Little Big Diner Review

Little Big Diner: Asian-inspired food in Newton Center

Overall rating: 76

Food rating: 80

Little Big Diner is little, but it isn't really a diner in any common sense of the word. This recently-opened restaurant from the Sycamore folks mainly serves ramen and rice bowls, along with a few appetizers. The overall menu is quite small. A few reviews have called this "Asian fusion", but that's really no more accurate than it would be for Strip-T's. And, more so than for Strip-T's, much of the food at Little Big Diner is fairly Asian, more than being American food with Asian flavors.

We went there for the first time last night for dinner. They do not take reservations or call-ahead, but when you arrive take your cell phone number so you can wander elsewhere in Newton Center. The wait was about 70 minutes.

The space is small, cramped, and loud with pulsing music. The wait staff were young, friendly, and welcoming, and reasonably helpful in selecting dishes. We were seated near the door (hard not to be), and so it was drafty on a cold night, whenever anyone entered or left.

We ordered a "Hawaiian Style Burger" appetizer that was really very good. Steamed dumplings were fine and had a somewhat unusual spice mixture, but weren't anything remarkable. The spicy miso ramen had very tasty corn and spiced ground pork. I'm in no sense a connoisseur of ramen, but the noodles seemed very standard to what you  might get in a noodle dish at any Asian/Chinese restaurant, and the dish as a whole wasn't really very spicy. The big bowl (rice bowl) with chicken was fine as well, but also less interesting that it might have been.

We ordered a cold sake that was recommended and was good.

The meal came to $63 before tip, so a reasonably inexpensive dinner.

Overall, the lack of reservations, noise, draftiness, and cramped space means we're unlikely to go back very often unless the food gets substantially better. Strip T's is somewhat less cramped and less noisy, and the food is better. That said, the owners' nearby restaurant Sycamore has improved more since it opened than any other restaurant I've encountered, and so I hope they accomplish the same with Little Big Diner.