New England dining reviews >>> The Restaurant, Woburn, MA, dining review

The Restaurant in Woburn, MA, serves home cooking as straightforward as its name

by Eric H.

The Restaurant, in Woburn, MA, goes far beyond its aptly-named moniker by offering wholesome, substantial amounts of homemade food at extremely reasonable prices. 

Its slogan of "Keeping it simple with fresh ingredients!" sets the tone for what's to come at this northwest suburban Boston restaurant in a downtown that's quickly becoming revitalized and interesting, once again. The Restaurant has quickly

become perhaps downtown Woburn's most popular restaurant as people of all walks of life -- families, singles, couples, working class, diners with high expectations, etc. -- love tasty affordable food in a friendly atmosphere. The Restaurant also is heartwarmingly community-oriented, as evidenced by offering meals to hundreds of locals in need on Thanksgiving Day 2007.

A colorful staff not afraid to call you "big guy" or "buddy" prepares wonderful homemade Greek and American cuisine (as well as many Italian dishes) with an added benefit of serving breakfast all day. On our 11-person visit, we feasted on truly delicious baked lamb, lemon soup, chicken pot pie, Greek spinach pie, fried calamari and...chocolate chip pancakes! The restaurant also offers an extensive sandwich selection, with many dishes coming in at under $5.00. For dessert, the Restaurant offers assorted pies, Greek baklava, puddings, and chocolate, carrot and cheese cake. We did not have room for dessert and may never, as the main portions are huge, hearty and ultimately delicious.

This large, cavernous cafeteria is comfortable and its padded acoustics allow people to converse without yelling at each other (although some people at another table were doing this, anyway) -- not always common in one-large room cafeterias. Once you order cafeteria-style and return to the dining room, it actually feels more like a comfortable restaurant due to its pleasing low-lighting, and attractive tables and chairs.

Even if The Restaurant was as comfortable as a phone booth, it would still be worth a visit. The down-to-earth, personality-filled staff, wide menu selection, unbeatable food and excellent value are not as easy to find as in the past. Happily, at the Restaurant, you can dine in a real, honest-to-goodness restaurant.

The Restaurant, 489 Main St., Woburn, MA. Tel. (781) 935-2511

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