The Best Places to Eat in South Boston, by the Record

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.

1. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
2. Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
3. Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston

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.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
2. Boston Magazine #12 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
3. James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Shi Mei

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.

1. Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
2. Boston Magazine #36 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston

1. AAA Four Diamonds

1. New England Best Breakfast in the Boston Area · Best Breakfast in Every New England State

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1. Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Brunch · Best of Boston

1. Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Vegan Restaurant · Best of Boston