Malden?

[masterson]

I just moved to Malden near Maplewood Sq. What are some reccomended places near me to try. I lived in Rozzie for 13 years and don't know anything North of the city. I did a search and the entries that were coming up seemed to be a from a couple years ago. What's currently good?

[chickenparm]

For great Indian try Joti Palace. They have the best Tikka Masala north of Boston IMO. They deliver too, which is a great perk! I prefer these guys to Spice 'N Hot, which can be very inconsistent.

[spookshowbaby]

Beansprout on Medford Street makes great, really fresh Chinese food. They are quick for takeout but also a nice sit down place. For good old fashioned artery clogging diner food, try the Doo Wop Diner. The prices are very low and they give you a lot of food.

[louds911]

I agree with most of these suggestions. I moved to Malden last summer and have enjoyed Pho 99 on Pleasant, Fuloon is good but don't expect americanized chinese food, The stuff sounds and look weird but it is very, very good. Articokes is good as is Tivoli. I also like Pearl St Station for a good neigborhood bar with good food and respectable pizza. Vinny's pizza is also very good. The fish market in Maplewood Sq is excellent. Enjoy all the small ethnic resturants in Malden. Most are very good

[EightThere2]

For good pizza try Pisa Pizza...they are in Edgeworth section on Pearl St. and have a nice seating area but also deliver. Other Malden restaurants worth mentioning:
621 Grill on 99/Broadway...bar atmosphere...good BBQ/ribs and even pizza
Ferrari's on Eastern Ave...no frills Italian food...great value.
I second Tivolis but avoid Exchange St. Bistro.
Go into Melrose via Lebanon St....Mexico Lindo on Main St. for best Mexican food and great Margharitas.
Stearns & Hill in the same area is good but a little pricey.
Bon Appetite!

[Gio]

Another good thing about Malden is the Super 88 market that recently opened on Commercial Street. We were there today and I found Sriracha hot sauce that I've been looking for for ages, and Golden Boy fish sauce. I've lived in Melrose for almost 40 years and this is the first time I've been able to find all the ingredients I needed to complete recipes from more than 4 countries. This really is becoming a wonderfully diverse area.

[taxi]

Right in Maplewood Square is a wonderful meat market - called Maplewood (isn't that just ironic!) Meat Market - has quite an assortment of meats and some terrific marinated turkey tips. Also, (but I have never tried) is Maplewood Fish Market. Also, across the street from Frannie's is a sub place called Neopolitani's (spelling?) which has such an extensive and diverse menu and decent food. And, believe it or not, right on Lebanon Street heading into Melrose is the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital which has cheap and good lunches.
Second the Pasta Market in Judson Square (just take the bus to Malden Square, get off at the high school and walk about five minutes down Ferry Street to Pasta.). Also, not far from Maplewood Square right on Salem Street is Vinny's for pizza which people rave about. Something different and also on Salem Street is Cookies by Miss Jackie. A tiny place whereby you can sit and have coffee and some of their terrific cookies. Her main business is delivering Cookie Baskets which is a different type of gift. Enjoy the city. Lots to do - O'Neil's and Honey Fitz in the Square have Irish entertainment and Frannie's has bands occasionally.

[Chris VR]

The Melrose-Wakefield Hospital has cheap and good lunches?! I assume you mean in a cafeteria? I've never heard that. Tell more?

[taxi]

Yes, it is a cafeteria-style place.- small but neat and clean. However, they have three choices of main meals for lunch each day, also soups, an assortment of salads. Many staff people eat there. It is on the first floor way at the other end of the main hall. Hope this helps.

[PrincessBakesALot]

It's Neapoli's. They have decent pizza but great subs, lots of different choices than the usual stuff. I live right up in the Highlands and their delivery is quick. We usually get our pizza from Nonni's in Linden Square. It's hardly Regina's but it's consistently good and they're fast too.

[givemefoodnow]

Artichokes in Malden has really nice, not too expensive, Italian cuisine. If you want a real treat, I highly suggest All Seasons Table on Pleasant St (i think) for AMAZING Asian cuisine and sushi. It is absolutely beautiful inside, the food is amazing, the drinks are great, and the staff is extremely friendly!

[MeffaBabe]

Massimo's in Malden Center is a great italian restaurant. They use to be in Everett and moved last year sometime. They are right on the right hand side of Pleasant St (the dead end one way heading towards City Hall )... huge portions great food... I myself keep forgetting that they moved there- we use to go to them in Everett all the time.

[taxi]

Thanks for the info on that place. I keep forgetting about it. Guess 'cause of the dead end.

[foodperv]

i lived in malden for 15 yrs moved out a few yrs ago
i second massimo's really great tripe extremly tender

[mjg0725]

Dom's Sausage Company for sausages and marinated meats. It's on Commercial next to Piantedosi Bakery.

[heWho]

A few of my friends went to Exchange Street Bistro this past weekend and raved.

[masterson]

I tried Exchange St Bistro a couple weeks ago and was not terribly impressed. I ordered a Basil Gimlet which advertised fresh lime juice. I got a plain old Rose's lime juice gimlet with a lone basil leaf floating in it. For $9 they could at least make an effort. The food wasn't too bad. The GF and I shared rabe springrolls which were interesting and she had scallops and lobster ravioli which was pretty tasty, but my ostrich was overcooked and tough and the proscuitto mashed potatoes were unmemorable. Overall not bad, but not for the prices. The weirdest thing was the booth we were seated in had really tall backs covered in a cloth that had a repeating patern of some object about the size of a nickel. After about 1/2 an hour of looking at this it started to moire and create weird visual effects. Interesting, b ut not with dinner.

[lisa13]

hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! the crazy booth fabric made me really uncomforatble when we sat back there.

I agree with your assessment about the rest. It's really nothing special, but puts on airs, which I find very annoying. I stay away.

[Chris VR]

I had that Basil Gimlet a few weeks ago and there was tons of Basil, fresh lime juice too. Unfortunately the proportions of the drink seemed a bit off, and I didn't really care for the drink.

I had the ostrich, which in my case was cooked perfectly medium rare, as requested. It's been a while since I;ve had ostrich, but I really enjoyed it. I also liked the prosciutto mashed potatoes. My friend had the Eggplant Napoleon which she liked, but wasn't expecting it to be as heavy a dish as it was. For better or for worse, our portions were HUGE. We'd also ordered the antipasto appetizer, and were absolutely stuffed by the end of the meal.

I've never been bothered by the booth fabric- guess I've had more scintillating dining companions to keep my attention :-) I like the private feeling of the booths. Our server also did a nice job, seemed to know what she was doing, which hasn't been the case every time I've been there.

I don't think it puts on airs (not even sure what that means). It's trying to be a hip, upscale place. For the neighborhood, it's certainly the hippest place around. Now, whether or not that's incongruous with the location and that's why it seems like "airs"...? I dunno. I like it for what it is- there isn't any place like this around here. If I really wanted to do it up, I would be going to Boston, but I don't always have the time for that. So I think this offers a nice local alternative if that's the atmosphere you want.

[lisa13]

My quip about putting on airs has only to do with the food. I think the bar area is actually quite nice, and I have enjoyed their cocktails. But my expriences with the food have not been great. What I mean by "putting on airs" is that they advertise being an upscale place, but each time I have gone the food has just not lived up to that. Rubbery, gritty calamari. Luke warm duck confit. Soggy, marshmallow-y burger buns. Completely flavorless vinaigrette. The food was just disappointing on most fronts.

I am not overly picky, but if you're going to charge me $11 for a burger, I expect it to be at least as good, if not significantly better, than the one I will get for $7 over at O'Neill's. If you charge the extra money for the burger just to cover the extra atmosphere, to me that is not upscale, it's just trendy. I can't help but feel a bit duped in that case.

I have heard many of my neighbors rave about the place, but I myself have just never had a great experience there. I am glad your exprience has been better!

[masterson]

Maybe I hit an off night, but as they say, "You only get one chance to make a first impression." I'm looking forward to checking out some of other places people have reccomended. I won't be going back to the Bistro.

[Chris VR]

Yep, too many places to try to waste time/dollars on a place you don't like! Lots of decent chow around here, and you've gotten some great recommendations. I hope you report back!

[bachslunch]

For Italian in the area, I've tried Artichokes (right by the Malden Center subway station), Abbondanza (in nearby Everett), and Bambino's (on the border between the two), with the first of these being a little more upscale in feel, the others seeming more informal and homespun, Abbondanza possibly a bit more at ease putting forth this atmosphere. Thought they were all varying degrees of quite good food-wise, especially for the area.

Pearl Street Station (also right by the subway stop) does respectable pub grub.

[lisa13]

welcome!

It is a wee bit out of your neighborhood - not sure if you meant *really* close to you or not - but downtown, we like Tivoli's best for a nice dinner (on exchange street, do not confuse with the exchange st bistro). Hugh O'Niell's on pleasant st has decent but basic irish pub fare.

All season's table is nice, and food is fine, but it's a bit spendy for what it is. If you want sushi, you should try sushi corner in Melrose. It is the most consistent, fresh sushi I've had since living in CA, and the prices are unbeatable.

Spice -N- Hot on main street has my kind of indian cuisine - HOT is no joke, if you request it that way.

[digga]

Have never heard of Spice-N-Hot, but it sounds intriguing. Could you offer a bit more about this place?

[lisa13]

it is just a little hole in the wall on main street, next to the indian market (no idea what it's called) . they have a few tables, but we always do takeout.

Food wise, it can be a bit inconsistent, but not in a bad way. We have never had a bad meal, its more that the same dish will taste a bit different from time to time. The chili chicken or chili cheese/paneer can seriously hurt a person (in a good way) as will the vindaloo. They will accomodate milder tastes as well, but its really the only place I've been that will really lay on the spice when you ask for it that way. They show no mercy =) They have many specialties that are not listed on the menu too, so we always ask what is especially good on a given day and they always have something new up their sleeves.

the only bad thing I have heard people say is that the naan is not particularly light and fluffy. I think this is a side effect of wrapping it in foil while still hot - this treament never bodes well for baked goods.

Oh, and it's cheap.

[givemefoodnow]

I would have to disagree...I think All Season's Table is amazing...the food is delicious...great sushi, amazing duck and the prices are about what you'd pay at Kowloon, though the quality is far superior at All Season's Table
Drinks are also great, and the staff, esp. the bartenders, are fabulous. My boyfriend and I went several times a few months ago and hadn't been back for a while. As soon as we sat at the bar last weekend, the bartender promptly remembered us and gave us excellent service throughout the night.

[rosie17]

Just had breakfast at Frannie's on Lebanon St in Maplewood Sq - solid omelet and pancakes, pretty cheap. excellent iced coffee. saw a sign for an early bird breakfast special (6-9 am, not sure if it's only Mon-Fri) 2.99 for eggs, toast, coffee, hash browns. can't beat that! homey, down to earth staff... and get this. there's a bar attached to it! awesome for sports Sundays - go for breakfast, then next door for a couple pops!

[masterson]

I've had the breakfast at Frannie's. Nothing fancy, but the food was good and not to expensive. I'll definitely be going back there and it's right down the street.

[hiddenboston]

For good steak tips, check out the Salem Street Cafe, which is on Salem Street in Maplewood. Also close by is the Pasta Market Cafe (on Ferry Street, just southeast of downtown). They have excellent homemade pasta and very good traditional Italian pizza. And also close--in Melrose Center, only a 5-minute drive--is Mexico Lindo, a terrific Mexican restaurants with an outdoor patio and traditional entertainment.

[Johnresa]

Welcome to Malden. I have only lived here just over a year myself. I would definitely recommend Fuloon in Malden Square for some truly good and authentic chinese food. I also like Saigon Noodle and Pho 99 in the Square for some pho. I order pizza a few times a month and I get it from Stefani's(which is pretty inconsistent. have had wow pizza there and arghhh pizza there...lol) or I get it from Nonni's in Revere which is only 5-10 minutes away from Maplewood Square.. For more Americanized Chinese there is Sun Kong on Eastern Ave. If you wanted to go to Everett there are a slew of Brazilian eateries( Sal y Brasa, Picanha, and Oliveira's to name a few).

[ScubaSteve]

second Fuloon

[joth68]

If you are going to fuloon for lunch skip the buffet and order off the regular menu.

[pemma]

Be sure to go to the Highland Cafe for great pizza and really friendly service. I have not been yet, but have heard a lot of raves for the new Asian place in the square. I can't remember the name -- Asian Tastes or something. Pan pacific menu I believe.