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While Boston is renowned for its seafood, there's a treasure trove of culinary diversity waiting to be explored. If you're a fan of flavorful (ethnic) dishes, make sure to include these 5 pescatarian-friendly restaurants on your must-visit list!
Drinking Pho (Pho Pasteur, Boston)
1. Celeste
This was my first time trying Peruvian food and was I impressed! I visited the summer of 2021 with a friend who had raved about their food.
We ordered: Arugula salad w/ salsa criolla + Tacu Tacu A Lo Macho + something else I can’t remember the name (see picture 🙂)
The only downside here was that the portions are not as large. I guess that’s what living in the States & Canada does to you, plus being Nigerian. You’ll be relatively filled, but it’s European portions (my friend disagreed lol).
Perks: Also vegan friendly. Tastes great but leaves you wanting more (portion)
Cuisine: Peruvian
Address: 21 Bow Street, Somerville, MA. 02143
There comes Obosa, with a not-so blue ocean strategy – and like that, Suya Joint loses its relevance and customers. Whenever, my non-Nigerian friends (usually Caucasians) would ask what restaurants to recommend, I used to invite them to my house and cook for them. But with Obosa in the picture now, I don’t have to worry much about this, and I can go out myself and enjoy a nice Nigerian meal.
2. Pho Pasteur
This is where you can get the BEST pho in Boston! Yes I said it! Actually, I’m yet to find a better pho place yet in the States or Canada. Besides my opinion, this restaurant has amassed a number of awards over the years e.g. “Best Vietnamese restaurant” (see website for more) – so it makes a lot of sense.
You can choose which size of pho you want, but even the small size will be enough to fill you. Although Pho is the primary dish served, their menu also consists of a wide variety of food options to choose from.
When I lived in Boston, I would go here a lot and have the beef pho. However, when I returned as a pescatarian (that also eats chicken), there were still options for me to choose from. This time, I got the seafood fried rice (shared with my friend & as takeaway) and a chicken pho
Chicken & Beef Pho respectively (Pho Pasteur, Boston)
Perks: Large portions. Affordable. Menu variety. And last but not least, it ACTUALLY tastes great! 🙂
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Address: 682 Washington street, Boston MA. 02111 (see website for Quincy location)
3. Obosa
As a Nigerian, my standards are pretty high when trying out Nigerian food because I cook Nigerian food at home and can tell when it’s not all that, even if my non-Nigerian friends are impressed.
My experience with Obosa in a nutshell is that I ended up ordering from them at least 7 times in my 2month period in Boston (UberEats & in person). Yea it’s that good! Even Nigerians agree.
Obosa replaced Suya Joint (used to be the only Nigerian restaurant when I lived in Boston) in popularity. My assessment: Suya Joint got too arrogant, their food quality declined and they didn’t prioritize customer experience. Then comes Obosa, with a not-so blue ocean strategy – and like that, Suya Joint loses its relevance and customers.
Obosa food options
Whenever, my non-Nigerian friends (usually Caucasians) would ask what restaurants to recommend, I used to invite them to my house and cook for them. Partly because I didn’t trust Suya Joint’s cooking plus if they do a terrible job, they would assume Nigerian food doesn’t taste good. First impression matters!
But with Obosa in the picture now, I don’t have to worry much about this, and I can go out myself and enjoy a nice Nigerian meal. A couple of food options to try out if you’re a non-Nigerian: Jollof rice w/ plantain/moin moin OR pounded yam w/ egusi
Perks: Food tastes great. Good portions. Affordable. Best Nigerian restaurant in Boston to recommend to non-Nigerians (jollof rice is on point!)
Cuisine: Nigerian
Address: 146 Belgrade Ave, Roslindale, MA. 02131.
We checked out this restaurant because my friend kept raving about a dish she tried out. However, she could not describe what it tasted like. So we headed over to try it out. I got even more excited because it was a whole fish!
Braise yellow fish w/ tofu
Perks: Good portion. Tastes good (but the dumplings were just ok).
Cuisine: Chinese
Address: 950 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA. 02139
5. Yard House
Yard House is known for its good food and it’s one of the restaurants that’s usually frequented by Bostonians. There are no reservations, so you have to show up in person and wait to be called upon. I went with a friend on a weekend and the wait for a table was ~45mins, so we asked to be seated at the bar instead.
Cobb Salad
Perks: Lovely ambience. Great tasting food. Large portions. Reasonably priced
Cuisine: American
Address: (multiple locations) 200 Legacy Place, Dedham, MA 02026
If you visit any of these restaurants, share your experience and what food you tried or check out Best Jamaican Restaurants In Toronto for more.