Nai Brother奈哥酸菜鱼（波士顿唐人街） — Restaurant in Boston

Another wonderful new specialty Chinese restaurant has opened in the space recently occupied (until July 2025) by Friendship Bbq on Beach St in Boston’s Chinatown. (Not to worry, they’re still open in Allston!)“Sauerkraut Fish,” the name of the restaurant as it appears on the signage (actually Nai Brother, which you don’t see anywhere in the materials). "Sauerkraut Fish" is an oddly Anglicized name for their signature dish, the Szechuan favorite Suan Cai Yu (酸菜鱼)(fish filet soup with pickled mustard greens, Szechuan peppercorns, etc), and variants thereof. There’s an appetizer menu, and a whole list of a-la-carte “add-ons” for the soup. For the way we eat (lightly), the smaller (of 2) serving size was enough, especially when accompanied by a wonderful (worth it!) marinated cucumber appetizer. We ordered an extra rice (it comes with one generous bowl) and didn’t need it.
The soup is really interesting and authentic, lots of savory bits and unidentifiable tasty chunks, and the fish is really tender. The signature broth is very savory, lemony with hints of Szechuan peppercorn and hot chili bits. Fish and vegetables in broth! Awesome.
They offer 3 variants of fish - “sliced fish” (not sure what kind is standard, and very good), and Snakehead (upgrade) and Crispy Grass Carp. *Update We tried the "crispy fish" last night on a return visit. "Crispy" is a misnomer, referring to the texture of the fish, which has been pickled or processed in some way to make the flesh curl up and firm, having a springy texture - chewy more than crispy. It's not coated and fried, as one might think from the name. It's "interesting" is the best I can say about it. We also tried the fried chicken wings, which were nicely cooked and tasty, but extremely salty (the lemon pepper version, anyway) - order with caution. We tried the tomato base tonight, and my wife liked it more than I did. Eventually we’ll be trying them all. This place ranks really high on our quality-per-dollar index. Our check was under $30. We’ll be...

The food was awesome and the restaurant is pretty spacious. There’s lot of seating. Go in the entrance to the Chinatown food court and towards the left is a stairwell down to the restaurant.

We ordered the Mala Xiang guo with beef and it was delicious. It was spicy and lots of vegetables and there was a good Sichuan flavor. The suan cai yu, pickled fish stew, was great as well. It came with a lot of fish and vegetables. Both of these come with a bowl of rice included.

Lastly we got the fried chicken wings - it was crispy and super hot. It was really fresh and marinated in house. Definitely recommend ordering it!!!

The portions were huge - for two people I recommend getting one main to share, an appetizer, and extra bowl of rice. Looking forward to...

I tried both the Pickled Chili Fish Soup and the Tomato Pickled Fish Soup, and they were absolutely delicious! The broth was rich, flavorful, and perfectly balanced — the chili version had just the right amount of heat to wake up your taste buds, while the tomato version was fresh, tangy, and very comforting.

The fish slices were tender and silky, cooked to perfection without being overdone. The soup base was packed with flavor, and the generous toppings of scallions, sesame, and peppers added both aroma and texture. It’s the kind of dish that warms you up and keeps you wanting more.

The portions were generous, the presentation was beautiful, and the service was quick and friendly. If you love authentic Chinese flavors, this place is a must-try....