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Shakshuka at Anoush’ella

19 Splendid Shakshuka Options Around Boston

Start the day off right with a spicy poached egg and tomato dish

by Rachel Leah Blumenthal@blumie Updated Feb 8, 2019, 3:47pm EST

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Shakshuka at Anoush’ella

| Anoush’ella/Official Site

by Rachel Leah Blumenthal@blumie Updated Feb 8, 2019, 3:47pm EST

The timeline of shakshuka is a long and winding one. While most agree that its precursor, a meat-and-vegetable stew, dates all the way back to the Ottoman Empire, the roots of its modern egg-and-tomato-centric form can be traced in various directions — to Tunisia, to Morocco, to Yemen, and beyond. Whatever its exact origin story, the dish has long been a staple throughout the Middle East.

In the Boston area, it has landed on numerous menus over the years, especially brunch menus, and not just at Middle Eastern restaurants. While there are many regional variations, its base form typically includes eggs poached (or scrambled) in a tomato sauce that may include peppers, onions, and a variety of spices. Some shakshuka dishes are spicy, some include meat, some are topped with cheese or yogurt. Whichever version you find, it makes for a hearty way to start (or end) the day.

Here are 19 excellently eggy examples to try throughout the Boston area.

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Five Horses Tavern

At the Somerville location of Five Horses Tavern (but not at its younger sibling in the South End), shakshuka is on both the brunch and the dinner menu, featuring a Moroccan lamb merguez ragout that has a bit of a kick to it, along with harissa, poached egg, crispy haloumi cheese, green chile sauce, and grilled flatbread on the side.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

400 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02144

Shakshuka at Five Horses Tavern (Somerville location)

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Urban Hearth

Urban Hearth debuted as a catering company back in 2003, ultimately landing a Cambridge storefront in late 2016 that started out as a cafe by day and a supper club by night, featuring communal dining and a prix fixe menu. In mid-2018, the restaurant phased out cafe service, expanded dinner to include a la carte as well as prix fixe options, and added a weekend brunch. That’s when the shakshuka comes out to play (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday): eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and feta, served with simple greens or roasted roots.

2263 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Shakshuka at Urban Hearth

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, home of cheesy Georgian egg boats (khachapuri), serves shakshuka until 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday: poached eggs in a roasted red pepper tomato sauce with feta, cumin, parsley, and a side of bread.

100 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Shakshuka at Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

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Seta's Cafe

Open for about five years, this popular Mediterranean cafe in Belmont keeps its shakshuka on the simple side, showcasing the eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. It’s available during brunch, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

271 Belmont St, Belmont, MA 02478

Shakshuka at Seta’s Cafe

Sofra Bakery & Cafe

This sibling to Oleana and Sarma serves beautiful pastries, meze, savory pies, and lots more. Available on the breakfast menu (served until 11 a.m. weekdays and 3 p.m. weekends), the shakshuka is made with poached eggs, a tomato-curry broth, zhug (a Yemeni green hot sauce), and crumbs. Order it without crumbs and pita for a gluten-free, dairy-free option.

1 Belmont St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Shakshuka at Sofra

Also featured in:

Moona

This cozy Inman Square gem focuses on Eastern Mediterranean meze, featuring dishes like a platter of dips, pickles, and olives; chicken bastilla; and monkfish with preserved lemon. At brunch, served on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there’s shakshuka tagine — poached eggs, tomatoes, chile peppers, parlsey, cumin, and the optional addition of ground lamb.

243 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Shakshuka tagine at Moona

Also featured in:

Our Fathers

This fairly new addition to Lower Allston is comprised of a takeout Jewish deli on one side and a full-service modern Israeli restaurant and gin-focused bar on the other. The shakshuka makes an appearance on the weekend brunch menu, served Saturday and Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., featuring baked and stewed tomatoes with eggs, peppers, spices, feta, zhug, and challah.

197 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02134

Shakshuka at Our Fathers

Also featured in:

Branch Line

Branch Line is best known for its rotisserie chicken (and great beer list), but it also has a solid shakshuka hiding on its weekend brunch menu, packed with spicy tomato and spinach, with grilled bread on the side. Better order the sugar snap pea salad, too. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA 02472

Shakshuka at Branch Line

Also featured in:

Inna's Kitchen at Boston Public Market

Inna’s Kitchen — a Boston Public Market vendor that was originally located in Newton and recently opened a different location in Newton — serves Jewish cuisine, from knishes to latkes. There’s shakshuka (poached eggs, tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, and spices, with zhug and pita on the side, plus optional additions of avocado, feta, or both), and there are also “shakalatkas” (eggs over latkes with shakshuka sauce, feta, sour cream with zatar, and zhug).

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Shakshuka at Inna’s Kitchen

Also featured in:

Outlook Kitchen at the Envoy Hotel

At the Envoy’s restaurant, Outlook Kitchen, brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On a menu that includes everything from bourbon baked french toast and salted chocolate pancakes to a lobster roll and a burger, there’s also shakshuka, made with baked eggs, a spiced tomato sauce, feta, and sourdough.

70 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

Shakshuka at Outlook Kitchen

Committee

This bustling Greek restaurant in the Seaport District serves a jumbo-sized shakshuka (meant for two or more diners), consisting of eggs baked in a pan of spiced tomato sauce with peppers, onions, feta, and pita. It’s available at brunch, which is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

50 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

Shakshuka at Committee

Also featured in:

Cafe Landwer

Israeli chain Cafe Landwer opened its first two United States locations in Boston — one in the Audubon Circle section of Fenway and one in the Cleveland Circle section of Brighton. The restaurant’s menu is extensive, including everything from pizza to schnitzel to milkshakes, and there are four shakshuka options, each of which comes with a side of challah or multigrain bread. All start with a base of poached eggs, spiced tomato sauce, tahini, and labneh, while the Mediterranean, haloumi, and green options add on various ingredients.

900 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02215

Shakshuka at Cafe Landwer

Also featured in:

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

Founded in 2008 in Brookline (at the location of this map point), Tatte now has 11 locations around the Boston area, with at least one more in the works. The bakery and cafe chain has a few different shakshuka dishes available on its all-day menu (and on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all-day brunch menu), all served with toasted challah. The standard option includes tomato sauce, bell peppers, eggs, feta, and parsley, but there’s also a lamb meatball and labneh version and a rotating seasonal version, which currently includes a tomato bell pepper sauce, roasted potatoes, chickpeas, onions, labneh, and cilantro sauce.

1003 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02115

Shakshuka at Tatte

Beehive Restaurant

At the Beehive in the South End, live music — especially jazz — is the main attraction, but don’t miss the shakshuka at brunch, made with poached eggs, tomato sauce, polenta, and toast, with the optional addition of merguez spiced lamb. Brunch runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with music from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

Shakshuka at the Beehive

Also featured in:

14 Boston-Area Restaurants With Live Music

Area Four

While Area Four built its reputation serving wood-fired pizza, there’s a lot more on the menu, especially at the restaurant’s South End offshoot. During brunch (10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), there’s a shakshuka made with baked eggs, roasted peppers, and cilantro harissa.

264 East Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02118

Shakshuka at Area Four (South End location)

Also featured in:

Tapestry

Go to the “expo kitchen” side of Tapestry for pizza and bar snacks — and weekend brunch, taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. (The other side of the restaurant, the “club room,” has a fancier vibe and doesn’t serve brunch.) The Tapestry brunch menu includes a green shakshuka — greens, tomatillos, olives, pepitas, and toast.

69 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA 02215

The green shakshuka at Tapestry

Also featured in:

Where to Eat Crudo in Boston

Mida

In early 2019, this South End restaurant added brunch service, and it deviates a bit from the dinnertime Italian theme, although Italy still peeks through. There’s the “spicy shrimp ‘n’ kinda grits,” for example, made with arborio porridge, and an egg and cheese bagel sandwich that optionally comes with prosciutto. As for the shakshuka, it’s “all’amatriciana” — which typically includes guanciale and cheese — and comes with a coddled egg and toasted bread.

Search for reservations

OpenTable

782 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118

An oval dish of shakshuka all’amatriciana, with some other brunch dishes visible in the background — Shakshuka all’amatriciana at Mida

Also featured in:

Anoush'ella

This casual South End spot focuses on rolled flatbreads called man’oushe that are baked on a special oven, but the weekend brunch menu also includes two shakshuka options. The standard comes with a poached egg, crushed tomatoes, onions, spices, black olives, and cilantro, while the labneh shakshuka includes garlic labneh, mint, spicy olive oil, Armenian salad, black olives, pickled turnips, and zhug.

35 W Newton St, Boston, MA 02118

Labne shakshuka at Anoush’ella

Also featured in:

Milkweed

From the team behind Dorchester’s Blarney Stone, Milkweed is a cheery neighborhood restaurant in Mission Hill, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Available on both the breakfast and dinner menus, the shakshuka features tomato sauce, sweet cherry peppers, feta, scallions, challah, and a choice of meatballs or falafel.

1508 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

Shakshuka at Milkweed

Also featured in:

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Five Horses Tavern

400 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02144

At the Somerville location of Five Horses Tavern (but not at its younger sibling in the South End), shakshuka is on both the brunch and the dinner menu, featuring a Moroccan lamb merguez ragout that has a bit of a kick to it, along with harissa, poached egg, crispy haloumi cheese, green chile sauce, and grilled flatbread on the side.

400 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02144

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Five Horses Tavern (Somerville location)

Urban Hearth

2263 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Urban Hearth debuted as a catering company back in 2003, ultimately landing a Cambridge storefront in late 2016 that started out as a cafe by day and a supper club by night, featuring communal dining and a prix fixe menu. In mid-2018, the restaurant phased out cafe service, expanded dinner to include a la carte as well as prix fixe options, and added a weekend brunch. That’s when the shakshuka comes out to play (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday): eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and feta, served with simple greens or roasted roots.

Open in Google Maps

2263 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Urban Hearth

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

100 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters, home of cheesy Georgian egg boats (khachapuri), serves shakshuka until 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday: poached eggs in a roasted red pepper tomato sauce with feta, cumin, parsley, and a side of bread.

100 Kirkland St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Broadsheet Coffee Roasters

Seta's Cafe

271 Belmont St, Belmont, MA 02478

Open for about five years, this popular Mediterranean cafe in Belmont keeps its shakshuka on the simple side, showcasing the eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. It’s available during brunch, from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

271 Belmont St, Belmont, MA 02478

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Seta’s Cafe

Sofra Bakery & Cafe

1 Belmont St, Cambridge, MA 02138

This sibling to Oleana and Sarma serves beautiful pastries, meze, savory pies, and lots more. Available on the breakfast menu (served until 11 a.m. weekdays and 3 p.m. weekends), the shakshuka is made with poached eggs, a tomato-curry broth, zhug (a Yemeni green hot sauce), and crumbs. Order it without crumbs and pita for a gluten-free, dairy-free option.

1 Belmont St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Sofra

Moona

243 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139

This cozy Inman Square gem focuses on Eastern Mediterranean meze, featuring dishes like a platter of dips, pickles, and olives; chicken bastilla; and monkfish with preserved lemon. At brunch, served on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there’s shakshuka tagine — poached eggs, tomatoes, chile peppers, parlsey, cumin, and the optional addition of ground lamb.

243 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

Shakshuka tagine at Moona

Our Fathers

197 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02134

This fairly new addition to Lower Allston is comprised of a takeout Jewish deli on one side and a full-service modern Israeli restaurant and gin-focused bar on the other. The shakshuka makes an appearance on the weekend brunch menu, served Saturday and Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., featuring baked and stewed tomatoes with eggs, peppers, spices, feta, zhug, and challah.

197 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02134

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Our Fathers

Branch Line

321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA 02472

Branch Line is best known for its rotisserie chicken (and great beer list), but it also has a solid shakshuka hiding on its weekend brunch menu, packed with spicy tomato and spinach, with grilled bread on the side. Better order the sugar snap pea salad, too. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

321 Arsenal St, Watertown, MA 02472

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Branch Line

Inna's Kitchen at Boston Public Market

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Inna’s Kitchen — a Boston Public Market vendor that was originally located in Newton and recently opened a different location in Newton — serves Jewish cuisine, from knishes to latkes. There’s shakshuka (poached eggs, tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, and spices, with zhug and pita on the side, plus optional additions of avocado, feta, or both), and there are also “shakalatkas” (eggs over latkes with shakshuka sauce, feta, sour cream with zatar, and zhug).

100 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Inna’s Kitchen

Outlook Kitchen at the Envoy Hotel

70 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

At the Envoy’s restaurant, Outlook Kitchen, brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. On a menu that includes everything from bourbon baked french toast and salted chocolate pancakes to a lobster roll and a burger, there’s also shakshuka, made with baked eggs, a spiced tomato sauce, feta, and sourdough.

Open in Google Maps

70 Sleeper St, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Outlook Kitchen

Committee

50 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

This bustling Greek restaurant in the Seaport District serves a jumbo-sized shakshuka (meant for two or more diners), consisting of eggs baked in a pan of spiced tomato sauce with peppers, onions, feta, and pita. It’s available at brunch, which is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

50 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Committee

Cafe Landwer

900 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02215

Israeli chain Cafe Landwer opened its first two United States locations in Boston — one in the Audubon Circle section of Fenway and one in the Cleveland Circle section of Brighton. The restaurant’s menu is extensive, including everything from pizza to schnitzel to milkshakes, and there are four shakshuka options, each of which comes with a side of challah or multigrain bread. All start with a base of poached eggs, spiced tomato sauce, tahini, and labneh, while the Mediterranean, haloumi, and green options add on various ingredients.

Open in Google Maps

900 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02215

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Cafe Landwer

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

1003 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02115

Founded in 2008 in Brookline (at the location of this map point), Tatte now has 11 locations around the Boston area, with at least one more in the works. The bakery and cafe chain has a few different shakshuka dishes available on its all-day menu (and on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all-day brunch menu), all served with toasted challah. The standard option includes tomato sauce, bell peppers, eggs, feta, and parsley, but there’s also a lamb meatball and labneh version and a rotating seasonal version, which currently includes a tomato bell pepper sauce, roasted potatoes, chickpeas, onions, labneh, and cilantro sauce.

Open in Google Maps

1003 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02115

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Tatte

Beehive Restaurant

541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

At the Beehive in the South End, live music — especially jazz — is the main attraction, but don’t miss the shakshuka at brunch, made with poached eggs, tomato sauce, polenta, and toast, with the optional addition of merguez spiced lamb. Brunch runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with music from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Open in Google Maps

541 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

Visit Website

Shakshuka at the Beehive

Area Four

264 East Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02118

While Area Four built its reputation serving wood-fired pizza, there’s a lot more on the menu, especially at the restaurant’s South End offshoot. During brunch (10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), there’s a shakshuka made with baked eggs, roasted peppers, and cilantro harissa.

264 East Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Area Four (South End location)

Related Maps

Tapestry

69 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA 02215

Go to the “expo kitchen” side of Tapestry for pizza and bar snacks — and weekend brunch, taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. (The other side of the restaurant, the “club room,” has a fancier vibe and doesn’t serve brunch.) The Tapestry brunch menu includes a green shakshuka — greens, tomatillos, olives, pepitas, and toast.

Open in Google Maps

69 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA 02215

Visit Website

The green shakshuka at Tapestry

Mida

782 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118

In early 2019, this South End restaurant added brunch service, and it deviates a bit from the dinnertime Italian theme, although Italy still peeks through. There’s the “spicy shrimp ‘n’ kinda grits,” for example, made with arborio porridge, and an egg and cheese bagel sandwich that optionally comes with prosciutto. As for the shakshuka, it’s “all’amatriciana” — which typically includes guanciale and cheese — and comes with a coddled egg and toasted bread.

782 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

An oval dish of shakshuka all’amatriciana, with some other brunch dishes visible in the background — Shakshuka all’amatriciana at Mida

Anoush'ella

35 W Newton St, Boston, MA 02118

This casual South End spot focuses on rolled flatbreads called man’oushe that are baked on a special oven, but the weekend brunch menu also includes two shakshuka options. The standard comes with a poached egg, crushed tomatoes, onions, spices, black olives, and cilantro, while the labneh shakshuka includes garlic labneh, mint, spicy olive oil, Armenian salad, black olives, pickled turnips, and zhug.

Open in Google Maps

35 W Newton St, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Labne shakshuka at Anoush’ella

Milkweed

1508 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

From the team behind Dorchester’s Blarney Stone, Milkweed is a cheery neighborhood restaurant in Mission Hill, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Available on both the breakfast and dinner menus, the shakshuka features tomato sauce, sweet cherry peppers, feta, scallions, challah, and a choice of meatballs or falafel.

1508 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02120

Visit Website

Shakshuka at Milkweed

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