The 10 best restaurants in Brookline, MA
Brookline packs a lot of restaurants into a small town. Most sit along three corridors: Harvard Street through Coolidge Corner, Beacon Street out to Washington Square, and Washington Street in Brookline Village. This list covers ten places inside Brookline, for residents deciding where to eat tonight and for visitors arriving on the Green Line.
The list favors independent, locally run restaurants with long track records or recent recognition from named critics and guides. Prices cover a wide range. A falafel pita is $12.50 and a specialty sandwich is about $15 at the counter-service spots, while a charcoal-grilled main course at the most expensive restaurant here runs $36 to $62.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each restaurant is inside the Town of Brookline and was confirmed open in November 2026 through the business’s own website. Selection rested on local reputation across independent sources, coverage in the Boston Globe, Boston magazine and The Food Lens, named and dated awards, and years in business. No single site’s star rating decided a spot. The ten were also chosen to cover different cuisines, price levels and parts of town.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Anna’s Taqueria
Burritos built to order on a fast-moving counter line are the whole idea at Anna’s Taqueria, which started in Brookline in 1995 and now has 14 locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, by the company’s own count. The Harvard Street shop sits between Thorndike and Coolidge streets, near Coolidge Corner. The kitchen prepares the meats in-house and makes the sauces from scratch, according to the company. Breakfast is on the menu, and a chicken tinga taco joined the lineup in October 2026. Order ahead through the app to skip the line at lunch.
Hours: Daily, 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Address: 446 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- The chain began in Brookline in 1995, according to the company’s published history.
- The Harvard Street shop is open 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
- A kids menu of taco, quesadilla and taquito burrito meals comes with chips, a fruit cup and a drink.
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Bar 'Cino Brookline
Grilled pizza is the anchor of the Italian menu at Bar ’Cino, on Beacon Street directly across from the St. Mary’s Street stop on the Green Line’s C branch. A margherita pie is $18 and the fennel sausage is $21; pastas run $22 to $26, and a whole roasted branzino is $36. The restaurant belongs to a small group with other locations in Newport, Watertown and Westwood, and the staff owns the company. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Mondays and Tuesdays, a college ID takes 20 percent off food at lunch and dinner.
Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 1032 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- The company is 100 percent employee-owned, according to the restaurant’s website.
- Lunch service starts at 11:30 a.m. every weekday.
- A Tuesday night special pairs one of four plates with a cocktail for $25 before tax and tip.
- Fenway Park is within walking distance, by the restaurant’s account.
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Bar Vlaha
Island cooking is deliberately left off the menu at Bar Vlaha in Washington Square. The kitchen cooks the food of the mountains, lakes and villages of central and northern Greece instead, much of it over charcoal or open fire. Spreads are $12 each or three for $24 and come with house-baked sourdough. Larger plates include braised goat with hilopites pasta at $38 and spit-roasted lamb leg at $48. Boston magazine named Bar Vlaha Best Greek Restaurant in its 2023 Best of Boston awards. Dinner tables are booked through OpenTable, and weekend brunch runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hours: Dinner Monday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 1653 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02445
Why they made the list
- The menu is built around the cooking of the Vlach people, shepherds of central and northern Greece.
- A whole loaf of the house sourdough is sold to take home for $16.
- The Vlach Giorti platter, at $178, puts lamb leg, lamb chops, chicken, pork chop and sausage on one board for a group.
- Xenia Greek Hospitality is credited with the concept on the restaurant’s website.
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Blossom Bar
Sichuan Garden had been a Brookline Village fixture for years when Ran Duan, the son of the founders, rebuilt the room in 2018 as Blossom Bar, a Sichuan restaurant with a serious cocktail program, according to The Food Lens. The kitchen still cooks family-style Sichuan dishes. Current specials include Dong Po boneless ribs at $28.95 and wide Prosperity Noodles with chicken at $24.95. The dining room opens for lunch, and the bar opens daily at 5 p.m. Reservations go through Tock. The restaurant points customers to Instagram for schedule changes.
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, noon to 9:30 p.m.
Address: 295 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445
Why they made the list
- The same family that founded Sichuan Garden still runs the restaurant, according to The Food Lens.
- The Food Lens described a drinks list that leans on South American spirits and tiki influences.
- A separate late-night menu is posted on the restaurant’s website.
Cutty’s
Rachel and Charles Kelsey worked as editors and test cooks at America’s Test Kitchen before opening Cutty’s, a sandwich shop in Brookline Village, in 2010. The Beef 1000 is the one to try: slow-roasted beef, crispy shallots, Thousand Island dressing and sharp cheddar on brioche for $14.99. Vegetarians get real choices, including the Rabe T.J. with broccoli rabe, mozzarella, provolone and tomato jam at $14.49. The shop is open four days a week and closes at 3 p.m., so plan on lunch. The Brookline Village stop on the Green Line’s D branch is a short walk away.
Hours: Wednesday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Sunday to Tuesday, except on announced Super Cluckin’ Sunday dates.
Address: 280 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445
Why they made the list
- Bread is delivered daily by Iggy’s Bread of the World, according to the shop.
- Super Cluckin’ Sunday, a recurring fried chicken sandwich day with online pre-orders, is next scheduled for November 15, 2026.
- Both owners trained at the Culinary Institute of America.
- A grilled cheese on white or wheat is $7.99, and a cup of tomato soup is $3.99.
Mahaniyom
Thai drinking food, the small plates served in bars in Thailand, is the model for Mahaniyom in Brookline Village. Plates are meant to be shared, and the menu includes a pomelo salad, crab fried rice and pad Thai with chicken or shrimp. The restaurant received a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a Michelin cocktail award in 2025, according to its website, and Boston magazine named Mahaniyom Best Thai Restaurant in the 2025 Best of Boston awards. The room is small, so book through OpenTable. Lunch is served six days a week, and the restaurant is closed on Tuesday.
Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, noon to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Tuesday.
Address: 236 Washington Street, Brookline, MA 02445
Why they made the list
- The team includes alumni of Shojo and of Thai restaurants in Boston and on the West Coast, according to the restaurant.
- The same owners opened Merai, a cocktail bar in the same neighborhood, in 2024.
- Every dish is made from scratch, by the restaurant’s account.
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Michael’s Deli
Corned beef is the calling card at Michael’s Deli, a New York-style counter three doors south of the Beacon Street and Harvard Street intersection in Coolidge Corner. Owner Steven Peljovich brings in meats from the Bronx and cooks them on site every day, according to the deli. Knishes, soups, kasha and kugel are made in-house from family recipes. In a 2014 Boston magazine guide to Brookline, chef Jason Cheek picked the Reuben as his standing order. The deli keeps daytime hours and closes by 4 p.m., and by 2 p.m. on Mondays.
Hours: Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 256 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- The deli lists a 2010 Best of Boston award from Boston magazine among its honors.
- Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations filmed at the deli, according to the owner.
- Take-home menus for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are posted on the deli’s website.
- Pickup and delivery orders can be placed online.
Rami’s
Falafel in a pita costs $12.50 at Rami’s, a kosher Israeli counter that has been on Harvard Street since 1990, according to the restaurant. Shawarma in a pita is $16.50, and plates with salad start at $18.50. Rami’s Special, at $26.50, puts kebabs, falafel, hummus, salad and a choice of grilled chicken or shawarma on one plate. Bourekas are $4 apiece. Because the kitchen is kosher, the restaurant closes early on Friday, stays closed on Saturday and closes for Jewish holidays, so check the calendar before a weekend visit.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Closed Saturday and on Jewish holidays.
Address: 324 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- The restaurant has operated in Brookline for more than 35 years, based on the 1990 founding date on the restaurant’s website.
- Hummus, baba ghanoush and tahini are sold by the pound at $15.
- Catering delivery covers Brookline, Boston, Cambridge, Newton and several nearby communities.
Taberna de Haro
Spanish cooking beyond the usual tapas list has been the focus at Taberna de Haro since 1998, the founding year the restaurant gives. The menu covers cold and hot tapas such as gildas, croquetas de jamón and gambas al ajillo, along with three paellas, including arroz negro made with squid ink. The drinks list is built on Spanish wine and sherry, and the restaurant says the program was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2018. Owner Kristie Weiss runs the room. Dinner only, Monday to Saturday; in warm weather, ask for the patio.
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to close. Closed Sunday.
Address: 999 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- Boston Globe critic Devra First reviewed the restaurant on May 21, 2025, according to the restaurant’s press page.
- Boston magazine gave the restaurant a 2024 Best of Boston award for Spanish tapas, per the same page.
- Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence went to the wine list each year from 2019 to 2023, the restaurant reports.
- Tables are booked through OpenTable.
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Zaftigs Delicatessen
Weekend brunch at Zaftigs is walk-in only, so arrive early on Saturday or Sunday. The Coolidge Corner delicatessen opened in 1997 and cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner from scratch seven days a week, according to the restaurant. The menu runs from hot pastrami, corned beef, matzo ball soup and potato pancakes to banana-stuffed French toast and Empire Eggs. Reservations are taken by phone at other times. Last seating and last takeout orders are 30 minutes before closing, and the restaurant does not accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo or checks.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 335 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Why they made the list
- The Brookline restaurant has been open since 1997, which the restaurant marks as 5757 on the Jewish calendar.
- A second Zaftigs opened in Natick in 2011.
- A retail counter inside the restaurant sells deli items to take home.
- Thanksgiving orders are being taken through the restaurant’s website this month.
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