I’d love to tell you how great Hopleaf is, but I couldn’t possibly do anything to get the attention of a bartender there.

This is a tiny little nook that has free wifi and serves fast food Korean (all-you-can-eat kim chee with every entree!). The owner is incredibly sweet and friendly, and it looks like she plans on using the restaurant to showcase local artists. Best of all — the food’s really cheap! I definitely plan on going back, and I hope my neighbors in Uptown check this place out.

Like my favorite banh mi shop on the west coast, Ba Le’s pretty much an in-and-out operation. You get in line, order the sandwiches you want (there are 13 delicious options on the placard), wait for your order, take your tasty meal out, and dine in the comfort of your home while trying not to get jalapeno in your eye. Even better, if you order with a friend (or have a particularly insatiable appetite for banh mi), you can take advantage of the “buy 5, get 1 free” deal. Brandon and I typically order six at a time, devour two each, and then put the rest in the fridge for a snack later. My personal favorites are the Chinese pork and anything with pate. I give Ba Le 5 stars for being super cheap and delicious and having plenty of options on the menu.

Delicious, inventive sushi dishes here. The decor is cool, and it’s never been crowded on any of the occasions I’ve been here (maybe because Uptown’s not such a trendy part of Chicago). I’m only taking a star away for the fact that they don’t serve authentic Japanese green tea here.

A bit overpriced, in my opinion, for what you’re getting. Since Boston has so many Indian restaurants, and so many of them are cheaper, I really only ever went to Rangoli when I lived in Allston and didn’t have that many other neighborhood options (this was before Indian Dhaba showed up). Rangoli’s definitely tasty — just not the best for the price range.

This is possibly the most underrated Italian restaurant in all of Boston. This place is awesome — tiny hole in the wall atmosphere, shoddy insulation in the winter, but the most amazing Italian food in the whole city. The portions are large, prices are reasonable, and because everyone else is in the North End, you don’t have to wait forever for a table. It’s truly a hidden gem in Allston.

Good but overpriced. Also, this might not speak well for me, but I don’t trust an Indian place if I walk in and see only white folks. Of course, it’s on Devon, so parking’s a bitch. I’d much rather save my time and money and go hang with the cabbies at Shan Grocery instead.

I’m a big fan of all Indian fast food places, so 3 stars would be a given. They get the fourth star for their awesome chicken biryani (available on Saturdays). The fifth star is for the mango lassi. If I had any more stars to give, I’d assign them for kheer and gulab jamun, respectively.

Pretty good Indian and Nepalese food. Not the best Indian restaurant ever, but it’s fairly inexpensive, and the service is always fast.

This place is basically an Asian diner. I come here mostly for the very dependable boba. It’s simple and cheap and just a great place for hanging out with your friends.