Best of Brighton: A Guide to one of Boston's Sweetest Little Neighborhoods

By jilliancyork
updated 3 months ago

Okay, so maybe "sweet" isn't the first thing that comes to most people's minds when they think of Brighton - but it's true, particularly compared to next-door neighborhood Allston (where the college kids party). Brighton has nearly everything you could ever need - all sorts of ethnic food, a giant package store, good hair salons - and 57% of the neighborhood is single! Get your butt to Brighton, stat.

Brighton Cafe

1597 Commonwealth Avenue Brighton, MA 02135

As I’ve said elsewhere, and many times before, this is not the best breakfast spot, not even in Brighton. But it IS home to the tastiest iced coffee I’ve ever had. Ever. And that really says something (plus, a medium – which is huge – is only $1.75).

Bamboo Restaurant

1616 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135

Take out or sit it, it doesn’t matter (except on a Saturday night, and then you may be forced to do the former). I love the yellow seafood curry, but I’d order that in hell, anyway. The tiny room is bisected by a row of fish tanks, which are filled with really crazy looking fish (I believe I can actually see one of them from my living room at night – sometimes I dream about him). They also have a liquor license, which brings me here perhaps twice as often as if they didn’t.

Tasca Spanish Tapas Restaurant

1610 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135

I overlooked Tasca for months. Not really on purpose; I suppose I assumed it was more expensive than it really is, and anyway, I can see it from my living room window, so I supposed “no rush.”

How damn silly of me. Tasca is amaaaazing. The tapas, the sangria, the service, the ambience (okay, well, depending on where you’re seated). This is one of Brighton’s only real 5-stars, so enjoy it.

I overlooked Tasca for months. Not really on purpose; I suppose I assumed it was more expensive than it really is, and anyway, I can see it from my living room window, so I supposed “no rush.”

Smoken Joe's Barbeque

351 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135

BBQ in Brighton. That should be enough to get you here, but if it isn’t, I’ll say one thing more: It’s better than Red Bones. Awww yeah.

Whole Foods Brighton

15 Washington Street Brighton, MA 02135

If you live in Brighton, you probably shop at Whole Foods. That’s okay, my friend, because if you live here, you’re probably past that dining hall/cheap pizza stage of your life anyway (or maybe not). Sure, it’s expensive, but you can feel good about your earthiness and new propensity for organic fruit.

Fin's Sushi and Grill

354 Chestnut Hill Avenue Brighton, MA 02135

Mmm, Fin’s. I’ll say this – even if Fin’s weren’t awesome, I’d come here anyway due to a severe lack of sushi in Brighton (though there’s plenty in Allston, a short walk away, and Whole Foods’ stock ain’t bad, either). But it IS awesome, and so I dig it even more. The space has sharp, clean lines, like what you’d expect in Tokyo. Love it.

Zocalo Cocina Mexicana

1414 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135

Just walking by this place gives you a sense of how tasty the food is…the smell wafts out onto Comm Ave, and on a good day, sneaks right up the hill to my place. Zocalo’s interior is also a force to be reckoned with…dark lighting gives it romantic ambience, while candles in the evening give it a flair most Mexican places in Boston just don’t have.

Circle Cinemas

399 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135

Circle Cinemas, home of $6 Tuesdays. This is a first-run theatre that feels like it should be a third-run. Some of the screens are tiny, the building itself (however normal it might look on the outside) is like a maze, and the decor is half-circa 1970 and half-circa 1985, and the ladies’ bathroom on the first floor hits somewhere in between. So why do I go? Well, aside from the kitsch factor, it’s on the B, C, and D lines. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Devlin's Bistro and Bar

332 Washington Street Brighton, MA 02135

Devlin’s is laid back at its best (laid back’s best, not Devlin’s best – are you confused yet?). I love this place – they’ve got trivia nights, pasta nights, a jazz brunch, and the windows are wide open all summer (which, in Boston, can make or break a bar).

Martignetti Liquors

1650 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton, MA 02135

By far Brighton’s biggest liquor store. Granted, it’s not as accessible as Marty’s or Blanchard’s in Allston, but it’s in BRIGHTON, and that, my friend, is the point.