The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Bocado Tapas Bar
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 6. Thistle & Leek
New American
Wood paneling and a relaxed sprawl mask the exacting work happening in this Newton kitchen, where focaccia, pasta, and ice cream emerge from scratch. The seasonal menu pivots daily—sesame bread with chèvre and fava beans, lamb meatballs in tomato-ginger curry—with equal devotion to a properly roasted chicken and a pint.
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Rank 8. Rosenfeld’s Bagels
Bakery
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Rank 9. Salt patisserie
Brazilian/French
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Rank 13. MIDA
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
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Rank 14. Bay Sweets Market
Middle Eastern
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Rank 15. The Koji Club
Sake Cocktail Bar
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale
- Esquire 2023 · The Best Bars in America
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale
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Rank 17. Talulla
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Conor Dennehy
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Conor Dennehy
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Rank 18. Merai
Thai
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Bar
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Eater Best New Bar
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · #4 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- New England 2023 · Best New Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 22. Mahaniyom
Thai
Two childhood friends from north of Bangkok run this tight Brookline room where Thai small plates arrive with surprising ambition. A pomelo salad brightens with grilled tiger prawns and toasted coconut; a house-made red curry cradles crabmeat and rice vermicelli in coconut richness. The cocktails—try the Thai tea–infused Sazerac—match the kitchen's unafraid creativity.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Thai Restaurant · Best of Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 23. Tonino
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Luke Fetbroth
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #25 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 24. Blossom Bar
Chinese/Sichuan
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. East
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
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Rank 26. Loma
Latin-American
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best New Bar
- Punch 2025 · Best New Bars
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Derek Wagner
- USA Today 2026 · Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Derek Wagner
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Rank 30. Wusong Tiki Bar
New England/Chinese
- USA Today 2025 · Restaurants of the Year
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 31. Sofra Bakery & Cafe
Turkish Bakery
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · #30 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Allston/Brighton Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 34. Urban Hearth
New American
A spare dining room with a four-seat bar frames Chef Erin Miller's seasonal cooking, which draws from New England farms and foraged finds—heirloom tomatoes with whipped goat cheese and black sesame crisps, fazzoletti pasta ribboned with saffron and ricotta. The kitchen's restraint and precision suggest a chef more interested in the integrity of her ingredients than in spectacle.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Erin Miller
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Locavore Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- New England 2025 · Best New Chef · Yankee Food Awards · Nikhil Naiker
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Nikhil Naiker
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #16 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
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Rank 38. Deuxave
Modern French
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best French Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 39. Moëca
Seafood
The room hums with the ease of people who know they're in good hands—soft light, attentive servers, the kind of composure that signals a place confident in what it does. Seafood leads here, from tamarind-lacquered monkfish to lobster spaghetti, sourced with care and seasoned for the world.
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- New England 2024 · Pastry Chef of the Year · Yankee Food Awards · Renae Connolly
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 40. Giulia
Italian
The room hums with the controlled chaos of a place that knows what it does well: pasta, nine varieties of it, rotating daily. Fusilli arrives bright with tomato and zucchini; pappardelle ribbons carry braised wild boar with the weight of patient cooking. An all-Italian wine list anchors the experience. Counter seats along the bar stay open for walk-ins brave enough to take their chances.
- New England 2024 · Pastry Chef of the Year · Yankee Food Awards · Renae Connolly
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 41. La Royal
Peruvian
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Esquire 2023 · Pisco Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #24 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 42. Gift Horse
Seafood
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Sky Haneul Kim
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- USA Today 2024 · Restaurants of the Year
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Rank 43. Brassica Kitchen + Cafe
French New American
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #10 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Jamaica Plain Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Jeremy Kean and Philip Kruta
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Day-to-Night Spot · Best of Boston
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops Around Boston
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Rank 46. Jahunger
Uyghur Noodles
Uyghur cooking from Xinjiang arrives in Cambridge with hand-pulled noodles that are chewy and substantial, their strands slick with chili oil and Sichuan pepper. Family-run and unadorned, the place offers dumplings and homemade yogurt alongside lamb dishes that carry both Chinese and Arabic spice.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Subat Dilmurat
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #43 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Monica Glass
- Eater Best New Bakery
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Gluten-Free Shop · Best of Boston
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 53. Pammy's
Mediterranean
Chris and Pam Willis's kitchen in a salvaged-wood dining room turns out Mediterranean cooking with real precision—bacalao enriched with mascarpone and studded with boquerones and sour cherries, squid ink gnocchi as light as air. A prix-fixe format built for flexibility and a neighborhood warmth that never feels forced.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #17 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 54. Bagelsaurus
Bakery
- Bon Appétit The Very Best Bagels in the US (Yes, Outside New York)
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 56. Black Cat at Vee Vee
Seasonal American
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Rank 58. Equal Measure
Global
- Esquire 2024 · The Best Bars in America
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
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Rank 62. Jadu
Southeast Asian
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Rank 64. Zuma
Japanese
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Rank 65. Sarma
Eastern Mediterranean
- USA Today 2026 · Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Cassie Piuma
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #1 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Classy Steak Tips · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #41 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 70. La Saison Bakery
Iranian Bakery
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Rank 74. Pagu
Asian
Tracy Chang's Spanish-Asian hybrid cooking pairs bold flavors with quality ingredients—patatas bravas with mojo verde alongside crab laksa with ramen. A Cambridge stalwart since 2017 that moves beyond dining with cooking classes and community dinners.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Tracy Chang
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 75. UNI
Japanese
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Rank 78. Blue Nile
Ethiopian
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Rank 79. Rare Steakhouse
Steakhouse
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Rank 82. o ya
Sushi
- AAA Four Diamonds
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #8 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 83. La Padrona
Italian
Inside Raffles Boston, a two-story Italian restaurant gleams with gold accents and grand windows; the kitchen answers the opulence with housemade pastas and scallops finished in saffron butter, while an astute cocktail program and wine list ensure the glamour extends to the glass.
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Amarilys Colon
- Eater Best New Restaurant
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Seafood · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #35 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Vietnamese Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #34 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 86. Toro
Spanish
A South End fixture that has thrived for two decades on the simple formula of spirited service and shareable Spanish fare. Crispy bacalao croquetas and roasted bone marrow with oxtail anchor a menu best approached with friends and a glass of manzanilla, while the all-Spanish wine list and capable cocktails keep pace with the convivial, unhurried mood.
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 88. Ostra
Mediterranean Seafood
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Rank 90. The Haven
Scottish British
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Rank 91. Cicada Coffee Bar
Vietnamese Coffee
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Vinh Le
- Eater The Best Coffee Shops Around Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Yemeni Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #33 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 93. Mooo....
Steakhouse
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Rank 94. Sumiao Hunan Kitchen
Hunan Chinese
Sumiao Chen abandoned science to open this bright Kendall Square kitchen devoted to Hunan's fiery, funky cooking, where even obligatory dishes like General Tso's chicken receive house-made sauce. The stir-fried rice noodles—egg, chives, pickled green beans—and Grandma's five-spice pork with firm tofu announce a chef thinking beyond the expected.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Chinese Restaurant · Best of Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 96. Oleana
Turkish Middle Eastern
Wood-paneled rooms and hanging blue-glass amulets set a protective, chalet-like warmth at this Cambridge stalwart devoted to Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean cooking. The small-plates menu—vegetables, fish, meat—yields ricotta dumplings and quail kebab with pistachio that justify the perpetual crowds.
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Rank 98. Krasi
Greek
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Valentine Howell
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #18 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Bon Appétit 2018 · #8 · America's Best New Restaurants
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