It’s six o’clock on a Thursday. You’ve just gotten out of class and you’re starving. You see the line for the DH that winds around the lobby of LB, and if that doesn’t make you sick, the rubbery meat on the menu certainly will. With the soundtrack of Les Miserable swelling in your ears, the tune of rebellion setting your resolve, you decide to put your foot down and treat yo’self. You’re going off campus for a decent meal.
You stride out the doors of LB, cash from that card your mom sent you in the mail in hand, and begin your journey off campus…which ends immediately after you round the corner of Tremont and dash into Panera for a bread bowl.
This totally beats the DH, you think to yourself as you chow down on that overpriced mac and cheese. (You’re not wrong; it does). But if your intent was to actually leave campus for dinner, you’ve failed miserably.
Living in Boston means the possibilities for food are endless. The next time you can’t stand another night of subpar salad and miniscule portion sizes on campus, go a little out of your comfort zone and try some of these (affordable) places around town:
Saus
Location: Faneuil Hall area/33 Union St.
What’s not to like about a restaurant that serves fries till 2 am? Saus is a Belgian restaurant famous for its homemade dipping sauces to accompany bon frites. My personal favorite is the garlicky “Vampire Slayer”, which I force myself to refrain from ordering on dates. The menu also features Belgian waffles topped with your choice of ice cream and, of course, saus. Try the biscoff cookie spread—it’s like gingerbread butter.
The King and I
Location: Beacon Hill/145 Charles Street
For the spicy food enthusiast, meet your match. Order the Mango Curry for something that will make your eyes water. If the thought of any sort of hot sauce makes you feel parched already, you can still do this. The Chicken King and I comes with sweet and sour chili that you can test at your leisure and the vegetable pad tai is just the right amount of flavor for the more conservative taste bud.
Irashi Sushi
Location: Chinatown/8 Kneeland St.
This is still close to campus, but farther than Finn’s and more authentic than Whole Foods. What’s great about this place is that there’s hardly any wait and they’ve got tons of sushi combinations to choose from. There’s the classic California roll for just five dollars, but for some unusual raw fish, try the Una-Avo maki roll (eel and cucumber). If Finding Nemo still resonates with you, no worries—the Idaho maki is just sweet potato wrapped in traditional seaweed and rice.
Antonio’s Cucina Italiana
Location: Mass General Hospital campus area/288 Cambridge St.
The North End seemed like too obvious a place to recommend a good Italian restaurant. Walk through beautiful Beacon Hill to get to Antonio’s, which is located right near the esplanade. It’s a small, intimate venue with pasta cooked to order. My go-to dish is the gnocchi pesto, and the portions are so huge that you’ll have lunch to take home for the next day. Favorites amongst the friends I drag there include the Eggplant Parmesan and the Chicken Masala. If you’re still not convinced that there’s no place for pasta outside the North End, look at my last name. Say it out loud. Know that I understand what I’m talking about. Trust.
The Friendly Toast
Location: Cambridge/1 Kendall Square
While the thought of sitting inside an electric green room with various advertisements for vintage foot creams may not appeal to some, breakfast served all-day tickles the fancy of most. Of course I feel like a walking cliché suggesting the pumpkin pancakes as I type this in my sweater with my fall flavored Starbucks next to me, but I’m telling you anyway. It’s like Thanksgiving dessert but better because you don’t have to share. There’s also a considerable Mexican and vegan selection here as well, like the Vegan Valhalla burrito stuffed with tofu and portabella mushrooms. All served by a retro waitstaff with more tattoos and piercings than a full-time Tumblr blogger.
Image from www.veega.co