Low End Bests in Boston

[Dr. Greer]

I have no greater food ignorance than the Boston scene. I'm looking for unique, low-end restaurants with lots of character. Any place that screams "Boston" is the idea. Any thoughts whatsoever will be very helpful.... no specific neighborhood preference!

thank you.

[hiddenboston]

A few of my favorites:

Galleria Umberto in the North End (pizza)
Taqueria El Amigo in Waltham (Mexican)
Shanghai Gate in Allston (Chinese)
Dok Bua in Brookline (Thai)
Pho So 1 in Dorchester (Vietnamese)
The Druid in Cambridge (Irish pub)
Cafe Jaffa in the Back Bay (Middle Eastern)
Maria Di Napoli in Newton (Italian)

-----
Shanghai Gate
204 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Taqueria El Amigo
196 Willow St, Waltham, MA 02453

Cafe Jaffa
48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115

[Luther]

Go to Allston, East Boston, or Fields Corner and just start eating.

[hyde]

actually i believe mandy and joes in brighton center still has fishcakes and beans on the menu. cannot vouch for it as i usually go with the cheeseburger club. mcslim? and where else can you still get liverwurst?

[MC Slim JB]

Mandy & Joe's has fishcakes and beans, and liverwurst. Durgin-Park and Bartley's have fishcakes and beans, too. I recall seeing them on the lunch menu at Locke-Ober once upon a time, but I don't know if they're still there (and who knows what the new menu will have?) Deluxe Town, maybe?

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[MC Slim JB]

The notion of "cheap and good and lots of options to explore" makes me think of Eastie, Allston, Dorchester, East Somerville and Chinatown, for starters. Lots of nice-priced and very traditional cuisines being served there, usually primarily to an audience of first- or second-generation ex-pats. The best food for short money here is with our immigrant communities, which in the long view is what Boston has always been about.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[treb]

I agree, one place that comes to mind is Rincon Limone in Eastie.

[Taralli]

http://rinconlimenorestaurant.com/sit...

[Northender]

Finally got there last night. they were doing a lively busines so I got a take away order of an entire chicken. It came with a a pretty large salad (iceberg lettuce and some tomato , cucumber and peas and carrots - very fresh and crisp if not interesting) and large amount of french fries. the fries were meh 9actually less than meh) and I didn't really want them - but the chicken, which was quartered, was spectacular. crisp outside, juicy inside and absolutely no grease at all! Came with a very hot green chili sauce of some type (with cilantro I think) All of this for $12.85 which included tax) A great value and worth the $3.50 toll thru the Sumner tunnel! Thanks to Chow Hounds for this one.

[lc02139]

Galleria umberto, I would say is one, open for lunch only opens up at 11 and closes when they run out of food. Stand in line to get your food, sit down and watch amazed as the line gets even longer. Great Arancini, Sicilian slices and calzone. Wine in a paper cup priceless. While we are on pizza Regina's northend location only and Santarpio's east boston only. Oh yeah I just tried betty ann's donuts in east boston, that is real old school. It feels just like you stepped in to the past, just people aren't dressed in collard shirts and jackets.

[Jenny Ondioline]

Screams Boston how? As in fish cakes and baked beans? Cause all those places are long gone.

[Chris VR]

http://www.arkrestaurants.com/durgin_...

[Allstonian]

What's *really* long gone are places that offer the trifecta of baked beans, fish cakes, and the classic cylindrical brown bread. There are a handful of places around town that have either the fish cakes & beans (see suggestions below), or the beans (sometimes with franks) and the brown bread, but I don't know of anyplace that a combo plate of all three, which used to be a canonical meal.

[Boston_Otter]

I've had the classic beans/fishcake/brown bread dinner at Spanky's Clam Shack in Hyannis, where it was the nightly special.