Still holding strong in our top three for Japanese, Musashino is thankfully unsullied by any imagined need to revamp itself. Where we prefer Ryu for its cooked Japanese cuisine, the fish here’s just a bit better, and the selection a little fuller. The inside’s like the inside of a 19th-century Japanese fishing boat; between the net-and-puffer-fish décor and the cute waitresses in their matching T-shirts, the atmosphere’s almost too much, but the lighting’s warm, the crowd’s vibrant, and the fish… [More]

The self-styled Nubian Queen originally opened this closet-sized restaurant as a way to feed the homeless (which she still does every Sunday). The building appears nearly condemned, but the colorful storefront is exciting and inviting. Inside, it’s flourescently lit and cramped, but diners happily chat each other up while waiting (and waiting and waiting) for their food. The sponge-painted room is decked out with inspirational quotes and observations in Lola’s handwriting, and when she’s done cooking your meal, she’ll come… [More]