Reviews for Bess's Cafe in Brookline, MA
I dont think I have ever loved a meal more! I got the chicken dumplings in Sichuan sauce and the chicken scallion pancake wrap... and it was genuinely fantastic. The space is small and unassuming but the folks working there are so friendly and have createda truly fantastic environment in which to serve up amazing eats. Read more
Little Chinese restaurant that seems to be family owned (not sure). We ordered the pork belly buns ($8), the beef scallion... pancake/wrap ($8), and a spicy noodle soup ($12). Was really excited for the deep fried buns but they happened to be out whenwe went. Food came out quickly, and the beef scallion pancake was great! However, in the future, I will steer clear of the porkbelly buns. The pork belly was fatty but far more chewy/rubbery than melt-in-your-mouth as I expected. They have other fillingoptions like chicken, etc., which may be better (haven't tried). My friend had the noodle soup, which was nice and heenjoyed. Might come back for the deep fried buns but not sure! Felt a bit overpriced for the quality, but maybe I would feeldifferently about a different selection. Read more
Pretty authentic and a quick place to grab a bite. I got the scallion pancake beef wrap. Anything scallion pancake here is... delicious. I also recommend the shrimp steamed dumplings. The inside is a bit small if it becomes busy and you are looking for aseat, but take out is also an option here too. Read more
Bess's Café is a cute little place with great food. We got the beef noodle soup, pork noodle soup, pork buns, and pork & chive... dumplings. Service was friendly, wait time was reasonable, and we really enjoyed the food. People came and went, bringingtake-out with them, as others filed in for dine-in meals. The owners accommodated everyone efficiently, and we sat thereenjoying our meal. I would recommend the pork soup over the beef soup, but that may be personal preference. Neither wasdisappointing. Definitely get the pork buns. Read more
I've had this bookmarked ever since it opened but never had the chance to visit this place until recently! The interior is... quaint and spacious enough though I can imagine people with claustrophobia being a bit edgy if it were ever filled to capacity. Parking is pretty ample here with 2 hour free parking all over (yay Brookline!). I was fortunate enough to try a multitude ofdifferent dishes though i'll have to definitely return to try the others. What I tried was the pork and shrimp dumplings (panseared), chicken dumplings in a sichuan spicy oil, beef noodle soup (spicy), beef in a crispy pancake and fried dough drizzledin condensed milk. The dumplings were excellent and full of flavor though I will say that the Sichuan sauce wasn't spicy to meat all (and I have the spice tolerance of a sissy). The beef noodle soup had a slight more kick to it but was quite manageableand didn't overpower the rest of the soup (which was very flavorful). The beef pancakes were also tender and had a nice savorymayonnaise type sauce with cucumbers in it which I found refreshing. Probably the biggest disappointment was the fried doughballs which while looked delicious, lacked flavor since it was bland and dense on the inside (was expecting something morefluffy). Overall if you happen to be in the area and enjoy chinese dumplings give this place a whirl! Read more
Good food that was quick and inexpensive. The crispy chicken buns were our favorite dish. The scallion pancake wraps were also... good although the plum sauce was a little overwhelming (next time we will ask for it on the side). Very quick and reasonablypriced which is perfect with antsy kids. Read more
Little nice homey place. Food was solid but nothing really blew me away. Food definitely won me over with strong basic... foundation, and every food was served piping hot. Definitely worth the try if you are craving for beef noodle soup. Read more
Scallion pancakes were really crispy and delicious. Everything was piping hot which is always great. Steamed buns were very soft... and the veggie filling was tasty. Dan Dan noodles had really great flavor but could have been a bit spicier. They were out ofthe veggie dumplings but will try it next time! Read more