Best Restaurants for People Watching in Allston

The food, drinks, and service were all excellent, we were celebrating a birthday and they surprised us with some great ice cream topped with hot fudge, sprinkles, and a candle, which was so sweet and really went above and beyond.

Went to Beehive for Saturday brunch with live jazz. Service was very friendly and attentive, menu had good and varied choices, food was delicious, music was great. I'll definitely be back.

First time at Branch Line. Ambience is very nice, modern and open but visually appealing. Service was excellent; knowledgeable and helpful wait-staff. Food came quickly and was nicely cooked, e.g. fish nice and soft, moist but completely done. Sauces were savory and not too salty. Delicious hot chocolate brownie dessert. Wine list is interesting and reasonably priced. My only issue is that it is pretty noisy, so don't plan on a quiet, intimate conversation. Else, definitely worth the money.

We had an amazing meal to bring in the New Year at Contessa’s! The view was delightful with Christmas lights, the State House, Church steeple and the high rises along with The Public Garden. Pedro, our server, and Sarai were so attentive! The focaccia bread and smoked olives were a pleasant start. The entrées were scrumptious! Pasta was perfect. Dessert was delicious! Thank you, Pedro and Sarai!

Great meal. 3 of us ordered 5 dishes,which might have been 1 too many for our group (1 larger eater; two smaller eaters) Typically it can be noisy but they say us at a banquette in corner across from the bar, so the noise level (6pm res) was quite tolerable