Thanks to a work thing that takes my husband to Burlington on summer Tuesday mornings, we have a little tradition of getting Viet Citron takeout for lunch. Get anything with the crispy pork belly, but keep an eye out for specials, too: The lap xuong, Chinese-style sausage, is a must if available. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

This is, I think, the only Boston-area restaurant to serve one of those absurdly giant soup dumplings that you slurp from with a straw. I wouldn’t recommend getting that for takeout or delivery, but I would recommend basically every other dumpling on the menu, like the jet-black cuttlefish dumplings or the pork-filled mama dumplings. Also try the Sichuan poached fish, cumin lamb or beef, and broccoli in garlic sauce. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Throughout most of the pandemic, I’ve avoided getting ramen as I figured it’s not one of the most ideal delivery/takeout options, but it turns out a lot of ramen spots have gotten good at optimizing it as much as possible for not being eaten immediately onsite. One example: Zuru Zuru in Malden (sibling to Crying Thaiger, also in Malden). My ramen arrived with the broth and nori packaged separately from the noodles and other ingredients, with clear reheating instructions. (There was also the option to get noodles to boil at home rather than ready to eat, but I took the easy way out, and the noodles were perfectly fine.) The spicy miso ramen with black garlic oil added to it was an excellent pick-me-up on a stressful day. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The name highlights the sausage — which, to be fair, is good — but Dom’s, a butcher shop and deli, is really known for its steak tips. Get them in one of several marinades to grill at home (the “original” version, which is a bit sweet, is a great place to start), and grab a steak tip sub from the deli counter, too. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

2021 rule of thumb: If there are birria tacos on the menu, I will order them. New-ish Malden spot El Mexsal happens to serve a particularly good version. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

If I absolutely had to choose my single favorite dish of the year, at least so far, this one would probably come to mind first — the mashiso chicken from Sura BBQ in Medford Square. I will eat rice cakes in any and all contexts, particularly the spicy stir-fried Korean dish tteokbokki, but this is on another level: fried rice cakes and popcorn chicken in a sticky-sweet sauce with a hint of heat. It’s chewy, it’s crispy, it’s hot, it’s comforting. Pair this with a crisp, simple beer, a side of kimchi, and some late-night television. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

If you talk to any Medford resident about food for more than a few seconds, Chilli Garden is sure to come up. Everything’s good, but the restaurant really shines in the Sichuan arena. Try the Sichuan-style pork dumplings and house special chicken with dry pepper. Locals who have been here longer than me tell me that the fresh green peppercorn dishes are a must as well. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Every household should have a weekend bagel routine: Trekking across Medford to Goldilox on foot, baby in tow, is mine. Turns out my baby’s stroller is just big enough to hold a well-stuffed bag of bagels in the basket. Now I just need a cup holder for the iced chai I get every time. The rosemary salt and the extraordinarily topping-covered everything bagel are the top picks. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

For some, going to the beach means getting a light meal. But I think you’re way better off with an overflowing torta from Esquite Mexican Street Food, which is less than a five-minute walk from Revere Beach — the perfect takeout option. Its brick and mortar has been open for almost a year now, which the family opened after their food cart business Eloti gained popularity over the years. I ordered the carne en chile colorado torta; the bread was ridiculously fresh, and everything inside the sandwich was perfection (braised beef with chile colorado sauce, refried beans, house chipotle aioli, queso Oaxaca, avocado, and pickled red onions). —Karen Wilber

Pennypacker’s serves the best porchetta sandwich in town. Enough said. Ok, I’ll add one more thing: Grab whatever soup or salad is available; they’re always good too. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

I’ve been a broken record about the greatness of Dakzen since 2018, so I’ll keep it brief: Get the khao soi, get the sai ua, and get the ba mee moo dang. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The expansion of Brookline’s popular Stoked Pizza to Cambridge put it within easier takeout range for me, for which I am immensely grateful. My husband makes a lot of homemade pizza, so we don’t get pizza for takeout too often, but when we do, Stoked is on our shortlist. Get the pepperoni with a drizzle of hot honey. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

This Union Square Thai takeout joint is probably my 2021 takeout/delivery MVP; when I lived in the neighborhood, I think ordered at least weekly, and now that I’m a little farther away, I still get it whenever I can. It pretty much only serves khao man gai, the Thai version of Hainanese chicken rice. There are a few variations available; I almost always get the Isan, crispy chicken with sticky rice, although the Heat is great as well (spicy crispy chicken with ginger rice). The included side of daikon soup is Hen Chicken Rice’s secret weapon. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

As far as I know, this is the only Uyghur restaurant in the Boston area, or maybe all of Massachusetts. The lamb-stuffed naan is a highlight, as is the tingly big plate chicken. And don’t miss the hand-pulled noodle dishes, like the dry fried noodles with vegetables and beef. Silk Road also has a mini location inside Allston’s Super 88 food court and a brand new location in Brookline. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

I’ve been craving a good xiao long bao (soup dumpling) but have been holding off for a while given that it should practically be law that they need to be eaten piping hot. But at the recently opened Dumpling Xuan, I could tell from my takeout experience that they had freshly made these piping hot and packaged them perfectly for transport. When I arrived home, I think the order lasted a couple minutes at most — so savory, so satisfying. —Karen Wilber 

This dreamy little Vietnamese cafe from the Nem Kitchen pop-up team really floats my boat. (Be sure to check out the zen garden in the back if you’re eating onsite.) The concise pescatarian menu focuses on banh mi and noodle salads; the cured salmon noodle salad is my favorite, as well as the iced Vietnamese coffees, such as the sea salt shaker (foam, Maine sea salt, sweetened condensed milk). —Rachel Leah Blumenthal

When I first heard about the pancake batter corndog from Allston newcomer Fiya Chicken, I knew I needed to eat the pancake batter corndog. And folks, I’m downright giddy to report that the pancake batter corndog is everything I dreamed it would be. It is sweet and salty and simultaneously pillowy and crunchy, which is to say that it is the perfect food. Also good from Fiya: the Korean fried chicken sandwich. The chicken is brined with buttermilk and kimchi, which gives the final product a slightly fermented taste. I opted for the soy garlic glaze (one of four options), which was pleasantly sweet and salty. The sandwich is served on a toasted brioche bun (which, satisfyingly, didn’t crumble into pieces as brioche buns are wont to do), and topped with housemade kimchi and pickles. It’s one of the best fried chicken sandwiches I’ve had in Boston, and one of the best meals I’ve had in forever. —Terrence Doyle

In sweltering weather, my I’m-too-sweaty-to-think go-to tends to be sushi or poke or whatever other raw fish dish I can get my hands on. Enter Tora, a Japanese restaurant in Chinatown. Tora specializes in kaisen don, essentially a selection of raw fish over rice. I usually order the Tokyo don — torched salmon belly, scallop, squid, and flying fish roe — and add salmon, because I can never get enough salmon. With a side of the goma cucumber (sliced cucumber in a toasted sesame dressing), it’s the perfect meal for a hot summer night. —Rachel Leah Blumenthal 

I try to mix up what I order from Anoush’ella — which is often — and everything I’ve had so far is just stellar. I usually get a wrap, like the lamajun, which is minced beef and lamb, or the kofta, and then a bunch of other goodies to snack on for a few days. The feta with walnut harissa is so silky, and the fattoush is nice and bright thanks to the mint. Do yourself a favor and get the Nutella chocolate sweet m’anoush, too. —Nathan Tavares

I come to Singh’s often and get a bunch of beef patties to bring home and eat for quick lunches during the week. The beef has a hefty kick of curry and the crust is always nice and crispy. For sides, you can’t go wrong with the pumpkin and the sauteed vegetables, especially the tasty collards. —Nathan Tavares 

I love burritos and plantains separately but never thought to combine the two until I noticed the option at Dora Taqueria. My go-to order is a carnitas burrito with all the fixings, with the addition of the perfect maduros inside the burrito for an added buck. The side of fiery ghost pepper hot sauce is a nice balance to the sweet plantains, too. And if you have any self-control (I don’t), you can easily cut the burrito in half, and it’s two filling meals. —Nathan Tavares   

I tried a pepperoni pie from the reboot of Venice Pizza in Savin Hill, and let me tell you: It was excellent. The pizzas at Venice are pin-rolled, so they are almost uniformly flat from edge to edge, though the outer crust was bubbly and blistered in spots. As such, I’m tempted to classify Venice’s pizza as a New York/New Haven hybrid. The dough was rich and somewhat sweet — which probably has something to do with the fact that it is made with milk, and ferments for 48 hours — the cheese perfectly melty and salty, and the mini pepperonis curled up into cups and crispy at the edges. I haven’t been as excited about a new Boston pizzeria in many years. —Terrence Doyle