The Boston Globe just announced its Best of the Best List! Here are the winners from Eastie! Congratulations!
Cheap Eats
Almost nothing is over $20 at this trio of Colombian restaurants in East Boston, Brookline, and Revere. The dishes range from crisp, compact beef empanadas (a savory steal at $1.50), to cornmeal-crusted stewed chicken turnovers ($3.50), to thinly pounded fried chicken drenched in a velvety mushroom cream sauce, enough for three people at just $17. It’s friendly and family-run; Marina Balvin opened the first restaurant in 1998, and her family still oversees the kitchens. The staff hasn’t changed much, and neither have the prices.
This Colombian bakery never stops moving. From the time it opens its doors, locals fill the Maverick Square cornerstone in search of freshly baked goods and quick lunch plates. Of the dozens of options this cafeteria-style spot offers, the oven-hot pandebono — cheese bread — is a standout: sweet, moist, and subtly cheesy. It’s the best $2.30 you will spend anywhere.
The bonus at this family-friendly East Boston gem is that it offers delights from three culinary traditions. Mi Pueblito’s Mexican food, such as the chiles rellenos and fajitas, is sublime, as are Guatemalan and Salvadoran dishes including a cheese and loroco pupusa that has an intoxicating aroma from its edible flowers. There’s also a wide range of breakfast dishes at each of the restaurant’s two locations.
Best Pizza
Boston doesn’t really have its own style of pizza, but this joint, with more than a century in business, creates a unique pie combining the best of New Haven, New York, and New Jersey’s styles. The result is a tangy, saucy masterpiece with an extra crunch from the cornmeal on the crust. The atmosphere is pure Boston with its well-worn booths, gruff servers straight out of central casting, and boisterous locals. There is another location in Peabody.
Best Italian
Get yourself a chef who worked at Radius and Corton, find a sweet little room with a wraparound bar and an open kitchen, and craft a menu filled with handmade pasta: You’ve got a neighborhood winner. It’s no wonder Douglass Williams’ MIDA has expanded from its original South End location to Newton and East Boston. Even simple things like the mixed green salad are done well. Don’t miss Mangia Mondays, when $80 gets you five dishes of pasta (gluten-free options available), salad, and bread for two.
Bowling + Games
Warm weather in Boston means one thing: your (Tall) Ship has come in. The 245-foot floating oyster bar docked at Pier One also features a large on-shore lawn with food and drink vendors, a big screen for sports, live music, and games including cornhole and giant Connect 4. During the day, enjoy the waterfront with a frozen drink, and in the evening, socialize under string lights with a sparkling skyline view over Boston Harbor.
To see the full list of winners, visit here!
Let us know what the Globe missed in the comment section below!
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
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