Good and Cheap near Boston

Anyone have any recomendations for a college student at Tufts University o the border of Medford and Sumerville, MA (just north of Cambridge and Boston). I'm a college student, so I would apreciate cheap, and I always like good. Near a T stop is also a major plus!

Hey, Rob. Are you around Davis and Teele squares? I lived there for a few years. I'd recommend, if Santoro's still has it, the pizza special with ricotta, sausage, and roasted red peppers. Closer to the Teele Square end of Holland Street, Marie's has a fantastic cheesesteak sub. If you don't mind decent bar food, Johnny D's was pretty reliable. I understand that Redbone's is nowhere what it was when I moved in '97 (and even then it was already sliding), but the Blue Star on Mass. Ave. just past the high school in Arlington gets pretty high marks from my friends still out there. In Ball Square, there's a Pullman diner that rocks (I don't remember its name, but don't confuse it with the one in Davis Square, which pretty much shovels out food service food). Also in Ball Square, a little closer to Powderhouse Square, other side of the street from the diner, another very good pizzeria -- I remember loving their linguiça pizza. Back in Davis Square, I think it's overpriced for what it is, but Mike's is pretty reliable. If you're willing to head down to Mass. Ave., I remember the Greek place across from the trackless trolley yard as consistent, nothing exquisite but good prices, good food kind of place. Back in the day, Frank's Steak House at least had kitsch going for it; I can't promise you it's still worth it. Also, in general, I've heard that Mass. Ave. along East Arlington has some pretty good places, but I can't point any out. I wouldn't recommend any of the places between Cameron Ave. and the Alewife, though if that Italian place is still there, you can often see (and really, often is true) stretch limos pulling up with folks who might let you live if they think you can't identify them. Quite the little neighborhood, er, meeting spot.

I don't recommend the Chinese place on Highland Ave. near the bank. Glop on a plate. (If you want Chinese, there's Chinatown of course, but there are also a few good places around MIT.)

Apologies if you're down closer to Sullivan or Wellington squares. I lived around there for a while in the late '80s, kept up with friends around there through the mid-'90s, but have no reliable info.

I'm about half a mile from Davis, and even closer to Telee, plus we have twice-an-hour shuttles there since that's the closest T stop. Thanks. =)

Rob,

I am also a college student - so I know how it is being broke. While studying last summer, I found an amazing burger shop. It's a few blocks away from the Harvard square T stop, and it's called Bartley's. The onion rings are unremarkable, and the fries are average. I kept ordering the grilled onion burger medium rare whenever I went. Here are a few pictures...







Also, if you enjoy Indian cuisine, there's a place by Inman square called Punjabi Dhaba. Here's a picture of the curry special that I ordered often.



There's another good indian place in Harvard square although it is far more expensive, called Bombay Club - dinners there are about 17$. By comparison, Punjabi Dhaba is about 5$ a dinner.

Finally, if you feel like eating a little bit better, there's a nice place called Sandrines in Harvard square. It's a French bistro that has excellent salads... Nice place to take a date.

Hey, you might consider throwing the addresses in:

Mr Bartley's (formerly known as Mr and Mrs Bartley's)
1246 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
(Near Harvard)

Punjabi Dhaba
225 Hampshire St
Cambridge MA 02139
(Inman Square)

And don't forget another cheap joint:
Desi Dhaba
401 Main St
Cambridge MA 02139
(Near MIT)

During my years as a poor student in Cambridge I frequently ate here:

Porter Exchange
1815 Mass Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
(Porter Square)

It is a Japanese Mini-mall - there is a kissaten, a soba-ya, a ramen-ya, a sushi joint, a tempura house, and a few other random places tucked into this former Sears Department store. It is like Mitsuwa without the space. Cheap and good.

There is also good Chinese to be had near Porter:

Zoe's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine
289 Beacon St.
Somerville, MA
617-864-6265

A reasonable bet for good cheap food in the Boston area is Allston - all along Harvard St, from Cambridge St to Comm Ave. There's decent Indian, Vietnamese, Brazilian, Korean, Chinese, Diners, Pubs, etc. over there. But that's getting into BU territory....

Central Square is also a haven for some very decent, inexpensive food, especially Indian and Middle Eastern. (Including the Middle East -- not just a bowling-alley-turned-nightclub!) Things may have changed since my last visit, but the Green Street Grill was more expensive but definitely worth it, Caribbean style food. Carberry's sandwiches are very good but a little pricey, but their cinnamon rolls are the best on Earth. They have declined to FedEx me a batch, alas.

With the caveat that all info is 10+ years old...

A little south of you probably, but O'Sullivans on Beacon St, across from the Star Market (not the one in Porter Sq) was great for burgers and cheap too. In Chinatown, there was a place we referred to only as "the second floor place". It was right on the northeast corner of Beach St and some other street (maybe Oxford but my memory is hazy, but Chinatown's not that big either), with stairs going up to the second floor. There were a bunch of little stalls that made cheap Chinese fast food. E.g., pan fried noodles, noodle soup, rice plates, etc.

Also concur with the Porter Exchange recommendation for Japanese.

Just had lunch at a small Portugese place O Cantinho by Inman Square in Cambridge yesterday, and it was excellent. Went with a few other people so we were able to plow through the fairly extensive menu. Almost all the apps are under $5 at lunch, sandwiches are less than $6 and all the mains are under $10. You can very easily make a meal out of an app and a salad.

A few of the best dishes were tomato and cheese app, in piri piri sauce and laden with chopped garlic - we were fighting to sop up the sauce left on the platter - and the fava beans & sausage app. Salads are unusual, you choose a topping (tuna, sardines or fried codcakes, e.g) and then the base (iceberg lettuce, black-eyed peas or pasta salad). Definitely go with the black-eyed peas. The sardines were very good, but the codcakes (bacalau) were outstanding. They're a little bland on their own, but once you douse them with the piri piri sauce from the bottle they become sublime.

Great service, super friendly. Highly recommend this place for someone from Chicago looking to try something you can't find at home. I think they're closed on Sundays.

O Cantinho
1128 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA