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Savor Scout › Campuses › Massachusetts › Boston, MA › Boston University

Restaurants near campus

Restaurants near Boston University (BU)

406 places to eat within a mile of Boston University, closest first, including Union Court, Basho Sushi and Charles River Bread Company.

The 50 places to eat closest to BU

Closest first, out of 406 within a mile. Distances are straight-line from the campus, so a walk runs a little longer.

Right by campus · about a 5-minute walk (22)

About a 10-minute walk · a quarter to half a mile (28)

Listings from Overture Maps open data (September 2026), open places with a street address only. Hours and openings change, so check before you go. Want one picked for what you're craving instead? Ask Savor Scout near BU.

Can't decide between them? Say what you're craving and Savor Scout picks one near Boston, MA.

The food scene around BU

406places to eat within 1 mile
73%independent, not chains
19coffee shops and cafés

Open listings put 406 places to eat within 1 mile of BU, 61 within a ten-minute walk (half a mile), and 3,160 within 3 miles. The most common: pizza (28), Japanese (23) and coffee (19). 20 are fast-food counters; the rest are sit-down restaurants, cafés, bakeries and takeaway spots.

Where to walk: the streets with the most places to eat within 1 mile are Commonwealth Ave (83), Massachusetts Ave (54), Beacon St (42) and Harvard St (33).

What stands out around BU is vegetarian, Middle Eastern and tapas — types that are listed here at 5 to 8 times the national rate.

By type of food — tap one for what to order and how to spot a good one:

Pizza 28 Japanese 23 Coffee 19 Chinese 16 Sushi 16 Bakery 14 Mexican 14 Ice cream 13 Italian 13 Indian 12

Popular cravings near BU, within 1 mile: Asian food (95 places), Mexican food (14), Vietnamese food (4) and Korean food (2). Each guide covers what to order and how to tell a good kitchen from an average one.

Food guides for BU

Pizza near BU 28 Japanese Food near BU 23 Coffee Shops near BU 19

Eating on a student budget near BU

Cheap and bad overlap much less than price filters suggest. Of the places listed nearby, 20 are fast-food counters: the cheapest default, rarely the cheapest good meal. The value is usually in lunch specials, counter service, short menus and dishes built on rice, noodles, bread or beans. Where to eat when you're broke covers what to look for, or search cheap eats near BU.

Need somewhere open right now? These listings do not carry live opening hours, and late at night a fair share of what is listed as open is not. The late-night guide covers how to check before you go, or search late-night food near BU and call ahead.

The campus

  • Location — Boston, MA
  • Other names, current or former — BU, Boston U
  • Setting — in a city
  • Size — 20,000 students or more
  • Type — Private, not-for-profit four-year institution

Campus figures are from IPEDS, the US Department of Education's institutional survey. Size is reported as the survey's own bracket rather than an exact headcount, because that is what the public dataset gives and we would rather quote it than estimate.

Nearby cities

Guides worth reading

What to eat during finals week Where to eat when you're broke Where to eat late at night Where to take visiting family and friends Eating out with a dietary restriction

Questions about eating near BU

What restaurants are near BU?
A few to start with, nearest first: Union Court (cafeteria, under 0.1 mi), Nud Pob Thai Cuisine (thai, 0.1 mi), Crispy Crepes Cafe (pancake house, 0.2 mi), University Grill & Pizza (pizza, 0.2 mi) and Olecito! (mexican, 0.2 mi). They are chosen local-first, then listed by distance; a starting point, not a ranking.
How many places to eat are near BU?
Open map listings put 406 places to eat within 1 mile, 61 of them within a ten-minute walk, and 3,160 within 3 miles. About 73% are independent rather than chains; 19 are coffee shops or cafés and 20 are fast-food counters.
Where is the food near BU?
The busiest streets are Commonwealth Ave (83 places), Massachusetts Ave (54 places), Beacon St (42 places) and Harvard St (33 places).
What kind of food is near BU?
The most common types are pizza (28), Japanese (23) and coffee (19). Unusually common compared with the rest of the country: vegetarian, Middle Eastern and tapas.

Nearby campuses

Comparing schools, or eating with friends across town? These are the closest campuses to BU.