lunch in Greater Waltham?

[MC Slim JB]

I've already made it to Kabab and Tandoor, which I thought was a bargain of a buffet but not extraordinary, Green Papaya, which was more authentic than I remembered, and Demos, where I had a very nice lamb shish kebab.

My to-revisit list includes Elephant Walk (fka Carambola), New Mother India, Erawan, and La Campania. I don't think the Tuscan Grill and Il Capriccio do lunch.

My to-try list includes Mi Tierra, Baan Thai, Taqueria Mexico, Tumrubthai, Sushi Yasu or JTK Korrean (not sure which one is actually at this address), and Masao Kitchen.

Any recent experiences at these venues?

What worthy lunch spots am I missing?

[TacoBoy]

Hi,

I don't think Campania does lunch anymore.

Carambola is good as always although they seem to be going through some growing pains adapting to the French side of the Elephant Walk menu.

Erawan is good, maybe a notch better than the Green P.

New Mother India is okay with a very good beer selection, but their lamb (and other meat) dishes often seem a little tough. Cooked too long or not long enough... FYI: I've never been for the lunch buffet, just ordered off of the regular menu.

Little India, also on Moody is maybe a little better and worth a try as well.

Tacqueria Mexico, although not really a tacqueria, is an excellent greasy spoon mexican restaurant. Authentic a la california style mexican dive. If only the jukebox were working more often. Well worth a visit. Service can be slow, but that's to be expected, no?

I've only been to Mi Tierra once, and my memory is a little hazy on this one. Pupusas were ok, maybe the guatemalan stuff is better? The soups that other people were eating looked interesting. I should really go back and check this place again.

Oh, I wish there were taco trucks and tamale carts in the Boston area... oh well.

Masao kitchen is pretty good, actually very good for a vegan/macro restaurant.

As for other worthy lunch spots in Waltham, don't miss Domenics on main street. Great sandwiches on killer crusty bread and very good filled to order cannoli. Panino Mellanzane is my favorite vegie sandwich and Domeic's Special for italian cold cut sandwich.

Does Beijing star on main street next to the keno parlor do lunch? They must. Avoid the usual american chinese items and check out the chinese menu here. Much much better than it appears to be from outside.

Not as good as the others, but for a meat fest greasy spoon hamburger check out the 'Ronaldo's burger' at the prime deli on South Street. It's a bacon swiss cheese burger with a slice of ham.

Happy Eating!

[chowcat]

I second the rec for Domenic's -- love the melanzane and also the one with gorgonzola (forget the name). Others rave about the parma ham.

We also enjoy the tacos at Tacqueria El Mariachi over on Willow St, and a new fave is Prospect Cafe on (!) Prospect St. Great bread, fresh ingredients, wide variety of sandwiches, salads, pizzas.

Can't say much that's flattering about lunch at most of the restaurants on Moody - dull Indian, Thai, pan-Asian. Didn't care much for the BBQ place the one time I tried it (spoiled by Blue Ribbon). Watch City Brewery has nice beer, ordinary pub food.

The Irish place (sister to The Burren in Davis Sq) has some very nice pub food and (natch) good beer. The vibe is livelier in the evenings, though.

Let us know where you went and how it was~

[MC Slim JB]

Would that Irish place be the Skelling?

Lots of great suggestions -- thanks, Hounds!

[Ali G]

The irish place is the Skellig and they do have better than average pub food based on the few times I've eaten there.

Taqueria Mexico has been good to me and my friends for the last couple of months since we discovered it. Very reasonable prices and good food. No atmosphere, but the wait staff is freindly and it has a patio for the nice days. The only complaint I have had is that the chips can taste sort of stale sometimes.

Your list is similar to one I have in my head. I recently moved into an apartment off Main St and have been wanting to try several places. Bison County has decent turkey tips and I love their beans. I have heard Sadies has great steak tips, but have not tried them (on the side street between Watch City and the cleaners). Francas near the train station and Taqeria Mexico has decent pizza. Avoid the Asian Grill on Moody. Tom Can Cook was so so. I have had good luck with Solea and Tempo on Moody, but not sure on their lunch status.

Please post any experiences you have and I'll do the same as I knock some of these off.

[Robin J]

Solea now does lunch. I have had some very good meals there despite lukewarm (at best) reviews on this site.

I second (third? fourth?) Domenic's. It should be the first place you visit.

[TacoBoy]

Didn't know about taqueria el mariachi. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[Dax]

Can you compare the two taquerias? Which one is better for item x vs. item y and such?

[chowcat]

others have more experience of T. Mexico than I, but I strongly recommend the tacos especiales plate at T. El Mariachi. Also they have Spanish television on (mostly soccer or soaps) which makes me nostalgic for T. Lupitas. Same small storefront atmosphere, but cleaner.

[Deb]

I ate lunch at Mi Tierra last week and am going to be a regular! This is authentic Central American food. The home-made tortillas and the refried black beans were excellent and the sweet plantains stuffed with black beans were divine.

[hiddenboston]

Taqueria Mexico is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Greater boston area. A friend of mine from Tampico goes there all the time. The food is authentic, and it's a no-frills place. People who want Maragaritas and fajitas should go somewhere else.

[rxrfrx]

Taqueria Mexico is gross (under/over-salting, old-tasting meat, limp old sauces). Head over to Taqueria El Mariachi on River Street for good meats and fresh flavors.

Beijing Star offers some non-American foods for lunch, but they're mostly of the cold variety, and tasted to me as though they'd been left in the fridge for a long while.

You didn't put Domenic's, but I assume you've been...

[MichaelB]

I'll put in another plug for Taqueria El Mariachi on Willow Street. In answer to Dax's question, I'd prefer El Mariachi to Taqueria Mexico pretty much across the board -- brighter flavors, fresher chips, friendlier service. It's tiny, but it's worth eating there, as they give you a nice salsa with those chips. I enjoy the horchata, although it is super-sweet. The only thing I've had there that I wouldn't recommend is the lengua -- it's a slab o' tongue, not cooked long enough to fall apart. It was just a little too visceral for me. Other than that, all the tacos and tortas I've had there have been great. I've raved about their carnitas before -- it's hyper-porky. They have some special soups on weekends but I've never tried them.

Taqueria Mexico has a larger menu and a few more meat choices, but the quality isn't quite as high, and the interior has a serious case of the musties.

As others have written, Domenic's Paninoteca is fantastic. Mostly take-out, although they have a few tables inside and out front. The only thing I haven't liked there is their chicken parm. -- it's a bit tough, either from over-frying or from sitting on the steam table. The panino melanzane is insanely great.

As for the others on the list, I think Baan Thai is just the newer name for Tumrubthai, and while the people there are very sweet and it's good if you're in the area, I wouldn't call it a destination restaurant.