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The oxtail pepper stew is shown with pounded yam fufu, at right, taushe (peanut soup) at back left, and stewed black eyed peas, back right. Suya Joint is a restaurant in Roxbury that serves traditional Nigerian cuisine.
Suya Joint is one of many outstanding restaurants in Roxbury.
Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

12 Top-Notch Restaurants in Roxbury

Suya chicken wings, salmon cakes, sub sandwiches, and a whole lot more

by Erika Adams
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Suya Joint is one of many outstanding restaurants in Roxbury.
| Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
by Erika Adams

Roxbury is home to a wealth of great food, from one of the city’s most popular Nigerian restaurants to a rare Cape Verdean cafe. Whether in the mood for a quick stop at a sub shop, a belly-warming breakfast of crispy salmon cakes and buttery grits, or live music and some of Boston’s top-ranked chicken wings for dinner, Roxbury’s got it all. Here are 12 must-try restaurants in the neighborhood.

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Slade’s Bar & Grill

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On the edge of Roxbury and the South End lies the 90-year-old neighborhood icon Slade’s Bar & Grill, otherwise known as “the soul of Boston.” Come for the crispy fried wings tossed in the restaurant’s secret seasoning mix, stay for the warm atmosphere and frequent live music nights. Check Instagram for the latest entertainment schedule.

958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120
(617) 442-4600
(617) 442-4600

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Ashur Restaurant

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Ashur Restaurant is a halal-friendly mainstay located just around the corner from the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury. Both Somalian and North African fare share space on the menu here; good bets include the grilled chicken kebabs and just about anything with lamb. Wash it all down with a cup of Somali chai spiced with cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.

291 Roxbury St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 427-0599
(617) 427-0599
An oval plate piled high with salad, rice, and a bone-in lamb shank.
Ashur’s lamb shank.
Korsha Wilson/Eater Boston

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Dudley Cafe

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Dudley Cafe is the platonic ideal of a sunny little cafe: comfy chairs, warm service, and enough space to linger for hours. The menu includes a jammy breakfast sandwich served all day, hot and cold lunch sandwiches, and rice bowls heaping with colorful veggies and tangy sauces. The owners are the same folks behind Shanti, a mini-chain of Indian restaurants in Boston.

15 Warren St, Boston, MA 02119
Dudley Cafe’s Roxbury Deluxe, a breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, and fruit jam on an english muffin.
Is there anything better than a dollop of fruit jam on a breakfast sandwich?
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Soleil

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Chef Cheryl Straughter’s Southern-influenced restaurant Soleil is the place to go for salmon cakes smeared with creamy remoulade, smashed hash browns with just the right amount of burnt, crispy bits, and thick, buttery grits. It’s a great breakfast spot, but plan accordingly: It’s only open from Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2306 Washington St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 541-9000
(617) 541-9000
A plate of breakfast food sits on a red serving tray with a cup of light pink remoulade to spread on the salmon cakes.
Some good morning light on a good morning spread. (In this case, it’s salmon cakes, hash browns, cheesy eggs, and rye toast from Soleil.)
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Fasika Cafe

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Fasika Cafe is a popular Ethiopian spot run by the same family behind Fasika Restaurant in Somerville. Get the timatim fitfit tossed with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, vinegar, and shredded bits of injera, and a sampling of restaurant’s spicy, flavorful stews via the combination platter for one person ($16.50) or two ($35).

51 Roxbury St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 238-7979
(617) 238-7979
An exterior photo of a corner restaurant with a sign that reads “Fasika Cafe” hanging over the door.
A great Ethiopian spot in the neighborhood.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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P&R Restaurant

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Located in a bright yellow building on Dudley Street, Jamaican restaurant P&R is a fine spot for warm beef patties, smoky jerk chicken, and ackee and saltfish for breakfast. Don’t leave without tacking on a scoop of the restaurant’s famed grapenut ice cream to your order. (Actually, it’s hard to go wrong with any of P&R’s 25 ice cream flavors.)

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-2020
(617) 442-2020
An exterior photo of a restaurant’s front door and windows set into a yellow brick building.
It’s easy to spot P&R’s sunny exterior.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Ugi’s Subs

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Ugi’s Subs is a tiny, barebones spot without much seating, but the hefty sub in a brown paper takeout bag is the prize here. The classic Italian, stuffed with multiple meats and cheeses and slathered with a zesty hot pepper relish, will not disappoint, and the hot steak and pepper is another crowd favorite.

68 Warren St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 427-7032
(617) 427-7032
Two halves of a sub stuffed with deli meats and topped with a pepper relish.
An Italian sub from Ugi’s.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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El Mondonguito

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Decades-old El Mondonguito is a well-worn dive bar that is also known for serving top-notch Puerto Rican fare, including crispy alcapurrias, or fritters stuffed with ground beef and green plantains, and mondongo, a hearty tripe stew.

221 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 522-3672
(617) 522-3672

Also featured in:

Suya Joint

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Suya Joint is a non-negotiable stop for some of the city’s best West African food. Every bite of the thick egusi stew, made with ground melon seeds, cooked spinach, and bits of fish and chicken, is rich and flavorful. The combos are a smart way to dive in, too: Try the platter with saucy suya wings, fried plaintains with blackened, charred edges, and a generous portion of seasoned jollof rice.

185 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 708-0245
(617) 708-0245
An aluminum takeout container filled with rice, grilled plaintains, and suya wings covered in a red sauce and sauteed onions.
A takeout order of suya wings covered in delicious sauce, jollof rice, and fried plaintains.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Maxine's On Saint James

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Maxine’s On St James is a local destination for Cajun and Creole cooking. Order the jambalaya tossed with chicken, sausage, and shrimp, étouffée (similar to a jambalaya but more of a chicken-sausage-shrimp stew served over rice, rather than mixed together), and a glorious number of baked fish dishes served with grits on the side.

304 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 427-0927
(617) 427-0927
A restaurant exterior with a black awning on a sunny, tree-lined street.
Maxine’s On Saint James.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

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Nos Casa Cafe

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Nos Casa Cafe is a rare Boston spot rooted in Cape Verde, highlighting food from the country comprised of a group of islands located off the coast of West Africa. There’s an abundant amount of seafood — mackerel, cod, salmon, red snapper, and more — plus traditional dishes like cachupa, a slow-cooked stew made with corn, beans, collard greens, and pork.

475 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 606-7060
(617) 606-7060

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Merengue Restaurant

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Merengue is an outstanding Dominican restaurant that has been holding it down in Roxbury for nearly 30 years. Go for a festive date night, have a wedding celebration there, or sit down to a solo weeknight feast of tostones with pork belly cooked in a Creole sauce, mofongo, and chicharrones. It’s a classic.

156 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02125
(617) 445-5403
(617) 445-5403
A restaurant interior features bold pink walls, bright blue accents, and colorful art.
Merengue’s colorful interiors.
Merengue

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Slade’s Bar & Grill

958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

On the edge of Roxbury and the South End lies the 90-year-old neighborhood icon Slade’s Bar & Grill, otherwise known as “the soul of Boston.” Come for the crispy fried wings tossed in the restaurant’s secret seasoning mix, stay for the warm atmosphere and frequent live music nights. Check Instagram for the latest entertainment schedule.

958 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120
(617) 442-4600
(617) 442-4600

Ashur Restaurant

291 Roxbury St, Roxbury, MA 02119

Ashur Restaurant is a halal-friendly mainstay located just around the corner from the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury. Both Somalian and North African fare share space on the menu here; good bets include the grilled chicken kebabs and just about anything with lamb. Wash it all down with a cup of Somali chai spiced with cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.

291 Roxbury St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 427-0599
(617) 427-0599
An oval plate piled high with salad, rice, and a bone-in lamb shank.
Ashur’s lamb shank.
Korsha Wilson/Eater Boston

Dudley Cafe

15 Warren St, Boston, MA 02119

Dudley Cafe is the platonic ideal of a sunny little cafe: comfy chairs, warm service, and enough space to linger for hours. The menu includes a jammy breakfast sandwich served all day, hot and cold lunch sandwiches, and rice bowls heaping with colorful veggies and tangy sauces. The owners are the same folks behind Shanti, a mini-chain of Indian restaurants in Boston.

15 Warren St, Boston, MA 02119
Dudley Cafe’s Roxbury Deluxe, a breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, and fruit jam on an english muffin.
Is there anything better than a dollop of fruit jam on a breakfast sandwich?
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Soleil

2306 Washington St, Boston, MA 02119

Chef Cheryl Straughter’s Southern-influenced restaurant Soleil is the place to go for salmon cakes smeared with creamy remoulade, smashed hash browns with just the right amount of burnt, crispy bits, and thick, buttery grits. It’s a great breakfast spot, but plan accordingly: It’s only open from Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

2306 Washington St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 541-9000
(617) 541-9000
A plate of breakfast food sits on a red serving tray with a cup of light pink remoulade to spread on the salmon cakes.
Some good morning light on a good morning spread. (In this case, it’s salmon cakes, hash browns, cheesy eggs, and rye toast from Soleil.)
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Fasika Cafe

51 Roxbury St, Boston, MA 02119

Fasika Cafe is a popular Ethiopian spot run by the same family behind Fasika Restaurant in Somerville. Get the timatim fitfit tossed with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, vinegar, and shredded bits of injera, and a sampling of restaurant’s spicy, flavorful stews via the combination platter for one person ($16.50) or two ($35).

51 Roxbury St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 238-7979
(617) 238-7979
An exterior photo of a corner restaurant with a sign that reads “Fasika Cafe” hanging over the door.
A great Ethiopian spot in the neighborhood.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

P&R Restaurant

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119

Located in a bright yellow building on Dudley Street, Jamaican restaurant P&R is a fine spot for warm beef patties, smoky jerk chicken, and ackee and saltfish for breakfast. Don’t leave without tacking on a scoop of the restaurant’s famed grapenut ice cream to your order. (Actually, it’s hard to go wrong with any of P&R’s 25 ice cream flavors.)

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-2020
(617) 442-2020
An exterior photo of a restaurant’s front door and windows set into a yellow brick building.
It’s easy to spot P&R’s sunny exterior.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Ugi’s Subs

68 Warren St, Roxbury, MA 02119

Ugi’s Subs is a tiny, barebones spot without much seating, but the hefty sub in a brown paper takeout bag is the prize here. The classic Italian, stuffed with multiple meats and cheeses and slathered with a zesty hot pepper relish, will not disappoint, and the hot steak and pepper is another crowd favorite.

68 Warren St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 427-7032
(617) 427-7032
Two halves of a sub stuffed with deli meats and topped with a pepper relish.
An Italian sub from Ugi’s.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

El Mondonguito

221 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119

Decades-old El Mondonguito is a well-worn dive bar that is also known for serving top-notch Puerto Rican fare, including crispy alcapurrias, or fritters stuffed with ground beef and green plantains, and mondongo, a hearty tripe stew.

221 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 522-3672
(617) 522-3672

Suya Joint

185 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119

Suya Joint is a non-negotiable stop for some of the city’s best West African food. Every bite of the thick egusi stew, made with ground melon seeds, cooked spinach, and bits of fish and chicken, is rich and flavorful. The combos are a smart way to dive in, too: Try the platter with saucy suya wings, fried plaintains with blackened, charred edges, and a generous portion of seasoned jollof rice.

185 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 708-0245
(617) 708-0245
An aluminum takeout container filled with rice, grilled plaintains, and suya wings covered in a red sauce and sauteed onions.
A takeout order of suya wings covered in delicious sauce, jollof rice, and fried plaintains.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Maxine's On Saint James

304 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119

Maxine’s On St James is a local destination for Cajun and Creole cooking. Order the jambalaya tossed with chicken, sausage, and shrimp, étouffée (similar to a jambalaya but more of a chicken-sausage-shrimp stew served over rice, rather than mixed together), and a glorious number of baked fish dishes served with grits on the side.

304 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 427-0927
(617) 427-0927
A restaurant exterior with a black awning on a sunny, tree-lined street.
Maxine’s On Saint James.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Nos Casa Cafe

475 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119

Nos Casa Cafe is a rare Boston spot rooted in Cape Verde, highlighting food from the country comprised of a group of islands located off the coast of West Africa. There’s an abundant amount of seafood — mackerel, cod, salmon, red snapper, and more — plus traditional dishes like cachupa, a slow-cooked stew made with corn, beans, collard greens, and pork.

475 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 606-7060
(617) 606-7060

Merengue Restaurant

156 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02125

Merengue is an outstanding Dominican restaurant that has been holding it down in Roxbury for nearly 30 years. Go for a festive date night, have a wedding celebration there, or sit down to a solo weeknight feast of tostones with pork belly cooked in a Creole sauce, mofongo, and chicharrones. It’s a classic.

156 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02125
(617) 445-5403
(617) 445-5403
A restaurant interior features bold pink walls, bright blue accents, and colorful art.
Merengue’s colorful interiors.
Merengue

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