Lay Of The Land: The Best Of Jamaica Plain’s Centre Street

Over the past several years, Centre Street has become Jamaica Plain’s own restaurant row. From Italian to Indian, Mediterranean to Mexican, you can sample many the world’s great cuisines in the span of less than a mile. This embarassment of riches can be overwhelming to a non-resident, so as a service, we thought we’d point out some of the best options. For your convenience, we’ve even mapped them. Here’s how Centre Street shakes down. (Restaurants are listed in order of approach from Forest Hills.)

JP Seafood Cafe has by far, the best sushi in Jamaica Plain. Grab a 12 piece sashimi lunch box for a mere $10 or come by at dinner and feast on the Jamaica Plain maki: salmon, cucumber, and a schmear of cream cheese. Delightfully refreshing!
•One of JP’s newest joints, Cafe D serves up an exciting internationally-inspired menu. Come for the cocktail list (mmm, Blood Orange Martini), stay for the $26.50 three course prix fixe.
•As the lines that stretch half a block down Centre Street could attest, everyone knows about the amazing brunch at Centre Street Cafe. The dinner options are lesser-known, but no less delicious. The menu darts from Mexico to India to Italy in the blink of an eye, but our best bet is one of the simplest: “Fowl”, a beautifully roasted chicken half resting on a bed of superlative buttermilk mashed potatoes.
•Claustrophobes, beware! Ten Tables’s name is completely literal. Those lucky enough to score one of the aforementioned ten tables are in for a treat, as chef David Punch serves up freshly seasonal cuisine. Make sure to save some room for dessert.
•Recently reopened after a devastating fire, El Oriental de Cuba is a Jamaica Plain institution and arguably, the best place in Boston to grab a Cubano. The sandwiches are great, but we would be remiss not to also mention the seafood entrees, which are second to none.

JP Seafood Cafe [Official Site]
Cafe D [Official Site]
Centre Street Cafe [MenuPages]
Ten Tables [Official Site]
El Oriental de Cuba [MenuPages]

[Photo: Muddy River]

Lay Of The Land: The Best Of Jamaica Plain’s Centre Street