moco Extra 99 Blush hour Chateau spritz Summer thyme You can sip with is

After a fun and fabulous night at Ryan Landry's gold dust orphans show up on the third floor we…read morewandered down to find the basement kitchen. Our first time around we almost left - the door is unmarked - but I'm glad we didn't. This is a place straight out of my Indiana childhood (where Poles and eastern Europeans were plentiful). All the food is homemade. From scratch. It's essentially the kitchen of the Lithuanian cultural organization, and feels a bit like being in a very friendly VFW. The president of the club came over to greet us and to make sure we felt at home. The regulars were sitting by the bar watching the Pats game. We had the stuffed cabbage and the kielbasa dinner. The borscht soup at the beginning was absolutely delicious. The evening and the meal were perfect in every way.

Looks like an office building. Ring the buzzer to get in, walk downstairs, big industrial door on…read morethe left. Bare bones restaurant, friendly service and absolutely outstanding authentic food. Reminds me of the stuff my grandmother makes.Order at the counter. Cash only. Weekends only. This place doesn't show up if you use Waze or Google Maps, type in the actual address. The best hidden gem in Southie! Can't wait to return!

Consistently excellent food and service!! My favorite restaurant in the Boston area…read more If you go for a birthday, they put a very cool sparkler in your dessert. In the summer, it's great to sit outside and watch people on the bike path below. Just excellent.

Scutra is in an unassuming location in Arlington on a main road near some other businesses. Once…read moreyou step inside, you'll notice a classy but comfortable atmosphere. The staff are attentive and funny as well. Scutra's menu really impressed me with a broad cuisine consisting of italian pastas, steaks, seafood, and more. I honestly wished I could sample each entree! We started with the fried avocado hearts as an appetizer, which were wonderful and in a nice thick sauce too. We also ordered the lobster avocado tacos which were sublime. Then it was time for the main course, grilled medium rare maple hanger steak, cheddar mashed potatoes, and bacon wrapped haricot vert (green beans). It was bursting with flavor and the sauce was wonderful (maple anything will please me haha) and I got to try someone's rainbow trout with stuffing (including shrimp) which I also really enjoyed. Scutra comes highly recommended for repeat visits to try their diverse menu items, which I hope to do in the future!

Homemade Pasta dishes 28 to 32 dollars…read more Give me a break Pasta is still very cheap to make Plus the size of his dishes

I am not a huge pasta eater BUT since visiting Boston and being turned on to Bistro 5's Spaghetti…read moreChittara, I have been obsessed! I have to travel to Boston on my annual pilgrimage to eat at Bistro 5! Not only is the food amazing, the service is top notch and they always make me feel so welcome. The last 2 times I've gone, they were serving specialty menus BUT when they find out I've traveled from Austin just to eat the Spaghetti Chittara, they have made the dish especially for me (plus an extra one to take home!) Our waiter this time was Aaron, originally from Austin! He was incredible and made a point by calling us by our names and going above and beyond!! The only problem I have (well, 2 problems) are that I can't get it in Austin and I can't figure out how to reverse engineer it so it makes for an expensive dinner counting the travel expenses but well worth it!!

BEST. FOOD. EVER. the matcha is genuinely the best i've had and they have the most delish breakfast…read moresandwiches! in the afternoon the cafe swaps from being a cafe to a moldavian kitchen but they still let me order my matcha. vegan borscht= very good! they have a nice clean area for me to drink my matcha.

I was very excited to try Bingebowl because there's really not many places like this. I ordered a…read morebowl for lunch during the work week via a catering service. Due to this, I can't speak on the ambiance of the place, so this review is based on the food. The chicken was fantastic! Tender and moist. The sides offered tons a flavor depending on what you order. I got a little bit of everything just to try it all. Love that a lot of these sides are healthy for you. I'd definitely order my bowl again!

I have been to Crystal number of times before Covid . It was a fun place ( live music) and pretty…read moredecent Russian food. Not enough of parking fora such a busy place though.

Arbat is fantastic. It's very authentic Russian- from the food, to the decor (which borders a bit…read moreon tacky but that's the style!), to the music, everything is pure Russian goodness. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was in Russia being here- it reminds me of a lot of the standard banquet halls in Russia. I went recently for a friend's birthday party and I'm considering having my next birthday celebration here. The food is served banquet style and it is delicious- especially the shashlik and the potatoes mmm. The servers are super attentive, always stopping by to clear any empty plates or fill any empty pitchers with water or soda. Plus, from what I know, they allowed my friend (the birthday girl) to bring in her own alcohol There is a dance floor and music which is really karaoke style- there were three people (two girls and a guy) singing along to random hits (both Russian and international) -- I personally thought the music was fantastic, they played a lot of my favorites. Everyone has fun- young and old- dancing! There were little girls around age 2 dancing and old dedushka guys (grandpas) dancing too. If you're in the Russian community at all you're bound to run into someone you know here ;) which can always make it even more fun. Another friend of mine is having her birthday here in a few weeks and I am looking forward to returning!

late night walking around Boston after walking around Boston all day and the realization we've not…read moreeaten except eggs and meats and toasts and fruits at breakfast so victuals are high on the list of things to get followed by home - actually Tina's place but whatever... so around the corner and across the street from the sideshow that is Faneuil Hall we find some tables outside a bar and ask for menus and a jug of water. decided on oysters (tina always eats well on my dime) lobster roll for MLB, and a burger and fries for me because the other thing I wanted (fish and chips?) was not available. no complaints about any of it except maybe was a little steep but it was late and the bar is attached to a hotel and it's Boston and not at all out of line all things considered. service was warm and efficient and we were never left wanting attention or coffee for me. the portions were fair and my burger came out extra medium just like I like it with substantial fries to boot! plank fries suitable for seafaring, you could almost walk these if you had to. no complaints from the ladies, just muted sounds of tastinesses amid the small talk. so yeah, I'd eat here again.

Chicken was extremely overcooked and not good. Menu is incorrect in various areas and you are not…read moreserved what you order... The server took a very long time to take order and brought incorrect food when serving. Definitely a GREAT bar and very good alcoholic drinks but not a great restaurant.... Food is average.. Also, play a Sox game instead of a soccer game....we are in Boston... The positive was the environment and the cleanliness.