clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Uyghur Cuisine, a Rarity in Boston, Joins Allston Food Hall

Silk Road Express, connected to Cambridge restaurant Silk Road, recently opened inside Super 88 Market

A takeout container of dry-fried noodles with beef at Silk Road Express in Allston, served on a striped wooden table with a pair of chopsticks.
Dry-fried noodles at Silk Road Express in Allston
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater

Allston just got a spot for Uyghur cuisine. Cambridge-based Uyghur restaurant Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine (645 Cambridge St.) recently opened a second location, this time inside the food hall in Allston’s beloved Super 88 Market.

The Super 88 takeaway counter iteration is called Silk Road Express, and it features the same menu as the original location in Cambridge, as confirmed by an employee at the Cambridge location.

Silk Road Express signage and a menu board at the Allston location within Super 88
The Silk Road Express storefront in Allston
Terrence B. Doyle/Eater

Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group from Eastern and Central Asia, primarily living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Their cuisine draws influence from various parts of Central Asia, China, and beyond, and it is halal.

Uyghur cuisine is hard to find in the Boston area: Silk Road is currently the only local purveyor. Back in 2014 and 2015, a food truck called Uyghur Kitchen was on the road, and Providence had a stunning Uyghur restaurant called Jahunger that has been temporarily closed for many months due to a fire. It may be nearing a reopening, though; a Facebook post a month ago requested recommendations for someone who could install a commercial kitchen hood.

The menu at the original Cambridge location of Silk Road — which is located at 645 Cambridge St., East Cambridge, between Inman Square and Lechmere — features items typical of Uyghur cuisine, such as lamb kebabs, hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, lamb soup, and house-made bread. Eaters can expect more of the same at the fast-casual Super 88 location.

Dumplings at Silk Road
Dumplings at Silk Road’s Cambridge location
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater
Uyghur pilaf at Silk Road
Uyghur pilaf at Silk Road’s Cambridge location
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

East Cambridge’s Pronto Cafe Is Turning Into the Area’s Only Uyghur Restaurant [EBOS]
Silk Road Express Opens at Hong Kong Supermarket/Super 88 Food Court in Allston [BRT]

Super 88 Market

1 Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134 (617) 787-2288

Silk Road

645 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02141 (617) 945-1909

Silk Road Express

1 Brighton Avenue, , MA 02134 (617) 987-0121