Food was good, fresh, spice level and aroma also right. Not…read morebusy at all, service was also good.

Went to this restaurant as in walking distance in Brookline. This is an apparently elevated Indian…read morefood restaurant. The food was interesting, the saag was blended to smoother creamy sauce with a hint of mushroom or truffle which was unexpected. The food was generally too spicy hot for mild. We are glad we didn't order spicier. naan was delicious. Salad was huge - enough for four to six people. Food tasted good. Good presentation. Staff could work on clearing plates earlier or using smaller plates. The table was absolutely cluttered unnecessarily. A few things stood out as questionable. Our waiter seemed a little spacy. Order didn't go in on time and then also forgot details. So maybe our food was spicier bc he forgot that we ordered mild. Also, I noticed water dripping from the kitchen ceiling and this kind of took away my appetite. Staff very apologetic for delays in our food order.

Pretty solid szechuan spot in Harvard Square! I made a reservation to ensure no wait time and at…read morethe time, I had to make it quite early so it seems like a popular spot. Interior felt very modern and sleek - it was a bit small as well so it was a little cramped between tables and walking areas. The menu had a good selection of szechuan fare and we ended up sharing some of their popular dishes. I enjoyed the large fish one which was a good size for a family. Everything tasted authentic, my only qualm was paying for rice - you can't not have rice and it seems ridiculous to pay $3 for one bowl. Overall, a solid restaurant and option for Chinese food in Harvard Square.

Two weekend visits to this relatively new subterranean Sichuan eatery in Harvard Square (Eliot…read moreStreet) with a very inviting interior and some VERY spicy dishes. -- Vegetarian Cold Noodle: Firm, peanut buttery, satisfying. Not spicy. Not too saucy, so you can "feel" the noodle, but I would have liked more vegetables. -- Yibin Fiery Noodles: Warm and similarly al dente, these were manageably spicy. Meat crumble, seeds or nuts, scallions, and heat. -- Red and Green Pepper Chicken: Batterless but crisp, tender, and not boneless. Relentlessly spicy from several heat sources and kaleidoscopically delicious. The closest comparison is dry hot chicken that also goes by a few other names, but this was better. Elite, and the best thing I ate in all of 2025, but sadly no longer on the menu. -- Stone Pot Tofu: Billed as Ma Po Tofu sizzling in a stone pot, but no sizzle and no stone pot. Identified as very spicy but minimally spicy and more numbing (more "ma" than "la"). I enjoyed the overall flavor (heavily seasoned) and the saltiness of the fermented black beans. Despite some of the menu discrepancies, this was a really good version for my tastes. Near-elite. -- Green Beans With Eggplant: Strong flavor, not too hot spicewise, but volcanically hot temperaturewise. Decent. -- Chicken and Clams: Black bean flavor, whole peppercorns, spicy but loaded with flavor beyond the spice. A deceptively huge and quite delicious. Elite. -- Beef Spring Rolls: Not my choice. Crisp, beefy, and chili sauce on the side added contrast. Solid, but boring, more typical of an Americanized offering, and a waste of an opportunity given Too Hot's killer menu. -- Pork Belly with Fermented Beans: Superb rendition, not drastically different from twice cooked pork, but much more flavor and giant pieces. Near-elite to Elite. -- Shrimp in Dry Hot Pot: Tons of dry rub spiciness, giant shrimp, chopped vegetables, and crinkle cut potatoes. Near-elite. -- Brussels Sprouts w/Shallots: More subtle flavors here but hardly bland. Fried shallots had sort of an onion ringy presence in miniature. Cooked just right. Outstanding overall experience, with the best dish on the first visit and almost all winners on the second. Kudos to the friendly and helpful service, including a server suggestion to switch an item after noticing we ordered two very similar items. Eager to return often and try even more of the menu.

Located in the heart of Brighton Center, this restaurant offers jianbing, tang hulu, and beef…read morenoodles. The jianbing ($8 w/o tax) is delightfully satisfying with a crunchy texture and good chew. The stars are the beef noodles ($16.95 w/o tax) and the General Gao's chicken ($12 w/o tax). The beef noodles comes with soft chewy noodles, beef shin meat, and some vegetables. Shockingly, the General Gao's chicken tastes like Panda Express in the best way and comes with vegetable fried rice. Service is friendly and there are two tables for people to dine in.

Beijing Taste is a cozy Asian fusion takeout place on Washington Street in Brighton that offers a…read morevariety of noodle dishes, meat & vegetable dishes, dumplings, small appetizers, Chinese crepes, soy milk, snacks & drinks. This place used to be Happy Garden. There are a couple of booths here and seats near the door to wait for your order. I stopped by later in the evening for some light fare takeout. I ordered the Chinese Crepe with Pork Sausage ($9) and the Takoyaki ($6.50) and it was ready in about 10 minutes. I also snacked on a free Japanese Kit-Kat mini bar while I waited. The savory crepe was made with wheat/grain & eggs and soft and rolled with small sausages (similar to vienna sausages) and topped with corriander. The 6 Takoyaki balls were fried, soft dough mix filled with octopus meat, another good savory snack. If I am hungry next time, I will probably order the Noodles with Soybean Paste with some Fried Dumplings.

unfortunately, this place has gone down hill. the chicken was soggy- but had none of the sauce i…read moreordered so i'm not sure how that happened. the kimchi fried rice add bulgogi was ok, wish it had more flavor. i feel like they got popular & the quality dropped like crazy.

I recently stopped by Coreanos for a Korean-Mexican fusion meal…read more I ordered the bulgogi, shrimp tempura, and short rib tacos. While waiting, I was surprised with a bowl of miso soup, which was warm, comforting, and flavorful. The tacos were generously filled and served on flour tortillas. I went in expecting the short rib to be my favorite, but the bulgogi taco emerged as my favorite. That said, because they were so well-stuffed, the tacos were a bit soggy. I also paid extra to add kimchi to one of them via the ordering screen, but it seems that addition was missed. I paired this with a Thai coffee, which was refreshing and delivered a noticeable caffeine kick. I'll definitely be back to try the kimbap. My partner, Anna F., ordered it, and after stealing a bite, I was left craving more. The restaurant is small, but we were able to find a table without issue.

Flavor Boom is one of those places I appreciate having nearby when I didn't bring lunch and need…read moresomething fast, filling, and actually tasty. The people there have always been nice, and the food has a home-cooked quality to it. It's not fancy, not really a sit-down place, but comforting in a weekday lunch kind of way. There might be a tiny table for two, but I would think of this as a takeout spot. I've tried a handful of dishes here. The black pepper pork is probably my favorite and, in my opinion, the strongest thing on the menu. The chicken adobo is solid, the tangy tamarind chicken is good, and the chicken karahi was tasty, though the chicken itself was a little dry. I also tried the beef rendang, which was not really beef rendang to me. Maybe beef-rendang-inspired? It read more like a beef stew with potatoes. Still tasty, but I would not go in expecting traditional rendang. A couple caveats: friends have mentioned that the rice can be a little dry or uneven at dinner time, and I do think some dishes can get salty toward the end of the day. Maybe the sauce has been sitting and reducing? Unclear. I usually go for lunch, and that seems like the move. Price-wise, it does add up if you're getting lunch here every day. My recent order (large size) came out to about $17 after tax and tip. If I get the large, I can usually stretch it into two meals, so that feels more reasonable, but these are "pleasantly full" meals, not "I have defeated myself" meals. My practical advice: if you're nearby, rushing for lunch, and forgot to bring your own food, this is a very useful spot. If you're not ravenously hungry, get the large and split it into two meals. Also, I wouldn't necessarily add string beans because it seems like they already include a small amount. I probably wouldn't eat here every day because I think I'd get bored, but I'm glad it exists. While Flavor Boom is not my every-day lunch, it is indeed my "I forgot food and need something warm, filling, and tasty before my next meeting" lunch.

Had their large burgundy braised beef bowl. Came with…read moretender spiced beef on a bowl Of white rice and green beans. It was delicious. Great size and tasty..

this is my favorite takeout sushi spot! the staff are super friendly, sushi is fresh and tasty, and…read morethe prices are very reasonable. my personal fav is the snow mountain maki roll and they have great deals on the combos too

Quite tasty! You will enjoy it if you love sushi that is fresh and affordable. Would have again!read more

We made a reservation ahead of time for our large group of 12 people at Baby Cafe. They have a tiny…read moreparking lot with 3 narrow spaces in addition to street parking. Our food came with a complimentary drink so we had to try the "Ice Baby Milk Tea" drink which came with a frozen "baby chef" that later melted---the milk tea was absolutely delicious that tasted just like the milk tea I've had in Hong Kong. Favorite dishes of the evening: The hand-shredded chicken. Our cousin orders this every time they come and I can totally see why. It was tender and so flavorful! String Bean w/Ground Pork--it's diced up pretty small and my daughter loved this dish. Popcorn Chicken--crispy crunchy and so flavorful--I like that these aren't spicy Sour/spicy fish and pickled mustard greens stew--this was my favorite dish of the night. The pickled mustard worked so well with the tender flaky fish!

I've always wanted to try Hainanese chicken rice, so after browsing all the available food stalls…read morein Novo Marketplace, I decided to try this place. Food came out pretty quickly, and the chicken is nice and tender and not dry. I don't really like the yellow rice that they use which is kind of dry. The chicken comes with some green gingery sauce that goes well with it. I guess I just kind of expected this dish to be more mind blowing as it's always hyped on social media and at hawker's stalls in Singapore, etc. but it was still quite enjoyable and I might come again to try their other offerings.

We made last minute reservations on a Saturday because some other plans fell through. They were…read moreable to accommodate us on short notice and when we arrived the table was already set up with a high chair and a sippy cup and plate for our toddler set up. The service was great and the food was also excellent. The matcha sour was delicious.

Wow- I love Thai food and when I saw what the menu fused Thai and Italian I knew I had to try…read more Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Boston now. Staff very friendly, we walked in no reservation around 6 on a Tuesday. Everything was flavorful and came out fast. I loved how there were many N/A drink options that were all under 10$. 1000% worth the price for a unique tasting experience. Would recommend to everyone visiting Boston, can't wait to return!!

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

Came to Esmai's for an early dinner with my boyfriend and sat on the outdoor rooftop (we made a…read morereservation). The Highlights: Blush Hour cocktail & Shrimp baos: Easily a 10/10! Absolute must-trys. Calamari: Pretty good, but the sauce really made the dish. The Misses: The Pasta (2/10): Neither of us enjoyed this. The sauce was very watery and lacked flavor--it seemed like it relied on meat juices for flavor, but it just didn't work. Smash Burger: Just an average burger. Hard to mess up, but nothing to write home about. Vibe & Service: The rooftop ambience was nice with staff playing music on a speaker. Wait-staff were very attentive! A huge plus was the owner coming out to check on tables and joke around with guests! Note on space: Upstairs indoor seating seems okay for private events (there was a bridal shower happening while we were there), and downstairs has a classic sit-down/bar feel. Verdict: Total came out to $171 (including tip) for 4 drinks, calamari, baos, pasta, and a burger. If we return, we'd definitely stick to drinks, shrimp baos, and hanging out downstairs!

I'm so glad Uyghur cuisine has made its way to Boston…read more I was first introduced to it years ago at Silk Road in Cambridge, and I've been hoping more Uyghur restaurants would open ever since. Jahunger truly delivers. The restaurant immediately sets the mood. Candlelight, the scent of incense, traditional instruments on the walls, and pothos plants growing from mounted glass jars all make the space feel warm and inviting. One warning: unless you arrive around 6 p.m. or earlier, expect a wait. (It's popular.) Oh, and the food is worth it. The leek and egg dumplings tasted homemade in the best way: slightly rustic, fresh, and delicious. The hand-pulled noodles are the stars. Every noodle dish we ordered had the perfect chewy texture. My favorite was the Laghman noodles, though the Jahunger noodles were a close second with their rich spices and satisfying heat. The mee fen and stir-fried green beans both packed a respectable kick and leaned a little salty, but not enough to keep me from happily polishing them off. Don't forget the tea! It's beautiful to look at, filled with all sorts of ingredients (Chinese jujubes!), and only lightly sweet, which I appreciated. Then came the showstopping honey cake. The cake itself was fluffy, while the filling had a firmer, almost sticky texture with deep caramelized flavors that reminded me of burnt caramel in the best possible way. Paired with what tasted like coffee ice cream, it was the perfect ending to the meal. Jahunger is one of those restaurants that makes you want to come back before you've even paid the bill. I'm so glad Jahunger made it to Cambridge; the Boston food scene is richer because it's here.

My family really wanted to check out this new place nearby. I was not familiar with Uyghur food so…read moreI decided to join along. We came in and the restaurant was filled with younger people who were hanging out. To start off we ordered lamb dumplings and scallion pancakes. I was familiar with both of these appetizers and they were the same as anywhere else. To eat, we ordered chicken stew. The waitress told us that one stew was spicy and the other was non spicy. We decided to order the non-spicy one since others were not big fans of spice. When we received the food it was very spicy. It was hard to eat and we did not enjoy it. The waitress came back and thought we wanted the spicy chicken stew which was incorrect. She apologized and wanted to switch it. At this point we were running late so it didn't matter. We just packed it and gave it to our family member who likes spice. This place was okay. I will have to come back here and give it another chance.