We started out with an interesting appetizer called Deconstructed Samosa Chaat. It was creative and…read moreabsolutely delicious. Then we ordered everyone's go-to: chicken tikka masala, as well as a vegetarian kofta dish. Wonderful sauces. The service was excellent and friendly. We plan to return.

Went to this restaurant as in walking distance in Brookline. This is an apparently elevated Indian…read morefood restaurant. The food was interesting, the saag was blended to smoother creamy sauce with a hint of mushroom or truffle which was unexpected. The food was generally too spicy hot for mild. We are glad we didn't order spicier. naan was delicious. Salad was huge - enough for four to six people. Food tasted good. Good presentation. Staff could work on clearing plates earlier or using smaller plates. The table was absolutely cluttered unnecessarily. A few things stood out as questionable. Our waiter seemed a little spacy. Order didn't go in on time and then also forgot details. So maybe our food was spicier bc he forgot that we ordered mild. Also, I noticed water dripping from the kitchen ceiling and this kind of took away my appetite. Staff very apologetic for delays in our food order.

Hidden Gem!! Amazing food and great prices, everything was so fresh. My friend also had their green…read morepapaya salad and it was so fresh and so delicious, caught us off guard. Service was great too, server was super nice. Will be back!

Came to Esmai's for an early dinner with my boyfriend and sat on the outdoor rooftop (we made a…read morereservation). The Highlights: Blush Hour cocktail & Shrimp baos: Easily a 10/10! Absolute must-trys. Calamari: Pretty good, but the sauce really made the dish. The Misses: The Pasta (2/10): Neither of us enjoyed this. The sauce was very watery and lacked flavor--it seemed like it relied on meat juices for flavor, but it just didn't work. Smash Burger: Just an average burger. Hard to mess up, but nothing to write home about. Vibe & Service: The rooftop ambience was nice with staff playing music on a speaker. Wait-staff were very attentive! A huge plus was the owner coming out to check on tables and joke around with guests! Note on space: Upstairs indoor seating seems okay for private events (there was a bridal shower happening while we were there), and downstairs has a classic sit-down/bar feel. Verdict: Total came out to $171 (including tip) for 4 drinks, calamari, baos, pasta, and a burger. If we return, we'd definitely stick to drinks, shrimp baos, and hanging out downstairs!

This restaurant was a nice change up to traditional sushi, restaurants…read more They have the usual sushi and Chinese options, and a good selection of sakes on offer. The beer and wine selection was quite good.

Went in for lunch with my friend and really enjoyed the food here. I enjoyed the noodle dish I…read moreordered and my friends pepper shrimp dish was also very delicious. They are not cheap with the shrimp, they give really large shrimp that are well seasoned. Fried to perfection. Drinks were cute and tasted good. The service was quick and servers were professional. Hope to go another time during their lunch specia

Visited twice during the week of August 3rd. Why twice you ask? Because my kids loved the food so…read moremuch, we had to go here twice in the middle of our vacation. I do not like eating the same place twice during a vacation but the kids insisted. Pork Xiao Long Bao is as advertised. Juicy an moist in the inside, chewy and soft on the outside, kids could not stop eating it. My personal favorite was the House Special Hand Cut Noodles w/ Soup. The broth with the texture of the handout noodles was a match worth eating. The restaurant did do last calls from food 20min before closing time which was a surprise, but we were already done eating by then so did not bother us but do be aware.

I've been to KungFu Kitchen two times now and it's been consistently great. I've ordered the Pork…read moreXiao Long Bao, Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup, Scallion Pancake with Sliced Beef, Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns, and Cucumber Salad - all were amazing and would order again. The pork and shrimp wonton soup was brought a perfect balance to the flavorful meal and it's broth was super yummy. The cucumber salad was seasoned perfectly and was a nice balance to the otherwise heavy meal. My favorite is probably the pork xiao long bao, but honestly, you can't go wrong with anything you order. Service was great. Both times we were a party of two and were seated quickly, if not immediately. Food came out very fast. Will 100% be returning.

Server was friendly & gave suggestions on what to eat. They were out of one drink that I wanted but…read morenot a big deal at all. Food came out hot & portions were large. When something is stated to be spicy on the menu it definitely means spicy. Great location for people watching but will need to find street parking that you pay for. Has a kids menu which is always a plus!

Mecha has become one of my favorite restaurants to visit when going to Boston . The pork belly bao…read morebuns are light and fluffy while having a delicious pork belly. The tuna and salmon roll are seasoned perfectly and take about three bites . The ramens have the perfect noodle texture and is bursting with flavor . The soy egg is always jammy and the brisket is soft and melts in your mouth. The service and drinks are top notch and the restaurant has a great energy to it. Would recommend to anyone and would go again and again !

Have been hearing about their Mon & Tue AYCE, so went on to try it a month or so ago. With what…read moreseems to be a recent price increase, now $50++ allows access to a good variety of sushi/sashimi, on top of apps, ramen, poke bowls, and cooked rice/noodle dishes. Whereas $80++ offers diners a set of amount of uni, plus unlimited amount of everything else, wagyu included. Sounds like a good deal, especially when one can eat a lot. Even as we are no longer Team Eat Till You Burst, we went for the premium, mainly for the nicer cuts such as toro and wagyu, and because uni!! Jumping in shortly after 5pm, we were promptly seated, marked a bunch of stuff on paper, and soon after submission, we got food brought to our table. It was a decent meal overall, so why 3 stars? Let's recap. Menu variety is fantastic, though of course we didn't get "one of everything", coz that's simply impossible. While the premium did cover a lot of grounds, it would have been nice if they also included anago (sea eel) which is currently only available on the a la cart menu, and maybe even offer couple lesser-known items such as monk fish liver app, sea grapes, off-the-beaten-path fish cuts, what have you. Would be happy even if we only get an allotment of those like we do with the uni. Now, service - great overall. Servers circulated around and were alert of customers' needs. Approached at appropriate times to take our order sheets, refill water, provide new order sheets, and ask if we wanted more food. So kudos on that. Their denotation of serving "regular portion" of cooked food had us hesitant in ordering, since we didn't want to be wasteful (or use our limited stomach space for dishes we can easily get elsewhere). But from other tables' orders as well as the one noodle dish that we ended up getting, it seems that the portion size was what I would like to see at AYCE places -- about 50-60% of regular Asian dish size, where 3-4 people can each have a couple bites "just to try". However, to think if that is what they call "regular portion", then it is definitely "Brookline pricing" on a la carte, which I would not recommend one to do such things on these items. Food is fantastic in general; we got a variety of stuff, and everything was really of top quality and taste. The meal would have been a "highly recommended" if they didn't serve the uni that we got. Out of the 12 pcs of uni sushi, all of them were... while not "foul" to a point where one cannot safely consume, they were definitely more sub-par than "ok but not great". Colors aside (which I understand there can be a range depending on origins and such), the uni was a "splat" of yellow stuff on rice, without distinct shape of the flesh. On top of the fishy smell (I'm talking about slightly ammonia-ish), the presentation and taste-texture upon them hitting our tongues... really left the ENTIRE room to be desired. In retrospect, we should have sent them back even if they weren't going to replace them. But instead, we stupidly forced ourselves to shove them all down in cowardly silence, then ordered another round of wagyu just to make us feel a little better about it. Yes, we weren't smart as customers. But if the restaurant is going to charge $100++ per person (after tax and tip), someone from the kitchen should have known better than pushing this thing out for customers to deal with. In their defense, yes, the uni itself was still "edible" in a sense that it didn't make us sick, but I'd maintain that better judgment should have been made. Once the shell was cracked open and you see this pale-gray yellow mush, it should have been decided that it is better repurposed, than be served straight to your customers as your star/featured product. As seen in other diners' experiences, it could just have been a one-off mishap, so I'm not knocking them entirely. But I do hope the restaurant would improve on their QC accordingly. It was such a disappointing low point in an otherwise wonderful meal.

I've ordered delivery from here so many times, and my first dine-in experience did not disappoint…read more We got here on a Friday evening without a reservation and were seated with no wait. The menu is so large and varied (sushi, izakaya, noodles, Thai food, etc) and yet every item is done so well! We got the teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu, yaki ika, and unagi and cucumber roll, and every item was fresh and delicious. Our orders were taken and served quickly, our waters were refilled regularly, and prices were normal for the area. I would definitely come back to try even more of their menu items!

This is our second time coming to Merai and it's still such a stellar spot. I absolutely adore…read moretheir Taro Fries and Hot Dog! They are both unique and executed well. It's very impressive how easily they can elevate bar classics. The staff are also very sweet and professional. They are always willing to provide concise explanations of the menu and their own personal recommendations that never miss.

Wowza! This crazy, fun restaurant knocked my socks off. I thought it couldn't get any better than…read moreMahaniyom, but Merai takes both the food and the dining experience to another level. We loved the music, lively atmosphere, and fantastic service as much as the killer food. The menu features an entire page of imaginative cocktails, each artfully prepared and presented. The Strawberry Cheesecake is one of Merai's signatures, and it actually looks like a slice of strawberry cheesecake. We started with the beautifully presented Golden beet salad, which was bursting with flavor from the Thai chili jam dressing, followed by the Grilled Caulilini. Similar to broccolini but from the cauliflower family, it was grilled and served with tomato-tomatillo relish, fish sauce, and finely grated Parmesan. We took the bartender's advice and ordered the signature Hot Dog, made with spicy krapow sausage and served in a toasted bun with salted egg yolk mayo and caramelized basil. I rarely eat meat, but I had to make an exception to try it, and it did not disappoint. I'm not usually a fan of fried food or rice, but I was persuaded to try the Chicken Rice, and all I can say is WOW! Chicken legs are stuffed with garlic rice and fried with caramelized fish sauce, creating a sweet, sticky, and utterly delicious crispy exterior. The chicken must be eaten by hand, and it was truly finger-licking good. I can't recommend Merai highly enough and will definitely be back. It's a small space with both bar and table seating, so your best bet is to reserve ahead.

I've been to Genki Ya a few times, and it's one of my favorite sushi places in Brookline. The fish…read morealways tastes fresh, and I've never had a bad meal there. I usually try a different roll when I go, and everything I've had has been really good. The restaurant is clean and relaxing, and the staff have always been friendly whenever I've visited. I also like that the menu has a lot of options, whether you're really into sushi or just looking for something simple, you'll find something. I've ordered both takeout and eaten in the restaurant, and the quality has been consistent every time. There are a lot of sushi spots around Boston, but Genki Ya is one that I keep coming back to. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the Brookline area.

I have been a die hard fan for several years now and order from here at least twice a month. But,…read morethere have been a few instances that are getting hard to look past. I ordered from there last night and ended up having some leftovers, pulled it out of the fridge to see GREY tuna (see below). I regularly cook sushi and work with raw tuna myself and not once has this happened. I did also have an incident a few months ago where there were small bits of hair in my roll. It's so sad because I genuinely love it here and it's so close to me but I can't bring myself to keep testing faith if they're keeping their quality so low.

What a lovely place. We sort of went here on a whim because the photos looked nice and no…read moretelevisions. We hate televisions in restaurants. Started with the cold noodle appetizer and also ordered sweet and sour shrimp and the pork belly. Everything came out fast and the perfect temperature. We split the cold noodles as a side to each of our entrees. All was bursting with flavor and perfectly balanced. I had a machi martini which was lovely and kinda strong, but that's ok. The menu is wide and varied. Note some items are rather expensive. We stayed with the basics. Our server was attentive and really just lovely. Highly recommended. Also, it's in a lovely neighborhood. Go there. Then go again.

Came here for a girl's night on a Tuesday and it was surprisingly packed, which also made it very…read morewarm inside. This place was busy so it took us a while to get someone to place our order, and unfortunately one of our dishes never made it to us. Of the food we ordered, everything tasted delicious. We ordered the salted yolk lotus root, mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and pork buns. While all the dishes were flavorful with a nice blend of umami and spice, my favorites were the dan dan noodles and the lotus root. The lotus root had a nice crisp texture that made it easy to snack through as an appetizer. The dan dan noodles were the perfect entree with the tofu and pork buns. We also ordered the honey steamed spongecake. I think this depends more on audience as some of our group loved it while others were fine after one piece. Either way, it felt like a nice unique dessert to round out our night.

Quite tasty! You will enjoy it if you love sushi that is fresh and affordable. Would have again!read more

Yet another Brookline restaurant I regret not trying sooner!…read more This past weekend I stopped in for a quick solo lunch around 1:30. I happened to be the only one in there, but could tell the staff was working on some online or takeout orders. I was nicely greeted and shown to a seat. After giving me water they took my order. I got the crab wontons, their take on crab rangoons, as well as three different rolls (yes my eyes are bigger than my stomach). I went with the eel avocado roll as well as the spicy tuna and yellowtail rolls. I was REALLY impressed by the quality of all the food. I was given the wontons first and they were perfectly crispy and filled. I dislike when the ratio of filling to wonton is too heavy on the filling side and things get messy. They were also SUPER hot which is a personal must. My only qualm is I would've loved a bit more sauce, there were a lot of wontons for that small dish of sweet chili sauce. In terms of the sushi I surprisingly loved the spicy yellowtail the best. Normally the other 2 are my favorite but I might've found a new go-to. The others were great as well, though. You could seriously tell the tuna was JUST cut from the fish (I watched the sushi chef do so!). Notably, the ratio on the eel-avocado roll was great as well as the amount of eel sauce. No need to pay for extra on the side! I will most definitely be ordering or dining in from here soon, this time bringing friends along!