If you've never scooped up a dollop of kitfo with a hunk of soft, spongy injera while seated around a multicoloured mesob, or if you don't even know what all that means, then...
544 Tremont StreetSmall wonder this vivid, richly colourful North African cafe remains unknown even to many Central Square locals - with only 25 seats, this is one little secret that devotees...
80½ Pearl StreetJust as miscellany marks the menu, diversity defines the diners who throng at this wood-panelled, homey café. Among the legion of cuisines that the kitchen borrows from (Asian,...
669A Centre StreetWhat little trace remains of Harvard Square's once-countercultural soul can be found in this greasy spoon-cum-dive bar, with a lobster tank in one corner, a jukebox bursting...
10 Eliot StreetPerched on a windy stretch of Columbus Avenue, this greasy spoon (established in 1927) is pure bygone Americana. Chrome stools literally on their last legs line the counter,...
429 Columbus AvenueThe kitsch will tickle you; the kitchen will floor you. This gaudy former grocery serves up some of Boston's freshest, most fiery Thai fare. The sprawling menu grants diners...
411 Harvard StreetA true gentleman and his smiling wife run this sweetly modest Peruvian-Brazilian side-street find. Still a favourite with neighbourhood couples after 20 years, it offers...
57 West Dedham StreetBrightly painted yet dimly lit, this long, narrow cantina is a laid-back, inexpensive place to grab a bite. The kitchen's strength isn't Tex-Mex grub, but the more refined...
1682 Massachusetts AvenueThe Full Moon is stocked with baskets of toys, books, a chalkboard and a dolls' house to keep the children sweet. While the kids play, you can sample the Moroccan chicken stew...
344 Huron AvenueWonderfully shadowy, looking as if it might belong on the corner of some dusty Mexican plaza, Ken Oringer's taqueria nonetheless caters largely to Yanquis (though not, mind...
1 Lansdowne StreetThere's barely room to move amid the memorabilia that clutters this Harvard Square institution, never mind the crush of diners scoffing thick, juicy burgers and even thicker...
1246 Massachusetts AvenueEven during regular dinner service, the New Shanghai makes dim sum-style dining an option - and a delight. Its panoply of steamed or fried pies and buns, filled with chives,...
21 Hudson StreetAmid the twee boutiques and dog bakeries of the hyper-gentrified South End, this twinkling little tribute to the Venezuelan roadside restaurant known as a taguarita comes as a...
477 Shawmut AvenueAdmittedly greater than the sum of its parts, this once-classic greasy spoon (established in 1937) is now a knowingly jazzy version of its original self. Though the old...
44 Charles StreetWhat's better than cramming the city's most celebrated chefs into a single kitchen? Giving them room to think, so they can contribute from afar to a single menu composed of the...
361 Boylston Street