What a gem! The chef is literally an 80-something Taiwanese grandmother and it is a small,…read morefamily-run business. Their prices are reasonable for this type of homestyle fare, so you have no reason to give your money to a big chain owned by fat cats! ;) On weekends, the wait for table seating can be an hour-plus but there is a reason for this. We ordered popcorn chicken to start and devoured our bowls of soup: chicken and braised beef. Mine was the latter and I ended up ordering additional noodles and Chinese veggies so the delicious broth would not go to waste! My side order of noodles was a healthy portion. I also tried the pork wontons and we finished off our meal with the sesame seed "appetizer" balls (4 small pieces: 2 skewers with 2 each). Dine-in seating is limited but what they have is clean and simple. The complementary jasmine and green hot tea is delicious. Andy served us and was attentive and affable. I will definitely come back to try the salt and pepper pork chop many have written about!

Easily the early and far away favorite for best restaurant of 2026. Where do I begin?…read more I came in on a Sunday night and was one of the last seated- luckily. As a family run restaurant , grandma and the rest of the family had a flight to catch to Taiwan the next day; all the ingredients are fresh to prep daily and sadly for some, they had to get turned away that night... I went heavy hitter mode, I was in the zone. I got the salt & pepper pork chop- wasn't going to eat the rice but as you can see from the pic below of the noodles- I licked the entire plate clean. This pork chop was perfectly seasoned and it was insanely tender. Very impressed with how tender and flavorful it was. Next up had the spicy wonton noodles; just truly amazing, idk what else to say. The noodles are perfectly cooked, super flavorful dish. The beef noodles were also incredible and the braised beef pieces stole the show in that bowl. I left zero room for any to go box. Service was amazing, they were super nice & I even got to say hello and compliment Grandma upon leaving. I would give this place 6 stars if I could. I will definitely be back soon!

Very kind staff! Boba quality feels consistently good and I like that you can personalize the…read moresweetness level. I've tried multiple flavors and they're all good. Macarons are also fresh tasting!

Great place! Excellent boba tea!…read more Must try: Matcha Milk Tea- smooth and delicious matcha flavor comes through; Mango Fruit Tea- not too sweet and refreshing. I think Jasmine tea was used. Love the fragrant floral notesDidn't taste the mango however but it's still on our favorite list! On the fence: Milk tea with grass jelly- the grass jelly was hard to get out otherwise it's a delicious hot day beverage. We'll try it with regular boba next time.

Now this is my kind of place. I'm very familiar with Newton, having lived right on the border of…read moreWaltham for a few years and coming close to purchasing property in the town, but this little spot in the center is in a totally under-the-radar location, near a back parking lot but also the main street. Places like those can sometimes be among the most high quality, authentic eateries though I've found. Indeed the interior is not large at all, but still comfortable and with some truly beautiful decorations all around, especially the whole wall in front of where I was sitting, pictures below. I really loved that wallpaper and would totally put that in my house somewhere! But on to the food, it was truly excellent and very authentic. We ordered the stir-fried rice noodles with beef, similar to one of my favorite dishes, Beef Chow Foon, which was hot, fresh, and full of flavor. We also had the wonderful lamb skewers and tried the soupy pork buns with crab meat, a special and comforting dumpling dish. House of Noodles is a noteworthy place and one I'll happily visit again!

Authentic and delicious northern style chinese food spot in Newton that is worth visiting if you're…read morein the area. Fast casual style where you order on a tablet and the food it brought to your spot on the counter if you're dining in. Seems to be a popular spot for take out even during weekend lunch. Food was prepared fresh and served rather quickly. The pork gyoza was crispy and the wrapper was light, good snack or appetizer option. The hot and sour noodles were decent but not as sour as i expected. Still comforting and filling and I'd order it again as the price is quite fair. They have an extensive menu and I'm curious to try more of their food.

Sent my SO to pick up some bubble tea for me while I was sick…read more Unfortunately my classic milk tea was bad. The tapioca inside was still hard and not cooked all the way. Disappointed that I decided to try out this bubble tea place when I wasnt feeling good and was rewarded with a crappy drink that should be basic/easy to make.

A good place in Waltham to satisfy your bubble tea craving, but nothing special. I ordered from…read moretheir kiosk and got the oolong milk tea with boba during my most recent visit. The boba was soft and chewy, but the milk tea was more on the milky side rather than tea taste. They have a cute cat mural with boba and a few tables if you want to dine in. The service was quick since I came during an afternoon when the store was empty. Overall, I would return if I'm in the area, but wouldn't go out of my way to come here again.

" New Floral Donuts just in time for Mothers Day " My…read morefavorite Donut shop with also a full menu of coffee, teas and boba galore. Has some new flavors yet again " The floral edition ". Just in time for Mother's Day . They sell out quick so come get yours . They also carry a yummy line of soups to explore. The vibe is friendly and welcoming. Hope to see you soon at Pon De Joy. Lots of parking so no worries on parking . P. S : I could not add any more pictures on Yelp they have a limit . To show the floral design(s) of the donuts .

This tiny small store in Newton Centre serves up several variations of what is now my favorite…read moredessert - mochi donuts. As I was never a big fan of (overly) sweet delights, I've never bothered to try them despite hearing about it until recently at an event. I was truly surprised as I didn't just take a bite BUT finished the whole thing in less than a minute (once again, a pretty big feat for someone who doesn't prefer sweet treats). It wasn't overly sweet like normal donuts and the texture is far more delightful and chewy as much as it was moist. The flavors were potent and quite addicting. I know I will now be visiting quite a bit as the price is also really decent for what you get. Wishing you the best for the rest of the year and an even better 2024! Cheers!

Today I had the pleasure of eating at this establishment. It had been recommended to me by so many…read moreand I was in the area so I thought I'd check it out. As soon as you walk in, you are in the battle of the drums between the Kumasi and the Djembe. So loud I couldn't think . I did ask to turn it down a few times, in the middle of my meal the Chef said I could eat outside. On that note I ordered way too much. The fried chicken was delicious !! Not greasy at all. But huge, sorry today I ordered two thighs that were the size of one large breast. A little condiment of shaved coconut and chive was on the side. Any sides were à la carte. I did try the " Cabbage Salad" that had a nice flavor, but was overdressed and is mostly iceberg lettuce, and rice with surprisingly sticky rice , so it was kind of yummy. The chicken came with one sauce I got the curry. It was divine.. & my friend got the chicken bites and some kind of mayo. I was going to leave a five star review because the food was that good however, on the receipt they charged $.92 for the containers and eating utensils. I'm disheartened because if they offered an alternative like a plate and regular silverware, I could see not adding it into their cost. If I refuse to pay for the containers, how would I eat it on that note the chef was nice enough to me to have me try a couple of items that I didn't have to pay for. Which I greatly appreciated and that is why I'm leaving such a nice review. I do recommend eating here, but take it home. Or call for delivery, they have their own AP. PS great smoothie's !!!

I was in that area, driving from one point to another. I wanted to pick up something really quick…read moreon the way. I decided to order Spam Musubi (rice and spam), a Byte (mini fried chicken), and tapioca tea! My girl went into the store and had the food ready within 3 minutes, which is really awesome as we were in a hurry. However, we were really disappointed by what was inside that bag, as none of them were as good as we expected. 1) Spam Musubi's rice was lost in texture itself. It tasted like old rice. Yet spam was well not bad. We ate all of them. 2) bytes( mini fried chicken) they were overcooked. I attach the picture of it. So hard to chew and meat was nothing there. And I requested mayo but it was not there. But spicy sauce was with them instead in the box. The kids were complaining it was too spicy for mayo. 3) boba tea, I ordered with boba with extra fee. But it was not there just milk tea with brown suger. Later my girl who went to there to pick up, told me the server continued to speak to her even though my girl told to write down as she was deaf. Can't lipreading. Quite disappointed with the service and food.

I love HeyTea! Still my favorite location to go to in MA…read more I've experienced the least amount of problems here, compared to the other two (Newbury St. & Natick). PLUS, they close later than both. I have this bad habit of going here almost every time I have a meal in the area LOL. The addiction is real! I love that they keep adding new drinks to their menu... keeps it interesting. My favorite is still the Mango Coconut Boom but I'm a fan of most of their new drinks, like the Golden Oolong Yuzu & their King Jasmine Guava! I tried the Pistachio Cloud Jasmine Coconut, as well, and it's super similar to one of my favorites from MollyTea. I prefer the one from MollyTea more w/ champaca tea. Since their opening here, I have tried almost all of the drinks & their mango coconut boom is STILL superior! Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys mango. It is pretty much their version of mango pomelo sago (they have a version with pomelo but I like it without). SO GOOD! ***Pro tip: order ahead of time via HeyTea app. This is a lifesaver, since the wait time is pretty atrocious most days still. Usually takes ~20 min to be ready.

Hey Tea is deserving of the hype! Ordering ahead on their app is a lifesaver (vs waiting 20+ mins…read morein line). The app's UI is easy to use. The wait time estimates are relatively accurate too. Menu-wise, they have a nice variety of both fruity and creamy flavors. Definitely easy to find something for everyone's palette. I really enjoyed their Grape Boom Drink! The sweetness level was perfectly not too sweet with plenty of freshness from the actual grapes. Their Mango Sago Drink was also great but a bit too heavy. If you're looking for more refreshing drinks, definitely go for their fruity options.

This is a good tea place. Loads of fruit tea options, which is what I like best in an iced tea. My…read morefavorite is the apple. It has bits of apple that has been soaked in sweetness. Since I don't like a lot of sugar, that sweetness really works well. I am not a boba person but my kids are and they say it is the best boba around.

Came on a Friday evening…read more Got a osmanthus honey tea and a lavender milk tea. Both were unimpressive: the lavender milk tea tasted too watered down. To make matters worse, they didn't have any black tapioca! The employees offered the weekend only dragon fruit tapioca. The dragon fruit tapioca was surprisingly decent. Especially compared to Gongcha, which also offers dragon fruit flavored tapioca. I was still disappointed by the lack of regular black tapioca when it wasn't even close to closing time. The interior is crowded. And there was only one stool to sit on for customers while they wait. But there's plenty of places to sit outside.

Great little spot for Vietnamese food! The banh mi here was…read moredelicious. Bun bo hue was tasty. Can't wait to come back and try out more dishes Service was quick and super friendly.

why so much noodle for the pho? I could hardly taste the…read morewhole dish. re broth. More flavor/complexity is needed. less sodium. The chicken in the spring rolls was chewy as hell/hard to swallow. Price point was okay . tho supporting family business is the preference, sad to say.. I will need to return to Soup Shack.

I love this place - we are so lucky to have this right in Watertown Square. The food is delicious…read moreand they are also a huge supporter of the local community - they generously donated to the nearby elementary school for our annual cultural event this year. Definitely check them out!!

Great little place with excellent Banh Mi sandwiches and summer rolls. Not to much seating area but…read morevery good for takeout. Service was nice and friendly.