The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Bywater
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
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Rank 9. Gift Horse
Seafood
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Sky Haneul Kim
- USA Today 2024 · Restaurants of the Year
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 10. 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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- New England 2025 · Best New Chef · Yankee Food Awards · Nikhil Naiker
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Emerging Chef · Nikhil Naiker
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Rank 14. Aurelia at Castle Hill
New England American
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Robert Andreozzi
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Robert Andreozzi
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outsdanding Hospitality
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Kevin O'Donnell
- The New York Times 2024 · Tonnarelli With Green Garlic and Narragansett Clams · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
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- USA Today 2024 · Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Best Chef: Northeast · Sherry Pocknett
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- AAA Five Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · William Rietzel
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Rank 43. Lê Madeline
Reimagined Vietnamese
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Peter Nguyen
- Eater Chef of the Year · Peter Nguyen
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #23 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 44. 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 46. Deuxave
Modern French
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best French Restaurant · Best of Boston
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- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Irish Pub · Best of Boston
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Rank 48. 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 50. Bay Sweets Market
Middle Eastern
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Rank 51. Comfort Kitchen
African/Global
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times 2023 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Sāsha Coleman
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Rank 52. Mooo....
Steakhouse
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Rank 53. Ostra
Mediterranean Seafood
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Rank 54. Via Cannuccia
Roman Italian
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #42 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 55. 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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Rank 56. Le Foyer Bakery
Haitian Bakery
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Rank 60. 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 61. Zuma
Japanese
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Rank 62. 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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Rank 64. Mamma Maria
Italian
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Rank 65. 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 66. 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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Rank 67. Rubato
Hong Kong
- Bon Appétit 2023 · America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Laurence Louie
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 68. 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 69. 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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- 50 Best 2026 · #86 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Oscar Simoza
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Nader Asgari-Tari
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Empire Builder · Best of Boston
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Monica Glass
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Gluten-Free Shop · Best of Boston
- Eater Best New Bakery
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Rank 74. UNI
Japanese
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Rank 75. Lenox Sophia
Contemporary
Chef Shi Mei cooks with refined casualness in a postage-stamp dining room, serving seasonally shifting tasting menus that ignore regional boundaries. The intimacy is genuine—no servers fussing, no flash—just a chef who talks to you while you share wine and discover parsnip panna cotta.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Shi Mei
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #12 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 76. 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 78. 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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Rank 79. Sarma
Eastern Mediterranean
- USA Today 2026 · Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Cassie Piuma
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 80. Neptune Oyster
Seafood
A shucker in a blue apron works the window of this North End seafront, oysters gleaming on crushed ice behind dark glass. Inside, mosaic tile and red leather frame a narrow room where the day's bivalves arrive on handwritten cards, accompanied by a briny fritto misto on local brioche and wines trawled from European coastal vineyards. The place runs tight and cheerful, all casual precision.
- The Infatuation Infatuation’s Highest-Rated Restaurants In America
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Classy Lobster Roll · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 81. The Shipwright's Daughter
New England Seafood
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · David Standridge
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Best Chef: Northeast · David Standridge
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Rank 82. Somaek
Korean
In a spare room steps from Boston Common, Chef Bissonnette's kitchen honors his mother-in-law's recipes through jogae jeon—clam pancakes with chive salad—and a doenjang jjigae whose soybean broth quietly settles around pork belly and soft tofu. The cocktail list, anchored by the house somaek of soju and beer, suggests a place that knows its tradition and moves within it with ease.
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Empire Builder · Best of Boston
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Rank 83. Bánh Mì Ba Lẹ
Vietnamese
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 84. 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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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Renee Touponce
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Renee Touponce
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- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #31 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 88. Mooncusser
Contemporary
Arched windows frame Columbus Avenue in this Back Bay dining room where Chef Carl Dooley's tasting menu swings freely between Mediterranean and Asian inspirations, often turning to seafood—Spanish mackerel with huacatay salsa, glazed cod brightened by mango pickle and papadam. The wine list is thoughtfully assembled and fairly priced, the service unhurried, the mood decidedly unpretentious.
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Tasting Menu · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #3 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 89. 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 90. 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 91. Wa Shin
Sushi
Inside a Back Bay residential tower, Chef Sky Zheng works the hinoki counter at this polished omakase room, where Japanese imports are dressed with minimal seasoning and precise garnish—torched madai with citrus, needlefish adorned with shiso. The edomae approach is understated, letting high quality fish speak for itself across three nightly seatings.
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Classy Sushi · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #26 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 92. 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 93. 311 Omakase
Japanese
Chef Wei Fa Chen's intimate counter in a South End rowhouse pairs pristine imported fish with a refined mise-en-scène of Kyoto ceramics and custom tatami. Cooked preparations of grouper or amadai precede the nigiri, each course deliberate and understated.
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- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- New England 2024 · Waterfront Restaurant of the Year · Yankee Food Awards
- Connecticut Magazine 2025 · Top New Restaurants
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Rank 95. Kaia
Coastal Greek
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 96. Singh's Roti Shop
Traditional Caribbean
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Dorchester Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 97. 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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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Cecelia Lizotte
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Roxbury Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 99. Greenhills Bakery
Irish Bakery
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Rank 100. 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