Best of Boston 2025: Readers’ Poll Winners
You have spoken, and you have feelings.
Hopefully by now you’ve had a chance to peruse our 51st Best of Boston issue, our annual definitive guide to the city’s best things right now: Places to dine, stores to browse, characters to celebrate, facilities to retire (if you’re aquatic)—and so much more. If not, go forth! (Better yet, grab a physical copy—and come to our party.)
While our editors chose 250 winners in nine categories, we also asked your Best of Boston picks for our 2025 Readers’ Poll. Boy, did you deliver. We received thousands of ballots, with write-ins ranging from predictable powerhouses (Grill 23 & Bar) to delightful suggestions that made us double-check Google Maps (we see you, Bent Water Brewing Company in Lynn). Some results confirmed what we already suspected (you all lovvvvvve George Howell), while others served up genuine surprises (Rasta Rootz—your fan base is intense).
What emerges is an interesting snapshot of Greater Boston as seen through you. So grab a coffee (preferably from wherever you voted for best café), and dive into the results. Or just scroll and screenshot and share—you know, how we do now.
Best of Boston 2025: Editors’ Picks
Dining
Marcelino’s in the Seaport won Boston’s Best Cocktail Bar, receiving 10.69% of the Readers’ Poll vote. / Photo by Paul Tabet
Best Bagel
Winner: Spot!
56 Cottage St. East, Norwood, @bagelsbyperry
Runner-up: Brick Street Bagels
@brick.street.bagels
Best Brewery
Winner: Night Shift Brewing
Multiple locations, nightshiftbrewing.com
Runner-up: Remnant Brewing
2 Bow Market Way, Somerville, remnantsomerville.com
Best Brunch
Winner: Midnight Morning
14 Birch St., Roslindale, Boston, midnightmorning.com
Runner-up: The Friendly Toast
Multiple locations, thefriendlytoast.com
Best Burger
Winner: Bred Gourmet
730 Main St., Cambridge; 2255 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Boston; bredgourmet.com
Runner-up: Tasty Burger
Multiple locations, tastyburger.com
Best Cocktail Bar
Winner: Marcelino’s
2 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, marcelinosboutiquebar.com
Runner-up: D16
955 Boylston St., Unit A, Back Bay, Boston, d16boston.com
Best Coffee Shop
Winner: George Howell Coffee
Multiple locations, georgehowellcoffee.com
Runner-up: Espresso Love
33 Broad St., Downtown Boston, @espressolove_boston
Best Doughnut
Winner: Blackbird Doughnuts
Multiple locations, blackbirddoughnuts.com
Runner-up: Union Square Donuts
Multiple locations, unionsquaredonuts.com
Courtesy the Friendly Toast
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Winner: The Friendly Toast
Multiple locations, thefriendlytoast.com
Runner-up: Granary Tavern
170 Milk St., Downtown Boston, granarytavern.com
Best Tacos
Winner: Naco Taco
297 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, nacocentral.com
Runner-up: Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar
412 W Broadway, South Boston; 61 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston, locotacoshops.com
Best Ice Cream
Winner: J.P. Licks
Multiple locations, jplicks.com
Runner-up: Honeycomb Creamery
1702 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge honeycombcreamery.com
Best Fine-Dining Restaurant
Winner: Grill 23 & Bar
161 Berkeley St., Back Bay, Boston, grill23.com
Runner-up: Mistral
223 Columbus Ave., South End, Boston, mistralbistro.com
Best Sushi
Winner: Momi Nonmi
1128 Cambridge St., Cambridge, mominonmi.com
Runner-up: XOXO Sushi
1154 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, xoxosushi.com
Best Pizza
Winner: Union Park Pizza
244 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, unionparkpizza.com
Runner-up: Picco
513 Tremont St., South End, Boston, piccoboston.com
Arts & Entertainment
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is definitively Boston’s Best Museum of 2025, scoring 31.3% of the Readers’ Poll vote. / Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Best Movie Theater
Winner: Showcase SuperLux Chestnut Hill
55 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, showcasecinemas.com
Runner-up: Coolidge Corner Theatre
290 Harvard St., Brookline, coolidge.org
Best Museum
Winner: Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Ave., Fenway, Boston, mfa.org
Runner-up: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way, Fenway, Boston, gardnermuseum.org
Best Music Venue
Winner: MGM Music Hall at Fenway
2 Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, crossroadspresents.com
Runner-up: Roadrunner
89 Guest St., Brighton, Boston, roadrunnerboston.com
Best Theatre Venue
Winner: The Wang Theatre at the Boch Center
270 Tremont St., Downtown Boston, bochcenter.org
Runner up: Citizens Bank Opera House
539 Washington St., Downtown Boston, citizensoperahouse.com
Readers chose Newbury Street’s DTR Modern as Boston’s Best Art Gallery, receiving 11.4% of the vote. / Photo courtesy of DTR Modern
Best Art Gallery
Winner: DTR Modern
167 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, dtrmodern.com
Runner up: The Copley Society of Art
158 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, copleysociety.org
City Life
The results are in: 39.7% of Readers’ Poll voters chose Mayor Michelle Wu for Best Politician 2025, while U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren received 9.1% of the total votes. / Photo by Mona Miri
Best Politician
Winner: Mayor Michelle Wu
Runner-up: Elizabeth Warren
Best TV Personality
Winner: Pari Kim and Tina Zhu Xi Caruso (Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum)
Runner-up: Lisa Hughes (CBS Boston/WBZ)
Shopping
You picked Winston Flowers as Boston’s Best Florist, receiving 20.9% of the Readers’ Poll 2025 vote. / Courtesy
Best Florist
Winner: Winston Flowers
Multiple locations, winstonflowers.com
Runner-up: Rococo Floral
231 Somerville Ave., Somerville, rococofloralco.com
Best Gift Shop
Winner: Bee’s Knees British Imports
566 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, thebeeskneesbritishimports.com
Runner-up: Trove on Tremont
592 Tremont St., South End, Boston, troveontremont.com
Best Toy Store
Winner: Henry Bear’s Park
Cambridge and other locations, henrybear.com
Runner-up: Boing! Toy Shop
667 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Boston, boingtoys.com
Best Women’s Clothing Store
Winner: The Dragonfly Boutique
1656 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, lexdragonflyboutique.com
Runner-up: Covet
Multiple locations, covetboston.com
Best Men’s Clothing Store
Winner: Sault New England
577 Tremont St., South End, Boston, saultne.com
Runner-up: The Point Clothing Lounge
135 Emerson St., South Boston, thepoint02127.com
Service
Readers chose Patrice Vinci Salon as Boston’s Best Hair Salon for 2025, awarding it 15.9% of the total vote. / Courtesy
Best Spa
Winner: Release Well-Being Center
28 Arlington St., Back Bay, Boston; 201 Turnpike Rd., Westborough; releasewellbeingcenter.com
Runner-up: Bella Sante
Multiple locations, bellasante.com
Best Cannabis Dispensary
Winner: Rasta Rootz
21R Broad St., Downtown Boston, rastarootz.com
Runner-up: Native Sun
Multiple locations, nativesuncannabis.com
Best Hair Salon
Winner: Patrice Vinci Salon
91 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, patricevinci.com
Runner-up: Duo Hair Studio
2 Brighton St. #217, Belmont, duobelmont.com
Best Gym
Winner: Healthworks Fitness
Multiple locations, healthworksfitness.com
Runner-up: SoWa Health + Wellness
560 Harrison Ave., South End, Boston, sowahealthandwellness.com
Best Yoga Studio
Winner: Boston Yoga Union
364 Boylston St., 2nd Floor, Back Bay, Boston; 1297 Beacon St, Brookline; bostonyogaunion.com
Runner-up: Down Under School of Yoga
Multiple locations, downunderyoga.com
