Brookline

Coolidge Corner: Anchored by the SS Pierce building, this shopping area is without a doubt the most busy and bustling corner of Brookline. Here you will find the highest concentration of shops, restaurants, along with the requisite traffic of course! Continue north on Harvard Street (towards Allston) to find the densest strip of Kosher restaurants and Jewish traditions in the city. If you visit one place in Brookline it will be Coolidge Corner.
Brookline Village: A somewhat sleepier historic area lined with many shops and restaurants. The only happening part of Brookline not along Beacon Street, it succeeds mostly due to the T stop. Although its great location between Longwood Medical in the Fenway and south of Coolidge Corner along Harvard Street doesn't hurt either.
Washington Square: A few stops further outbound from Coolidge Corner, Washington Square plays host to a variety of local shops, swanky restaurants, and popular taverns. Often overshadowed by it's bigger brother up Beacon Street, don't overlook it. More and more offbeat and original businesses are choosing to call Washington Square home.
Putterham Circle: A variety of shops, including market, restaurants, bank, hair salon, gift shop, Starbucks, and others. Without train access, this location has a different feeling than the others listed here. For those without cars looking to get here, look to catch the #51 Bus from Cleveland Circle.

Since it's so tightly connected with Boston, please refer to the Get In and Get Around sections of the Boston article to familiarize yourself with the basics.

By public transit

Brookline is served by the MBTA Green Line light rail. The Green Line has four branches: two of them serve Brookline.

• C branch: All stops after Kenmore are in Brookline, except for the final stop Cleveland Circle.
• D branch: The Brookline Village, Brookline Hills, Beaconsfield, and Reservoir stops are in Brookline.

The B branch doesn't enter Brookline proper, but its stops on Commonwealth Ave. are all within blocks of Brookline.
The following Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus routes are in Brookline:

• 66: At Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village. Runs up and down Harvard Street and continues north to Allston in Boston and Harvard Square in Cambridge.
• 65: Is less frequent, goes through Brookline Village and Washington Square and continues north to Brighton Center in Boston.
• 60: Goes Along Highway 9 (Boylston Street) and Cypress Street. Goes through Brookline Village. Continues west to Chestnut Hill Mall, and East to Kenmore Square.
• 51: Goes from Cleveland Circle into South Brookline and continues Forest Hills MBTA station in Jamaica Pond in Boston.
• 86: Goes from Cleveland Circle north into Brighton Center and Harvard Square.

By car

Cars and Brookline, like most of Boston and its immediate suburbs, do not mix perfectly. One thing to be aware of is that there is generally no overnight parking on streets; those cars on streets after 2AM (11PM in some areas) will be ticketed... seriously! There is also a two-hour parking limit, which is not as strictly enforced. (But wouldn't you know it, your car will be the one that gets ticketed.)

• Parking

• Larz Anderson Park & Auto Museum

  phone: +1 617 522-6547
  address: 15 Newton St
  This features an outdoor skating rink, and is the #1 sledding destination in the town. The park is a great place for kids. Don't miss the Auto Museum, the oldest automobile collection in the United States.

• John F. Kennedy National Historic Site

  phone: +1 617 566-7937
  address: 83 Beals St
  The 1917 birthplace and boyhood home of the 35th President of the United States. A peek into how people lived in 1917.

• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

  phone: +1 617 566-1689
  address: 99 Warren St

• Coolidge Corner Theatre

  phone: +1 617 734-2500
  address: 290 Harvard St
  A charming, old fashioned movie theatre that plays art house films, and some crowd-pleasers.

• Brookline Golf Club at Putterham

  phone: +1 617 730-2078
  address: 1281 West Roxbury Parkway
  Public 18-hole golf course.

• Puppet Showplace Theater

  phone: +1 617 731-6400
  address: 32 Station St
  For both children and adults, the theater offers workshops, classes, and training opportunities. Exhibiting over 300 puppetry performances annually.

• The Shops at Chestnut Hill

  phone: +1 617 965-3038
  address: 199 Boylston St
  Shopping mall.

• Brookline Booksmith

  phone: +1 617 566-6660
  address: 279 Harvard St
  Independent book seller.

• Kolbo Fine Judaica Gallery

  phone: +1 617 731-8743
  address: 437 Harvard St
  One of two Judaica stores in Brookline.

• Israel Book Shop

  phone: +1 617 566-7113
  address: 410 Harvard St
  The other Judaica shop in Brookline, diagonally across from Kolbo. The patrons tend to be Orthodox Jews.

• Allandale Farm

  phone: +1 617 524-1531
  address: 259 Allandale Rd
  Straddling the border with Boston, Allandale Farm is the last working farm in the city. Shop here for fresh flowers, pumpkins, christmas trees; whatever's in season. The main farm house was built around 1778 and is located in Brookline, one of the town's oldest. Plenty of parking.

• Wild Goose Chase

  phone: +1 617 738-8020
  address: 1355 Beacon St
  Local, unique, and artisanal gifts absolutely perfect for the mom in your life.

The stretch of Harvard Street between Comm and Beacon is a heavily Jewish neighborhood; the majority of kosher restaurants in the Greater Boston area can be found here. Remember, Kosher restaurants are closed Friday night and only open late Saturday night (if at all) due to the Jewish Sabbath. Some restaurants in the area might just join the crowd and go Kosher, like the ice cream shop J.P. Licks, for example.

Budget

• Brookline Family Restaurant

  phone: +1 617 277-4466
  address: 305 Washington St
  Great Turkish food for cheap. Definitely try the donar kebab sandwich. Dinner entrees are $10-15 but can easily serve two (or provide one person two or three meals worth of leftovers) and you can really fill up on the bean salad (fasooleeye piaz) and bread that are served with all meals. Go when you're hungry!

• Michael's Deli

  address: 256 Harvard St
  Go for the corned beef sandwich or the excellent egg and cheese bagels.

• Bottega Fiorentina

  phone: +1 617 232-2661
  address: 313 Harvard Street
  Italian.

• OTTO

  phone: +1 617 499-3352
  address: 289 Harvard Street
  OTTO is a bustling restaurant with excellent food and service.The waiters and waitresses always greet you with a warm smile. It can get busy on weekends, so going there on weekdays for lunch or dinner is best.

• Bess's Cafe

  phone: +1 617 879-0993
  address: 224 Cypress St
  Authentic Chinese cuisine specializing in Jiang Nan style noodles. Tiny place, only 14 seats!

• Martin's Coffee Shop

  address: 35 Harvard St

• Dok Bua Thai Kitchen

  address: 411 Harvard St

• Ganko Ittetsu Ramen

  address: 318 Harvard St #3

• Burro Bar

  address: 1665 Beacon St

Kosher

• Kupel's Bakery

  phone: +1 617 566-9528
  address: 421 Harvard St
  Not a full blown restaurant; but good for a bagel, sandwich, or light snack.

• Cheryl Ann's Bakery

  phone: +1 617 469-9241
  address: 1010 W Roxbury Parkway
  Family-owned and operated, this certified Kosher and Pareve bakery does everything well. The rugelach and challah are particularly notable. (and delicious!)

• Vittorio's Grill

  address: 1398 Beacon St
  Kosher.

• Rami's

  phone: +1 617 738-3577
  address: 324 Harvard St
  A falafel place run by Israelis: has some of the best falafel in the area, with a warm staff who are happy to offer samples and conversation. There are a few tables that fill up quickly at peak times.

• Cafe Eliat

  phone: +1 617 277-7770
  address: 406 Harvard St
  One of the few places to get kosher pizza.

Sweets

• Clearflour Bakery

  address: 178 Thorndike St
  Delicious, authentic baguettes and boules, batards and loaves made fresh daily.

• Emack & Bolios

  address: 1663 Beacon St
  Ice cream joint is a popular hang out.

• J.P. Licks

  address: 311 Harvard St
  Sure, there are a few JP Licks in the Boston Area, but this one is still worth visiting. Incredible ice cream, cool neon decorations, and coffee when it is warm.

• When Pigs Fly

  address: 1378A Beacon St
  Old-world, artisan breads.

Mid-range

• Rod-Dee Thai Cuisine

  address: 1430 Beacon St
  Amazing Thai food. Seriously. There is a lot of Thai food in Boston but this unassuming restaurant, busy most of the day, may be the best out there. Only a couple of tables, so plan on taking out.

• Zaftigs Delicatessen

  address: 335 Harvard St
  Non-Kosher, "new Jewish"-style restaurant.

• Stoked Wood Fired Pizza

  phone: +1 617 879-0707
  address: 1632 Beacon St

• Yokohama Japanese Restaurant

  address: 238 Washington St

• Barcelona Wine Bar

  address: 1700 Beacon St

Kosher

• Jerusalem Pita

  phone: +1 617 739-2400
  address: 10 Pleasant St
  Kosher.

• Taam China

  phone: +1 617 264-7274
  address: 423 Harvard St
  Glatt kosher Chinese food: don't expect to see any pork-fried rice on the menu here.

Splurge

• Fugakyu

  address: 1280 Beacon Street
  Some of the best sushi in town. It truly lives up to the meaning of its name, "house of exquisite excellence." Don't worry about bringing people who don't like sushi, as they have an extensive menu (many pages) of cooked food and appetizers including shabu-shabu, tempura, katsu, sukiyaki, teriyaki, along with plenty of vegetarian options. There are many private dining rooms for 4 to 20 people that can be requested at the door for smaller parties - reservations are only made for larger groups, along with a large number of open-floor tables.

• The Fireplace

  address: 1634 Beacon Street
  Creative, modern American cuisine, with excellent, often locally-sourced ingredients. Live music on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Good, all-American wine list in keeping with the menu. Outdoor seating is available during the warmer months, great for people-watching.

• La Morra

  address: 48 Boylston St
  Northern Italian food.

• Taberna de Haro

  address: 999 Beacon Street
  Spanish Tapas at St. Mary's.

• Rani Indian Bistro

  address: 1353 Beacon St
  A distinct step above the usual Indian restaurant. Delicious.

• Matt Murphy's Pub

  address: 14 Harvard St
  Consistently rated as "Best Irish Pub" by several local publications, this Brookline spot (ride to Brookline Village on the 'D' Branch of the Green Line - about 20 minutes from downtown Boston) boasts fantastic Irish food miles removed from standard pub fare and bartenders and waitstaff with genuine brogues, as well as live music.

• The Publick House

  phone: +1 617 277-2880
  address: 1648 Beacon St
  Has great food and a huge selection of artisanal beers on tap and in bottles. Get your hard to find European beers and domestic micro-brews here. Come for the beer, stay for the mac and cheese and the Belgian-style frites.

• Washington Square Tavern

  address: 714 Washington St

• Hops 'n Scotch

  address: 1306 Beacon St

• O'Leary's

  address: 1010 Beacon St

• Grainne O'Malley's

  address: 201 Harvard St

Coffee

• Tatte

  phone: +1 617 232-2200
  address: 1003 Beacon St

• 4A Coffee

  phone: +1 617 738-4444
  address: 419 Harvard St

• Cafe Fixe

  phone: +1 617 879-2500
  address: 1642 Beacon St

• Koo Koo

  address: 7 Station St

• Beech Tree Inn

  phone: +1 857 267-1783
  address: 83 Longwood Avenue
  Bed and breakfast, offers 10 guest rooms. Two-night minimum stay on weekends.

• Bertram Inn

  phone: +1 617 566-2234
  address: 92 Sewall Ave
  Pet friendly.

• Samuel Sewall Inn

  phone: +1 617 713-0123
  address: 143 Saint Paul Street
  Temporarily closed. 14 Victorian-era rooms.

• Longwood Inn

  phone: +1 617 566-8615
  address: 123 Longwood Ave

• Holiday Inn Brookline

  phone: +1 617 277-1200
  address: 1200 Beacon St
  Offers an indoor heated pool, fitness center, business center, hotel bar & lounge, and event facilities.

• Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston-Brookline

  phone: +1-617-232-1487
  address: 111 Boylston St

• Courtyard by Marriot

  phone: +1 617 734-1393
  address: 40 Webster St

• Brookline Village Branch

  phone: +1 617 730-2370
  address: 361 Washington St

• Coolidge Corner Branch

  phone: +1 617 730-2380
  address: 31 Pleasant St

• Putterham Branch

  phone: +1 617 730-2385
  address: 959 West Roxbury Parkway

• You almost can't help but cross the border into Allston and all the great bars and restaurants therein.
• Ride the C line downtown and tour some of Boston's famous colonial architecture on the Freedom Trail.
• There's not much in the way of museums here, head to Fenway and visit The Museum of Fine Arts on Huntington Ave.
• Want to keep it green? Don't miss the Arnold Arboretum in adjacent Jamaica Plain.
• Head across the river and spend some time in Harvard Square. Located within another of Boston's great neighbors, Cambridge.