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1704 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02118. Phone: 617.536.4300 (no reservations for dinner).

Worth visiting in a 3-mile radius.

I must admit that I walked into Toro with the wrong expectations. My parents have both been to Spain and I have heard of tales of laid-back tapas bars in balmy seaside towns, where you could get some jamon serrano, bread, cheese, and good wine for only a few euros, and where the patronage was mostly made up of elderly locals gossiping and reading the paper, kind of like a tapas version of Bougatsa Iordanis. These were the expectations I had when I came to Toro.

The atmosphere of Toro is that of a popular bar, because it is partly that; booming music, a dark space crowded with professional-looking twenty-somethings. You can imagine that was a bit of a shock for me given what I was expecting.

Although Toro calls itself a tapas place, the menu is not entirely so, with items like whole fish and paella. There is a nice variety of dishes, both familiar, like ham and cheese and strange, like quail egg.

The meal started off with simple dishes. Our queso mahon (made in Mahon, capital of Menorca, an island in Spain) was strong, similar to Manchego cheese but with peppercorns. It was good with the complimentary bread and the jamon serrano, which was some of the best I’ve had. The meat had a nice smoky taste, and unlike other jamon serranos I’ve had, it was not overly salty.

Speaking of not too salty, anchovies are usually some of the saltiest food on earth, so salty that most people never eat them straight. The boquerones (anchovies) at Toro are exceptional because the lack of salt brings out the raw, delicious fishy flavor that people rarely taste. Instead of salt these anchovies are bathed in olive oil and vinegar, which enhances their flavor much better.

Unfortunately, our seafood experience at Toro went downhill from there. I had high hopes for the paella valenciana, because I’d never had paella before. However, this dish had some problems. The smoky flavor, which had worked so well in the ham, overwhelmed the paella. And the rice, the very base of the dish, was soggy and packed little taste. The meat of the mejillones (mussels) was piping hot and soft to the touch, but I didn’t get to taste it because the whole bowl was drenched in Basque cider, masking the taste of any mussel underneath. Our last seafood dish was pulpo a la plancha (octopus), which was overcooked to the point where it tasted more like really dry roast chicken than an octopus.

Our meal ended on a high note, though, with the asado de huesos (bone marrow). It looked amazing as it was served, a massive bone with toast on the side and sprinkled with radish. I loved the bone marrow, although I see how it could be an acquired taste. It is one of the most calorie-rich dishes I have ever had; it had all the flavor of juicy beef but double the fattiness and saltiness. The radish added a sour touch to the beef that gave it another dimension.

Service is alright. The waitstaff weren’t extremely attentive as the place was buzzing at the time we were there, but they were professional and polished. Prices on the menu don’t seem very expensive (tapas range from $6-$15, with the occasional outlier). However, since it’s a tapas restaurant and the portions are small, the bill adds up to a lot. Although this restaurant has some great, interesting dishes, it is definitely hit-or-miss, and I would stay away from the seafood, save for the anchovies. However, if you know what you’re coming for, unlike me, and order smartly, I think Toro can make a satisfying meal.

The “George” pita

The “Niko” bowl

4 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA 02215. Phone: 617.266.0001 (Also located in Cambridge, MA)

Worth visiting in a 1 mile radius.

If someone took Chipotle and turned it Greek, you would get Saloniki. It’s located near Fenway Park in Boston, and has an attractive, clean interior with different patterns of light blue and white, the colors of the Greek flag. As with Chipotle, patrons walk up to the counter and order one of the items on the menu, but it is customizable as the employees are making your dish at the counter right in front of the patrons.

When I walked in, I was greeted by a worker pressing the pita fresh using a fancy machine. The pita here is excellent and it’s fantastic that they press fresh pita. After all, pita bread is the basis of many dishes here.

Saloniki’s menu consists of a few combinations of ingredients (usually meat, vegetables, and sauce, although there are some vegetarian/vegan options) that can be served either as a pita sandwich or a plate, on top of brown rice. The salads on the menu are all interesting twists on Greek salad, such as one with asparagus and fennel added to the mix. The few dessert options include Greek yogurt with your choice of a sweet topping such as jam or honey, and loukoumades, which are balls of fried dough served with honey or Nutella.

My “George” pita (Spicy lamb meatballs, charred eggplant, garlic yogurt, secret sauce, greens, tomato, onion, Greek fries, spicy slaw, and fresh herbs) was tasty, but could definitely be improved upon. I was a little dubious of “Greek fries” being in my pita, having no idea what they were, but they just turned out to be French fries cut in the cross section of the potato. They were not too greasy and had rosemary on top of them, so that was a pleasant surprise. Everything in this dish was fresh, especially the pita, as I mentioned earlier. However, this dish had quite a few downsides. First, the wrap was stuffed to the brim with a lot of ingredients, as is every gyro here. It was a little hard to tell which was which, and there were many combatting flavors of ingredients that tasted odd together. Also, the sauce was good, but it was used in copious amounts on the pita, smothering the taste of other ingredients.

The “Niko” plate (similar ingredients but substitute grilled chicken for lamb meatballs) was fresh just like the George, and the ingredients tasted good with the bed of brown rice they were served on. Plus, it came with a side of pita, so you don’t have to miss out on it by ordering a plate.

Prices at Saloniki are very reasonable: $8-$9 for a pita, $9-$10 for a plate, and salads at $6-$9. Saloniki’s food isn’t anything amazing, but the tasty and quick meals make for a decent lunch stop.

1381 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02215. Phone: 617.266.1300

Worth visiting in a 3 mile radius.

Sweet Cheeks Q is located near Fenway Park in Boston, so close that I’ve spotted a Red Sox player there! It’s in a large space that still feels cozy because of the wooden interior and the classic rock playing from the speakers above. It serves heavenly biscuits and heaping portions of barbecue.

The menu at Sweet Cheeks is simple. There are several different kinds of barbecue. On the side are biscuits and various side dishes called “scoops,” such as greens, coleslaw, various kinds of salad, and baked beans. There are also a few dessert items: strawberry rhubarb crisp, giant nutter butter, and butterscotch pudding.

The pork ribs are so tender that they fall off the bone when you try to pick them up, but they put a little too much salt on the ribs, so you can’t eat very many before they overwhelms your mouth. These ribs are livened up by Sweet Cheeks’ own delicious barbecue sauce, which is spicier and less sweet than conventional supermarket fare. The brisket is very flavorful and salted in moderation. The fried chicken is breaded with just the right amount of batter, and the chicken itself is full and flavorful.

The biscuits are my favorite item. The outside is flaky and the inside is buttery and hot. If that’s not enough butter for you, Sweet Cheeks serves the biscuits with its own honey butter. These biscuits are a great sugary and fatty treat. The baked beans are unconventional, like the barbecue sauce, in that they are spicy and not very sweet. I like sweet baked beans better. Maybe it’s because I’m used to eating sweet baked beans, but when I eat Sweet Cheeks’ baked beans the sweetness is missing from my mouth.

For dessert, we tried strawberry rhubarb crisp a la mode. The ice cream is excellent and the strawberries were fresh. The dish would have been better if rhubarb was used more. The tartness of rhubarb complements the sweetness of the strawberries and the crisp we got wasn’t tart enough.

The prices at Sweet Cheeks are reasonably high: a single meat tray costs $20-$30. Sweet Cheeks’ barbecue is well prepared and tasty, the biscuits are top grade, but not every dish is perfect.