Boston's Hidden Restaurants

Rami's

324 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
(617) 738-3577 Find location!

Photo of Rami's, Brookline, MA The Greater Boston area has relatively few Middle Eastern restaurants, and even fewer Kosher dining spots--or Israeli eateries, for that matter. But there is a little place (perhaps "tiny" is a better word to describe it) near the Coolidge Corner section of Brookline called Rami's that is both Middle Eastern and Kosher, and it also happens to have some of the best cuisine of its type in the entire area. And while it may have a rather nondescript storefront, the food is the thing here, and it is also relatively inexpensive and a good place to go if you don't have a whole lot of time on your hands.

Rami's serves a mixture of vegetarian and meat dishes (the latter of which are of the highest standards possible (also known as glatt kosher). The vegetarian dishes include such delicious standards as baba ganoush, houmos, falafel (one of the best this writer has tried, by the way), potato and spinach borekas, and potato "cigars." Rami's also has an absolutely marvelous hot sauce that goes perfectly with these items and others, including meat dishes such as the tremendous turkey shawarma plates. Also on the menu at Rami's are kosher hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled chicken (chances are, you'll see a pile of it on the grill), beef cigars, and ground meat kebabs. Many of the meals that are served here are under $10.00, so it isn't a big issue filling up here and having enough money left over for a beer, ice cream or another treat in the Coolidge Corner area. (Speaking of dessert, Rami's does have a delicious kadaif/baklava.)

The waitstaff at Rami's can be a bit gruff and on the serious side, but the place is very tightly run, so even if it appears to be packed on a given evening, the line moves pretty quickly. As you might assume by now, this is not a full-service restaurant; you order at the counter and wait at one of a handful of small tables for your food--or if you're doing takeout, find a little sliver of a space in the back or front.

So is Rami's the best Middle Eastern restaurant in the Boston area? Well, this writer believes it is close, though there are some other great spots, including Cafe Jaffa in the Back Bay of Boston and Cafe Barada in Cambridge. Probably the best thing to do is to try it for yourself to compare with some of the others. Chances are, Rami's may be at the top of your list, too.