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Boston Restaurant Blog -- May, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Five Restaurants in Residential Areas
As you probably know by now, this site focuses mainly on little-known restaurants that tend to fly under the radar. But we don't always look into why some dining spots aren't that well-known; there are obviously a variety of reasons for this, including one that I'll cover here. Much of the Boston area is made up of neighborhoods, with city, town, and village centers with commercial space for restaurants and shops. And while this section of the country has less in the way of large commercial centers outside of downtown areas, we do have such spots, complete with malls, shopping centers, etc. But in addition to downtown areas and commercial strips, there are also residential areas that sometimes have single businesses scattered about here and there, including restaurants, and some of these dining spots are nearly completely unknown because they are situated in places where folks would least expect them to be. Below are five such restaurants, including at least a couple that most people probably have never heard of.
1) Taqueria Mexico, Waltham
Located on a little-traveled one-way side street that you cannot enter from busy Moody Street, this wonderful authentic Mexican restaurant is simply not one that you just happen to run into accidentally. And yes, there are a couple of other businesses on Charles Street, but this narrow road is really just a mix of homes and apartments, making the small outdoor patio at Taqueria Mexico have the overall feel of dining on the deck of someone's house.
2) Moulton's Seafood Restaurant, Medford
Perhaps the only restaurant within this list that is on an even remotely busy street, Moulton's is nonetheless buried in the heart of a residential section of Medford. This seafood spot is further cut off from other parts of the city by the Mystic River to the north, a hodgepodge of one-way streets to the east and west, and the commuter rail to the south. The often-gridlocked Mystic Valley Parkway to the north doesn't help, either, as it may deter folks from even coming to this neighborhood. This is one not to miss, however, as the seafood can be very, very good here.
3) Louis' Crossing, Quincy
You may have read about this eatery awhile back, as it made it to our Five Very Hidden Boston-Area Restaurants article from earlier this year. There's a good reason for this, as Louis' Crossing is near the end of a long main road that simply peters out as it approaches the tip of the Hough's Neck peninsula. There really isn't much around this old-school restaurant and bar other than houses, water, and some of the most spectacular views in the Boston area.
4) Desfina, Cambridge
Even though Cambridge is often seen as a quirky, funky college city, the "old" working-class Cambridge still exists in spots, including pockets in North Cambridge and East Cambridge that contain little shops, restaurants, and bars in places you might not expect them to be. And it is in East Cambridge that this Greek dining spot is located, smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood that still has a strong Portuguese influences. Sure, it's only a few blocks from the urban canyons of Kendall Square and the upscale residences overlooking the Charles, but Defina feels like it is miles away from either.
5) Winthrop Arms, Winthrop
Ahhh, there's nothing like an old hotel and restaurant on a quiet side street overlooking the ocean near the tip of a peninsula. Would you be surprised if I told you there was such a spot a couple of miles from the Boston line? Indeed, the Winthrop Arms is one of those places that you would not expect to see anywhere near Boston, but it certainly exists, and the comfortable dining room, rustic bar and lobby area, and classic American menu make the restaurant a particularly nice spot to go to for family or group gatherings.
As with all of these lists, there are other restaurants that could have been included, but these five seem to be a good place to start. If you happen to know of any good restaurants in residential sections in and around Boston, let us know by posting a comment here, thanks!
Posted by MH, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, on May 10, 2011.
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2 COMMENTS:
MPL said:
I think you should keep this tally going. You have Deluxe in the South End of Boston (Chandler Street).
Posted on 5/10/11
JJ said:
Not to beat a dead horse, but you know what I'm going to write here. The Colonial House! In Norwood. Smack-dab in the middle of the most nondescript neighborhood you can have. :-)
Posted on 5/10/11
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