The Top 100 Restaurants 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 4. 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 8. Aurelia at Castle Hill
New England American
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- AAA Five Diamonds
- Wine Enthusiast 2024 · Forward 50 Restaurants
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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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- AAA Five Diamonds
- Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Five Star
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · William Rietzel
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Rank 31. 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 32. 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 34. 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 36. 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 38. 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 39. Mooo....
Steakhouse
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Rank 40. Ostra
Mediterranean Seafood
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Rank 41. 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 43. 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
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #13 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 44. 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 45. Mamma Maria
Italian
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Rank 46. 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 47. 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 48. 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 49. Blossom Bar
Chinese/Sichuan
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Bar Team – U.S. East
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. East
- Eater The Best Bars Around Boston
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Rank 50. UNI
Japanese
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Rank 51. 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 52. 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 54. 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 55. 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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Rank 56. 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 57. 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 58. 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 59. 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 60. 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 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Chef · Renee Touponce
- 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 63. 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 64. 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 65. 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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- 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 67. Kaia
Coastal Greek
- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best New Restaurant · Best of Boston
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Rank 68. 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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- 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 70. 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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- New England 2025 · Best New Value Meal · Yankee Food Awards
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Reason to Stay In and Eat · Best of 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 74. Black Cat at Vee Vee
Seasonal American
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Rank 75. 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 76. 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 77. 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 78. Union Oyster House
Seafood
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Nominee · World's Best Landmark Restaurant
- Eater Tourist Trap Restaurants That Are Actually Good in Boston
- World Culinary Awards 2025 · Winner · North America's Best Landmark Restaurant
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Rank 81. Select Oyster Bar
Seafood
In a Back Bay rowhouse, Chef Michael Sherpa's oyster bar centers on an L-shaped pewter counter where Maine uni toast and daily crudo speak to serious seafood sourcing. The Casco Bay halibut, dressed with pickled onion and almond, arrives as a small argument for why you came here instead of somewhere easier.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northeast · Michael Serpa
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Winner · America's Classics: Northeast
- Eater Tourist Trap Restaurants That Are Actually Good in 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 88. Bar Volpe
Southern Italian
Candlelit and convivial, Bar Volpe channels southern Italian cooking through Chef Karen Akunowicz's assured hand: salt cod fritters dusted with za'atar, house-made spaghetti al limone studded with Jonah crab, squid ink casarecce crowned with lobster and chili. The amaro list and cocktail program anchor a neighborhood table where familiar dishes arrive with precision and generosity.
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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 Yemeni Restaurant · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #33 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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Rank 91. Fox & The Knife
Italian
A South Boston trattoria where Chef Karen Akunowicz's Italian-inflected pasta program anchors a lively dining room that feels equally welcoming to families and couples. Warm focaccia stuffed with taleggio and braised beef agnolotti del plin with roasted carrot butter land with equal conviction. The place has the generosity of spirit—and the long bar—of a restaurant that knows what it's doing.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants in Boston
- Eater 2019 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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- New England 2023 · Best New Restaurants in Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #4 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
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Rank 95. Saltie Girl
Seafood
- Boston Magazine 2025 · Best Caviar Service · Best of Boston
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #44 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Boston Right Now
- Boston Magazine 2025 · #35 · Top 50 Restaurants in Boston
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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 99. The Haven
Scottish British
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