Mouthwatering Soup in Boston

Pho Pasteur

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (1591) • $$

"My friends and I stopped in at Pho Pasteur late on a Friday night. We actually stayed until closing. The staff was very kind about informing us that it was almost time to close. It's a pretty casual spot, so don't expect fine dining! You know it's a good sign when it's always busy.Sadly I lost the pictures of the actual food... but thankfully I still had the reciept, so I know exactly what we ordered! We started out with the Spring Rolls, which were absolutely fresh and delicious. Nothing beats the sauce on the side. Two of us got the Beef Noodle Soup and one got the Vegetable and Tofu Noodle Soup. Both soups were excellent and the potions were huge!"

Santouka Back Bay

★★★★☆ 4.1 (786) • $$

"Expect to wait in a line outside. That's how you know it's a good place. We didn't wait long, maybe 20 minutes. It was the weekend of the Boston Marathon so the streets were busier than normal. We were seated at a communal table. Most if not all were like this so they can fit more people. Fortunately my friend and I were seated right at the window so we only had people on one side. This is a no frills restaurant, which means don't dilly dally. You never feel rushed, but the atmosphere didn't make us feel like we should stay beyond what we needed to enjoy our ramen.Speaking of, we both got small sizes. It may look tiny, but we were both very full when we finished. Broth was creamy, thick, and savory without being salty or over powering. Noodles were perfectly cooked. I loved the menma and the ume on top. It was the perfect meal for a busy Boston day of walking around the city.Don't sleep on this place!"

GRECO

★★★★☆ 4.4 (648) • $$

"This food is so FREAKING AMAZING. Honestly you are getting fine dinning quality in a casual restaurant that delivers such good food. I went here for dinner three times in two weeks and each time it was consistently good. The halloumi and zucchini chips were my go to. The fries with feta are also delicious. They carry an array of Greek imported drinks. The dips.. oh the dips!! The Tirokafteri aka spicy feta is just out of the world as is the tsaziki. The plates are generously portioned. The yaya donuts are SO GOOD!! I honestly tried almost everything and I can't say not one bad thing. Staff goes above and beyond. They want customers to be happy. They even take customers minutes before close. Amazing spot."

Cafe Mami

★★★★☆ 4.3 (606) • $$

"Hidden gem in an Asian food hall inside Lesley college. I don't know why there was a line for another stall, this place sat me right away and I didn't have to wait long for the food was brought to my seat. Only a few tables but if you're dining solo, you can get a spot at the bar. I ordered by pointing at a picture in the menu. It ended up being a chili tomato chicken with lightly dressed salad, and little potato in tin foil. Meal comes with miso soup and bowl of rice. It was a perfect portion. Probably they prefer cash but take card, since that's all that I had. Server is super attending, kept my water filled and checking up on me."

Seoul Soulongtang

★★★★☆ 3.8 (652)

"I have been on a Korean cold noodle kick. In a heat wave, nothing hits the spot like a big bowl of noodles with chunks of ice floating in the broth. (I should learn how to make this at home.)After scouring Yelp for a place in Boston that serves these cold noodles, I landed on Seoul Soulongtang in Brighton. Be sure to come around 6 even on weekdays or be prepared for a bit of a wait - we came a little after six and nabbed the last table for two; after we finished, we opened the door to find a long line outside. The menu features a bunch of other soups and dishes but I only had eyes for the last page of cold noodles. Broth: light, fragrant, condiments of salt and yellow mustard and vinegar provided. Noodles: nice and springy, they provide a pair of scissors to snip snip into more manageable bites.Standard garnishes of pickled radish, green onions, thinly sliced beef and cucumber, and half a hardboiled egg. Banchan: good selection and they give free refills. They also offer combo meals of noodles + galbi, which may be a good option for two people who aren't super hungry. It gets a little loud inside with people talking and someone manning the massive frying counter but nothing too bad. The service was not exactly friendly but very efficient and our food came out quickly.PARKING: If you do decide to chance the wait-time and come after 6, there's free parking in the lot on Comm Ave across the street, as well as a big parking lot on Harvard Ave behind Cafe Brazil Bakery."

Cutty's

★★★★☆ 4.2 (457) • $

"Biting into a roast beef 1000 is the definition of a slice of heaven. Soft pillowy bun, piles of flavorful fatty sliced beef, and a zesty thousand island sauce that is a party in your mouth. What more could you want in a sandwich?This online order only, walk up window operation that operates only a few days a week during lunch hours can be a bit annoying but maybe the scarcity is what makes it even more special when you do happen to get a sandwich on a blue moon."

The Kebab Factory

★★★★☆ 3.6 (569) • $$

"There are three restaurants I will solidly, loyally return to on every trip to Cambridge because time and time again, their food makes me say "damn, this is good." Kebab Factory is one - hopefully I've reviewed the other two but won't steal KF's thunder by revealing them here. There is so much variety here in the menu, you'd be right to be suspicious. But all of it is actually good. So you score twice: you'll never get sick of the place, and you'll discover new food even if you're very familiar with Indian and Pakistani foods (unless you're of that background and maybe you know more from home than I did in my upbringing). The vegetarian vegetable and paneer korma is super! I love going here for the lunch buffet. Even the chai is extra delicious and reliable. The TV during the meal can be annoying but everything else is awesome. Only have love for this place!"

Sakana

★★★★★ 4.5 (298) • $$

"If I had to choose a couple items for my last meal on Earth, sushi from Sakana would be on there. Sakana is a small gem that I found out about 2 years ago. I came here with a hungry friend and we ordered 5 rolls EACH. Yes, this is a small hole in the wall place and yes, it's a SUPER casual place. But I absolutely love coming here. Service is very attentive and the place is clean. My favorite rolls to get here are the Hokkaido and the Sakana, but every piece of fish that you put in your mouth from here is fresh. I have not had a bad experience and I hope it stays that way. Sakana is also very affordable (for sushi) and the quality is top notch. The place is definitely a no frills type of spot. There are plenty of street parking and is super accessible by bus/ a 10 minute walk from either Central/ Harvard Red Line. They also offer a few alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, and sake. Definitely come here and you will not be disappointed!"

Lemon Thai Cuisine

★★★★☆ 3.8 (367) • $$

"Sometimes the only option for delivery is a third party service such as GrubHub or UberEats or DoorDash. Well, that's not the case for Lemon Thai. They offer to take both delivery or pickup orders on their website (http://www.lemonthai.com/) through Toast. The delivery fee seemed reasonable at first glance, unlike the inflated prices deliver apps often offer on top of their delivery fees, but I was placing an order for a friend and she was happy to pick it up as she made her way home.Order placing was simple enough. Prices for their carb dishes were quite reasonable summer 2022 at $12-13. I like Thai, and it is a cuisine that works well for their dairy constraint. And if you set up an account with Toast, you can earn points. (I hope those don't expire...)Can't judge the food myself though since I didn't get to eat it. But they live in the neighborhood, and didn't balk at my consideration of Lemon Thai for this meal, so that says something.Steamed Thai Dumplings (7 pieces) $8Crispy Chicken Pad Thai $13Pork Pad See You $12"

Mulan Taiwanese Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (420)

"Had a great meal here which fortunately I got to enjoy in a private room as the main dining room seemed to be very busy. This is probably due to the giant portion sizes and reasonable prices offered here for food that's cooked quite well. Not every dish was great, as they seem to do best in banquet style dishes, particularly of Taiwanese style but for the more generic options that you'd generally order from an Americanized Chinese restaurant, these were only okay.In particular there were some items that really stood out for me. The Smoked duck taiwanese style is a must try item, full of flavor from the tea leaves and super tender. The salted crispy chicken is not excessively salty but full of flavor and very crispy. The pork chop with sweet and sour sauce is nice and just a bit fatty, particularly around the bone and has a good balance to it. The braised pork shin in brown sauce is huge and had nice tender meat, but the skin is just unbelievably soft and flavorful. Mu Lan FIsh is a bit spicy, but really more fragrant and the fish fillets are nice and tender within the spicy sauce.In general, if you stick with the recommendations you'll have quite a good meal, but generic fried rice or lo mein type options are only okay. A few of the more traditional options like scallion pancakes, eggplant with basil, and shredded pork with baby bamboo were a bit underwhelming for me -- not bad, but I've had better versions in the area.Overall, great choice if you're looking for banquet style chinese food and a good choice if you're looking to enjoy Taiwanese food. Pretty much everything you try here is between good and great in terms of flavor and texture."

Opa Greek Yeeros

★★★★★ 4.5 (239) • $

"Wonderful food and even better service. This place is small, but welcoming. There isn't a lot of seating inside but they have a super cute outdoor seating area and there's parking! The guys who work there are really friendly and attentive with everyone who walks in. The menu is straight forward and the food comes out fast. Food was tasty and fresh. Seems like they make all hot food to order. We even got an order of loukoumades on the house! All the five stars reviews are well deserved!"

Aoi Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (221) • $$

"Haven't been back here since 2022. So glad to come back and had lunch at Aoi. Same friendly owner greeted me at the door. Service was pleasant.Had three maki combo, toro sashimi, ikura sushi!!! They were all so delicious! Toro sashimi could be more fatty. Felt like the price was a bit high for the toro quality. They were Chu toro not the fattest toro (fatty toro) * see the picExcellent ikura nigiri!!! Would definitely order that again! Everything else was great! Nice and friendly server! Ambiance is comfortable and clean."

Cucina Mia Cafe & Deli

★★★★★ 4.5 (169) • $

"Was in town for two days and both days I spent my lunch here. This place was amazing, truly loved the family friendly feel. All ingredients were fresh and tasty. There were numerous options to choose from for sandwiches, salads and iced coffees. Everything you want, the have. The overall service was on point, they helped me choose certain items and ensured I liked what I got. Everyone that worked there conversed with the customers. Loved it. Next time I'm in the area I will definitely be back for their daily special and a hazelnut mocha iced coffee."

Chinatown Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.8 (229) • $$

"This place is where you go if you want large portions at a very reasonable price. We ordered a combo meal, and it literally was packed to the top, and they needed a rubber band to keep the lid shut. The container had to be at least 5 lbs of food. They do only take cash, so be prepared. Our combo dish included bbq pork, roast duck, and soy sauce chicken that came with some steamed veggies and rice. This one dish was enough to feed at least 2 people."

Love at First Bite

★★★★☆ 3.9 (213)

"These guys know a few things. 1) how to serve a jack and Diet Coke with a cold pour! 2) how to make a minced pork lumpia-like egg roll starter 3) my favorite - a LEGIT chili oil and self-serve sauce carousel. I'm a sauce sloot! Check out the pics and tell me I'm wrong! Friendly service and casual environment."

Pho Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (316) • $$

"We got pho bistro for pick up for our dinner wnd we got the pho dac biet, grilled pork over vermicelli noodles and fried spring rolls.The spring rolls were very crispy and the sauce it came with had a nice kick to it.The grilled pork was super tender and the vermicelli noodles had a good chew to it.The pho dac biet had very tender meet as well and the broth was very rich.This is a great place to visit for some classic pho!!"

Bess's Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.2 (170) • $$

"Bess's Cafe is a hidden gem. The Jiang-Nan style noodles and small plates all give me extreme nostalgia with every dish giving off a homemade/homecooked authentic taste. Ugh, it was all divine.To start The Boy and I got the Cucumber Salad and Pork & Chive Dumplings. Loved the cucumber salad - seasoned perfectly, not missing a single flavor. The Dumplings are steamed and for $6 you get about 8 sizable dumplings (not stringy small ones that some restaurants give).I got the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup for my entree. It definitely was not spicy but I still enjoyed the sweet, savory broth - yes their beef noodle soup broth leans toward the sweet side. The soft-boiled egg was perfect and I felt it came with plenty of beef slices. I had no problem with the $12 price point of this bowl.The Boy ordered the Crispy Chicken Scallion Pancake Wrap for his main and he absolutely loved it. The pancake was crisped to perfection and the chicken equally crispy! He ate this in a jiffy.At the end of the day it was ~$32 for the two of us which I would happily pay again."

Thai Dish

★★★★☆ 4.3 (145) • $$

"Got an opportunity to try them out a few days ago though a chance collaboration, and boy, I'm glad I did!We tried two rice bowls (chicken grapow and garlic chicken), veggie pad, that, pad woon sen, and veggie spring rolls. First of all, the portions were HUGE. This all lasted a few meals! Secondly, pickup was very easy. They have a table setup outside the restaurant (they even had hand sanitizer for you!) and you can simply walk up and mention your order.The star of the show were there rice bowls! The chicken was well cooked, properly seasoned, and so flavorful. The grapow had a spice to it but it was right on point. And for $8, this is great value for your money. You essentially get a big meal and now you're free to try more variety too! The only change I would have made is requested for more sauce (I like my rice dishes covered in sauce, that's just me!). The spring rolls with the plum sauce made a perfect side dish. Next up, the pad Thai and pad woon sen were tasty and hit the mark. We ate them as leftovers over a couple of days but they held up well! They are certainly creative and trying to come up with new varieties, and I'm excited! Can't wait to try their satay and curries next, I'm sure I'll enjoy them too. Thanks for this great experience, Thai Dish - look forward to more! Keep innovating."

Falafel Place

★★★★☆ 3.6 (190) • $

"Got delivery and it was delicious. Chicken shawarma plate (over rice and salad), with some extras for $1 each. The hot sauce is fire. Nice, hearty, plate of middle eastern comfort food!"

Sandwich Works

★★★★☆ 4.4 (114) • $

"Love this place. Can't say enough good things, especially about the tuna sandwiches! Consistent neighborhood gem, has been around for years for good reason!!!!"

Thai Tamarind

★★★★☆ 4.3 (110) • $$

"Loved this place! The service was super friendly! The food was very flavorful and the portion size was very generous!"

Code 10

★★★★☆ 3.7 (129)

"Hubby and stopped in for a quick bite before we had a day of site seeing.The owner was so welcoming and helpful when choosing something from the menu. Speaking of the menu, there were so many options to choose from. He was happy to accommodate me with switching out bread and condiments.What I noticed was the owner treated everyone the same when they walked the door, with his welcoming smile and ready to take an orderWe left full, happy and with a promise to return when we come back to Boston."

What A Soup

★★★★☆ 4.4 (81)

"Came here on a Monday evening and the place was pretty busy for a weeknight, but we had no issue getting a table for the six of us. The space was a bit cramped, but felt pretty homey and comfortable otherwise. Service was all right - waters were filled pretty frequently and food came out pretty fast. They were also extremely courteous and quick to rectify a mistake - the skewers came out a bit raw and they replaced them fast as well as took them off the bill which was very kind of them.Their menu had a good mix of dishes ranging from apps to entrees - most of us got noodle soup and each were pretty fantastic. The portions are pretty big, but I think they matched the prices fairly. I would love to come back and try some of their other bowls.Dessert was okay - I liked both custards, but probably wouldn't order again. It was nice to try though. Overall, I found the bowls to be the highlight for sure and would gladly return to try some of their other dishes. Thanks, What A Soup!"

Pennypacker's

★★★★☆ 4.4 (79) • $$

"Cranberry and orange relish, Apple/pear butter, lemon pickled fennel....step away from the kitchen and let the sandwich artists cook their works of art! You know the old saying that goes "the best foods are always the simplest"? Well that's an absolute lie. Pennypackers is dishing out what is easily the most complex sandwiches within a 100 mile radius. In this case, complicated is good, complicated is very good. Between the Porchetta, duck confit, and chicken sandwich, you'd be hard pressed (see what I did there, sandwich joke lol) to find a better sandwich anywhere. I won't even bother describing, some things only a facial expression can explain and apparently Yelp hasn't created that option yet....For the life of me I can't figure out why these guys still remain under the radar. Perhaps it's the lack of parking combined with no T rail access. Oh well, more seating for me :-)Quick notes: -Space is limited, so consider order to go- most sandwiches come in either half or whole. The whole will definitely fill you up- I hear the soups are to die for. Will definitely try on next trip"

Teriyaki Yummy

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (175) • $

"I would say three stars is about accurate.The honey and I simply wanted a very late night dinner after a long day of travel and I went ahead and ordered UberEats for dim sum for two, as well as a chicken and rice soup (which came as chicken noodle), and tempura shrimp roll.Everything was okay, although the ingredients were definitely on the cheap side. The soup was about a step up from canned and the tempura shrimp roll was a-okay. The dum sum for two was middling with the bao being a version I didn't care for and the dumplings being on the bland side.All in all, we wouldn't order again, but it wasn't bad for late night very desperate fare."

Menya Jiro - Harvard

★★★★☆ 3.7 (95) • $$

"For a late dinner I decided to get some ramen at Menya Jiro. Arriving on Saturday at 9pm, the venue was almost empty, so I received seating immediately and made my order of chicken karaage ($8.5) and Sakurajima ramen ($15), both of which arrived within 10 minutes.The chicken karaage arrived with a spicy aioli - unorthodox for Japanese, but well-paired nonetheless. The karaage itself seemed to have a crisper breading layer than usual. I suspect it had been double-fried, which most places skip. This allows for a greater texture contrast. When the stiffer initial resistance finally gives way, it immediately brings you to the juicy chicken.The Sakurajima ramen arrived as a slightly spicy bowl with 2 pieces of chashu and garnish. The chashu and garnish seemed decent. Notably, the ramen noodles possessed a firm, al-dente texture. You could also taste and feel the alkaline hydration that went into the making of the noodles. Either they were made in house or sourced from a high-quality supplier. Otherwise, the broth itself had a light mouth feel (think shio ramen broth), but its flavor lay between shio and tonkotsu. While my initial description may not warrant 5* instead of 4*, I left impressed by some technical details, namely the double-fried karaage and the noodles."

Dragon Star Chinese Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (111) • $

"This is objectively the #1 best Chinese food in Boston. I have been coming here for 23 years and there's no stopping me now!"

Peter Woo's

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (101)

"Have to say its been a minute since i had a good Chinese food. So i tried Peter Woo's and it was Wooopiiiliiii good! Had a chicken fried rice S with Scallion pancake and I was amazed how fresh and well cooked everything was . You know,usually its like chicken is good and fried rise is bad,but it this case everything was so tasty i wanted to eat my fingers off ! Anyway, great food and pretty cool small joint in the heart of Revere.Would recommend it big time!5stars from me all the way..."

Otake Sushi Bistro

★★★★☆ 3.6 (83) • $$

"Lots of inside seating . No outdoor seating . The establishment is clean including the public bathrooms. The service is good . The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming . They have street meter parking. They are also close to a metered parking lot incase you don't find meter parking . I got the avocado maki roll and the maki sushi with avocado . It was made in front off me in the sushi bar , it was absolutely amazing. The price is pretty reasonable for the quality ."

Little Tao

★★★★★ 4.5 (40)

"We were going back and forth on where to have a weekday lunch in Allston and finally decided on Little Tao. I'm so glad we tried it! I'll definitely be coming back. The food came out very quickly and was all delicious.We got the weekday lunch specials, which range from $14.95 to $15.95. They all come with rice, which was really delicious! The rice has the perfect balance of sticky and al dente, and paired wonderfully with the food. The complimentary pickled vegetables were also delightfully mala, savory, and crunchy!I got the pickled fish fillet ($15.95) which was amazing! The soup had an addicting savory flavor without being sour and the fish was very tender. I usually don't eat much rice but the soup + rice combo was so good! I would come back just for this.The Sichuan spicy chicken ($14.95) came highly recommended by other reviewers, and I'm happy to share that it was amazing! Great flavor, big pieces of chicken, very fresh and crispy. The chicken took slightly longer than the other dishes, I assume because it was being freshly fried. I would definitely get this again.We also tried the braised beef brisket ($15.95) and braised chicken ($14.95, bone-in). I think the brisket could've been better, and what I tried was a bit tough. I think the other dishes we got were better than these.It's a small restaurant and there aren't many tables, so I imagine it gets quite busy in the evenings. Can't wait for my next visit!"

Number 1 Taste Chinese Food

★★★★☆ 3.8 (50)

"Quick, great price, good quality & delicious! My partner and I rarely eat American Chinese food, but we're in the mood for it the other night. We ordered 2 combos, 1 Beef Kung Pow & 1 General Gau's Chicken. Both came with pork fried rice & crab Rangoon (3 pieces). We got 1 small beef lo mein, 1 small egg roll (1 piece). Since we spent over $30, they gave us a small order of spring rolls (2 pieces). The portions were massive. From the combos alone, we both had 2 meals from them. I ended up throwing out some rice because it was too much. The combos came with a small appetizer which we opted for crab Rangoon and they give you 3 full pieces! We both enjoyed our combos. The chicken was white meat and good quality too! The beef was tasty, and I asked for extra spicy but it was not so maybe I'll have to ask for extra extra extra spicy next time! I am so glad I ordered the small Lo mein because it was massive! We ate this for 4 meals. The egg roll was tasty, but the spring rolls were just okay.The big winner is the duck sauce!! It's so delicious! Overall:Food: 8/10Price: 8/10 (we spent $40 with tip)Portions: 10/10 (massive)Things I'd order again: Beef Kung Pow combo, General Gaus chicken combo, egg roll. I'm not big on Lo mein, but wanted to try it here. Overall, I would not buy it again but maybe if you really like Lo mein you'd appreciate it more. Also the spring rolls were just okay, I wouldn't go out of my way for them. Awesome job! Keep it up!"

Phở Eastern

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (61) • $$

"Great Vietnamese option in Malden, better than most of the other options in town. I ordered the goi cuon nem nuong and a small pho tai, bo vien. The goi cuon nem nuong was good, however they gave a large unnecessary amount of sauce. I've never seen that much given for one order with two rolls. The pho itself was good. Good amount of meat given.Service could be a lot better. The table of 4 all ordered pho but we were never given our garnish dish (bean sprouts, lime, basil, etc). It's usually given before or when the pho comes out. We had to ask our waiter for it and it came 10 minutes after the pho dishes came. The restaurant is in a plaza, so there is a parking lot."

Wealth Seafood Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (34)

"I went here three times for takeout while visiting Boston. The menu is large and portions are pretty big. I tried the beef and green beans, tofu and veggie rice plate, fish and veggie rice plate, and minced beef and vegetable rice plate. Everything was good, my favorites were the tofu and cod dishes. The rice plates are much cheaper than the entrees. My only complaint was that the lady who took my order the phone misheard me and charged me for the entree.. that was a little frustrating so just be sure to emphasize you want the rice plate. Overall, solid Chinese food and they are open late. Parking can be tough so we just always got take out."

Spice Art

★★★★★ 4.5 (13)

"On my way to the Canton train station, saw the newly opened "spice art" and a craving for some spicy food struck. I ordered a takeout. Wait time was a decent 30 mins. We ordered hara bhara kabab, chicken tikka, order of garlic naan, paneer tikka masala and home style chicken curry. Hara bhara kabab was a hit, chicken tikka was slightly dry for my palate but spices were spot on. The chutneys that came along made a great dip for chicken tikka. Naan was perfectly cooked and paired very nicely with our entrées. The portion of rice along with our takeout was plenty.The place is clean and service was friendly. We will definitely try other items on the menu. So happy to have access to Indian restaurant in the Canton square!"

Sen Yai Thai Noodles

★★★★☆ 4.1 (14)

"I'm a big fan of the Thai place next door, so when Sen Yai opened, I was intrigued. Their menu mostly consists of noodle dishes, but there's a good selection of appetizers, as well as a few rice dishes.We ordered the Tofu Triangles to share and I got the Bamee Moo Dang noodle soup. The tofu triangles were crisp and came with a yummy sauce, and the noodle soup was perfect for a chilly day.The space isn't super big, but even on a Sunday around lunch time, we waited no more than five minutes.I would definitely come back to try more of the menu!"