My Favorite Boston Comfort Meals: A Food Tour Guide Part I

By Adam Branco

Not every time I go out to eat consists of some grand adventure to find the next great Boston area dish. I have go-to comfort meals just like the rest of you, ones that are close by, warm, filling, and don't break the bank. Here’s part I of my list:

Switching It Up from Sushi at Ebi Sushi

Chicken teriyaki at  Ebi Sushi: I love sushi as much as the next person, but you need to be in a certain mood for it and it quickly runs up the bill. As a comfort food alternative, I often get this dish at Ebi Sushi about a 3-minute walk from where I live in Union Square. 5 or 6 pieces of chicken teriyaki thighs, garlic noodles, carrots and broccoli, a bowl of miso soup, and a bowl of rice all for $20. Pro tip: eat everything except the rice first, then dump the rice onto the plate to let it soak up the leftover sauce and enjoy.

Sooth Your Soul in Chinatown at Tora Ramen

Black garlic tonkotsu ramen at  Tora Ramen: Different Asian soups and noodle dishes will appear on this list, and for a good reason. How much more comforting does it get than a warm broth? Personally, this has been a specific kind of comfort meal during my time in Boston. I don’t go out like that anymore, but when I used to really boogie, I had specific day-after meals depending on how terrible I felt when I woke up. When I felt especially rough, I would resort to the black garlic tonkotsu ramen at Chinatown’s Tora Ramen. Perfectly fatty, salty, and soothing, it was the perfect meal to take down before falling asleep on my friend’s couch while watching football for 8 straight hours.

A Taste of Peru Without the Flight at Machu Picchu

Aji de gallina at Machu Picchu: While Peruvian food is mostly characterized by ceviche, this dish is my go-to at Machu Picchu in my neighborhood of Union Square.  Poached chicken in a creamy nut-based sauce is served over white rice and boiled potatoes. Bright yellow—amarillo—in color, thanks to the ají Amarillo pepper, and rich from the unusual sauce of ground walnuts, this dish is hearty, filling, and delicious.

One of Chinatown's Essential Restaurants at Taiwan Cafe

Taiwanese-style pan-fried dumplings from  Taiwan Cafe: This dish is also a very specific comfort meal, as this Chinatown restaurant is only about a 10-minute walk from South Station. Whenever I’m coming back from hanging out in NYC or the holidays in CT, I’ll head over here for a late-night bite to eat. Perfectly fatty, crispy, and satisfying, these dumplings are my go-to in the city.

My Go-To Union Square Restaurant at Himalayan Kitchen

Chicken Madras at  Himalayan Kitchen: One of the dishes I always order when I bring friends here, this is a rich and fragrant curry and a great deviation from the tikka masalas of the world. The dish consists of chicken cooked in a tamarind sauce with a touch of ginger, coconut, mustard seed, curry leaves, and garlic, served with rice. It’s about as comforting as it gets in Union Square.

*Photo courtesy of Himalayan Kitchen

A Taste of X'ian at Gene's Flatbread Cafe

Hand-pulled noodles from Gene’s Flatbread Kitchen: One of my favorite Boston hole-in-the-wall restaurants, their hand-pulled noodles have been a lunch staple of mine for years now and are one of the great value meals in downtown Boston. Bonus points for the lamb sticks.

Hearty Colombian Food at El Peñol

Bandeja paisa at  El Peñol: A traditional Colombian dish with beans, rice, arepa, chorizo, plantain, chicharrón, avocado, and beef, this was one of those dishes where I would finish the workweek on Friday, get in my workout, devour this, then retreat to my cave of a bedroom for the night.

Join Up & Adam Food Tours

But if you don’t want to go for a comfort meal and try something you haven’t before, consider hopping on one of my food tours! Check out upandamfoodtours.com, and email me at info@upandadamfoodtours.com or message me at (508) 271-7124 for more details.