Fun restaurant experience with a different/funky atmosphere

[amf510]

Hello,

I'm trying to find some "different" places to eat in the area. Something that has a fun atmosphere and will make an impression on you. As always, the lower in price the better, but I am overall looking for a fun place to go.

So far, I've heard of Cuchi Cuchi, Enormous Room, Tangierino/Casbah Lounge.

Any opinions on these places or others???

[finlero]

In no particular order, a few ideas:

Baraka Cafe (Central Square) - delicious Alergian/Tunisian, wonderful spiced lemonade with rose petals, NB no alcohol

Addis Red Sea (South End) - probably the Boston area's best Ethiopian, quite inexpensive for the neighborhood

Dali (Somerville near Harvard and Inman Squares) - tapas, I'd argue better than Cuchi Cuchi, terrific sangria

The Helmand (Lechmere) - Afghan food in a beautiful room, the pumpkin kaddo appetizer is a must

Punjabi Dhaba (Inman Square) - an "Indian Roadside Cafe", very good order-at-the-counter Indian food, really tasty omelettes with Indian ingredients during daytime hours

Vinny's at Night (deep Somerville) - very well done red sauce Italian; the "make an impression" factor is its location, literally in the back of a convenience store

Chau Chow City, China Pearl, Hei La Moon (Chinatown) - tasty dim sum from roving pushcarts; large, fun, and frenetic

[gini]

Damn, I totally should have thrown in Dali. Nice call, finlero.

[gini]

Funky, different, fun, cheapish and in Central Square:

Cuchi Cuchi makes a nice muddled cocktail and some good (but not great) small plates. The wait staff are all outrageously bejeweled, the rooms are loud and crowded and the vibe fun.

Enormous Room has a small selection of Mediterranean plates, decent cocktails and a relaxed vibe. Later on, the room transforms into a nightclub with a dj.

ZuZu is a Middle Eastern restaurant with decent fair and live music/belly dancing. As the middle sister/restaurant to the upstairs and downstairs live music venues of the Middle East, I think it does quite well.

Middlesex could also work here...

[Bob Dobalina]

East Coast Grill is fun and makes an impression (Inman)

Love that Vinny's at Night is "deep Somerville." Actually East Somerville. ;)

Santarpio's also makes an impression. I find it fun.

Heck, Durgin Park makes an impression, too.

[windycity]

I'd ditto the dim sum places and Baraka Cafe, as I haven't been to any of the others. Also I would add that Durgin Park is tasty and fairly cheap as well. I'll also toss Red Fez (South End) and Orinoco Kitchen into the mix as well, although Orinoco is very tiny and has long waits.

[lexpatti]

It's been a while but is Fire and Ice still a fun place. I went with a group, many drinks, we had a blast. If the food isn't good, it's your own fault because you mixed up the creation. :-) It's different anyway.

[LauraB]

First, a disclaimer, It has been a while since I have been there as well, but when I went a few years ago as part of an event I was not very impressed. Fire and Ice is a different experience than most of the other restaurants listed so far, but I find it to be incredibly overpriced for the quality of the food. I mix things that are fine, but since I mixed them (and combined them with at least to my memory rather average sauces), they are no better than what I could cook at home for much less. Also, if I am going out with a group, I would much rather just stay seated at the table and hang out with my friends than have to go up to the food bar and then stand (away from my table of friends) waiting for my food to be cooked.

[lexpatti]

Agreed, although amf510 did put " " around "different" and Fire and Ice falls into that catagory. I would vote for Dali though having done both.

[amf510]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Dali sound great... I actually lived in Salamanca Spain for a bit and would love a little "trip" back to the culture.

If any other ideas pop up, let me know!

[a l i c e]

Not sure if it qualifies as "fun," but I enjoy River Gods in Central Sq. It's a pub, but a spiffed-up, gothic-y one with great food to go along with the kick-ass soundtrack (music depends on which night you go). Love the Korean handrolls.

[Bob Dobalina]

Definitely second River Gods.

[pemma]

Osushi in the Copley Place mall is kind of funky. Wide variety of sushi and sake, kind of "hip" decor, dark, loud techno-like music. Not terribly expensive but they do try to upsell you on sake brands and sushi specials.

[ElizabethHenton]

I second the enormous room. Even though the food is limited, there's certainly enough to pick from. The only tough part is that most people get there early and STAY. There's is virtually no turnover on the great couches, so good luck getting good seats later in the evening. If you go? - go early and set up shop, then get a late dinner somewhere us. The loungey bossa scene is great, but when the thump thump starts about 9ish, it's a great opportunity shoot out for dinner.

[yumyum]

I think Tangierino in Charlestown is definitely a "make an impression" place -- I enjoyed the hookah bar and the small plates we tried and the dining room side was beautiful, with cozy nooks to canoodle in. Definitely add it to the list to check out .... it's one of a kind in BOS.

[C. Hamster]

The Barking Crab

[hiddenboston]

Lucky's in the Fort Point Channel district is funky, quirky, and reasonably priced. The food there is decent comfort food and pub grub.

[heathermb]

I haven't been in ages, but if Lucky's still does Sinatra on Sundays that's a great night out. They have a fantastic Sinatra cover band and decent (albeit not great) food.

[lorpa]

all of the above sound good. my picks: Pho Republique in the south end. funky, bohemian ambiance with good food and drink---full bar.. Rabia's and Marco in the north end. quaint and impressive with excellent food--- beer & wine only. Orinico, a "latin kitchen" on shamut ave.---w/beer & wine.

[chowfamily]

I have recommended Little Q in Quincy so often it is almost suspect, but I will keep on doing so, as it is one of my favorite restaurants and definitely fits your description. Punjab Cafe, also in Quincy, is well worth a detour, especially for well-priced weekend brunches. Anise in Cambridge is more expensive, but excellent as well. None of these are really "party" places, but the food/price ratio makes up for it.

[limster]

For hotpot, Little Q easily beats out Kaze and Shabu Zen in my book -- their broths are a lot deeper and complex.

[yumyum]

Someone told me that Little Q uses a TON of msg in their broths. This person (Chinese) told me that the first time she tried it, she got a headache and a few of her friends said the same. Have you noticed this?

PS -- I know there's a lot of msg in most Asian food, but I understood that this was excessive even for people who like msg (like me!)

[chowfamily]

I usually get headaches from MSG, but have not experienced any bad reactions at Little Q, for what its worth.

[yumyum]

Thanks chowfamily and limster .... appreciate the input.

[limster]

Didn't notice this -- but I don't get MSG headaches. And flavourwise -- it was very heavy on all kinds of herbs and spices, so hard to tell.

[fenian]

Pizzeria Regina and Galleria Umberto (North End). I think both serve excellent pizza, especially Regina. Certainly both have unique atmospheres.
Algiers Cafe (Harvard Square). The upstairs room is as quaint as anywhere. Food can be great. Plenty of neat coffee and tea drinks, and delicious frappes. One of the best places in Boston to linger.
Casablanca (Harvard Square). Subdued, sophisticated but casual atmosphere. Very good food.
B-Side Lounge (near Kendall Square). Great drinks and tasty eats (like a pan of melted gouda and a bunch of toasted bread to dip it, mmmm).
Om (Harvard Square). Neat setting. I think the food is good here but I may have just been wasted.
Just for the record, and for the sake of iconoclasty, I hate Dali. I have eaten over 10 different dishes there, and drunk all sorts of sangria and wines, and I've disliked every single thing about it.

[TopCat]

Harvard Gardens is a really fun place. You have to try their Kobe Burger sliced onion rings and smoked tomato on top. Wed. and Thurs. night are the best. Menu is solid and now has a larger selection.

[MRS]

I was just in from NYC over the weekend with the girls and we had a SUPERB dinner at Via Matta. The service was impeccable and even though it became clear that we weren't going to have a mammoth bill ( do to the fact that 2 of us couldn't drink) it didn't change our server's attitude one bit. I have had that experience at other places- super nice until he/she realizes that the bill won't be padded w/booze.
Anyway, my friend ate the crunchy eggplant to start and trenette w/shrimp. I tasted both and they were great. My other friend had the black cod with currants, brown sugar and israeli couscous. Sounds odd, but it was great. I was "playing safe" w/a chicken milanese which was flavorful and huge! ( I am normally far more interesting when I order...was getting over a stomach thing)
I would highly recommend Via Matta!
The scene was young, fun and very "together". The bar scene looked good, too.

[zvuv]

for a different atmosphere, try Bukowski's or the Other Side Cafe. (both sort of grungy, but reliable.)