Taking out my college student brother.

[mieliepap32]

I am coming into town this weekend to visit my brother who is a student at Emerson University. He obviously doesn’t get to dine out too much so I would like to take him out somewhere decent and fun for dinner/lunch etc.

He lives downtown but would like to go anywhere is the Harvard Square, north end, Allston, beacon hill, south end areas *he says these are good places to go.

We will try any kind of cuisines (preferably moderately priced) and just want somewhere fun, young and unique to Boston.

Suggestions for dinner and lunch would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much.

[MC Slim JB]

I have relatives this age; when they come to visit, I'm likely to bring them to one of my favorite bars-with-good-food: The Franklin Cafe (the new one in Southie would be an easy T ride for you, to Broadway on the Red Line), Silvertone, the cafe at Marliave, Audubon Circle, Garden at the Cellar, Green Street, Highland Kitchen, Coda, River Gods, Chez Henri. They're casual and fun, don't have too old a crowd, and make good drinks, but also have very nice food at moderate prices.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[mieliepap32]

Thanks so much- he is 21. These places all sound great- thanks so much for the suggestions!

[junior coyote]

I would recommend checking out www.yelp.com and go to the Boston section. A lot of college age types review restaurants there and they have a useful mapping feature.

[TPistrix]

Edit: That was a MASSIVE ramble and probably not especially helpful. Oh well :-/

[Joanie]

Can he drink? Silvertone downtown would be easy for him and it's a fun place. A step up is Eastern Standard in Kenmore Sq. You can get out of there for not too much, esp. at lunch. Audobon Circle a few blocks out of Kenmore Sq. is a nice spot with a small but interesting menu and a little something for everyone. Cambridge 1 in Harvard Sq. for interesting pizza in a cool room altho they may not be as good as they used to be. The Cellar between Harvard and Central Sq. is fun as is the Plough and Stars further along Mass Ave.

[mtm7654]

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square would be great for lunch. They have some tables for 2 and 4 but mostly communal dining at a long table in the middle of the room. Good burgers and onion strings. Allston has lots of inexpensive ethnic restaurants that others can tell you about better than I. Antico Forno or Rabias in the North End for inexpensive Italian. Neptune Oyster in the NE for seafood-the lobster roll is a must try. In the South End there's Pops, Coda, Franklin Cafe.

[alwayscooking]

Not to be negative but . . . =)

- No on Antico Forno - cheap for the NE but it's just a red sauce; try Giacomo's South End location instead
- My preference for seafood is B&G Oyster in the SE over Neptune for the atmosphere of the restaurant and the locale. But neither are moderate.
- Pops is decent food not terribly interesting but the location is good. An alternative is Picco across the street for pizza and other small plates. SE is very active weekend nights but has little in the moderate category (30-60pp)

On the positive side
- Bartley's is in institution with good (not great) hamburgers
- Other restaurants in Harvard Square for moderate and diverse tastes - that other posters will hopefully suggest or you could do a search here.

Other suggestions
- Anna's burritos in Brookline is another institution, cheap and good
- Myer's + Chang in SE is good deal (it's 'new' Asian and has mixed reviews here but I like it)
- King & I or House of Siam for Thai
- Mesa in the SE has great deals for bunch on Sat & Sun
- the above mentioned Scampo but I haven't eaten there yet or know the prices

Hope this helps

[hotoynoodle]

sorry, but i'm sure this kid eats more than his fill of burritos, and the king & i is like a weird 80s time warp thai place. i used to work right near picco and always felt profoundly ripped off every time i gave it another shot.

i love scampo, but the pizzas are in the mid 20s -- it's not a place to get out cheaply by any stretch.

[Taralli]

AF is not just red sauce and, not only do they have brick oven roasted dishes, they have BOR pizzas: http://www.anticofornoboston.com/. Agree w/h-noodle on K&I, and I believe you're referring to Masa vs. Mesa.

[alwayscooking]

- Correct - Masa not Mesa
- Stand behind K&I for food not atmosphere (if sitting in the back room, the front is neighborhoody) and Picco's fresh (and reasonably priced) food and pizza - I eat there frequently
- AF - I just don't get since there are better places for the same price - oven or no
- lala rokh has good, exotic food and good for lunch when prices are reduced (altho it is a tad older and quiet)
- one more place I haven't been but seems to be very popular with a youngish crowd is Drink
- maybe the 'kid' eats as many hamburgers as burritos . . .

[bakerboyz]

I have heard great things about the restaurants and bars at the fairly new Liberty Hotel in Boston; supposed to be very "in" and "hopping". The Liberty Hotel was formerly the Charles Street Jail (it was a jail until fairly recently). Lydia Shire opened an Italian restaurant that has been getting rave reviews there, Scampo. There is another restaurant/bar there called Clink which has also received good reviews.

[hotoynoodle]

liberty hotel is hopping, but not really this kid's demographic, nor moderately priced in any of its venues.

agreed about bartley's and also charlie's in harvard square -- i think their beer garden is open.

lala rokh on beacon hill is persian, with moderately priced entrees -- very different flavor profiles from most food around town. figs, while not dirt cheap, has great pizzas. the paramount is a breakfast institution and VERY cheap.

agreed about eastern standard and audobon -- fun youngish vibes. silvertone is a bargain, with a crowd all the time and in the evenings, excellent bartending.

south end: meyers + chang, pho republique and even gaslight, which can get pretty boisterous, i think would be fun for him. beehive has decent drinks, cool atmosphere and live music every night.

neptune is one of my favorites in the city as well as the north end. not cheap, but you can get a killer lobster roll and amazing oysters. (i am a b & g hater.) giacomo's, daily catch, taranta (italian with a peruvian spin), and pomodoro are all pretty good in the north end.

someplace really fun after dinner is wally's on mass ave. live jazz every night in a tiny dive -- it's been there a billion years.