suggestions for interesting restaurant where parking is easy?

[Jessie B]

We are looking for an interesting/unusual restaurant (any cuisine or price is acceptable) in Boston or its suburbs where it is easy to park (without a valet or paid parking lot). We will have someone with us who cannot walk very far. Any suggestions?

[suzysue2]

AKA Bistro in Lincoln has great sashimi and French fare and a huge parking lot.

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AKA Bistro
145 Lincoln Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773

[fredid]

Further out of town - Fuloon in Malden for excellent Chinese - but search the board for recommendations there as they have a huge menu. Also, if you'd like to try excellent Ethiopian, Habesha is down the street.

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Habesha Restaurant
535 Main St, Malden, MA

[5thAndNowhere]

Elephant Walk outside Porter Sq has a big lot in the back, OK for patrons after 5. Highland Kitchen outside Davis does as well (tho it is small).

Il Casale in Belmont? That public lot behind Macys is pretty easy at night.

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Elephant Walk
2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140

[KilgoreTrout]

Posto has a small lot for customers

[greygarious]

The Pongal on 3A in Billerica, near the Burlington line, has one of the best pan-Indian lunch buffets around, 7 days a week. It has ample free on-site parking. On weekends it has an even larger spread than the generous variety of the weekday lunch, costs a couple of dollars more, and can be crowded. Best to go just before noon or after 2.

[opinionatedchef]

grey, i became a non-fan of pongal once i tried udipi bhavan in lowell outskirts. hope you'll try it.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/743920

[lc02139]

Both Shangri-la and Golden garden in Belmont have on street paking right in front, that tend not to be too crowded, the Mount Vernon has a lot behind and a pay lot out front.

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Shangri-La
149 Belmont St, Belmont, MA 02478

Golden Garden
63 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA 02478

[CookieLee]

Chung Shin Yuan on California St. in Newton has a small adjacent parking lot. Here is a thread about them.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/710052

[Aromatherapy]

Evening and weekends, Gran Gusto in Cambridge has lots of parking in back of the building.

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Gran Gusto
90 Sherman St, Cambridge, MA 02140

[StevieC]

Ecco in East Boston has its own (free, non-valet) parking lot in the back. As soon as you exit the Callahan Tunnel you are basically there. The food and and atmosphere is very good.

Other than that, Doyle's and James's Gate in Jamaica Plain come to mind. The restaurants in and around Roslindale Square as well, though I have not been to that area in a while.

People think East Boston is a big deal to get to, but it is actualy far, far easier than the JP/West Roxbury/Roslindale side of town.

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James's Gates
5 McBride St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Ecco
107 Porter St, Boston, MA 02128

[C. Hamster]

"People think East Boston is a big deal to get to, but it is actualy far, far easier than the JP/West Roxbury/Roslindale side of town."

I guess that all depends on where you are starting out from, eh?

[StevieC]

Ha.

Yes, of course. Relative to downtown was my point.

[robwat36]

If JP's in the mix, Vee Vee, Bon Savor, and Ten Tables are all very good, and parking on Centre St. isn't so difficult. There's a giant public lot behind the area that stretches from Blanchard's to Bukhara.

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Ten Tables
597 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Vee Vee
763 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Bon Savor
605 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

[devilham]

It IS easy to get to, it's the getting out that's the problem! $3.50 toll to get back in Boston proper....that being said, it's not a ton of loot compared to parking prices, and I have ALWAYS found parking out there within 2 blocks of Santarpio's (which makes it one block/half a block from Ecco (which looks pretty swanky I might add, but haven't tried it yet)

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Ecco
107 Porter St, Boston, MA 02128

[Fort Point]

Gaslight (French) in the South End has a free parking lot next to it.

[C. Hamster]

A parking lot that you can use to eat at any of the other fabulous restaurants in the area

[bear]

Can you park there and walk to other places? Sometimes there's an attendant watching and we figured they must monitor who parks there. It would be awesome if it was open parking.

[C. Hamster]

i do all the time.

though we generally have a cocktail at gaslight before heading elsewhere. but not always

[robwat36]

Oh, you mean that's not the Myers + Chang/Gallows/Oishii parking lot? I mean, um...

[Bob Dobalina]

This is kind of a funny question, because I could suggest Angela's in East Boston, where there is usually plenty of free, on-street parking right around the restaurant. You could also go to East Coast Grill which validates with the pay lot across the street. Why not apply PinchOfSalt's advice and drop off your guests and then find parking? Then you can go anywhere.

Stomach - you are right about the parking lot across from Oleana - only caveat is that it can be a tight squeeze and you have to back out into the street upon leaving. Definitely no room for the Lincoln Leviathans and Chevy Monstrosities of the auto world.

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East Coast Grill and Raw Bar
1271 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139

[bear]

Right on the parking lot across from Oleana, Bob. It was even a tight squeeze for our Civic. Worth the effort, though. Wonderful experience, and certainly interesting, unique flavors.

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Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

[Madrid]

Sorry, Bob Dobalina, I replied before I saw your post....hours earlier, with the same info!

[stomachofsteel]

If I remember correctly, Oleana customers can park at a lot across the street for free. I've always enjoyed my meals there and I think they qualify as interesting/unusual.

The Blue Room validates at the nearby Kendall Square lot, which is also not far from Hungry Mother, so parking is easy for those two. But there is still a short walk from the lot to the restaurant, which may be too far for your guest. Also not sure I would classify them as "unusual," though I enjoy the food at both places.

Summer Winter in Burlington is in a Marriott, so there is a large parking lot right in front of the hotel/restaurant. While not unusual by Boston standards, I think it is probably has one of the more interesting menus in that area.

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Hungry Mother
Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA

Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

The Blue Room
Hampshire and Portland streets, Cambridge, MA 02139

[Madrid]

yes, Oleana has parking in a lot across the street for free. I"m not sure if it gets filled up as the evening goes on, however. Excellent, excellent food if the menu appeals to you at all.

http://www.oleanarestaurant.com/about...

not free, but East Coast Grill in roughly the same Inman Square neighborhood in Cambridge has validated parking across the street for $5. I've always enjoyed brunch there, in particular.

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East Coast Grill and Raw Bar
1271 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

[opinionatedchef]

Bergamot in Somerville near Harvard Square -has an open lot next door; always has open spaces. Easy/quick to drop off your guest and you while partner parks.
Gargoyles in Davis Sq. Somerville has rear parking lot/row reserved for customers and a bigger city lot behind that/adjacent to it.
Both places are favs of ours; excellent creative food, comfortable relatively quiet dining areas; professional gracious service.

Our fav. suburban pizza spot is Stonehearth Pizza in Belmont; its back door opens onto a large city parking lot.

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Gargoyles On the Square
219 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02144

[PinchOfSalt]

As a long-time Belmont resident, I must warn that the town lot can get filled up, depending on the time and day. Dinner time is a better bet than lunch time.

[PinchOfSalt]

Golden Garden in Belmont. Northeast Chinese cooking - unusual, delicious, and very moderately priced. Just pull up, drop off your fellow diner, and park on the street, probably only steps away. Search this board and you will find plenty of praise for this restaurant.

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Golden Garden
63 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA 02478