Brighton Center bests?
For some reason, Brighton Center is unknown territory to me -- I'll usually head over into Allston if I'm headed that general direction. But yesterday, as I drove over to Esperia, I noticed a few places that had me intrigued. Mandy and Joe's? Green Briar? Cafe Mirror?
Can any Brighton hounds enlighten about the grub in your fair hood?
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Mandy and Joe's
328 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135
Cafe Mirror
362 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135
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I've lived a stone's throw from Brighton Center for nearly 20 years now. Esperia is great, I also like the apple fritter at Cafe Mirror (that's about it). Jim's is good for a greasy spoon breakfast, Mandy and Joe's is the place you went for breakfast 50 years ago, unfortunately they're using the same stock (not really, but it's just meh food). Of the Green Briar/Devlin's/Portobelly's/Corrib quartet, the Corrib definitely has the best food. I'm also a fan of the crepes at Cafe Nation down a bit from Cafe Mirror, and the Sicilian pizza from Imperial Pizza across the street from the Green Briar is excellent. Their regular pizza is meh, but the dough on the Sicilian is awesomely good. There's a guy who bartends at Devlin's who cracks us up, mostly because he's so bad. He tries really hard, though, and he's very entertaining, even though he's a pretty crappy bartender!
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Imperial Pizza
329 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135Mandy and Joe's
328 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135Cafe Mirror
362 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135 -
Asahi Sushi is great, for what it is. It was certainly my go-to when I lived in the neighborhood.
Up Chestnut Hill Ave, Moogy's does good cheesesteaks in a fun atmosphere: dollar drafts of Busch, cheap drafts of real beers, tasty omletes on weekends (starting at 11am, for some reason), and boardgames galore. Fine dining it's not, but it's a nice place to sit with some friends.
Other than that, my 5-years-ago recollections don't bring to mind any other real standouts, although everything was perfectly decent. Little Pizza King's steak tips are pretty tasty.
EDIT: Asahi is on Market, right at the bus stop.
Also, I'll take some time to defend Porterbelly's as a pub, but it's pretty mediocre as a restaurant.
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Little Pizza King
389 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135 -
Hi Yumyum:
Brighton Center was my old neighborhood and you hit my favorite already with Esperia Grill. Cafe Mirror is a cheerful place but not exceptional (though try the apple fritter in the morning). Mandy and Joe's is the type of place that you want to like (50 years or so of history) but the food just isn't very good. Green Briar, Portobello's...meh. For pub food, try Corrib, if it's still there for good value on simple filling food. Upscale, Jasmine Bistro has that Hungarian-Baluchistani combination that's becoming so trendy (not). Beside JB, there is a small sushi bar about the size of a shoeshine stand that is actually pretty good. Resembles small places in Japan that you might hit on the way to the train station.-----
Jasmine Bistro
412 Market St, Brighton, MA 02135Mandy and Joe's
328 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135Cafe Mirror
362 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135Esperia Grill
344 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135›1 Reply-
re: gourmaniac
I work right nearby, so I have tried a bunch of these spots. I second Gourmaniac on Esperia Grill, it really is a nice spot to have in the neighborhood. I've recently had some not-so-great meals at Devlin's, which is a shame because it had been decent all of the other times I went. Athans is farther down Washington St and has some great salads and sandwiches in addition to fantastic chocolates, pastries, biscuits, and gelato. I'm also partial to Jim's Deli for when you want a classic eggs, bacon and potatoes sort of breakfast, although I've heard their hot subs are also good.
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Jim's Deli & Restaurant
371 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135Esperia Grill
344 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135
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