Other places
Kelly's Sq Pub
Bennington st - this place may not look inviting from the outside small windows, but inside it is a bright family restaurant. it is mostly locals, but very clean and the waitstaff is very friendly. the food is standard bar fare with very large portions. wednesday is half price pizza day pretty good pizza, especially the garlic pizza. we always take home half our meal and it is good for lunch the next day. it is probably the best, non-dive bar to watch the sox game.
There are also a few old school bakeries that make fresh bread daily. The one locals go to is on Sumner St. called AJ's Everything in that place seems to cost just $0.25 cents or on the corner of Bennington and Moore is Betty Anne's a place that still makes homemade donuts from scratch every moring called Sinkers jelly filled and covered in sugar.
Cafe 303
Sumner st in jeffries point - the first yuppie cafe/restaurant in eastie and they are doing cool things with their international menu. just hang out and people watch or join in at one of their weekly poetry slams.
Right off Central Sq before you enter the tolls for the Sumner Tunnel, there is Off The Boat Seafood.
Italian
Jevelli's
Standard Italian-American. Kind of cool atmosphere and lots of history. Jevelli's does serve till 10PM which is nice.
Mario's
Standard Italian-American. Kind of cool atmosphere and lots of history.
Santarpio's Pizza
No other place says East Boston quite like Santarpio's Pizza. This local hideout is down-to-earth, relaxed, and renowned for its pizza and grilled lamb and sausage plates.
Cafe Italia
is now a mexican place called "la hacienda". it still has a full liquor license, and mariachi bands on the weekends.
Carmen's Kitchen
High quality Italian food. Small, cozy restaurant. Pretty good espresso depending on who makes it. Kind of expensive, but worth it. They used to have a small deli, but closed it - too bad. Next to Carmen's is an old school gentleman's cigar bar that is pretty cool.
Rino's Place
Little hole in the wall and real old school Italian where most everything is made from scratch, including the pasta. Definitely check this place out.
Sub shops/pizza
Spinelli's
They have good Sicilian style pizza and lots of fresh meals to bring home for dinner the Eastie version of the TV dinner. They make fresh raviollis and fusilli that you can purchase. Also have good desserts and Italian pastries.
Meridian Street Market
Always a lunch line out the door of cops, firefighters, construction workers, and local office workers. The Meridian St Special sandwich roasted red peppers, fresh mozzerella, basil, & chicken cutlet is excellent. Their Italian sub is very good. Nice to go dinners. Catering for parties is available and they have good prices for that.
M&M Variety
Has a decent Italian sub for around $4. It also was the convenience store owned by Sean Penn in the movie "Mystic River."
Dough
The owners of this place are really nice guys and they make a pretty good pizza and good subs to. They pile rosciutto with capicola and genoa salami in their Italian, which makes it extra good. They also have hot pepper relish if you ask for it, which is not that common in Eastie. They have some interesting specials too they like to play around with creations involving buffalo sauce.
East Boston is full of wonderful stores and restaurants representing its different ethnic groups. Long-time Italian restaurants stand next to Brazilian cafes.
breakfast joints
Donnas in Orient Heights, Dozzi's in Jeffries Point. Both neighborhood institutions. Now we have Cafe 303 at 303 Sumner St. for an upscale breakfast and brunch.
asian
There is a Vietnamese place on Meridian Street corner with Lexington or Trenton called Siagon Hut that makes excellent Pho and other typical dishes. I hear that it is well known among the Vietnamese community as being on par with the better known Pho places around town. Actually, Eastie used to be a large Vietnamese neighborhood and we still have the remnants of that through this restaurant and a Buddhist temple around the corner.
latin american
Angela's Lexington St. Mexican -Best Mexican Food in Boston.
Mi Pueblito on Border St.Salvadoran/Mexican - large portions, good prices, cool atmosphere, cheap beer
Montecristo in Central Sq Salvadoran/Mexican - very good pupusas, open till 1AM!
Pollo Doreno in Day Sq Salvadoran, rotisserie chicken - good chicken, easy take out
Taqueria Cancun in Maverick Sq Salvadoran/Mexican - Quality food, frequently receives good reviews, serves beer & wine
El Jardin in Central Sq Colombian - Good food, bright, engaging atmosphere
Topasio on Bennington Colombian - My favorite for Colombian food. Good steaks, a little more upscale than other Colombian places
El Buen Gusto in Day Sq Salvadoran - Nice take on upscale Salvadoran food. Interior is nicely designed. Good meat platters.
El Limeno off Day Sq on the way to Orient Heights Peruvian - usually cited as the best Peruvian in Eastie
Colombian Tamale "hole in the wall" on Chelsea off Maverick Sq - Just found this place the other day. They make huge Colombian Tamales with 4 kinds of meat for $6. They look like something you would get on the streets of Bogota...pretty cool. Also have a guava flan type dessert thing that was awesome.
There is a Brazilian churascaria place on Chelsea between Maverick and Day Squares called Olievera's that is very good.
taquerias
Rosticeria Cancun in Maverick Sq Salvadoran/Mexican - The enjoyably chaotic atmosphere is the closest I have come to a classic Mexican taqueria - loud music, cramped environment, high energy and quick, decent food.
Taqueria Jalisco in Day Sq Mexican - One of the only Mexican owned and operated taquerias in Eastie. Their adobada and lengua tacos are superb.