Lunch, Anyone? Bamboo Thai

In the mood for great Thai food? Hop on a Green Line B trolley and head to Bamboo Thai Restaurant in Brighton. Photos by Esther Ro (COM’15)

Boston is filled with popular Thai restaurants, and happily one of the best is close by, tucked in a tiny storefront at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Street in Brighton. A hidden gem, Bamboo Thai offers some of the most authentic Thai cuisine in the city, all at impressively low prices.

Although small, the restaurant is charmingly decorated, with a tankful of exotic fish and paintings and statuary that celebrate Thai culture. The accommodating waitstaff is friendly and fast, and there is plenty of seating, which means you don’t have to wait for a table. And for diners on the go, Bamboo Thai offers both take-out and delivery.

The menu is surprisingly large, the portions generous, and the prices reasonable. Bamboo specializes in traditional Thai cuisine, and the menu is full of classic dishes like pad see ew noodles, flat noodles stir-fried with Chinese broccoli and a choice of chicken, beef, or pork ($8.50); an assortment of fried rices topped with items from seafood ($8.95) to duck ($9.50) to fresh mango ($9.50); and chicken cashew nuts, tender chicken stir-fried with vegetables, pineapple, and cashews ($7.95). Entrées are big enough to share with friends, but will provide lots of leftovers for a single diner.

Appetizers are sized for sharing and range from the conventional—chicken and beef satay served with a peanut sauce and a cucumber vinaigrette ($5.45)—to the more inventive—be sure to try the krathong thong, fried miniature tart shells filled with minced chicken, onions, peas, sweet corn, and ground peanuts ($5.45). Given their variety and size, it’s easy to make a meal with just starters.

For those who prefer not to share, Bamboo offers all-inclusive meal options. The special lunch plates ($7.95 to $8.95) come with a choice of entrée (chicken teriyaki, salmon teriyaki, shrimp scampi, sesame beef, grilled garlic pork, or vegetable tempura), vegetable dumplings, an egg roll, a salad or steamed vegetables, and white or brown rice. And the “meal in a bowl” ($7.95 to $9.50) is a traditional Thai noodle soup served in a large bowl with a choice of meat and noodles. It’s ideal for warming up a chilly winter day.

After a serious bout of indecisiveness, we decided to split two appetizers and two entrées. The day we dropped by, we tried one of the daily appetizer specials, sesame chicken lollipop wings ($6.95)—crispy drumsticks served in a sweet but tangy sesame sauce and garnished with onions, peppers, and scallions. The tender, lightly fried chicken fell easily off the bone, and the sauce was flavorfully addictive.

We also tried the shumai ($5.45), savory steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp and vegetables and served with a ginger garlic soy sauce. The bite-sized shumai packed a lot of flavor—the lightness of the dumpling skin was complemented by the distinctive taste of shrimp, and with seven in an order, there were plenty to go around.

For entrées, we chose two of Bamboo’s specialties: the pad thai ($7.95) and the crispy tamarind duck ($8.95). Pad thai is a mainstay of any Thai restaurant, but is frequently bland or overly sweet. Bamboo’s exceeded our expectations. The noodles were stir-fried and served with generous portions of chicken, shrimp, egg, scallions, bean sprouts, and peanuts. The dish had a light, delicious flavor and went well with the crispy tamarind duck, six large, juicy, tender pieces of fried duck, served with pineapple and an assortment of vegetables, including carrots, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, peppers, and broccoli, topped with a savory tamarind sauce. The flavors of duck and vegetables blended well together, and the pineapple’s sweetness was a welcome addition, giving the sauce an unexpected sweet-and-sour quality.

While Bamboo is a bit of a trek from BU (about a 20-minute T ride from East Campus), it’s well worth the effort. You’ll find great Thai food that won’t empty your wallet. One lunch and you’ll already be planning your next visit.

Bamboo Thai Restaurant, 1616 Commonwealth Ave., Brighton, is open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday; phone: 617-734-8192. Bamboo accepts all major credit cards. By public transportation, take a Green Line B trolley outbound to the Washington Street stop. The restaurant is at the corner of Comm Ave and Washington Street.

This is part of a regular series featuring Boston lunch spots of interest to the BU community. If you have any suggestions for places we should feature, leave them in the Comment section below. Check out our list of lunchtime tips on Foursquare.

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