The Swellesley Report

Alta Strada

Italian
92 Central St.
(781) 237-6100
Video review

Amarin of Thailand

Thai food
27 Grove St.
(781) 239-1350

Bertucci’s Brick Oven Ristorante

Pizza, plus
380 Washington St.
(781) 239-0990

Blue Ginger

Town’s most famous restaurant, known for its East-West cuisine and celebrity chef-owner Ming Tsai, who opened the restaurant with his wife Polly in 1998 (video from Chronicle TV show)

583 Washington St.
781-283-5790

Worth noting: Getting a reservation can be tough but it isn’t impossible. Make sure to mention you’re a local. We’ve gotten in on a Saturday night without a reservation (though sat very close to the kitchen)…. Ming’s Web site is slick, promoting his line of cooking goods and his public television program. BB

Brigham’s

Restaurant and ice cream
268 Washington St.
Phone:781-235-9749

Worth noting: Only two booths that fit more than 2 people; a half dozen or so for 2 people.

Bruegger’s Bagels

Bagels, soups, sandwiches

97 Central Ave.
781-235-2358

Worth noting: They surprise you every so often with a special variety of bagel, such as red/white/blue for the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl appearance.

Cafe Mangal

Turkish; breakfast, lunch and dinner
555 Washington St.
(781) 235-5322
Review: A video review of the restaurant by a local.

Worth noting: Closed Sundays; no dinner Mondays/Tuesdays.

California Pizza Kitchen

Pizza, plus

Captain Marden’s/The Captain’s Table & TakeAway

Restaurant with adjoining retail fish market. Serves breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch, and dinner. Closed for dinner on Sundays.
279 Linden St.
781-235-3737

Captain Marden’s doubles as a restaurant and retail fish outfit.

*Worth noting: Parking can be challenging at peak hours; kid friendly menu and service.

* Our take: (March, 2007): The dinner menu offers great variety, with plenty of seafood options, including specials, at reasonable prices (entrees between $9 and $16). We found service friendly, and it’s often provided by local high school students. Our oysters, claim strip roll, clam chowder and hamburger were all tasty and fresh. Seating includes inside and outside tables, plus a counter and a captain’s booth in the back, where a painting of the captain hovers over you. Alcohol isn’t served, but you can bring your own. (Jan., 2006):

This tidy, casual restaurant dishes up the usual breakfast eats of bacon and eggs, pancakes and muffins, along with extensive omelette choices. I had a Maine Mini omelette, which contained two eggs, real crab, cheddar cheese and zucchini. I had low hopes for the zucchini, expecting green mush, but it was folded al dente into the omelette and was very fresh. My dining companion was thrilled with his bacon, served crisp as he requested, and his croissant. Summer-quality watermelon was served to each of us. DB

China Sky

Family-owned and operated traditional Chinese food for dining in or taking out.
11 Forest St.
(781) 431-2388

Worth noting: Features a full bar.

CK’ Shanghai

Chinese
17 Washington St.
781-237-7500

Coconut Thai Cafe

257 Washington St.
781-235-8255

College Square Pizza

Greek pizza, sandwiches, salads
552 Washington St.
781-431-8585

Comella’s

Italian restaurant, with take-out and catering
288 Washington St.
781 235-7300

Worth noting: Townsman story on Comella’s return to Wellesley in 2006; signature offerings are called “Messes,” mixes of veggies, pasta and other foods; Comella’s also has a restaturant and market in West Newton.

The Cottage

Opened in 2007 by a Wellesley native who previously launched a restaurant with the same name in California.

190 Linden St.
781 239-1100

Reviews from Yelp and Chowhound.

Our take: (January, 2008) Our first visit to The Cottage took place on a snowy Sunday afternoon. There were 5 of us, including 2 kids. We arrived at noon and were seated promptly (no reservations taken), with kids menus/crayons provided without us asking. The restaurant was lively and pretty much full. As we’d heard, the interior is bright, even with cloudy snowstorms packing the sky. Our server was pleasant and took drink orders and meal orders quickly. The kids had peanut butter and fluff and macaroni and cheese. They both enjoyed their meals, though one order fruit as a side instead of fries, but was given the fries anyway. When notified of the error, the server immediately came back with a fruit cup. The adults order steak, a cheeseburger and a tuna melt. We were all satisfied with our meals, which were served together and hot (though my mom was accidentally given the fluffernutter…and everyone else in the restaurant knew it after she bit into it…). Warm bread was served before the entries and tasted great. Our server disappeared for a good long stretch after our meals arrived, but we did track her down to get the check. Overall, the food was good, the service was up and down. The kids meals were in the $5-$6 range, adult meals were mainly under $10, though more expensive offerings were also on the menu. We didnt sample the appetizers or desserts.

Deluxe Pizza

1 Forest St.
781-235-6811

Domino’s Pizza

868 Worcester Rd.
781-235-6800

Dorset Tea & Coffee

Serves afternoon tea, plus breakfast and lunch; opened by Khudairi sisters in spring, 2006.
352 Washington St.
781-239-8988

Dunkin’ Donuts

951 Worcester Street (Rte. 9) / 781-235-9815)
12 Washington St. / 781-431-7321
277 Linden St. (shown left)

The Gelato Cafe: Italian gelato and fine chocolates

180 Linden St. #104

Opening February, 2009

Healthy Habits Kitchen

Ready-to-assemble, healthy, homemade meals to go
36 Washington St., Suite 2
781-235-6325

Herbs and Spices

Thai
15 Washington St. (Rte. 16)
781-237-7500

Jimmy’s Cafe

151 Linden St.
781-431-7616

La Riviera Gourmet

Breakfast, lunch, take-out dinner, ice cream
390 Washington St.
781-235-1885

Our take: (Feb, 2008) We stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday morning and were among the few people there. A quiet cafe with a host of treats on display and a good view of marathoners in training running up and down the race course. We had croissants, which were flaky and fresh, and a breakfast sandwich, which held together nicely and tasted good. We ordered at the counter and seated ourselves. Service was polite and efficient. You won’t find a lot of extras available for breakfast, such as yogurts or fruit. Many tempting lunch and dinner offerings were on the menu boards. Breakfast prices were quite reasonable. BB

Lemon Thai Cuisine

555 Washington St.
781-237-6995

The Linden Store: (deli)

162 Linden St.

(781) 235-9837 or (781) 237-9229

Maugus

A classic diner, with a Greek flair
300 Washington St.
781-235-9647
Video from the Chronicle TV show

Worth noting: In Winter/spring 2006 the restaurant began offering Jazz music entertainment with the HoneyMac ensemble on one Thursday a month from 730-930pm. Locals are invited to bring their instruments and join in.

Papa Razzi

Italian food, including pizza
16 Washington St.
(781) 235-4747

Peet’s Coffee & Tea

9 Central St.
781-235-0018

Peter’s Pizza

57 Washington St.
781-235-0031

Qdoba Mexican Grill

185 Linden St.
781-235-3390

Quebrada Baking Co.: baked goods, including muffins, breads

272 Washington St.

781-237-2111

Rosie’s Bakery

55 Central St
781-431-2532

Starbucks Coffee

68A Central St./ 781-235-2390
101 Linden St. / 781-237-5282

Susu Bakery

Breakfast items, cookies, cakes
575 Washington St.
Phone:781 237 7977

Tian Fu

Chinese
442 Washington St.
781-235-1111

Truly Yogurt

Ice cream and frozen yogurt
35 Grove St.
781 239-1356

Vela

Owner Frank Santonastaso (meet him here in this video), after five years as executive chef at the North End’s Lucca Restaurant in Boston, opened this Italian restaurant in Wellesley in late 2005.
312 Washington St.
(781) 235-4449
Worth noting: The Townsman’s review (archived)

Vidalia’s Truck Stop

Family fare. (closed winter 2007)
13 Central St.
Phone:781-431-0011

Vidalia’s Truck Stop.

Wellesley Bakery

Baked goods, soups, sandwiches
542 Washington St.
781-235-1171

Wellesley College’s Collins Cafe

Next to Davis Museum and Cultural Center on Wellesley College campus
781-283-3379

Wellesley College’s Lulu Chow Wang Center

Coffee shop, dining room, Cafe Hoop, bar (Punch’s Alley)
Wellesley College campus
(781) 283-35001-

Weston Rd. Cafe

Breakfast, lunch diner, with salads, sandwiches/subs
336 Weston Rd.
781 235 1116

Worth noting: Easy to miss, nestled in a spot between Rte.9 and Weston Rd.’s Fells Market, etc….motto is “A place where you can meet anybody.”

White Mountain Creamery: Ice cream

552 Washington St.
781-239-0676

The Wok

Chinese
180 Worcester St (Rte 9)
781-235-0238

Yama Japanese Restaurant

245 Washington St.
781-431-8886

What others have to say about Wellesley restaurants:

GastroSpeakBoston: Wellesley restaurants dish on Wellesley, Boston and Boston-area restaurants

TripAdvisor: Assorted reviews

GrubHub: Take-out menus.