Tag: Eat With Friends

The best restaurants in Boston to go eat with friends.

Devlin’s – Brighton Center, Brighton, MA

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Located right smack in the middle of Brighton, Devlin’s Restaurant has a menu that exceeds your normal neighborhood bar. The selection of dishes on the diverse American menu will blow you away.

I’ve always thought of Devlin’s as a place to go during the summer; there’s an awesome outdoor patio around back with a full bar, decorative string lights, and big screen TVs. Even though it was winter, the restaurant was just as festive with Christmas decorations lining the walls of the restaurant – a nice feel for the holiday season. I arrived on a Wednesday night and it was reasonably crowded there, but no wait needed for a table for two.

Now… for our dinner!   There were 7 wings total, served with ranch dressing and a side of coleslaw. The sauce was tangy and sweet and worth trying for that reason alone. The chicken was tender and the wings were a nice size. There were a few other wing sauces to choose from that I was interested in trying, including maple sriracha.

I knew exactly what I wanted – a Devlin’s burger, and I was completely satisfied with my order. The Devlin’s burger is topped with blue cheese crumbles, crispy shallots, bacon, smothered in garlic aioli (can’t go wrong with garlic aioli) and lettuce, with brioche bun that sandwiches everything. The Parmesan truffle fries that I ordered as a side were just as good as the burger.

There were plenty of other interesting things I wanted to try. They had some great Wednesday specials including duck fat tater tots, charcuterie pizza, honey chipotle chicken tacos all sounded amazing. I hope they have it next time we’re there!

TL;DR: Devlin’s is your Brighton neighborhood pub with exceptionally great pub food. You’ll be surprised at both the amount and variety of menu choices that Devlin’s has to offer.

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Redbones BBQ – Davis Square, Somerville, MA

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Everyone knows there is a scarcity of barbecue joints in Boston. You usually have to travel 20 minutes outside of the city to get good BBQ. Redbones BBQ in Davis Square is perhaps the one exception to this statement. As a longtime customer of Redbones, I was excited to come back.


Like many barbecue joints, there is rugged decor in the walls – license plates from other states, vintage metal signs etc. Classic rock blared through the speakers. Everything about this place (including the name) checks out as the perfect BBQ place.


Also important to note: there are sweet and spicy BBQ sauces on the table. My rule for barbecue restaurants is quality sauces = quality of food. Personally, I love to douse my meals with barbecue sauce, so I was very pleased with the tasty sauces at the table.

Now… for the actual food!


I started by sampling some biscuits and peach jam – an extra side that we ordered because we were interested to see how this combo tasted. No regrets here, because it was surprisingly delicious.


I ordered the St. Louis ribs. I loved the dry rub on them and with the sweet sauce, it was just what the doctor ordered. The ribs were large, with tons of meat on the bone. The two sides that came with it were good too. The BBQ baked beans were packed with flavor. The mashed potatoes were good too.


Next came the pulled pork, which came with a spicy BBQ sauce. The serving of the pulled pork and the sides were big, so I had a lot of food to take home (the perks of being a food blogger!). The Mac & cheese was great and cornbread is always a necessity for BBQ plate.

Redbones BBQ once again left me satisfied and smiling, and I had a great experience.

TL; DR: A large menu of southern BBQ classics, Redbones BBQ is the very best of barbecue in the greater Boston area.

Cha Yen Thai Cookery – Watertown, MA

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We went out to dinner with our friends, Todd and Ashley, at Cha Yen Thai Cookery – just outside the city in Watertown center. Cha Yen Thai Cookery is not what you’d call “fine dining”, but it is what you would call “delicious fooding”. There are also great vegetarian and gluten-free options here.

It’s a small space that was quiet that night – although to be fair, it was also raining, and nobody likes to go out when it rains – that and we also went later in the night around 8 pm.

To start it off, we ordered and split appetizers enough to taste test, ordering curry puffs and shrimp donuts ( Donut mind if I do)! The curry puffs had spices and the shrimp donut, which was not a dessert by any means, was nothing I had ever eaten, but in the best way possible.

The Seafood pad thai that we ordered was also nothing short of tasty. The dish had every type of seafood you could think of outside of lobster – calamari, shrimp, and squid. which worked out nicely because there was enough to split into two good-sized portions. In my humble opinion, it’s not Thai food if there’s no kick, so to give it some spice, I asked the waitress for some sriracha sauce for the portion.

After dinner, we debated off-and-on about whether or not we wanted ice cream for about half an hour, basically until they closed (worth noting that they close early on weekdays). The flavors sounded intriguing, and included flavors like green tea, ginger, and Thai iced tea (yes, Thai iced tea coffee, sounds amazing, right?!). The ice cream is also homemade, so it must be good! Next time we go, we’ll try it and report back.

TL;DR: The high ratings online hold up in my book – Cha Yen Thai Cookery is completely worth a trip out to Watertown if you’re in the market for Thai food.

Dorado Tacos – Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA

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Dorado Tacos was always a place I would pass on my commute to work. As enticing as it was from the street view, I was either in a rush to get to work, or too tired after work to stop in. This time, we were finally able to try it!

When you walk into Dorado, the vibe is certainly noticeable. The interior flashes vibrant colors, and the music played is both hip and cultural. The vibe definitely matches what Dorado is known for around Boston – an eat-in/take-out place that serves authentic mexican and spanish dishes.

Dorado is a counter-service restaurant, however, if you eat at the restaurant (like we did), they will bring your food to where you are seated. The menu was affordable, with not many options over $10! Although the place is small, it has enough seating inside to hold a good crowd. There is also outdoor seating available along Harvard Street.

Th first thing ordered was a steak bowl, something similar to what you would get if you went to Chipotle or another chain – the difference being, the quality of the steak. The steak strips were grilled perfectly, and seasoned just right for a delicious, tender taste.

I also ordered elote – otherwise known as grilled Mexican street corn on the cob. . I’m not a corn on the cob person, but I will say that corn on the cob tastes a lot better to me when it has spices and cheese on it.

I was in the mood to try something different that I hadn’t tried before, so I went with what Dorado might be best known for – cemitas. What is a cemita you might ask? It’s a Mexican sandwich served on a bread roll with sesame seeds. Here is a diagram courtesy of Dorado, hanging on their wall.

There are different types of cemitas to order. I went with the pork chorizo cemita, and it did not disappoint in the least. It was one of the times when you try a new food and your taste buds literally jump because they are exposed to something new (don’t act like you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about). The pork chorizo had an after-kick to it, and the cilantro added a nice spice that complimented the rest of the sandwich.

If you’re in the Coolidge Corner area, it’s worth the walk down Harvard Street to Dorado. Trust me, you’ll get great food at a good price, our guarantee!

For Mexican food just outside of the city, be sure to check out La Siesta Restaurante in Winthrop!