These are on our must-try list.
I mean.... its called Broth. That in and of itself makes me want to eat here. Upon further investigation I realized this little place on Green St. is owned and operated by the guys that own Hangover Pub (also on our must eat list). Their website features GORGEOUS pictures of thick ramen noodles swimming in broth, topped with eggs, and whole lobsters; plus a recreation of da Vinci's last supper with Marvel superheroes eating ramen. Aside from ramen, menu items include kimchi bacon rice balls, bacon dusted fried chicken, and roast pork banh mi grilled cheese. I mean coooomme on. *drool* Count me in for this place. Oh, and they're BYOB.
What We Want to Eat: Kimchi bacon rice balls, triple pork ramen, and chocolate bacon torte.
Price: $, pretty much every item on the menu is between $10-$15.
I noticed this place because their marquee outside said "We have samosas and chai". Yes please! This little whole in the wall on West Boylston St. is apparently a huge fan favorite of Worcesterites. They serve up East African, mostly Kenyan, food including chapati, an unleaved African flatbread, various meat and vegetable stews, mandazi, a sweet fried bread, and of course samosas and chai. They are also incredibly reasonably priced. Samosas are 3 for $6, and by the pictures they look awfully big. Chai is $2 and they have a dinner for two for only $20. This place sound excellent, but really, they had me at samosas and chai.
What We Want to Eat: Samosas, chai, mandazi, vegetable stew.
Price: $, samosas and chai are $2 each, an entree runs about $12, and you can get 24 mandazi (East African doughnut) for $6.
My initial interest in Chuan Shabu was because it was the only hot pot restaurant I could find in Worcester. Lucky for us it also sounds amazing! They won the Best of Worcester award in the Asian Fusion category for three years straight and they have a very extensive Chinese food menu that includes authentic Szechuan dishes. The hot pot, however, looks like the real star. For those of you unfamiliar with hot pot, let me explain. Each seat has a burner in front of it, usually sunk into the table. A pot of broth of your choosing is placed on the burner and various meats, vegetables and noodles are brought to your table that you then cook in your broth. You can add sauces, seasonings, and make it your own! The regular hot pot menu at Chuan Shabu allows you to choose from 12 different broths. The hot pot for two menu includes Angus sirloin, lamb, pork, chicken breast, seafood, assorted mushrooms, assorted vegetables, rice, and noodles, all for $45. I am definitely going here for our next date night.
What We Want to Eat: All you can eat hot pot.
Price: $$, all you can eat hot pot is $20 per person for lunch or $26 per person for dinner. A Szechuan entree will run you about $14.
The tacos. Just look at their tacos. Coming from the Pacific Northwest where we have quite a few Mexican restaurants, I've been disappointed at the difficulty of finding a Mexican restaurant in the NE. Until now. Super Wings, located on Whitney St. in Leominster, does traditional Mexican food and, you guessed it, wings! There are 41 different sauce flavors including jalapeño BBQ, Cajun, and buffalo & lime. Wings are relatively cheap too, at less than $1 each. I'm mostly excited about the authentic tacos though. There are eight meats to choose from including pork, beef cheek, beef tongue, steak, fish, and chorizo, and who can beat the price at $2 each?
What We Want to Eat: All the tacos, all the wings, a torta.
Price: $, tacos are $2 each, wings are less than $1 each, and entree will cost about $10.
This Korean restaurant on Mountain St. in Worcester, is known for their build-your-own bibimbap. For less than $10, you choose your base: white rice, brown rice, or japchae noodles, add any of 11 vegetables (and they include egg strips as a veggie! My kind of people.), choose from five proteins: chicken, spicy chicken, beef, tofu, or shrimp, and finish it off your personalized combo of five sauces. If you come for lunch, your $10 will also get you a drink and miso soup with your bibimbap. Choose & Mix offers other Korean favorites like bulgogi beef, fried chicken wings, and kimchi. You might just see me at this place Monday on my lunch break.
What We Want to Eat: Japchae noodle bibimbap, chicken wings.
Price: $, bibimbap costs $10, other entrees about $13, and sides around $5.
That name! It's such a fun name and very descriptive, as they do exactly what they say they are going to: egg rolls and seafood. This great little place on West Boylston St. in Worcester has a menu dotted with fried seafood of all kinds, clam fritters, scallop rolls, and fish and chips. What makes this place fun is they add an Asian fusion twist. They serve (what look like) awesome egg rolls and crab rangoons. Plus you can get a side of duck sauce with your meal.
What We Want to Eat: Egg rolls, crab rangoons, clam fritters.
Price: $, egg rolls are 5 for $6, a fried seafood dinner runs about $16, and sandwiches about $9.
Cafe Reyes is the highest ranked Cuban restaurant in Worcester. They're part of Shrewsbury Street's lively food scene, serving an assortment of coffee and traditional Cuban food for breakfast and lunch. Uniquely, Cafe Reyes employs residents and graduates of the Hector Reyes House, a bilingual, bicultural treatment center for men in recovery. Good food? Check. Good work? Check. Count me in! What really attracted me to this place is the drool-inducing Cuban food: pastries with guava and cheese, fried sweet plantains, black bean soup, empanadas. YUM. I've been told it's best to go mid-morning, and you HAVE to get the cafe con leche.
What We Want to Eat: Pasteles with guava and cheese, platanos maduros (sweet, fried plantains), chorizo and cheese empanada, cubano sandwich.
Price: $, while their prices aren't on their website, the internet tells me most dishes are under $10.
The Fix, located on Grove St. in Worcester, let's you customize your burger from 12 patty options and over 40 toppings. They have kobe beef, tuna, bison, local beef, chicken, and veggie burger patties and topping options include traditional and creative options such as prosciutto, foie gras, blackberry champagne BBQ sauce, pork belly, kimchi, and espresso bacon. Plus their apps are insane. Poutine, potato chip nachos, and blue cheese polenta tots. Among others, they have pistachio cheesecake and chocolate spring rolls for dessert. They also offer boozy and non-boozy shakes, interesting cocktails, an extensive beer and wine list, and house made sodas. My American-food dreams have come true.
What We Want to Eat: Blue cheese polenta tots, The Splurge burger, The Spicy Tuna burger, spiked Oreo milkshake.
Price: $, a burger will cost about $15, sides around $5, and spiked shakes $10.
Brunch, coffee, pizza. Yes please! Birchtree has it all; during the day they're a great breakfast/brunch/lunch spot serving toasts, pastries, soups, and sandwiches. Then two nights per week, they open for dinner serving pizza, cocktails, beer, and wine along with live music! Their rotating specials look particularly dope. One of the recent cocktail specials was a Winter Cranberry Fizz with gin, cranberry, lime, birch beer, and rosemary. Birchtree also serves up six housemade breads daily. Find them at 138 Green St. in Worcester.
What We Want to Eat: Seeded Levain toast with lemon-blueberry cream cheese, pan au chocolat, any of the daily specials because they always sound amazing.
Price: $, a breakfast sandwich is about $10, specialty toasts $4, and specialty pastries $3-$5.
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