Well-known Asian fusion spot in the South End neighborhood of Boston. Co-founded by Joanne Chang…read more(hence the name +Chang) who also founded Flour Bakery (which I love). Modern and elegant vibe inside with kind staff willing to explain the menu in detail. The first time I went here years ago, I was a bit disappointed. The menu is more so small plates/tapas style. My parents and I came for lunch and found the food to be extremely salty and although it was Asian fusion, I thought that the Asian flavors were quite lackluster. I gave it another try a couple of years back with a friend for dinner service and found the food to better this time around. We shared their eggplant, salmon rolls, lemon shrimp dumplings, and tuna two ways. Eggplant was plump and I believe had some Thai basil or other aromatic stirfried into it which I appreciated. Salmon rolls were fun and I appreciated the sauce. Lemon shrimp dumplings were oily but packed with flavor and I also liked the creamy tangy sauce that came with it. Tuna two ways was the favorite; big fan of crispy rice at sushi restaurants so if that's your jam you'd like this.

Would definitely come back!!! Best to come with a bigger group and you get to share and try…read moreeverything. We were five people and we shared the following: - papaya salad - bokchoy - Brussel sprouts - pan roasted salmon - nasi goreng - pork bao buns - pork and chive dumplings I can't even pick which ones were my fave (maybe the nasi goreng) but they all complemented each other so well. Don't skip the dessert!! Cocktail was insane as well, had the bloodlust which had a nice spicy kick to it. Coming back soon for more. Service was quick and they gave us a birthday cake on the house for friend's bday!

Absolutely the best popcorn chicken I've ever had in Boston this is by far a must eat if you…read morealready live here or are visiting and your in the downtown area, short walk from Boston South Station Terminal

Shojo was amazing, from the food to the service. I was catching up with my friends but the service…read moreblew me away. All of the staff were so incredibly friendly as well. I love those place and will continue to come here as a patron. Shout out to Elaine for being the best bartender ever!!

This place has a handwritten note on the mirror that says, "Voted Best Restaurant in Southie for 4…read moreYears in a Row." After dining here, my thought was that it's probably because that's as long as they've been open. I have no idea if that's actually true, but that's just how good their food and dining experience is. The very first thing we noticed when we sat at the bar was how refreshing the water was. I immediately got excited for my meal because, as I told my coworker, "Any place that pays this much attention to the small details and cares about serving the highest-quality tasting table water, their meals have gotta be GOOWD!" And the award-winning tofu burger was just that. But equally impressive were the fries. And then the ginger butter and BBQ dipping sauces absolutely stole the show. They were so good that I found myself scrounging around, looking for anything left on the table to dunk into those uniquely layered flavor-packed sauces just so I'd have an excuse to consume a little more. Then came the literal cherry on top...or perhaps the cookie on top. The chef/owner made a surprise appearance at our table and blessed us with some unbelievably delicious cookies to cap off the night. What a joyous way to end an already fantastic meal. Moonshine 152 is the kind of place that gets the little things right, and those little things add up to a memorable dining experience. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in Boston.

I don't know what the hype is about. Place was nice inside; Chef has some artwork she made which…read moreis cool. Food was mediocre at best. The Jalapeno crab rangoon's were decent. I thought the filling was too runny and they definitely had some heat. Fried chicken was definitely the only good thing. Problem is it's cooked in bad oil. The dirty rice was horrible. Tasted old and gave me wicked bad heartburn. Corn salad was weird. I'm not sure what it was, a sauce or something, but it just didn't go. The part that really bugged me was the staff. Not sure what was up, maybe cause it was Sunday, maybe cause it was close to the end of brunch, regardless it was unacceptable. The waitress we had was bitchy and fake. She kept making sly comments that showed her true colors. She just kept pushing us to order and rushing us, even with drinks. For the record, most people go out to have a good time and chat and slow down and enjoy. In our cause we were celebrating birthdays amongst longtime friends. The place was empty. Staff were setting up for dinner. What is the big deal? We sure as hell paid enough. And my friend tipped on the takeout. Come on. Ridiculous. The waitress coming on for dinner came over to tell us she needed our table at 5:30. It was 4:10...like come on. NEVER AGAIN. Please don't be fooled by everything good you read. Go somewhere else.

Great food here always!…read more We decided to eat here after line dancing at the Boston Common. We ordered mapo tofu and the kung pao chicken with rice. Both yummy and delicious. A bit spicy but so good couldn't stop eating! We were so full! Service was friendly and food came out fairly quickly. Place was crowded lots of people which is always a good sign. This is a beautiful restaurant, very elegant decor. Overall great experience!

I came here with my mom and fiancé on a Wednesday evening, after seeing good reviews. It's a pretty…read moresmall spot right off of the Common. We ordered the pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), the shengjianbao (pan-fried pork buns), honey walnut shrimp, the stir-fried sliced beef, the water spinach w/ fermented bean sauce, and the stir-fried lotus roots. The beef, shrimp, water spinach, and XLBs were the high points. The beef was cooked in a slightly numbing sauce. The shrimp was perfectly crispy and doused in the signature sweet sauce. We didn't prefer the shengjiangbao, because the filling was a bit dry rather than juicy. The lotus roots were also pretty lightly seasoned - we had expected some more flavor. This is a solid Chinese spot in Boston! I think there are a ton of classic dishes done well. The service was a bit slow to me (it took about 30 min to get our first appetizers and we had to prompt for the check). It didn't wow me overall, but it was tasty.

This was our first time visiting because it's close to our place, and after experiencing the vibe,…read moreservice, and food quality, this has definitely become our new go-to spot! Whenever my husband and I finish a long day at work and just want to have a good dinner, relax, and chill, this is the perfect place to go. From work to unwinding after a long day, it's absolutely worth it! The ambiance, the service, and the quality of the food are all amazing. I would definitely say this place is a must-try! Sometimes we don't even care what we're wearing or how we look--we just want to enjoy our time together, and this is the perfect spot for that. Definitely coming back again!

Excellent food. Great atmosphere. Wonderful menu choices: this restaurant has it all…read more Also recommended by phantom gourmet, and they rarely if ever are wrong. I have been here 3 times now and I'm excited every time. My waitress and service were great as well. I highly suggest the ginger lobster, crab curry and half price apps, happy hour which is select hours Monday thru Thursday.

TLDR: Asian fusion…read more Has a great time eating here before a show. The staff were incredibly gracious with getting our food out quickly and letting us pay quickly to make our show. That being said my wife and I finished eating and immediately wanted to come back and try everything else on the menu. Can't wait to be back!

Really enjoyed my experience at Ruka! The food was amazing and definitely the highlight of the…read morenight. Everything we ordered was really good, and the ambiance was beautiful. The music also added to the vibe and made it feel like a fun night out. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the service was a little slow. The music was also a bit too loud at times, which made it harder to have a conversation with my friends Overall though, I had a great time and would definitely come back. The food and atmosphere are definitely worth checking out, I loved the sushi I had and friend rice and chicken

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.

Food was good, fresh, spice level and aroma also right. Not…read morebusy at all, service was also good.

Food was great, we got a lot, shared a bunch. The standout winners were the crispy rice squares and…read morethe veggie wontons... they were almost cheesy!! Very good. Drinks were also great. The white lotus was excellent. Noodles were ok, something interesting in the flavors that was unusual. I'm glad that they tried something creative with it, points for that even though it wasn't my taste. Octopus, tofu, cucumbers were good, the buns and the mushrooms were great. -1 point for service time, our server took a long time to serve us food, check in, get orders, refill water etc. we'd look at them and then they still wouldn't come over. Ambience 10/10

We just came for drinks and dessert but were pleased with both…read more The drinks were interesting and delicious. We were also impressed by the dessert selection with many good choices. We ended up getting two and they were both very good. Service was great. Staff was friendly and attentive. The area of the restaurant we were in was extremely dark but had a nice vibe to it with the birds nest chandelier

My family and I went to Toro last night for the first time in a very long time, and it was…read moreextraordinary; we'll definitely be back again soon. There were loads of options for vegetarians (which is not something I remember from our earlier experiences), I had a couple delicious vermouths, my wife had a lovely orange wine, my kids were happy, and the service was friendly. As always, Toro was packed (I think it's been packed consistently since the day it opened) and lively. What a neighborhood gem. Long may it remain.

I've been here twice and both times I had a good time. Food and ambiance are pretty good but has…read morespace for improvement. Firstly, many items were overcooked, including the octopus/pulpo and hangar steak. The flavor was great for both but the tentacle had gotten a tiny bit rubbery and steak was more well done than I liked. Eggplant tapa was great. I loved the lamb empanada. Paella was standard. Not too much seafood flavor and I thought the pieces of chicken seemed to not fit with the rest of the dish but rice was very well prepared. We really didn't enjoy the tuna on toast and the gambas (shrimp). Overall, some dishes were good but could be better while some were not to my liking. We were seated outside but staff were attentive. Wish there were heaters for the outside area though!

Food is good. Good vibe. Highly recommend this Thai restaurant. The location is also very good, can…read moreexplore the Newbury street after meal.

The food is good here. Also the vibe is great. Highly recommend this Thai restaurant.read more