Best "authentic" Takeout in Allston?

[thegirlwholovestoeat]

I am trying to expand my horizons in ethnic food beyond "Pad Thai with Crispy Chicken." I am surrounded by tons of seemingly great places in Allston, but have no idea where to start. I love Mexican food and have been pretty adventurous in that category but have never eaten Indian, Burmese, "Shabu style," Dim Sum, Nepali, etc. I would like to know your favorite, most authentic dishes at the local takeout joints. Thanks in advance!

[thegirlwholovestoeat]

Wow. I went to JMP last night for my first Indian food ever (sad I know, but I grew up in Alaska) and I have been missing out. I wasn't too adventurous but I had the meat samosas which were perfectly fried and spiced, and I thought were better without any of the dipping sauces. I also had the chicken tikka masala, I have nothing to compare it to but it was great and I have more than half leftover for lunch today. I will definitely be back to visit some other places there. Thanks for all the great recs!

[ix9]

ask them if they stil make the pizza. presumably a naan crust but i never tried it!

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

It's crossed out on the giant menu board above the register -- they haven't offered it in years.

[thegirlwholovestoeat]

Thanks for all the recs! Every time I have ventured into the Super 88 food Court I have been overwhelmed and left without ordering anything, I think I will try my first dinner from there tonight.

[barleywino]

try the stone bowl bibimbap w/ eel from the Korean stand opposite Kantin

[robertlf]

Kantin makes a great fresh pork fried rice - or at least they did a few years back. They cut the spare ribs in front of you and fried the rice on the wok while you watched.

[lergnom]

Kantin itself is an underrated place. And they have all that Chinese BBQ meat.

[chuck s]

The Saigon noodles, fresh rolls, and sandwiches at the Vietnamese stall at Super 88.

[gansu girl]

just had a pork banh mi from there (Pho Viet) today - deeelish as usual. Their pho is good, too - the veggie has loads of delicious fresh veggies atop oodles of noodles and some tofu. we eat there almost once a week at this point.

[robertlf]

I hear Gitlo's is good for Dim Sum. I dropped in there one day. Looked very good but I just wasn't in the mood. I was looking for Korean bon chon chicken and Privus was closed. I will be back!!!!

[qianning]

Sorry, but IMHO Gitlo's is to be avoided, especially so with options like Yo Ma, S&I Thai, JoHo Taipei, and Shanghai Gate all within walking distance.

[robertlf]

Shabu Shabu Toki in Allston is not takeout but you did mention "shabu style". Be sure to order the simple kombu/water broth and ribeye. Dip the thin slices of beef in the broth and then in Ponzu sauce (citrus soy vinegar) and enjoy!! Really great shabu shabu. This is the first authentic shabu restaurant in the area. There have been plenty in NY/CA but not here. Lots of the other places don't serve ponzu or have different broths.

And it is MIGHTY TASTY I might add...

[kobuta]

Also to consider is that certain dishes fare better with takeout than others. Noodles and noodles in soup are perfect. Dim sum I find mixed for takeout; shabu is impossible since shabu/hotpot is all about cooking at the table.

If you are truly interested in trying some of the best of ethnic cuisine, you may want to opt for dine-in, where your options won't be limited.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

"Authentic" is far less important to me than "tasty," but two off the top of my head: the lamb biryani at the Indian food stall at Super 88 is outstanding (and probably what I'm going to have for dinner tonight, in fact), and two stalls down, Pho Viet serves the best banh mi in the city.

[lergnom]

The inspirationally named "JMP International." Rolls trippingly off the tongue.

My vote for the best Indian in the city. And it's dad, mom, 2 daughters and occasionally the son.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I wouldn't go that far, but they've made great strides since they first opened, when they were serving too many items and doing a poor job of it.

I went with the lamb saag and garlic naan instead of the biryani. Lovely.

[galleygirl]

I've often wondered about that place. Can you recommend any other dishes?
Thanks....

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

To tell you the truth, since I've rediscovered it fairly recently, I've stuck almost exclusively to the biryani, which as I said is outstanding. This may in fact be the first time I've gotten something else since I started going back there.

[lergnom]

Any of the saag are very good, best I've had in this area. The dhosas are lovely. The tikka masala. They also make good samosas - which I sometimes grab as a snack when passing by.

The biryanis are really, really good.

[another_adam]

This is good to know! Yeah, I've often wondered about them too-- I've been intrigued, but so many other things are beckon that I head for the faves and don't end up exploring. Does JMP have snackish (chaat) type light stuff, too? Do they specialize in a particular region?