Food & Drink
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Deli
Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions
A few bright spots have recently emerged out of the murk that was Boston’s delicatessen scene, none more exciting than this newcomer...
Photo Credit: Katie Noble -
Indian
India Quality
While we’re grateful that Boston’s traditional sub-continental restaurants offer more regional variety than ever—nice to see you, Indo-Chinese...
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Asian Fusion
Shojo
This is how it starts: You bring a cocktail—let’s make it mezcal—to your lips, and suddenly, you’re enveloped by a nectarous fog of elderflower foam...
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Bakery
Tatte
This Brookline favorite recently welcomed three Cambridge siblings, but there are no growing pains here...
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Banh Mi
Blue Dragon
Prime time for scoring the best bánh mì in town is from 2 to 5 pm at Blue Dragon...
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Barbecue
Sweet Cheeks
Skeptics wondered why Tiffani Faison, first famed as an early Top Chef contestant, would choose to feature notoriously difficult American slow-smoke barbecue...
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Bartender
Katie Emmerson at the Hawthorne
“Sitting at Katie’s bar is one of life’s great joys,” says fellow bartender Tyler Wang of Audubon Boston, and we heartily concur...
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Best-Kept Secret
Union Square Donuts Delivers on Thursdays and Fridays
This is how legends are born. Step 1: Email Union Square Donuts by 1 pm to place your order for next-day delivery...
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Biscuits
Treats on Washington
Friends since their days at the Culinary Institute of America, owners Dana Briley and Jessica Brown turn out a panoply of willpower-crushing delights...
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Bread
Fornax
Family-owned and -operated by Kim and Chris Fallon, Fornax bakes heavenly breads (fitting, since it’s named for the Roman goddess of ovens)...
Photo Credit: Holly Rike -
Breakfast
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
Here, breakfast is an all-day, every-day affair, and we certainly wish we could start (or end) each day with a freshly-squeezed juice blend...
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Brunch
Mistral
Brunch is the most important portmanteau of the day, and Mistral has all the classics, perfected to a platonic ideal...
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Burger
Craigie on Main
In an utterly done-to-death category, the bar at Tony Maws’ celebrated nose-to-tail bistro still serves the ne plus ultra of local burgers...
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Burrito
Anna’s Taqueria
Oh, Anna’s—it’s almost unfair. Once again, their Mission-style missiles reign supreme...
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Butcher Shop
M.F. Dulock Pasture-Raised Meats
An antidote to the industrial food system that divorces consumers from the farms whose wares fill our larders, Dulock is a compact artisanal wonder...
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Cheese
Formaggio Kitchen
Other than its South End iteration, no place in Boston can approach this veteran Huron Village cheesemonger...
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Clam Chowder
B&G Oysters
A Barbara Lynch establishment doesn’t cut any corners, and that’s especially true in the case of B&G’s intricately crafted New England clam chowder...
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Coffee Shop
Thinking Cup
Coffee lovers who have graduated from pedestrian Dunks and Starbucks can choose from a growing range of small, independently owned Boston cafes...
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Comeback
Delux Cafe
Civilians and restaurant industry workers alike were dismayed by the January closing of this tiny, long-lived South End institution, a rare almost-dive...
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Dessert
Clio
Ken Oringer founded his restaurant empire and garnered early fame with Clio’s meticulously plated, occasionally avant-garde French-influenced fare...
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Dim Sum
Winsor Dim Sum Cafe
When you think “dim sum,” you may imagine a vast yet crowded room where a flurry of hands fly as food carts wheel by...
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Diner
My Diner
With its recent influx of young professionals and condos, the Lower End of Southie is starting to feel a little like the South End East...
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Dinner With a View
Sam’s at Louis
The Seaport draws throngs of suburbanites and conventioneers to its many new restaurants, most boasting lovely water vistas and swank dining rooms...
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Ethiopian
Lucy Ethiopian Cafe
Every scroll of Lucy’s injera tells a story. One night, it’s written in fiery berbere sauce; on another, it’s inked in the ruddy stain of red lentils...
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Food Truck
Fugu Truck
Food trucks quickly became ubiquitous in Boston, and now treat streams of hungry urban workers to delicious quick-serve lunches—without the crummy-fast-food guilt...
Photo Credit: Nathan Ma -
Gastropub
Kirkland Tap & Trotter
For his second restaurant, Tony Maws traded Craigie’s haute technique and white tablecloths for a wood-fired grill and a neighborhood vibe...
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Greek
Esperia Grill
The unprepossessing exterior of this Brighton Center storefront gives way to a surprisingly bounteous and fresh buffet assortment within...
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Hidden Gem
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread
This modest downtown storefront is Boston’s only outlet for Shaanxi cuisine...
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Hot Dog
Que Padre Taqueria y Mas
After observing a moment of silence for the late Gregg “Boston Super Dog” Gale, we offer a paean to an elaborate, unique wienie preparation...
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Ice Cream
FoMu
Alternative, small-batch ice creams are booming, and we can’t get enough of FoMu—as in “faux-moo,” a deliciously and deceptively dairy-free treat...
Photo Credit: Holly Rike -
Italian
Prezza
In the turn-’em-and-burn-’em North End, few restaurants offer amenities like a full bar, reservations or dessert...
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Photo Credit: Jillian Medugno
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Lobster Roll
Belle Isle Seafood
The closest real clam shack to Boston is outside the city limits, just over the bridge that connects Eastie to Winthrop...
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Mexican
El Centro
Need a date-night option that’s more sophisticated than a taqueria, but can’t abide the gringo cliches of Boston’s upscale Mex places...
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Middle Eastern
Sarma
The menu provides a helpful glossary of potentially unfamiliar terms, but the appeal of Sarma’s exceptional meze—hot dates stuffed with goat cheese...
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Neighborhoods: Allston/Brighton
Lone Star Taco Bar
It’s a late night at Lone Star: Urban coyotes are saddled up at the bar, and some men with fresh ink on their arms order a round of Micheladas...
Photo Credit: Jillian Medugno -
Neighborhoods: Back Bay
The Salty Pig
The Back Bay has plenty of tony white-tablecloth joints for affluent tourists and businesspeople with expense accounts...
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Neighborhoods: Beacon Hill
The Paramount
Open every day that ends in “y,” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Paramount has been around since 1937, yet there will still be a line out the door this weekend...
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Neighborhoods: Brookline
Fairsted Kitchen
Adding to a suddenly-very-interesting Brookline restaurant scene, Fairsted Kitchen leads with its heart...
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Neighborhoods: Central Square
Central Kitchen
In Cambridge’s ever-changing nucleus of a neighborhood, there’s still a special draw to Central Kitchen, a seven-nights-a-week stalwart...
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Neighborhoods: Charlestown
Navy Yard Bistro
Someone once told us that Bostonians are cold and unfriendly. They’ve obviously never spent an evening at the Navy Yard...
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Neighborhoods: Davis Square
Posto
In its cozy, roaring space, Posto is first and foremost a (literally) certified maker of Neapolitan-style pizzas, and they are lovely, bubbly, thin-crusted wonders...
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Neighborhoods: Dorchester
Tavolo
Variety may be the spice of life. But when you’re in Dot and it’s dinnertime, it’s difficult to want to go anywhere other than Tavolo...
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Neighborhoods: Downtown Crossing/FiDi
Marliave
Chef/owner Scott Herritt rescued the crumbling wreck of a senescent downtown dining institution, removing a hundred years’ worth of renovations...
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Neighborhoods: East Boston
Rino’s Place
As a rare vestige of Italian-American Eastie, Boston’s original landing pad for Italian immigrants, Rino’s embodies the virtues of many popular North End restaurants...
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Neighborhoods: Fenway/Kenmore
Audubon Boston
Audubon Circle—long beloved by pre- and post-game Sox fans, BU students and Brookline neighbors— recently changed hands to become Audubon Boston...
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Neighborhoods: Fort Point
Pastoral
Todd Winer’s maiden solo voyage emphasizes fine Neapolitan-style pizzas from a gorgeous wood-fired oven, superb housemade pastas...
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Neighborhoods: Greenway
Nebo
Last summer, sisters Carla and Christine Pallotta moved their beloved bambino from one end of the Greenway to the other...
Photo Credit: Jillian Medugno -
Neighborhoods: Harvard Square
Harvest
Harvest has always had a sense of refinement, with its linens and its private terrace shaded by linden trees...
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Neighborhoods: Inman Square
Puritan & Co.
Not a single detail has been overlooked. Oven-warm Parker House rolls land with sea salt-speckled butter...
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Neighborhoods: Kendall Square
Commonwealth
Once you venture outside steak house territory, it’s pretty gutsy to let your proteins stand alone and encourage guests to choose sides of starch and veggies...
Photo Credit: Nicole Popma -
Neighborhoods: North End
Neptune Oyster
Neptune recalls the Yogi Berra crack “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded." But the fact is everybody goes there...
Photo Credit: Chelsea Kyle -
Neighborhoods: Porter Square
Giulia
Another veteran chef goes solo and achieves awe-inspiring results...
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Neighborhoods: Seaport
Legal Harborside
Part of the cachet of this waterfront phenom is that it’s three restaurants in one, with each floor catering to a different mood...
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Neighborhoods: South Boston
Cafe Porto Bello
Southie has many glossy new hangouts catering to its booming millennial population; the other Southie, of locals who grew up in the houses they still live in...
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Neighborhoods: South End
Merrill & Co.
The newest hot spot from the jm Curley team boasts diner-esque trappings and the vibe of a raucous neighborhood tavern...
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Neighborhoods: Theater District
Ostra
In a neighborhood that knows plenty about dramatic entrances, Ostra has made quite the splash...
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Neighborhoods: Union Square
Bronwyn
Tim Wiechmann plugged a large hole in Boston’s collection of world cuisines when he opened this creative but respectful tribute to German, Austrian, Hungarian...
Photo Credit: Katie Noble -
New Restaurant
Alden & Harlow
After years as a mercenary chef, Michael Scelfo finally added “owner” to his title, and his overdue solo debut is a smash...
Photo Credit: Gretchen Devine -
Pastry
Modern Pastry
There’s nothing better on a hot summer night than a stroll down Hanover Street, following your nose into Modern Pastry for a creamy, cool dessert...
Photo Credit: Holly Rike -
Place to Go When Money is No Object
L’Espalier
Sturgeon caviar. Truffles. King salmon. L’Espalier’s fare is what you’d find if rainbows ended in plates instead of pots of gold...
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Pop-Up
The Future of Junk Food
Indie chefs Samuel Monsour and Mark O’Leary have impressive resumes (including gigs at jm Curley and O Ya) and a wicked sense of humor...
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Raw Bar
Row 34
This Fort Point hot spot has seafood down cold, expertly slicing, shucking, smoking and curing...
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Salads
Stephi’s in Southie
Often relegated to bit parts in appetizer sections, salads enjoy a starring role at Stephi’s...
Photo Credit: Nicole Popma -
Sandwich
Cutty’s
This tiny Brookline Village storefront had lines out the door even before omnipresent food-TV celebrity Guy Fieri showcased it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives...
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Seafood
Island Creek Oyster Bar
So much of ICOB’s success has depended on adherence to its founding principle: Know your oyster farmers, clam diggers and fishermen...
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Sommelier
Theresa Paopao at Ribelle
Tim Maslow’s acclaimed, wildly creative Italian restaurant has a secret weapon in its sommelier, recruited from his days at Momofuku...
Photo Credit: Katie Noble -
Southern
Hungry Mother
Everything here is warm and rustic: Water is poured into Mason jars, the bathroom walls are papered with pages from cookbooks...
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Spanish
Toro
Jamie Bissonnette and Ken Oringer took Toro to Manhattan last year, gambling that one of Boston’s most successful restaurants could woo New Yorkers...
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Thai
Thai North
Boston’s best Southern Thai restaurants like S&I and Dok Bua are sometimes wary of letting non-Thai customers order the same fiery, funky dishes...
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Torta
Tenoch Mexican
On most Mexican menus, burritos and tacos hog the spotlight while tortas, complicated sandwiches served on crusty telera rolls, lurk meekly in the corner...
Photo Credit: Nicole Popma -
Unwelcome Trend
Earsplitting noise in dining rooms
Almost every new restaurant in Boston now debuts with punishing noise levels...
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Vegetarian/Vegan
Root
Sitting on Allston’s Vegetarian Row, Root serves an appealing combination of vibrant fresh juice drinks, sandwiches, salads and sides—all vegan...
Photo Credit: Jillian Medugno -
Welcome Trend
Shareable plates
Multicourse service based on individually plated appetizers, entrees and desserts had a good run of a hundred-plus years, but who wants to eat that way...
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Wings
Clerys
Your order arrives with welcome fixings of carrot and celery sticks, as well as homemade blue cheese...
