Shanti
Neighborhood: Dorchester

1111 Dorchester Ave
Dorchester, MA 02125

Billie M. writes: Is it hot in here?  Maybe it's just me.  No, really, is it warm in here?  Oh, it's not the thermostat, it's the fire in my mouth.  Thanks.

FINALLY!  An Indian restaurant that will serve my pasty ass some spicy food!  After hearing lots of praise for…

The Wine & Cheese Cask

407 Washington St
Somerville, MA 02143

Drew W. writes: I shop here whenever I'm in Boston since it's around the corner from my brother-in-law's place. It's been the stop for me and the wife as a last second gift venue before invading his home.

I'm a big fan of the wine selection here since I can find a…

Saraceno
Neighborhood: Charlestown, North End

286 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113

Mats K. writes: I'm not usually the type who spends more than $10 for a meal when eating out (in fact I prefer food specials topping out just over $5), but once in a while I splurge.  I randomly went to this place last night and it was absolutely fantastic.

I had…

New England Soup Factory

244 Needham Street
Newton, MA 02456

Quinn E. writes: Three letters- FWC. It's a W. It stands for Finished With Cream. I think they call them that because when you finish the bowl of soup, you cream your pants.
Seriously, their cream-based soups are to die for. You have to try the clam and corn chowder.…

Madura Company
Neighborhood: Back Bay

144 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02116

Caroline A. writes: Fantastic French window treatments that are made for do-it-yourselfers like me. The colors and fabrics are vibrant and very high quality.  What I love about Madura is that they always keep the same color scheme... so years later, you can come back…

C'est Bon
Neighborhood: Harvard Square

12 Quincy St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Lori E. writes: I loved this place but they sadly went out of business for drop in orders.  They still cater, so if you love them, get a group of friends together and put in an order ahead of time.  Mourners may gather near the storefront.

Davis Hairdressing

26 Lincoln St
Newton, MA 02461

Jen and Tim S. writes: I loved Davis.  Erica cut my hair that was long and half dead into a really cute, easy-to-care-for cut!

The only thing I didn't love about Davis was it was my first visit and the receptionist sort of threw a robe at me and sent me to a chair some one…

Kashish

61 Leonard Street
Belmont, MA 02478

matt o. writes: Kashish is my first try with indian food, I had my friend order for me and everything was perfect.  The kashish combo platter was probably some of the coolest looking apetizers I've ever seen and they were all delicious especially the big fried I…

Spice Thai Cuisine
Neighborhood: Harvard Square

24 Holyoke St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Ligaya T. writes: The first Thai place in Boston to pass the pad thai AND pad see ew litmus test. I rejoiced! You know when there's a storm and you count how long between lightening and cracks of thunder to see how far away it is. Well, count to three and you'll have…

Tamarind House
Neighborhood: Porter Square

1790 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140

Josie M. writes: For Thai food, Tamarind House cannot be beat, in my opinion.  I go there frequently and have introduced several people to this fantastic restaurant.  The staff is attentive and kind and the food is out of this world!  The vegetables are incredibly…

Lucca
Neighborhood: Charlestown, North End

226 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113

Shayan S. writes: Oh my lord. I must admit, when I read about the reviews of this place, my curiousity was piqued. The menu seemed eccentric to say the least, and the use of truffles is the surest way to sucker me into having dinner at a particular place.

Lucca is…

Michaud Cosmetics
Neighborhood: Back Bay

297 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02115

Rachel K. writes: How different could an eyebrow service be, you ask?

I wondered the same thing, and then I had my first appointment with Caroline at Michaud. She spent almost 40 minutes gently shaping, plucking, trimming and coaxing my brows into the best shape…

Joe Sent Me
Neighborhood: North Cambridge

2388 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140

Nadya R. writes: Ma'! Liz and Damien sent me here and I got drunk.

Saturday night, playdate with the kids. The place serves average pub food, I was trying to eat healthy and got a steak salad and it was ok, no big deal, but I should've eaten more of it or something…

Kane's Doughnut House

120 Lincoln Ave
Saugus, MA 01906

diana r. writes: They have THE WORLD'S LARGEST COFFEE ROLL here.  It's about 10-inches in diameter and super fluffy.  Seriously, it's like the size of a small cat.  You can get it frosted or glazed.  I had me a little too much beer before going in there, so I…

Fuji Steak House

1430 Highland Ave
Needham, MA 02492

Lauren T. writes: Burn! baby Burn!
What a great place to take friends for dinner. Everyone sits around the grill, while the chef cooks your dinner before your eyes and entertains the crowd with daring acts of shrimp tossing and "onion volcanoes"! AWESOME! The Toro…

Blue Moon Bagel Cafe

236 Main St
Medfield, MA 02052

Kendra S. writes: Siri Devta (see review below) introduced me to the yummy little Nutella-filled pastry bites that make you forget your own name and my life will NEVER EVER be the same.

The Blue Moon Bageleria is a pilgrimage for the urban dweller, but well worth the…

Bernard's

199 Boylston St
Mall at Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

ed p. writes: i must say that Bernard's is the only Chinese i eat from now on.
the menu selection is exotic and tastefully prepared. the reason some1 said that it lacks flavour must be because they don't use msg.
the waitstaff is very friendly and very attentive to…

Atrium Mall

300 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Vanilla P. writes: Um, don't go here when you're wearing sweat pants on your first maternity clothes shopping trip. You really will feel fat and horrid. That being said, they have an Anthropologie AND a Le's -- The perfect way to spend too much money on candles (when…

Vinny's at Night

76 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02145

Katherine I. writes: Last night the rack of lamb and seafood extravaganza were tasty and certainly better than anything eaten at Maurizio's in the North End during restaurant week.

a)  However, if you don't mind watching your waitress wrap her soup coolers around the…

Sandrine's
Neighborhood: Harvard Square

8 Holyoke St
Cambridge, MA 02138

diana r. writes: The first week after we arrived in Boston, we wandered aimlessly looking for food.  What we encountered were chain restaurants, franchises of all sorts, unsavory looking pizzerias and delis, and REALLY REALLY bad Chinese food.  Restaurant Week rolled…

Stellina Restaurant

47 Main St
Watertown, MA 02472

Debra L. writes: Stellina offers lunch now! The Enoteca is open for lunch Tuesday - Friday. Today is a happy day for my office lunch posse.

The lunch menu consists of thin-crust pizzas, paninis, salads, soup of the day & pasta dishes (regular and daily specials too).…

Mary Chung Restaurant
Neighborhood: Central Square

460 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

Ligaya T. writes: I have been living in shame for months; how could I live a 5 minute walk away without having stepped foot here?! Preposterous, I know. At the urgings of many a friend and yelper I finally gave it a shot.

Lesson #1, with Quest Diagnostics across the…

Hi Lo Foods
Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain

450 Centre St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Pete S. writes: I stopped in Hi-Lo the other day for the first time in a while and fondly remembered why I love this place.

1. The coolest decor of any supermarket I know of in Greater Boston. Big stylized letters proclaim PRODUCE and DAIRY and M E A T S in bold…

Market Basket

400 Somerville Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144

Pete S. writes: Switching to Market Basket is like getting a raise.

All you have to do is shop regularly at Star/Shaw's or Stop & Shop, then buy the same things at Market Basket and gasp when they tell you how little your total is. It's like they're handing me…

La Famiglia Giorgio's
Neighborhood: Charlestown, North End

112 Salem St
Boston, MA 02113

Ligaya T. writes: So I'm eating their pasta right now, two days after my visit, one day after my friend ate a heaping pile of the leftovers to his fill. Translation = literally three meals. I'm loving that warmed up on the stove with a little olive oil, red pepper…

Takemura Japanese Restaurant
Neighborhood: Harvard Square

18 Eliot St
Cambridge, MA 02138

Ligaya T. writes: I'm rating on the price to quality/experience ratio here. When I'm paying less than $20 a person, my expectations are much lower. So the fact that the maki wasn't rolled super tightly and a little sloppily was acceptable. I did however, have an…

Hidyan Cafe
Neighborhood: Fenway

80 Kilmarnock St
Boston, MA 02215

Viv C. writes: I've only been here for the frozen yogurt, and truthfully, the fro-yo is worth it for a visit. Huge servings for cheap prices. And delicious flavor combinations that you get to choose yourself. Needless to say, I was impressed. Now this isn't like…

Scrubadub A Great Carwash

143 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02445

Peter N. writes: My poor little wagon had been hauling groups of 8---10 dogs twice a day for about a year, so you can imagine what condition it was in.  Sure, I had preventative measures in place: seat covers; a dog barrier; tarps, blankets, rubber runners to cover…

Chung Shin Yuan

183 California St
Newton, MA 02456

Roni E. writes: So I just recently found that this place is closed on Mondays!!!! WTF!!!!
They lost a star just for that!

But in all fair honesty, I finally went to this place this weekend because I was totally craving Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Buns), but they just…

Pizza Pie-er

182 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA 02115

Shaina S. writes: There's something just a little sweet about the sauce.  And the crust has a crunchy coating on the bottom.  And the toppings...  It's all so delicious.

I think this is some of my favorite pizza.  It seems to be a little bit hit or miss with people,…

Scutra
Neighborhood: Arlington Center

92 Summer St
Arlington, MA 02474

HyunJoo K. writes: Delicious!!!! I didn't expect to really enjoy the food, as the menu online did not quite appeal to me (I typically like the simple un-fancy foods). But the 'Summer Special' was very good and enjoyed every bite. (Summer Special: On Monday through…

Paper Source
Neighborhood: Back Bay

338 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116

Marissa P. writes: I *heart* Paper Source. Seriously, I'm in love with everything about this store. If you need stationery, if you like making cool crafty things, or if you feel the need to be humbled by what other people can do in the way of cool crafty things, check…

James Joseph Studio
Neighborhood: Back Bay

168 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115

Theo F. writes: After many traumatic experiences and scary cuts (the razor-cut shag, which made me look like I had a bad case of mange; the layered pixie, which made me look like a brain-damaged vulcan; the haircut with no name, best described as grab-and-hack, and…

Newtowne Grille Food & Spirits
Neighborhood: Porter Square

1945 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140

Noelle J. writes: YAY Newtowne!!! :-D

A dive bar with dignity. And by dignity, I mean good, CLEAN food.

This place has the yummiest pizza in the area and the large cheese only costs $3.00 if you get it with a pitcher of beer.  I'm a sucker for the PBR+ cheese pizza…

Sultan's Kitchen
Neighborhood: Financial District

116 State St
Boston, MA 02109

Nicole P. writes: My new favorite lunch place!!!!!!

I had never had Turkish food before enterting the Sultan's Kitchen (I imagine a deep voice coming on to say Suuuultan's Kitcheeeeen) but I do love Middle Eastern food- hummus and such- so figured I'd check it out.…

Prezza
Neighborhood: Charlestown, North End

24 Fleet St
Boston, MA 02113

Sam R. writes: North End and Italian - are they synonymous? I'm not from Boston, so I wouldn't know. But our business partners told us that Prezza's was one of the best Italian restaurants in the area -  and I'd have to agree.

The restaurant itself has a modern,…

Oga's Japanese Cuisine

915 Worcester St
Natick, MA 01760

Damien S. writes: Backstories are for losers and ruffians. Time travelers too because they're just, yknow, out of place.

Oga's doesn't need a back story. It doesn't need a description of the oddly pleasing interior reminiscent of a bamboo, glass and stainless steel…

JP Licks
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner

311 Harvard Street
Brookline, MA 02445

Lauren W. writes: The line was pretty long but before I had a chance to decide on one of the many flavors of ice cream, yogurt (hard & soft), and ice cream cake I was getting helped. The system that they have set up with all of their employees is very fast. As I said,…

Lionette's Market
Neighborhood: South End

571 Tremont St
Roxbury, MA 02118

Jessica F. writes: Lionette's is my go-to for specialty supplies, fresh meats and ready-made dinner items.  Of course, living a few steps away helps, but I think the produce and take-out dishes are head and shoulders above South End Formaggio.  Also, their commitment…

Wine Gallery

371 Boylston St
Brookline, MA 02445

Sarah R. writes: OK, so giving Wine Gallery 5 stars might be a bit generous, given that I've only been in there twice and haven't been to their wine tastings or sampled the wonderful wine jukebox, but here's why I'm giving them the full 5:

-Proximity to my abode. You…