twin donuts allston — Get the chocolate butternut at Twin Donuts.

Where to Eat in Allston

The best of the best in one of the city’s most diverse food neighborhoods

by Lala Thaddeus and Terrence Doyle Updated Jan 23, 2024, 4:56pm EST

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Get the chocolate butternut at Twin Donuts.

| Terrence B. Doyle/Eater Boston

by Lala Thaddeus and Terrence Doyle Updated Jan 23, 2024, 4:56pm EST

Allston has a wealth of excellent restaurant options showcasing cuisines from all over the world. This is the place to go for old-school dive bars, the best and widest array of Korean food that the city has to offer, and some truly outstanding diner breakfast plates. While this is by no means an exhaustive list of all that Allston has to offer, use these 14 restaurants as a starting guide to dining in the neighborhood.

Twin Donuts

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Twin Donuts – with its iconic neon sign – is as much an Allston landmark as it is a haven for the morning crowds looking for an unfussy diner breakfast. The spot has been going strong since 1955, serving up affordable combo plates for the weekend brunch crowd and donuts and coffee for the weekday commuters.

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501 Cambridge St, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 254-9421

A white oval plate filled with hash, scrambled eggs, and chunks of roasted potatoes. — Part of the combo #1 at Twin Donuts. (A second plate in the same order includes a pancake and a piece of French toast.)

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Lone Star Taco Bar

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Hit up Lone Star for some of the city’s best tacos paired with a robust cocktail menu, including multiple takes on a margarita (six different styles, to be exact!). Lone Star is one of the few food spots in Allston that stays open past midnight, so if you have a late-night, post-drinks hankering for tacos and guac, you have until 12:30 a.m. to place an order before the kitchen closes.

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479 Cambridge St, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 782-8226

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Spring Shabu-Shabu

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This is technically just over the edge of Allston into Brighton, but we’re shouting it out because Japanese hot pot restaurant Spring Shabu Shabu delivers time and again. Unlike other shabu-shabu spots where diners share the same pot of soup, Spring Shabu Shabu offers each diner their own individual soup pot, making this a great option for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Between the buffet of seemingly endless vegetables, fresh noodles, imitation meats, sauces, and add-on meat and seafood options, the combinations here are truly endless. For dessert, serve yourself some soft serve for that college dining hall nostalgia.

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304 Western Ave, Boston, MA 02135

(617) 202-5422

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Silhouette Lounge

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Allston is full of bars, but none of them match the Silhouette. Upon entering, Irene will ask if you want any dinner (popcorn). You do. You also want cheap pitchers of PBR, and you want to play some early ’90s rap on the jukebox. Shoot some pool, too. But watch out for the local sharks — they take themselves a little too seriously.

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200 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 206-4565

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Two hot dogs dressed with mustard, ketchup, and relish on a white paper plate. — The Sil’s hot dogs. (You can get one free daily if you get a Silhouette-inspired tattoo.)

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Coreanos

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Coreanos serves up a unique style of Korean and Mexican fusion — think kimchi fritas, bulgogi quesadillas, and fried chicken wings with spicy garlic soy sauce. Their bibimbap with pan-fried vegetables comes with a practically slurpable hot sauce. Coreanos has been in business for seven years and continues to hold the torch for possibly the best restaurant in Allston.

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172 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134

(617) 208-8822

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Kimchipapi Kitchen

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Owner Joon Son opened the doors to Kimchipapi Kitchen in the same spot as his former sneaker shop. At Kimchipapi, you can find some of the best poke bowls in Boston — the real magic is in the various sauces they use to top their dishes. They also boast a variety of Korean street food, including crispy, cheesy Korean corn dogs.

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81 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 208-8005

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Cafe Brazil Bakery

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Cafe Brazil serves up some of the baked goods you’d find in a traditional Brazilian padaria, or bakery. Get the chicken coxinha with catupiry (a spreadable cream cheese), a cheese or beef pastel (a deep-fried hand pie), half a dozen pão de queijo, and a cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice for the best low-key lunch of your week.

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125 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 202-6783

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A pastry case with many sweet and savory baked goods on display. — Choices, choices.

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Seoul Soulongtang

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This spot is named after seolleongtang, a cloudy Korean broth made out of ox bones, which you modify to your taste at the table with scallions, salt, and pepper. The menu here also features other hearty Korean soups and beef and pork entrees. Make the most out of the menu by getting a combo platter of both soup and an entree, and don’t skip the haemool pajun (seafood pancake).

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1245 Commonwealth Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 505-6771

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Oppa Sushi

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If you didn’t think Allston has excellent sushi, think again. Oppa Sushi is a bit of a hidden gem in the neighborhood, but they’ve been serving top-notch sushi for a decade. The spot features inventive maki rolls, sushi, sashimi, as well as entrees like bibimbap.

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185 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 202-3808

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Ariana Restaurant

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Ariana stands out as a rare champion of Afghan food in Boston. You can’t go wrong with sharing a wide variety of foods here: from vegetable appetizers like the bowlawni (pastry shells filled with leeks, scallions, and spiced potatoes) and bamiya (pan-fried eggplant baked with tomatoes) to kabobs and kofta. The standout dish at Ariana is the qabili, a meltingly tender lamb shank with spiced rice.

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129 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 208-8072

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Mala Restaurant

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Spicy food lovers, rejoice: Mala Restaurant serves up mouth-numbing Sichuan food in this busy spot in Allston. Go for the namesake dish, the mala spicy pot, which comes with your choice of meat and vegetables, and don’t skip the various barbecued skewer options, especially the lamb.

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129 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

(617) 254-1839

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Ajeen

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Lahm ajeen, literally meaning “meat with dough” in Arabic, is a popular flatbread in Eastern Mediterranean countries including Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. Ajeen in Allston serves up plenty of varieties of flatbread, including a classic (the lahm ajeen) as well as vegetarian options (the za’atar special and the muhammara), at this nondescript spot along Commonwealth Avenue. Don’t miss out on the chicken shawarma with garlic sauce and the Ayran yogurt drink.

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1219 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02134

(617) 782-0420

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Sloane’s

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Chef and owner Sarah Wade’s new restaurant serves up “unapologetically delicious comfort food” in Lower Allston, right where modern deli Our Fathers used to be. Aside from creamy, carby pleasures like pigs in a blanket and a mac and cheese topped with slow-cooked pot roast — plus brunch, served daily! — Wade has made plenty of space on her menu for vegetarian dishes to shine alongside the pretzel-crusted chicken and a pulled beef sandwich affectionately dubbed “The Bear.” Make sure to save room for their homemade ice cream.

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197 North Harvard Street, Allston, Massachusetts 02134

(617) 693-8220

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A cast iron pan with fries, another pan with wings, and dipping sauces spread out on a wooden table. — A spread of dishes at Sloane’s.

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Brown Sugar Cafe

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A mainstay on Commonwealth Avenue, Brown Sugar Cafe is the place to go for Thai food and warm hospitality in Allston. Beyond doing a great job on often-seen dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, tom yum goong soup, and satay chicken, they have a vast menu of regional, lesser-seen-in-Boston Thai food that is worth exploring.

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1033 Commonwealth Ave (btwn Alcorn & Babcock), Boston, MA 02215

(617) 787-4242

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Where to Eat in Allston

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Twin Donuts

Lone Star Taco Bar

Spring Shabu-Shabu

Silhouette Lounge

Coreanos

Kimchipapi Kitchen

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Cafe Brazil Bakery

Seoul Soulongtang

Oppa Sushi

Ariana Restaurant

Mala Restaurant

Ajeen

Sloane’s

Brown Sugar Cafe

More in Maps

Twin Donuts

Lone Star Taco Bar

Spring Shabu-Shabu

Silhouette Lounge

Coreanos

Kimchipapi Kitchen

Cafe Brazil Bakery

Seoul Soulongtang

Oppa Sushi

Ariana Restaurant

Mala Restaurant

Ajeen

Sloane’s

Brown Sugar Cafe

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All sharing options for: Where to Eat in Allston

All sharing options for: Where to Eat in Allston