Five Restaurants to Visit in Allston Right Now
Allston has long been home to some of Boston’s finest cheap eats, and over the past six months, several hip new spots (plus one wonderful dive of a sandwich shop) have joined the fray. Serving everything from Latin small plates to doctored-up grilled cheeses, these venues spent the summer fine-tuning their menus, so now’s the best time to give them the old college try.
photograph by Kristin Teig
1. Totto Ramen
From this New York–based chainlet’s 13-stool wraparound counter, diners can watch cooks deftly assemble bowls of ramen. Totto’s creamy, chicken-based paitan broth is rich and flavorful, particularly when paired with al dente noodles, chili-sesame oil, and thick slabs of char siu pork in the spicy version.
169 Brighton Ave., 617-202-5075, tottoramen.com.
photograph by Kristin Teig
2. Lulu’s Allston
Executive chef Sarah Wade has cooked in kitchens throughout the South, so you can rest assured that her fried chicken (brined for 24 hours before a buttermilk bath) is the real deal. Other stick-to-your-ribs dishes, like Velveeta mac ’n’ cheese topped with Harpoon-stout-braised short ribs, similarly display Wade’s comfort-food chops.
421 Cambridge St., 617-787-1117, lulusallston.com.
Photograph by Chelsea Kyle
3. Wan’s
When Winston Albert Niles closed his original Mission Hill sandwich shop earlier this year, die-hard fans were crushed. Thankfully, Niles is back, with a new deli on Brighton Avenue that serves up originals like the Deathwich—a footlong sub loaded with steak, pork, turkey, and bacon—in a no-frills interior.
172 Brighton Ave., 617-783-8787, alsdeliboston.com.
Photograph by kristi senat
4. Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese
What began in the back of a $50,000 former hot-dog mobile has turned into a full-fledged restaurant (albeit a fast-casual one), featuring the full lineup of Roxy’s beloved grilled cheeses, plus a rotating menu of creative burgers and canned craft brews.
485 Cambridge St., 617-202-5864, roxysgrilledcheese.com.
photograph by Kristin Teig
5. The Glenville Stops
The menu at the Glenville Stops often riffs on executive chef Juan Pedrosa’s Latin-American roots. Cases in point: the charred-octopus-and-tomatillo bean salad, and the griddled queso de freir, served with garlic crostini and a drizzle of raw honey. In addition to such global fare, the casual restaurant features 20 taps of craft beer and a 1,000-square-foot wine cellar, making it the ideal watering hole for the well-drink- and Sox-game-averse.
87 Glenville Ave., 617-903-3638, glenvillestops.com.
