The 100 Best Restaurants in Boston
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The best restaurants in Boston, according to the experts: James Beard Awards, AAA, and USA Today have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Sarma comes out on top.
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Comfort Kitchen and Krasi hold the next two places. Boston Magazine shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with AAA close behind.
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The menu at this lively Somerville small-plates spot runs Eastern Mediterranean at its core, then wanders wherever it pleases, poutine with fried halloumi curds one moment, jalapeño cornbread with feta the next. Chef Cassie Piuma treats the mashup as a method, not a gimmick, and it holds together more often than it has any right to. A James Beard Outstanding Chef nominee, she keeps the room packed and the menu long enough that regulars still find surprises.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Cassie Piuma
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- USA Today USA Today: Restaurants of the Year
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Cassie Piuma
- AAA Three Diamonds
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
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Duck dusted with jerk seasoning, served alongside rice and peas and Haitian pikliz, tells you what kind of neighborhood restaurant this is: one where the African diaspora, South Asia, and the Caribbean are all at the same table. The team behind Comfort Kitchen, one Ghanaian, one Nepali, traces how ingredients moved across continents through trade and forced migration. A James Beard nominee, and a New York Times pick for Boston's best right now.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times The New York Times: The Restaurant List
- New England New England: Best New Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- New England Best New Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 2. Krasi
Greek
The bottle list skews Greek, which in practice means you'll be asked whether you'd like to explore natural wines from the Peloponnese before you've even taken your coat off. Krasi is a mezze and wine bar in Back Bay where the food is built for sharing and the room runs loud and convivial. The chef earned a James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Northeast, and Wine Enthusiast named it among their Forward 50. There's a cocktail bar downstairs for a nightcap.
The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Valentine Howell
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #18 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Valentine Howell
- Boston Magazine #18 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 2. Toro
Spanish
A glass of manzanilla arrives before you've quite settled in, which tells you everything about the pace here. Toro is a Spanish tapas bar that's been a South End fixture forever, and the room earns its noise, with bone marrow, croquetas, and paella rotating through tables of people who clearly planned this weeks out. The all-Spanish wine list and good cocktails keep things moving, and the music is loud enough that nobody's whispering.
The awards
- Eater Eater: The All-Time Eater 38
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- 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 5. Deuxave
French
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide: Forbes Four Star
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best French Restaurant · Best of Boston
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best French Restaurant · Best of Boston
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Winner · Best Chef: Northeast · Evan Hennessey
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Hunan cooking is a different beast from the Cantonese or Szechuan you probably know, and this Kendall Square restaurant is one of the few places around Boston doing it right. The Michelin Bib Gourmand goes to a menu built around heat, funk, and ferment, where even the General Tso's runs on a house-made sauce. The spicy cucumbers alone have regulars ordering doubles. A lively room, casual prices, and the kind of food that makes you ignore your phone.
The awards
- Chinese Restaurant Awards Chinese Restaurant Awards: Elite 12 United States
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Chinese Restaurant Awards Elite 12 United States
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 8. La Padrona
Italian
A grand staircase leads you from the ground-floor bar up to a high-ceilinged dining room of globe lights, gold accents, and big windows that have clearly been briefed on the assignment. Inside Raffles Boston, La Padrona is an opulent, high-energy Italian restaurant where the pastas are made in-house and the plates are sized for sharing. The New York Times put it on their restaurant list, and the chef is a James Beard Northeast semifinalist.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Eater Eater: Best New Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- Eater Best New Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 8. Wusong Tiki Bar
Chinese
The awards
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 10. Lê Madeline
Modern Vietnamese
By day it's a reliable phở spot on a Quincy corner; when five o'clock hits, the lights drop, the '90s hip-hop comes up, and the room becomes something else entirely. This gastropub explores what happens when Modern Vietnamese cooking meets New England, which turns out to mean lemongrass-chile French onion dip and Viet-Cajun crawfish noodles. The chef landed a James Beard semifinalist nod, and the New York Times put it on their Boston list.
The awards
- Eater Eater: Chef of the Year · Peter Nguyen
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #23 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater Chef of the Year · Peter Nguyen
- Boston Magazine #23 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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A tiny New American tasting menu spot on Massachusetts Ave with a four-seat bar and just a handful of tables, which means snagging a reservation feels like winning something. The chef, a James Beard Award nominee, runs a hyper-seasonal kitchen where foraged ingredients and New England farms do most of the talking. The Michelin Guide has taken notice, and the room earns its intimacy.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Erin Miller
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Locavore Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- 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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Rank 12. Somaek
Korean
The name is a cocktail: soju dropped into beer, the classic Korean bar move. Downtown Crossing's Somaek is a minimalist Korean restaurant where the chef drew inspiration from his mother-in-law's cooking, and it shows in a menu that skips fusion theatrics for the real stuff. A James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, it landed on the New York Times Restaurant List too. Go for the stews, order the namesake drink, and don't rush out.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #14 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #14 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Winner · America's Classics: Northeast
- Eater Tourist Trap Restaurants That Are Actually Good in Boston
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Rank 12. Tonino
Italian
Twenty-eight seats in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood that has somehow gotten by without Italian restaurants until now. Tonino is a pasta-and-pizza spot where the chef's whole philosophy seems to be finding a handful of good ingredients and then leaving them mostly alone. The tiramisù has built a devoted following. A James Beard semifinalist and on the New York Times' 25 best in Boston, it reads like someone's favorite neighborhood secret that stopped being secret.
The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #25 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine #25 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
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Rank 15. Giulia
Italian
Pasta is the point at this Italian restaurant on Mass Ave, where around nine varieties rotate through the menu on any given night. The all-Italian wine list keeps things honest, and the counter seats along one wall are held for walk-ins if you didn't plan ahead. It fills up fast and stays full, but the room handles it without breaking a sweat. A Michelin Selected pick that also made the New York Times' Boston shortlist.
The awards
- New England New England: Pastry Chef of the Year · Yankee Food Awards · Renae Connolly
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- New England 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 15. Jahunger
Uyghur
Hand-pulled noodles are the whole point here, thick and chewy and landing somewhere between a bowl of Chinese noodles and a Middle Eastern lamb stew, which is exactly what Uyghur cooking is. Jahunger holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a James Beard semifinalist nod, and the menu is short, halal, and unapologetic about spice. A Cambridge noodle shop that quietly draws a crowd happy to wait.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #43 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Subat Dilmurat
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Boston Magazine #43 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Subat Dilmurat
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Arched windows look out over Columbus Avenue from the upstairs dining room, where a tasting menu covers a lot of ground, swinging from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia with seafood turning up often. Chef Carl Dooley rotates dishes frequently enough that regulars rarely order the same meal twice. The service stays loose rather than ceremonial, which helps, because the room could easily tip formal. The New York Times named it among Boston's 25 best.
The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Tasting Menu · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #3 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Tasting Menu · Best of Boston
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #3 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 15. Talulla
Italian
A small, unfussy room on Observatory Hill where Italian fine dining quietly bends the rules, folding kimchi and fried garlic into ricotta-parsnip ravioli without making a scene about it. The chef, a James Beard Award nominee, keeps the menu tight and the flavors bolder than the room's modest size would suggest. This is the kind of Cambridge spot where the cooking is doing something genuinely odd and you're glad it is.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Conor Dennehy
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #22 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Conor Dennehy
- Boston Magazine #22 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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Spanish-Asian doesn't sound like it should work, yet Tracy Chang's Cambridge restaurant has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for making it feel inevitable. The menu roams from patatas bravas to crab laksa to pork belly bao without ever seeming lost. Beyond dinner service, the team runs cooking classes and whole suckling pig dinners, so the place is always up to something. A James Beard semifinalist two years running.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #48 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #48 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 21. Fox & The Knife
Italian
Karen Akunowicz's Italian restaurant in South Boston earns a Michelin Bib Gourmand for the kind of pasta that makes you quietly resent every other pasta you've ever eaten. The long bar up front fills fast, banquettes stretch back for the slower evening, and focaccia stuffed with taleggio lands before you've figured out what else to order. The room runs from parents with kids to couples just starting their night, which somehow all works.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Eater Eater: The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 21. Lenox Sophia
American
A BYOB tasting-menu spot on a quiet South Boston corner, small enough that you can hear the chef narrate every course from the stove. No sommelier, no ceremony, no acres of white tablecloth: just a handful of seasonal courses, meat or vegetarian, with a cooking style that wanders wherever it likes. The chef is a James Beard semifinalist, which makes the bring-your-own-wine, share-with-the-next-table looseness feel like the whole point.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #12 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Shi Mei
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #12 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Shi Mei
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Rank 21. Pammy's
Mediterranean
Salvaged wood, warm lighting, and a room that feels like it was always there make this Cambridge neighborhood restaurant an easy place to linger. The Mediterranean menu runs prix-fixe, built around careful sourcing and combinations that take a few turns you wouldn't expect. The New York Times and Bon Appétit have both taken notice, and the regulars act accordingly, like they found it first.
The awards
- Bon Appétit Bon Appétit: America's Best New Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #17 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #17 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 21. UNI
Japanese
Seafood flown in from Tokyo lands on a menu that changes fast enough to make the printed version decorative. UNI is an innovative Japanese restaurant tucked into the Back Bay, the kind of place where the server steers you toward five small plates and somehow that's exactly right. The signature bite, uni with caviar and quail egg, makes a pretty compelling case for letting them run the whole show. AAA Four Diamonds.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #2 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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A row of boncuk, the blue glass amulets meant to ward off evil, lines the wall above the wood paneling at this Cambridge neighborhood restaurant, which has been pulling people in for Eastern Mediterranean and Turkish cooking longer than most of its neighbors have been open. Order broadly across the small plates menu, because the vegetables section holds its own against the fish and meat. The room is warm, the kitchen visible from the back room, and the garden fills up fast in summer.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #19 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- AAA Three Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine #19 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Winner · America's Classics: Northeast
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Rank 27. Amar
Modern Mediterranean
The awards
- AAA AAA: Four Diamonds
- New England New England: Best New Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
- New England Best New Value Meal · Yankee Food Awards
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Reason to Stay In and Eat · Best of Boston
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Rank 27. Bánh Mì Ba Lẹ
Vietnamese
The house-baked rolls have a crust that shatters on contact, sending crumbs in every direction before giving way to pork cold cuts, pâté, and pickled daikon. This bustling Dorchester sandwich shop also stocks Vietnamese groceries, pastries, and hot prepared foods, so people tend to leave with more than they planned. The New York Times put it on their short list of Boston's best restaurants, which for a banh mi counter is a fun sentence to say out loud.
The awards
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 27. Celeste
Peruvian
The room glows cobalt blue under a neon sign, which is either pretentious or perfect depending on how the ceviche lands, and here it lands. This Peruvian restaurant in Somerville times the lime marinade to the minute before serving, so the fish stays clean and bright rather than mealy. The lomo saltado lets you call the doneness of the beef, a detail that says something about how seriously the kitchen is paying attention.
The awards
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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The garage doors roll up when the sun hits the harbor, and suddenly half of Boston is competing for a patio seat overlooking the water. This New American restaurant in the Seaport runs its own farm in New Hampshire, which gives the menu an unusual credibility for a room this pretty. The cooking leans global, the portions are generous, and the smoked ham hock croquettes have become something of a signature. A Michelin Selected Restaurant.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Seaport Restaurant · Best of Boston
- AAA Three Diamonds
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Seaport Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 32. 80 Thoreau
New England
The awards
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Rank 32. Bar Volpe
Southern Italian
Candles on every surface, amaro on a lengthy list, and pasta made in-house: Karen Akunowicz's Southern Italian wine bar and pastificio in South Boston earns a Michelin Bib Gourmand by sweating the small stuff. The menu leans hard into the flavors of southern Italy, with handmade pasta and a kitchen that clearly knows what it's doing. Two bars keep the energy up, and the crowd leans into it.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #36 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Forward 50 Restaurants
- Bon Appétit Bon Appétit: America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times The New York Times: The Restaurant List
- Wine Enthusiast Forward 50 Restaurants
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
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Rank 32. Kaia
Coastal Greek
The awards
- Wine Enthusiast Wine Enthusiast: Top 50 New Restaurants
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 32. La Royal
Peruvian
Pisco is doing serious work here, with Esquire naming the pisco martini among the best in the country. La Royal is a handsome Peruvian restaurant and bar in Cambridge where the menu wanders across the full breadth of Peruvian cooking, including Chifa, the country's Cantonese-inflected tradition. Ceviches are sharp and citrus-forward, and the room has a genuine going-out energy. A James Beard semifinalist for Best New Restaurant.
The awards
- Esquire Esquire: Pisco Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire Esquire: #31 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #24 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Esquire Pisco Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Esquire #31 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Boston Magazine #24 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 32. Mamma Maria
Italian
A brick townhouse on North Square, deep in the North End, sets the scene for this intimate Italian restaurant where the menu changes daily around whatever's fresh and local. The cooking leans northern Italian, with creative enough combinations that it reads as a special-occasion room rather than a red-sauce institution. AAA Four Diamonds. Reservations are the right instinct here.
The awards
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Rank 32. Oak Long Bar + Kitchen
Farm-to-table American
The awards
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Rank 32. Rubato
Hong Kong
A Hong Kong-style cafe in Quincy where the French toast oozes with creamy egg yolk and the ji cheung fun comes loaded with beef brisket or curry fish balls. The menu pulls from classic cha chaan teng tradition and gives it a modern, careful reworking. The chef earned a James Beard semifinalist nod and a Bon Appétit best new restaurant mention, which explains the regulars making the trip from the city.
The awards
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Laurence Louie
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Rank 32. Suya Joint
African
The namesake suya, smoky grilled meat with West African roots, gives this Roxbury restaurant its name and its personality. The menu runs from whole-fried snapper to okra soup with fufu to a peanut stew regulars quietly reorder every visit. The chef earned a James Beard semifinalist nod in 2024, which tracks for a neighborhood spot that has no business being this good and knows it.
The awards
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Roxbury Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Cecelia Lizotte
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Rank 32. Zuma
Japanese
The awards
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Rank 42. Bar Vlaha
Greek
No octopus, no branzino, no horiatiki. Bar Vlaha is a Greek restaurant that tells a narrower story: the Vlachs, mountain shepherds from northern Greece who foraged forests and fished freshwater streams rather than the Aegean. The menu follows that logic, so beef cheeks braise with prunes in clay pots and the tzatziki gets a drizzle of honey. The New York Times named it among Boston's 25 best restaurants right now, which feels about right for a room this specific.
The awards
- New England New England: Best New Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #4 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- New England Best New Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine #4 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 43. Field & Vine
Vietnamese
Wisteria and grapevines twist overhead like they're mid-takeover of the exposed ductwork, and the candlelight does the rest. Field & Vine is a New American restaurant tucked down an alley in Somerville, where a wood-burning hearth crisps duck legs and chars cabbage while the menu quietly gets weird in good ways, miso butter on cornbread, fish-sauce aioli in the tartare. The New York Times named it among Boston's 25 best.
The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #9 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine #9 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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The awards
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Named for the Roman street where the chef grew up, this Dorchester trattoria is built around the conviction that Lazio doesn't get nearly enough credit. The team makes its own pasta, bakes sourdough, roasts porchetta, and somehow squeezes brunch bombolini into the rotation. The cacio e pepe is a four-ingredient argument that nobody needs to improve on cacio e pepe. The New York Times put it on their Boston shortlist, which the regulars on Dorchester Ave probably already knew.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #42 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine #42 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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A proper Irish chip-cutting machine crossed the Atlantic so the fish and chips here would be right. McGonagle's is a neighborhood tavern in Dorchester, a notch upscale but nowhere near precious, where the chef trained under Heston Blumenthal and is quietly making the case that Irish food is more than anyone assumes. The spice bag, Dublin's legendary late-night fried chicken jumble, arrives in a paper bag, fries and all, and it will reorder your priorities.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2025 · The Restaurant List
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Irish Pub · Best of Boston
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Irish Pub · Best of Boston
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A 30-seat Eastern Mediterranean spot in Cambridge where the pantry does a lot of the heavy lifting: house spice blends, regional olive oils, grape molasses. The meze-forward menu leans Lebanese in spirit, with dishes like shish tawouk and eggplant fatteh that taste like someone cared about every sourcing decision without needing you to know it. Small, snug, and quietly serious about what's on the table.
The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #41 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Classy Steak Tips · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine #41 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Classy Steak Tips · Best of Boston
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The sunchoke doughnuts with XO gouda are reportedly un-removable from the menu, which tells you something about this Davis Square wine bar. The list leans toward small producers and natural winemakers, and the staff actually know it. Small plates from the kitchen are the kind of thing a food scientist might dream up on a generous budget. A James Beard Outstanding Bar semifinalist for 2026.
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #16 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater Eater: The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bar
- Boston Magazine #16 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
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The awards
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Dominican Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 50. 1928 Beacon Hill
Seasonal American
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- AAA AAA: Approved
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A gold-painted tin ceiling and a curved chef's counter overlooking an open kitchen set the tone at this Back Bay tasting menu spot. The menu changes on a whim, sometimes mid-week, and leans conceptual enough that not every dish lands with obvious logic. The chefs deliver the food themselves, the wine list is handwritten, and the whole operation runs loose and confident. An old-school fine dining veteran that forgot to be uptight about it.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #15 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 50. Bricco
Italian
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Espresso Martini · Best of Boston
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Rank 50. Contessa
Italian
The awards
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Rank 50. Mr. H
Modern Chinese
A golden dragon centerpiece anchors the dining room at this upscale Chinese restaurant in the Seaport, where the lighting is dramatic enough to make you feel like the evening has stakes. The menu leans into creative dim sum, lacquered duck, and fresh seafood, with cocktails chosen to keep pace. It runs late, which earns it points in a neighborhood that often doesn't.
The awards
- AAA AAA: Three Diamonds
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Late-Night Kitchen · Best of Boston
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Rank 50. Singh's Roti Shop
Traditional Caribbean
The awards
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Dorchester Restaurant · Best of Boston
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The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
- Boston Magazine #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
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Ropa vieja made with mushrooms instead of shredded beef sounds like a compromise until you're actually eating it. This Cuban restaurant on Moody Street leans into the roasted-meat-and-tropical-cocktail side of the menu, with drinks running toward guava, smoky rum, and tobacco notes. On a warm night, the patio is where you want to be. A James Beard semifinalist in 2024, it also holds Boston Magazine's Best Cuban nod.
The awards
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine Boston Magazine: 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
- Boston Magazine #46 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Cuban Restaurant · Best of Boston
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Patricia Estorino
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The awards
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Northeast · Tiffani Faison
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Rank 60. Courtyard Tea Room
British
Afternoon tea inside the Boston Public Library, served in a courtyard ringed by marble arcades and a fountain that makes the city feel very far away. Scones, clotted cream, and a curated tea list arrive with the kind of unhurried service that suits the setting. It draws a pleasingly mixed crowd of locals playing tourist for an afternoon and actual tourists doing the same thing, which makes it hard to feel self-conscious.
The awards
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Rank 60. District 118 Kitchen and Bar
Modern American
The awards
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Rank 60. Henrietta's Table
American
The awards
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Rank 60. Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar
Modern Mexican
The awards
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Rank 60. Mariel
Cuban
The awards
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Rank 60. Metropolis Cafe
Mediterranean
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 60. Savr
American
The awards
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Rank 60. Sorellina Boston
Mediterranean Italian
The awards
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Rank 60. Tempo
American
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 71. Carmelina's
Italian
Carmelina's sends food to the table in the pans it was cooked in, which tells you most of what you need to know about this North End Italian. Garlic, butter, cream, and tomato do the heavy lifting across a seafood-forward menu, and the portions are large enough to require reinforcements. There's no dessert, though that turns out to be less of an omission than it sounds. Weekday lunch is your best shot at a table.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
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Rank 72. Chickadee
Seasonal Mediterranean
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John daSilva
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John DaSilva
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John DaSilva
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John daSilva
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John DaSilva
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · John DaSilva
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Rank 72. MIDA
Italian
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
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Rank 72. MIDA
Italian
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
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Rank 72. MIDA
Italian
The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Seth Gerber and Douglass Williams
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Douglass Williams
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The awards
- New England New England: 20 Best New England Cideries
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The awards
- New England New England: 20 Best New England Cideries
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Rank 76. Dalia
Spanish
The dining room alone causes arguments: depending on your table, you're sitting in sun-drenched whimsy, blood-red velvet, or the amber spill of an open Basque grill. Dalia is a Spanish restaurant that treats Spain as a starting point rather than a period piece, so calamari stand in for noodles in a riff on dan dan, and patatas bravas arrive as lacquered, shatteringly crisp pavé cubes. The New York Times named it to their 2026 Restaurant List.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2026 · The Restaurant List
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The awards
- New England New England: 20 Best New England Cideries
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The awards
- New England New England: 20 Best New England Cideries
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The awards
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Lee Frank
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Lee Frank
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Lee Frank
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Lee Frank
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Rank 82. Black Cat at Vee Vee
Seasonal American
The awards
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Rank 82. Cantina Italiana
Italian
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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Rank 82. Kowloon Restaurant
Chinese
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
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Rank 82. The Daily Catch
Sicilian
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
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The awards
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Rank 88. Blue Nile
Ethiopian
The awards
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Rank 88. Cutty's
American
The broccoli rabe sandwich with tomato jam and melted provolone on a griddled sesame torta is the kind of thing that makes you question every sandwich you've ever eaten. This Brookline sandwich shop runs on the conviction that bread choice is not a casual decision, and the team's fine-dining background shows in every layered, deliberately toasted result. The New York Times put it on their Boston list, which feels about right.
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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The awards
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The awards
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The name is short for Serene Republic of Venice, which tells you exactly how seriously the team takes the concept. This South End cicchetti bar and trattoria runs a Venetian Italian menu that shifts with the seasons without abandoning the dishes regulars would notice missing. The room skews sophisticated, the kind of place where the staff actually remembers you by the second visit and seems to mean it.
The awards
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The awards
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Rank 88. Taiwan Cafe
Taiwanese
The awards
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The awards
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The awards
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The awards
- Eater Eater: Best Pop-Up
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Rank 99. Boston Sail Loft
New England
The awards
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This is a narrow natural-wine bar near Downtown Crossing, the sort of place that introduced a lot of Boston to tinned fish and has been quietly smug about it since. The list is long and a little nerdy, but the bartenders will talk you through it without making you feel graded. Half bottles of nearly everything let you change your mind twice. It was a James Beard semifinalist for its wine program, and on Wednesdays there are fancy hot dogs.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The Best Bars In Boston
- Eater Eater: The Best Bars Around Boston
- James Beard Awards James Beard Awards: 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- The Infatuation The Best Bars In Boston
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
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