BOSReview
photo credit: Natalie Schaefer
Pagu
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Ideally, you should try to learn as much as you can when traveling abroad. But when you get home, don’t be the person who complains that he can’t drink Starbucks anymore after going to Italy, and who apologizes (sort of) for wearing a Speedo to the beach because he “just got used to the Mediterranean lifestyle.” That person sucks. Instead, take the lessons learned from your cross-cultural immersion and combine them to create a new, worldlier self. In other words, try to be more like Pagu, a Japanese-Spanish restaurant in Central Square.
Pagu’s concept is simple. Take two things the world already loves - Spanish and Japanese food - and bring them together. But the real beauty of Pagu is that you don’t end up thinking of this food as fusion at all. You just think of it as really, really good.
The menu here is varied, but not so large that you’ll be overwhelmed. The pinxtos are tiny little bites that you’ll wish were bigger, the land and sea dishes are where the fusion might actually work best, and there are plenty of things that you’ve seen before - but not in the way that Pagu does them, like the bao infused with squid ink. You may end up ordering everything on the menu, asking if there are any secret dishes hidden in the back, and then applying for a job in hopes that they’ll be able to make even more great food with a little extra manpower.
photo credit: Natalie Schaefer
You won’t just want to bring friends here to help you eat the entire menu. Pagu is a big, fun space and, since it’s in one of Boston’s better nightlife neighborhoods, it’s a great place to go with a group on a Saturday night. This is especially true if you opt for one of the single best group dining experiences in Boston: the pig roast. Gather a group of either 2, 4, or 6 and order in advance, and Pagu will prepare a whole suckling pig for you.