Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio is betting on Boston’s appetite for fish. The upscale mini-chain of Greek-inspired seafood spots—with glamorous locations in Beverly Hills, Miami, New York City, and beyond—is now open in Back Bay, featuring simply garnished, charcoal-grilled fish, including Mediterranean imports like tsipoura and lavraki. Plus: towers of crispy zucchini and eggplant chips, pretty platters of sashimi, and hilariously large slices of chocolate cake and coconut pie.

Avra Estiatorio’s sashimi platter. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio’s spicy tuna crispy rice. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The sprawling second-floor location at the Lyrik development, atop just-opened Peruvian restaurant Rosa y Marigold, feels primed for special occasions, from the white tablecloths to the copious faux olive trees. Elegant, wing-like structures dangle above the marble bar, and several private dining rooms are event-ready. In the warmer seasons, terrace seating will be available on Lyrik’s upper level, an unlikely oasis perched above the Pike.

Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The bar at Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Diners are encouraged to swing by the fish “market,” a display brimming with whole specimens on ice, to choose their seafood and peer through the large window into the kitchen. “Everybody wants to experience the fish market,” says Avra cofounder Nick Tsoulous—but for those who want to stay at the table, staff will present options on a tray. Many of the selections are from the Mediterranean, but Boston, of course, has plenty of its own great seafood, and “we love [sourcing] locally, if available,” says Tsoulous. Next, the fish is grilled, deboned, and finished with ladolemono sauce, a Greek mix of olive oil and lemon. (The Avra team seems particularly proud of the restaurant’s olive oil; there’s a bottle on each table. It’s from a small family farm in the Peloponnese and is a first-harvest oil, which has a bolder taste than oils from later harvests.)

Avra Estiatorio’s chips (crispy zucchini and eggplant with tzatziki) and lobster pasta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio’s whole fish, grilled and served with ladolemono. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

While the fish is the star of the 26-year-old restaurant group—more precisely, “Greek seafood with Mediterranean influence,” says Tsoulous—there’s also “a great selection of meats” and other dishes, all meant to be shared. Start with a Greek salad, says Tsoulous, featuring Kalamata olives, feta, tomatoes, peppers, and onions, and then an appetizer such as grilled octopus with caper and red wine vinaigrette. Next, raw fish of some kind, whether a sashimi platter of Faroe Island salmon, big eye tuna, and hamachi or lavraki ceviche with a bit of heat from jalapeño. Grilled fish-market selections and other entrees come next—lobster pasta, for instance, or Colorado lamb chops—followed by celebratory, somewhat over-the-top desserts.

Avra Estiatorio’s lavraki ceviche. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio’s lamb chops. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

This is the eighth location for Avra, which Tsoulous founded in 2000 in New York City’s Midtown East with Nick Pashalis, his longtime business partner in other food endeavors, and Marc Packer, cofounder of Tao Group Hospitality (which is behind major restaurant and nightlife destinations in New York, Las Vegas, and elsewhere). The Avra founders waited 16 years before opening a massive second location elsewhere in the city, and expansion continued from there. Avra tends to attract A-listers and power players wherever it opens, but its roots are humble: The restaurants are inspired by Tsoulous’ coastal Greek hometown of Nafpaktos, where he grew up fishing with his father and uncles and feasting on their catch with family.

Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“We like Boston, and we think it’s a big fish town,” says Tsoulous, and it felt like the time was right to open here. “We think there’s not enough food here the way we do it, and not a lot of Greek seafood restaurants.” Besides, says Tsoulous, Boston has a big Greek population: “I think they’re very anxious to come in and try our menu.”

The fish “market” at Avra Estiatorio, where diners can choose fish to be prepared. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Cocktails at Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

400 Newbury St. (at the upper level of the Lyrik), Back Bay, Boston, 617-592-8888, theavragroup.com.

Avra Estiatorio’s coconut pie. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Chocolate cake and ice cream at Avra Estiatorio. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The Zebra Room. / Photo by Josh Jamison

Has anybody ever walked into a white-tablecloth steakhouse and thought, more wood paneling, please? Chris Jamison is betting you haven’t. And with the Zebra Room, opening downtown April 15, the COJE Management Group CEO hopes to add a unique spin to the Boston steakhouse scene with a “nontraditional take in a more intimate, laidback setting,” he says, complete with 1970s vibes, very cold martinis, and an atmosphere that “feels more like a living room than it does a restaurant.”

With a hefty array of nightlife-leaning restaurants and venues under their belts (including Mariel, Coquette, and Yvonne’s), the COJE team has set out to create something a little more grown-up here in the space below Yvonne’s, a focus that started with their late 2025 opening of the cozy sofa-filled cocktail lounge My Girl in Boston’s Post Office Square. (“I’m 42 now, and how do I want to spend my nights?” Jamison said at the time. “Going to dinner, and then going somewhere with a good soundtrack, sitting back, and grabbing some martinis.”) The Zebra Room takes it a step further: “This is a restaurant and dining bar first, a major departure from what we’ve traditionally done,” says Jamison, whose other venues tend to feel nightclubbier. “We’re trying to hit some notes for the cross-section of our clientele who have been asking for something like this for a long time.”

Beneath the main level of sibling restaurant Yvonne’s, the Zebra Room is hidden through a secret bookshelf door inside Yvonne’s subterranean Library, in a room that has gone through a couple iterations over the years, most recently as an event space called the Gallery. “Over the last year or so, we kept thinking that there was an opportunity to use the space better,” says Jamison. “We’ve seen an interesting trend [domestically and globally] toward much smaller, higher-touch restaurants. All of ours are huge.” So, the Zebra Room was born. “It’s a wholesale departure from what we’ve seen for steakhouses in Boston,” says Jamison, particularly size-wise, with just 10 tables and a small bar. (The tiny Bogie’s Place nearby, tucked between the Wig Shop cocktail bar and JM Curley, is another rare exception.)

The design, too, is meant to subvert Boston steakhouse expectations: “There’s a common thread of huge, corporate-forward spaces with wood paneling, the boys’ club [ambience],” says Jamison. “We designed this beautiful room [to be] super intimate, elegant, and comfortable, sort of a throwback to the 1970s ‘conversation pit’ vibe.” That means the dark red space is full of lots of soft surfaces, from banquettes to carpets, says Jamison. “The whole room is full of fabric.” Bold patterns on the wallpaper, floor, and furniture contrast the softness, along with colorful contemporary art by Junar Rodriguez, Halim A. Flowers, King Paris, Eser Gündüz, and Francisco Valverde.

Several food references go back a century further than the design, an homage to the iconic Locke-Ober, the restaurant that stood for over a century in the space that now houses Yvonne’s and the Zebra Room. The 1875 salad—endive, radicchio, blue cheese, bacon lardons, Medjool dates—is named for Locke-Ober’s founding year. And there’s lobster Savannah, a Locke-Ober signature that lands on the Zebra Room menu as two pounds of the shellfish, baked with sherry cream sauce, blue oyster mushrooms, gruyère, and buttered crumbs. Says chef Tom Berry, who runs culinary operations across COJE: “It was really important to capture the essence of a steakhouse without being too formulaic. But we also [wanted to give] a little bit of a nod to Locke-Ober without being too heavily into that.”

One must-try dish, as far as Berry is concerned: onion beignets, “sort of a riff on onion rings without being super crunchy.” It’s essentially a pâte à choux batter, he says, with grated onion, dehydrated onion, and Comté cheese, piped into doughnut molds and fried. The center is filled with boursin crème fraîche, with Ossetra caviar on top. “They’re intense, unique bites, and hopefully people are going to gravitate toward them,” says Berry.

The bar at the Zebra Room. / Photo by Josh Jamison

As for the steaks, it’s “a nicely curated selection of different cuts and also different farms and producers,” says Berry, with options ranging from a Brandt Beef flat iron (“approachable and cooks beautifully,” says Berry) to the Olive Snow wagyu NY strip from Michigan’s Stonefall Farm (“the marbling is just insane,” he says, describing this one as “super premium”—to the tune of $135 for a 12-ounce cut). Among the non-beef options: dry-aged pork chops; a rack of lamb from the Australian company Mottainai, which touts its product as “the wagyu of lamb.” They’re not too gamey and “well-tailored to the American palate,” says Berry.

Sides are important; this is a steakhouse, after all. “I wanted to have a mix of familiar and unique,” says Berry. He’s particularly excited about the “baked potato flattie,” a baked potato squashed paper-thin in a dough press, dressed with salt, cream with thyme and garlic, and Comté, and broiled. “It becomes sort of a hybrid of a loaded baked potato and au gratin,” says Berry, once it’s garnished with boursin crème fraîche, shoestring fries, scallions, and “a bacon upgrade, of course, if you’re interested. Hopefully that’ll be an iconic dish here.”

One of the desserts brings the Zebra Room back around to that 1970s feel: the Watergate sundae, a play on the Watergate salad, which was born of Kraft Foods’ 1970s debut of instant pistachio pudding mix. “Our version is pistachio ice cream with caramelized pineapple, cherries, walnuts, pistachios, and meringue,” says Berry, “a cool riff on the 1970s pudding dessert.”

The cocktail program blends nostalgia with modernity, with COJE’s director of bars Ray Tremblay putting his “signature tweak” on steakhouse classics, says Jamison. The Zebra Negroni, for example, gets added depth from strawberry, rhubarb, and olive oil, while the Fat Cap Manhattan is a complex concoction with wagyu fat and coffee and mole bitters. “We’re doing a big freezer martini program,” adds Jamison: “total subzero, absolutely frozen bottles,” inspired by the Dukes martini in London, which is “the crispest, coldest, purest cocktail you’re ever going to have.”

The wine list, meanwhile, focuses on this side of the pond, with COJE’s corporate wine director Nick Morisi highlighting American picks, particularly Napa. This domestic emphasis is new among COJE’s venues and is inspired by the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Judgment of Paris, in which Californian wines bested French in a blind tasting. Still, there are classic global selections as well, from regions like Burgundy, Tuscany, and beyond.

The Zebra Room’s hidden location, intimate space, and exclusive-feeling reservation system (by request, or through the third-party membership-based Dorsia platform) give the restaurant the feel of a private club. (Incidentally, a private restaurant is among the group’s forthcoming late-2026 projects at the Post Office Square building that houses COJE venues Mariel and My Girl.) But it’s open to the public, as long as you can nab a reservation or, with luck, a walk-in bar seat. It’s poised to be worth the effort: From the 1870s to the 1970s to today, this nostalgic, comfortable restaurant might be just the thing to turn the Boston steakhouse scene on its head.

The Zebra Room opens April 15 and serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are by request or via the membership-based Dorsia platform, with potential walk-in availability for bar seats. 4 Winter Pl. (enter through Yvonne’s), Downtown Crossing, Boston, zebraroom.com.

A spread of food at Rosa y Marigold in front of a photographic print by Cambridge-based Matt Saunders. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

It’s been 13 years since JuanMa Calderón and Maria Rondeau started hosting dinner parties in their Cambridge home. Since then, the couple—a Peruvian filmmaker and a Guatemalan architect, respectively—have opened three Peruvian restaurants: the tiny Celeste in Somerville’s Union Square, the big-city-swanky La Royal in Cambridge, and the experimental Esmeralda in Vermont. Now, their biggest venture yet: Rosa y Marigold, a 100-seat restaurant on the ground floor at Back Bay’s Lyrik development. “We are more confident,” says Calderón, who’s the group’s executive chef. “At Rosa y Marigold, we’re being braver.” That means bolder dishes like anticuchos de corazón (beef heart skewers) and a packed schedule of weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and daily dinner service. Lots of live music, too. “With a new restaurant, it’s time to arrive,” says Calderón as the acclaimed team finally makes its Boston proper debut. It’s big and it’s ambitious, but Rosa y Marigold feels firmly moored to the joyous, community-building ethos of its elder siblings.

Rosa y Marigold features a mural by Wellesley-based artist Daniela Rivera. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The new restaurant’s concept is rooted in duality, like the book for which it’s named. Rosa y Marigold is inspired by Marigold and Rose, a novel by the late Nobel Laureate poet Louise Glück, “who was a very dear friend of ours,” says Rondeau (the restaurant’s designer and general manager). “She was a very big supporter of Celeste and always encouraged us to move forward.” The book reads like a fable, says Rondeau, describing two infant twin girls “who don’t have the gift of speech yet, but do have the gift of imagination, and they project. One is very creative and interested in the world as a visual; the other is more interested in the concepts behind things. So, [the book explores] how these two live as one—they’re separate, yet they’re together.”

Rosa y Marigold’s asado de costilla con pure de papas—braised short rib in panca, mole, and red wine reduction, with potato puree. “It’s based on a very traditional Peruvian dish called asado, which is made with roast beef,” says Rondeau, “but we wanted to portion it differently and give it a richer flavor, so we made it with braised short rib. It’s a little bit of a spin on ossobuco, also.” / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Duality manifests in various ways. For one, Rosa y Marigold is equally suited to day and night; Rondeau and Calderón are excited to finally be in a neighborhood with enough mid-day bustle to support weekday lunch service, when they’ll highlight sánguches, Peruvian sandwiches. Plus, the menu is a balance between tradition and modernity, from classic ceviche and street-food anticuchos to contemporary spins on steak frites (with huacatay butter and fried yuca) and the homey Peruvian dish asado (made here with artfully plated short rib instead of roast beef). “When I go to Peru to explore and research, I always go looking for the very traditional things,” says Calderón, “but in Lima, a lot of things are happening in cuisine. So, I always come back with the two parts: whatever I was looking for from my memories, and all the new things happening there.” And Lyrik itself embodies duality, too, perched at the intersection of neighborhoods and the crossroads of locals and tourists.

Rosa y Marigold’s anticucho de corazón, a beef heart skewer made with aji panca marinade. The restaurant also offers shrimp and pineapple anticuchos and vegan portobello anticuchos. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Compared to the menus at Celeste and La Royal, the anticuchos de corazón are one of the most notable new dishes at Rosa y Marigold. “Every neighborhood [in Lima] has a lady on the corner serving this every night,” he says of the ubiquitous street food. “It’s very old, coming from the slaves’ time, when the only meat they could eat was [offal].”

Rosa y Marigold features seven sánguches, Peruvian sandwiches, on its lunch menu. This is pan con chicharrón, deep-fried pork with sweet potato and salsa criolla, traditionally enjoyed on Sundays but always available here. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The sánguches are also new, and they’ve been on Rondeau and Calderón’s minds for ages, but lunch just didn’t work for the Celeste and La Royal locations, which don’t have as much midday foot traffic. (“In Peru, [sánguches are] pretty much what you eat in bars when you’re drinking beers,” says Calderón, and they’re also often a breakfast food. In Boston, they feel like a perfect fit for lunch.) Try the pan con chicharrón first, deep-fried pork with sweet potato—it’s a classic sandwich recently declared the best breakfast in the world in an internet contest (but equally tasty at any time of day). Traditionally it’s eaten on Sundays; Sundays are “the reason for a reunion, and people arrive to have a big breakfast,” says Calderón. Rosa y Marigold will thankfully serve it every day, though.

Rosa y Marigold. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

There are plenty of familiar threads, too, among Rosa y Marigold and its siblings. To drink, for example? “Always a lot of pisco sours and versions thereof,” says Rondeau. Here, one version is spicy thanks to the South American Rocoto pepper; another, the Newbury Sour, incorporates chicha morada (a purple corn-based drink) and black currant cassis, its color mirroring the dreamlike purple lighting in parts of the restaurant. Calderón’s emphasis on chifa (Peruvian-Chinese dishes) continues here as well, with dishes such as chaufa de mariscos, stir-fried rice with seafood, and wonton de camaron, fried shrimp dumplings with a sweet-and-sour tamarind sauce. “[Making the wontons] one by one helped me a lot during all these days [of opening the restaurant],” says Calderón.

Rosa y Marigold’s chanchito asado—Chinese-Peruvian roasted pork, hoisin sauce, and sautéed vegetables—pictured here with wonton de camaron, fried shrimp wontons. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Adds Rondeau: “It’s therapeutic; he meditates when he makes them.” And those dinner-party roots have not been forgotten. At each of the group’s restaurants, “the design revolves around the open kitchen,” says Rondeau. “That’s really what we’re all about: kind of sharing, kind of performance.”

Rosa y Marigold’s frito pescadito con papa dorada y salsa criolla, deep-fried whole branzino with potatoes and salsa criolla (tomato and onion). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Of the group’s locations, this is the least neighborhood-y on its surface—the plentiful tourists and students come and go—but Rondeau and Calderón are confident that they can cultivate a community here. “When we came to this location,” says Rondeau, “we had this idea of food and bringing people together,” a lifeblood that courses through all their projects. With long hours, from lunch to late-night, and live music collaborations from Berklee and other local institutions and groups, it seems like the right pieces are in place to achieve that goal. “There’s a huge demographic here completely different from what we see [at our other locations]. We have tourism, because we’re at the hub of Boston, and we have students, and we have the neighborhoods: the Back Bay, Fenway, the South End. We see it as an opportunity to grow.”

Rosa y Marigold’s pollo al limón: braised chicken, aji amarillo, lime, red onions, and rice. This is “a classic from JuanMa’s mom’s kitchen,” says Rondeau. (It’s traditionally called ceviche de pollo, which leads some English speakers to mistake it for a raw chicken dish. The name actually refers to the flavors of ceviche, not the preparation.) / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Community within the restaurant group itself is essential to Rondeau and Calderón as well, and key to the decision to open this fourth venue. “One of the really important things for us is growing from within our team,” says Rondeau. Celeste’s first employee, Jose Saravia, who started as a dishwasher, is a partner in Rosa y Marigold, as is Lauren Harder, who is La Royal’s landlord and general contractor. “Our restaurants are really about us as a family,” says Rondeau, and that chosen family keeps growing.

Rosa y Marigold. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Since Rondeau designs each of the group’s restaurants, Rosa y Marigold feels like a seamless continuation of its older sisters. Grander in scale, sure, but intimate and lovely just the same. Of note are large mirrors on the ceiling, meant to “augment the space and give the idea that you’re looking beyond,” says Rondeau. “They let you observe, taking it all in, [feeling] that you’re part of something.” One wall is covered by a striking mural of “hands describing food you love,” as Rondeau explains it; it’s by Chilean-born, Wellesley-based artist Daniela Rivera, who also did pieces for Celeste and La Royal. Another wall features an almost otherworldly forest-like landscape, a photographic print by Cambridge-based Matt Saunders.

Rosa y Marigold’s squid al olivo, grilled squid with black olive mayonnaise. It’s one Rondeau’s favorite dishes on the menu. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

With duality at its core, Rosa y Marigold is equal parts an evolution for the group and recommitment to its siblings’ foundation, from Calderón’s expressions of Peruvian cuisine to Rondeau’s artistic design that balances homey and trendy. “A new restaurant is an opportunity to keep creating, keep playing, and keep experimenting,” says Calderón. “We’re ready to say, ‘This is who we are, and this is what we have.’ We can keep exploring Peruvian culture.”

Rosa y Marigold’s tostaditas de atún: cured salmon and avocado salsa madre. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Rosa y Marigold opens in mid-April, serving daily dinner, weekday lunch, and weekend brunch; reservations available via Opentable. Watch for live jazz on Wednesday nights and Sundays during brunch, with an expanded live music and schedule coming soon, spanning various genres. 400 Newbury St. (Lyrik Back Bay), Back Bay, Boston, rosaymarigold.com.

Rosa y Marigold’s causas—riced potato with lime, aji amarillo, and olive oil, served cold. The yellow one features tuna tartare; red—beet, tomato, and avocado; black—squid ink and shrimp. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Bambola. / Photo by Armani Thao

The Seaport’s latest nightlife destination is a sister act. Please, welcome to the stage: Bambola and the Girl Next Door, who made their double-headlining debut on April 3. Theatrical, sumptuous—and dare we say seductive?—the side-by-side Italian restaurant and cocktail bar are collectively the latest venture from Sneaky Good Hospitality, the group behind local bars Foxhole, the Flamingo, Blondie’s, and Rock & Rye.

Bambola executive chef Bartolo Bruzzaniti. / Photo by Armani Thao

SGH founders Tyrone Di Stasi, Jairo Dominguez, and Richard Sullivan worked with Boston-based design firm Arrowstreet Hospitality to completely reimagine the former Seaport Social space at the corner of Northern Avenue and Harborview Lane, setting the stage for drama—or at the very least, your next Instagram post. It starts at the entrance, a curved, high-gloss, red-tiled vestibule: Standing here is like waiting in the wings and deciding what kind of show you want to experience. To the left, Bambola (Italian for “doll”) awaits, slightly hidden from view, featuring cozy alcoves for banter over pasta. Up ahead, it’s the Seaport-meets-Southern-Italy Girl Next Door, facing Northern Avenue and tailored for a more social experience. Roman-born chef Bartolo Bruzzaniti, who moved to Boston in 2020, oversees both, inspired by memories of sprawling Sunday dinners that he translates into personal plays on Italian classics.

Start with dinner at the glam Bambola, styled with an exclamation point (Bambola!) that you can almost hear as you step inside. Luxe gold wall coverings splashed with oversized foliage shimmer in the dim light cast by crystal-dripping, Murano-esque chandeliers. Tile floors with an undulating pattern evoke an Old-World villa, with mirrored ceilings and a dramatic gold-draped and illuminated bar capturing the eye. Drapes, carpets, and oversized velvet booths set the stage for hushed, romantic conversations. It’s easy to imagine diamond-draped Sophia Loren tucked in the corner twirling spaghetti with her fork.

Bambola’s spaghettoni alla carbonara. / Photo by Armani Thao

“We’ve always thought of going out to dinner as a celebration,” says cofounder Di Stasi, and the luxurious digs are a backdrop for everyday and special occasions built around Bruzzaniti’s cuisine. “The menu starts with the four pillars of Roman cuisine: carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe, and pasta alla gricia,” says Di Stasi, “and then spans to Southern Italy, all the way down to Sicily.”

Bambola’s paccheri ai tre pomodori. / Photo by Armani Thao

For a date night, cofounder Dominguez says, “Start with a couple of the antipasti,” such as briny fried olives or beef meatballs swathed by a dollop of umami-rich tomato sauce atop crispy crostini. Next, he says, share a pasta or two before splitting a secondi, such as pollo saltimbocca or a whole branzino in white wine sauce, and ending with tiramisu crafted tableside.

Those pastas are designed to let the ingredients “shine on a plate without overcomplicating it,” says Di Stasi. Take the carbonara: Instead of padding the dish with cream, Bruzzaniti makes the silky sauce with only a mixture of Parmesan and pecorino cheeses, plus egg. And there’s only guanciale—a traditional salt-cured pork cheek—instead of bacon or pancetta. The team uses the fat of the guanciale to emulsify the egg mixture, and also to quickly sauté the pasta for added indulgence.

Bambola’s tonnarelli alla cacio e pepe. / Photo by Armani Thao

To drink: classics, with a decidedly Italian spin, such as an alpine Negroni with the bittersweet Amaro Braulio and rosso vermouth, or a Sicilian Old Fashioned with an herby kick from the Italian amaro Averna, or a martini with a bite, courtesy of pepperoncini brine.

The Girl Next Door, the chatty younger sister of the duo, beckons for a nightcap—or perhaps it’s the single destination of the evening. Where Bambola is dark and moody, the Girl Next Door glimmers with light and playful electricity. Glow from the chandeliers and the giant disco ball play off the glossy wallcoverings that feature flaming lips. A Dolce & Gabbana leopard-print wallcovering swathes one wall, echoed by cheetah-print, faux-fur banquettes.

Bambola’s rigatoni alla amatriciana. / Photo by Armani Thao

Here, you’ll drink cocktails that flirt with flavors from beyond the classic Italian canon (a lychee martini, for instance) and ingredients that feel a little fancy (such as a spritz with Veuve Clicquot Brut and Grand Marnier).

Then, there’s the espresso martini. It’s available in both spots, but the sisters have quite different views on the drink. Bambola sticks to her Italian roots, serving the elixir dark—just a mix of Three Olives Espresso vodka, Caffè Borghetti espresso liqueur, and fresh-brewed espresso. The Girl Next Door, on the other hand, is perhaps an American who studied abroad in Naples and headed to Ireland on break, if her version of the cocktail—with Irish cream—is any clue. The great thing about these two spots, though, is not having to choose: Hit up both, and let the drinks, dishes, and vibes fuel a dolce vita night out.

Bambola. / Photo by Armani Thao

225 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, bambolabos.com.

La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Seaside spritzes, grilled meat skewers, fried mozzarella with anchovy dipping sauce—and a panoramic view of the Boston skyline. That’s the promise of La Tavernetta, a new East Boston restaurant opening April 13, courtesy of the Mida team, that’s built around one simple idea: What if an oceanfront tavern grew up Italian and served cocktails in glassware shaped like dainty purses?

“It’s a coastal tavern with an Italian kiss,” says co-owner Seth Gerber, pointing to the flavors and feel of Southern Italy in particular.

La Tavernetta’s Calabrian chile wings. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Gerber and chef/co-owner Douglass Williams are no strangers to running Italian restaurants, serving expert pastas and more at four Mida locations around Greater Boston, including one right across the wharf from La Tavernetta. “We focus so much on Italy [at Mida], and it’s a big part of our inspiration and what we love to eat, so we couldn’t help but bring that here with regards to the flavor profiles and ingredient inspirations,” says Gerber. But there’s no sense in putting identical spots next to each other, of course, so La Tavernetta has a decidedly different menu largely reminiscent of “tavern-style fare,” says Gerber. “We have wings, oysters, sandwiches, and an amazing grill program.” Just embellished with a touch of Southern Italy. (The wings, for instance, are sticky and spicy with a Calabrian chile sauce.)

Decorative tiles embedded in La Tavernetta’s counters feature sayings or bar games. “Forte e Gentile,” strong and kind, refers to the Italian region of Abruzzo. (La Tavernetta’s cocktail list borrows “forte” and “gentile” as section headers.) / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The vibe, too, is meant to be transportive. “There are so many amazing venues throughout Southern Italy that are casual but have amazing food and drink, and they just feel so special near the water,” says Gerber. “We wanted to capture that energy and do a place that felt nautical and beachy without being theme-y. And there are a lot of places that already do ‘New England coastal restaurant’ really well, so this is our [Southern Italian-inspired] spin on what a tavern should be.” That includes an expansive patio wrapping around three sides of the restaurant, covered with massive teal-and-blood-orange-striped umbrellas; large windows throughout the space; and even tiles containing simple icebreaker-style bar game suggestions embedded in some countertops. “Maybe it’s your first date or your 1,000th, or you’re with friends—it’s another way to engage and show hospitality,” says Gerber.

La Tavernetta’s mozzarella en carrozza. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Compared to Mida, La Tavernetta has “a slightly more letting-your-hair-down atmosphere,” adds Williams. “Seth and I always talked about how we could expand the bar at Mida, and how it’s such a vibe. This is kind of a representation of Mida’s bar culture, expanded, and focused more on Southern Italy. More beach, more ocean, more salty.”

La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

That plays out literally on the menu, too, in dishes such as the mozzarella en carrozza. “It’s essentially a fried grilled-cheese sandwich,” says Williams, with aged mozzarella, pecorino, and an anchovy-based dipping sauce if you want to add “an oceanic flavor,” says Williams. The dish is “super snacky; super yummy. We’re really excited about that.” Or a squid ink frutti di mare with cockles, rock shrimp, calamari, and lobster brodo, topped with a bit of basil, or a local striped bass ceviche with aji amarillo, cilantro, and lots of herbs. “All the bright, fresh things that you want when you’re eating on the coast, under the sun,” says Williams. “Dishes like this layer onto that seaside theme.”

La Tavernetta’s squid ink frutti di mare. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Spritzes are the star of the drink menu, light and breezy in flavors such as elderflower, limoncello, or the ubiquitous Aperol. There are a variety of highballs, too, and other cocktails that in many cases feature ingredients from Southern Italy, says Gerber. Club Cactus, for instance, is “basically a mezcal margarita” made with prickly pear, prevalent in Sicily. Carob, too, is widely found in the region; here, it lends a chocolatey taste to an Old Fashioned-like concoction. “That’s what we tried to capture with the drink menu: sneaking unique Southern Italian flavor profiles into recognizable cocktails,” says Gerber.

Cocktails at La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Although La Tavernetta feels tailormade for easygoing warm-weather outings, it’s a winning formula for the colder months, too. The panoramic views of the Boston skyline can’t be beat, and even this opening spring menu has hints of hearty, comforting fare, from wagyu strombolis to the crowd-friendly grigliata mista (mixed grill) of spiedini (skewers of grilled meats), snacks, raw bar items, and more.

La Tavernetta’s fried fish sandwich. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Plus, Williams and Gerber plan to be open all day, including weekday “cafe/work-from-Tavernetta” service, says Gerber, with the goal of giving the neighborhood “a lovely little coffee program” and comfortable remote-work space, complete with “busy” flags you can display at your table “if you just want to lock in on your laptop and we’ll leave you alone.” There’ll also be full-service lunch, if you’d rather, and weekend brunch.

La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Above all, the team is excited to highlight a style of Italian beyond pizza and pasta as Boston gets more comfortable with hyper-regional restaurants. “Doug gets to showcase really cool techniques that he doesn’t get to do at Mida,” says Gerber, “and a very specific kind of Italian food. So come, have fun, and let go of what your preconceptions are [about Italian].”

At La Tavernetta, a local striped bass ceviche with aji amarillo, cilantro, fried yuca, and avocado. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Adds Williams: “We’re stretching our legs on flavors, chiles, herbs, approaches, and techniques; this restaurant allows that. So if you’re not coming to have fun, then you’re at the wrong place.”

La Tavernetta, with sibling restaurant Mida in view across the water. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Opening April 13. Reservations will be available, but walk-ins will be encouraged. 45 Lewis St., East Boston, latavernettaeastie.com.

A spread of food on the patio at La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Dalia’s Valencia paella, with shellfish, chorizo, and chicken. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

As Boston teeters somewhere between Fool’s Spring and Second Winter, swinging wildly from 60-degree days to 35, one thing is constant: There are tons of exciting new restaurants to check out. (Just wear layers.) We’re back with our monthly where-to-eat guide, sharing some of Greater Boston’s newest restaurants, as well as a few good reasons to revisit older spots. On this month’s list: Spanish wood-fired feasts in gorgeous Southie digs; Korean-inspired pasta dishes on Beacon Hill; loaded sandwiches and dirty sodas in a downtown food hall; and lots more. (Check out last month’s guide here.)

Jump to: 

• New restaurants to try this month: Recent (or imminent) openings you’ve got to check out.
• Older restaurants doing new things: Expansions and other changes—time for a (re)visit.
• Looking ahead: Intriguing spots coming soon (or not-so-soon). 

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Also check out our recently published or updated dining guides: Buffalo wings | Fenway restaurants, bars, and cafés | Irish pubs | New Haven restaurants (beyond “apizza” spots) | Omakase restaurants

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New Restaurants to Try This Month

Recent (or imminent) openings to check out.

Two styles of momo and wai wai sadeko, a crunchy noodle salad, from Aama Lama in Malden. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Aama Lama (Malden)

Juicy momo, best dunked in a tangy tomato-and-chili sauce, are a compelling reason to visit this Nepali newbie. Adding to the appeal? Wai wai sadeko, a crunchy noodle salad upon which we can’t stop snacking.

519 Main St., Malden, 781-321-8800, aamalama.com.

Bambola. / Photo by Armani Thao

Bambola and the Girl Next Door (Seaport)

Eat pasta, then party. This duo from the team behind nightlife spots Rock & Rye, the Flamingo, and more includes pasta and such on the restaurant side (Bambola) and more Italian food and night-out vibes on the cocktail bar side (the Girl Next Door). Plus, leopard print and chandeliers as far as the eye can see.

225 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, bambolabos.com.

Cafe Noodo (West End)

A soothing bowl of pre-commute soup full of braised beef and fresh noodles? Yes, please: Boston’s Lanzhou noodle scene keeps heating up, and the latest tempting addition is just steps from North Station.

1 Nashua St., West End, Boston, instagram.com/cafenoodo.

Call Me Honey (East Cambridge)

Curio Coffee’s Liège waffles ruled East Cambridge for a decade. Now, the tiny café enters a new chapter, run by former Curio staffers. We can’t wait to watch the evolution, but we’re psyched the waffles are sticking around.

441 Cambridge St., East Cambridge, instagram.com/honeyscambridge.

CeCarré Pizza & Provisions (Back Bay)

When one pizza door closes, another opens: The owners of the Descendant Detroit Style Pizza franchise at this location did a quick rebrand last month, creating their own restaurant that puts Roman pinsa in the spotlight. The Roman-style pizza features a crispy-outside, airy-inside crust. You can try one topped with gold and caviar if you have money to burn, or more classic options. Also: sandwiches, salads, and sweets.

800 Boylston St. (Prudential Center), Back Bay, Boston, 617-544-0417, cecarre.com.

A spread of food and drinks at Dalia, including chips with jamón ibérico and caviar; paella; and red sangria. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Dalia (South Boston)

Yowza, this new Capri and Prima sibling is gorgeous. Wood-fired, Spanish-inspired cuisine stars here—tapas, paella, and more—and you can watch it all come together in the open kitchen, the focal point of a restaurant with admittedly quite a few attention-grabbing details.

429 W. Broadway, South Boston, daliaboston.com.

La Tavernetta. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

La Tavernetta (East Boston)

Your summer to-do list: Get a seat on the patio at La Tavernetta, opening April 13. Amazing skyline views pair with fun, tavern-like Italian fare (and spritzes aplenty). It’s from the Mida team next door—why not hit both in one night?

45 Lewis St., East Boston, latavernettaeastie.com.

Olivia’s Kitchen (Ball Square)

Fresh pasta fans, this one’s for you. Cozy up in this new Ball Square nook for expertly made ribbons of tagliatelle with hearty Bolognese, plump beef-stuffed tortelli with peas and ham, and other Italian treats.

711 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, 781-957-6061, olivias-kitchen.com.

Roger’s Fish Co. / Photo by Michael Blanchard

Roger’s Fish Co. (East Boston)

After selling the Legal Sea Foods restaurants a few years back, former president and CEO Roger Berkowitz got back in the game with an online fish market. Now he’s dipping his toes back in the restaurant world with a fast-casual spin on that fish market: Roger’s Fish Co. is open at Logan Airport (and possibly future locations elsewhere) with counter-service lobster rolls, clam chowder, and more.

1 Harborside Dr. (Logan Airport), East Boston, rogersfishco.com.

Rosa y Marigold’s frito pescadito con papa dorada y salsa criolla, deep-fried whole branzino with potatoes and salsa criolla (tomato and onion). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Rosa y Marigold (Back Bay)

This long-awaited sibling to Peruvian favorites Celeste and La Royal finally debuts in April, and we cannot wait to dive into tiradito (a raw fish dish), anticuchos (skewered meats), chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) dishes, sánguches (Peruvian sandwiches), and more. Live music will jazz up the place.

400 Newbury St. (Lyrik Back Bay), Back Bay, Boston, rosaymarigold.com.

Spinach pizza at Willie’s. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Willie’s (Beacon Hill)

Take a sit-down pizza-and-pasta spot, add some influences from its siblings (Zurito, Basque; Somaek, Korean), and you’ve got Charles Street’s newest hit. Fancy-ham-topped pizza and burrata-topped banchan, anyone?

20 Charles St., Beacon Hill, Boston, williesboston.com.

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Older Restaurants Doing New Things

Expansions and other changes—time for a (re)visit.

261 at Para Maria. / Courtesy photo

261 at Para Maria (Seaport District)

It’s all about women’s athletics at this pop-up sports bar at Para Maria at the Envoy Hotel, running through the end of April with a packed schedule of viewing parties and more. (The name refers to the bib number of barrier-breaking marathoner Kathrine Switzer.) Dine on bar food—Nashville hot chicken sliders, hot honey pepperoni flatbread, etc.—while taking in the photo exhibit of Boston women’s sports photography, in partnership with the Boston Globe.

70 Sleeper St. (Envoy Hotel), Seaport District, Boston, theenvoyhotel.com.

Avra Estiatorio’s sashimi platter. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Avra Estiatorio (Back Bay)

The Lyrik development is really leveling up this month with the debut of Avra—a fancy-schmancy Greek chain with locations in Beverly Hills, Miami, and beyond—and Rosa y Marigold (see below). Avra is known for its seafood in various preparations, from charcoal-grilled, whole fish to ceviche and sashimi that deviate from the Greek playbook. Also: enormous slices of chocolate cake.

400 Newbury St. (Lyrik Back Bay), Back Bay, Boston, theavragroup.com.

Madras curry stewed goat with jollof rice and crispy okra at the Chop Bar pop-up at Oggi, March 2026. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The Chop Bar (Various Locations)

Chef Kwasi Kwaa, who was chef-partner on the opening team of Comfort Kitchen in Dorchester, has thankfully restarted his Afro-Diasporic pop-up series, which deliciously draws inspiration from the roadside restaurants of his Ghanaian childhood. You’re going to want to keep an eye out for future dates: The March event at Oggi in Harvard Square was memorable, with flavor-packed dishes such as warming Madras curry stewed goat with jollof rice and crispy okra.

Various locations, Greater Boston, thechopbar.com.

Whole grilled lobster with miso-garlic butter at Common Craft in South Boston. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Common Craft (South Boston)

Perhaps you’ve been to the original Common Craft in Burlington, a drink-focused, multi-bar setup that celebrates craft brews, liquors, and more. The new Southie offshoot is decidedly more food-focused, with James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Messina overseeing a kitchen that—like its suburban sibling—highlights “craft” in its many forms, in part through a rotating menu called “the Current” that might feature, for instance, one local purveyor or one specific cooking method or tool.

85 Damrell St. (ground floor of the South Standard apartment building), South Boston, commoncrafthospitality.com.

Harpoon Seaport’s Haute Dogs, a collaboration with chef Ken Oringer. / Courtesy photo

Harpoon Seaport (Seaport District)

What goes great with beer? Fun “haute” dogs (like one temptingly topped with street corn) designed in collaboration with James Beard Award-winning chef Ken Oringer at Harpoon’s rebranded don’t-call-it-a-beer-hall-anymore, celebrating its 40th this year.

306 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, 617-456-2322, harpoonbrewery.com.

Tigerbaby dishes at High Street Place food hall. Clockwise from top left: tiger tangerine chicken, Korean pork tteokbokki, Thai basil chicken, and black pepper beef and broccoli. / Photo by Brian Samuels

High Street Place (Downtown Boston)

Hallelujah! Chef Tiffani Faison’s beloved Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant Tiger Mama is back—well, sort of. Indulge in workday lunches of tangerine chicken and black-pepper beef in fast-casual form at Tigerbaby, now open at the food hall High Street Place. Also new to the bustling downtown food hall: Stack & Schmear, from the team behind High Street’s Wheelhouse and Haley Jane’s, with bagel sandwiches, subs, and dirty sodas.

100 High St., Downtown Boston, highstreetplace.com.

Jumbo Seafood (Boston University)

Forget about squeezing dim sum into your precious weekend mornings: It’s available all day, every day, at this new BU-area offshoot of a 30-year-old Chinatown staple. Better yet, everything is, well, jumbo, from the shrimp to the menu.

1032 Commonwealth Ave., Brookline, 617-858-8168, jumboseafoodboston.com.

Kush by Saba’s coffee-braised lamb shank with potato parsnip puree and wilted radicchio salad, a seasonal special. / Photo by Saba Wahid Duffy

Kush Modern Mediterranean (Union Square)

From food truck to takeout and catering to, finally, a restaurant: Kush Modern Mediterranean, the evolution of Kush by Saba, opens April 28 in a grandly renovated, petite former garage space that previously housed takeout spots Wade BBQ and Littleburg. We’re hoping Kush owner Saba Wahid Duffy, a Chopped champion, keeps the spicy lamb merguez mac and cheese on the menu.

5 Sanborn Ct., Union Square, Somerville, kushbysaba.com.

Lanikai at Love Art Sushi (East Cambridge)

Summer’s not here yet, but we can pretend on this virtual trip to Hawaii. The new Lechmere-adjacent Love Art Sushi location serves poke hand rolls alongside other tasty island-inspired bites when the Lanikai pop-up takes over Thursday through Saturday evenings.

1 Canal Pk., East Cambridge, loveartsushi.com/lanikai.

Third Time Together. / Photo by Siena Griffin

Third Time Together (Kendall Square)

Third Time Together—née Third Time Ice Cream, a Best of Boston winner—has landed a permanent space and evolved into a delightful all-day café with Middle Eastern-inspired dishes and, yes, still ice cream. Supremely creative ice cream, at that. (Even vanilla isn’t just vanilla, amped up with the zing of pink peppercorn.)

399 Binney St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, thirdtimetogether.co. 

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Looking Ahead

Intriguing spots coming soon (or not-so-soon). Find more to look forward to in our 2026 anticipated openings guide.

Coda Restaurant Group partners, from left: Ted Hawkins, managing partner; Deirdre Auld, CEO; and Jim Cochener, founder. / Courtesy photo

Celine (Fort Point)

This in-the-works restaurant from the SRV and Baleia crew promises to be “a vibe,” and yes, it’s a bit of an homage to the diva herself, Céline Dion. French-Canadian inspiration will combine with neighborhood-y American for a hospitable spot with “a heavy bar presence.”

324 A St., Fort Point, Boston, codarestaurantgroup.com.

A spread of Hawksmoor food. / Courtesy photo

Hawksmoor (Fort Point)

London-based steakhouse chain Hawksmoor is aiming for a fall 2026 debut in Boston, adding to U.S. outposts in New York and Chicago. Setting it apart from Boston’s many other steakhouse chains: acclaimed Sunday roasts and come-as-you-are vibes.

15 Necco St., Fort Point, Boston, thehawksmoor.com/us.

From left: Eric Papachristos, Jody Adams, and Jon Mendez, collectively A Street Hospitality, stand in the under-construction space of their new restaurant, with the Public Garden in view through the windows. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Unnamed A Street Hospitality Project (Back Bay)

The team behind La Padrona, Trade, and more has recently begun construction on a new project in the iconic Bristol Lounge space next to the Public Garden. Expect luxurious classics: caviar and blini, Dover sole, prime rib, lobster bisque, and such, says chef-partner Jody Adams.

A version of this guide first appeared in the print edition of the April 2026 issue with the headline “The Hot List.”

Dalia. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

At Dalia, Broadway Restaurant Group’s new South Boston Spanish restaurant, even the calamari is a surprise. It’s cut lengthwise and cooked over charcoal, standing in for noodles in a sauce built from ibérico pork and sobrassada—a Spanish riff on Sichuan dan dan. There’s also a churro, but it’s stuffed with crabmeat and topped with caviar. And the paella? It has a dedicated three-person team. This, to put it mildly, is far from a neighborhood restaurant that’s playing it safe.

A spread of food and drinks at Dalia, including chips with jamón ibérico and caviar; paella; and red sangria. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The design, too, is daring and grandiose, courtesy of South Boston-based firm Assembly Design Studio, which also collaborated on Dalia’s immersive Italian siblings Prima, Capri, and more. From the massive, plant-filled skylight to the tasseled lamps to the cozy fireside tables under dog-themed paintings, this looks like nothing else in Boston. It’s a challenge to nail both the style and the substance, but BRG seems ready to take on that challenge, thanks in part to an impressive kitchen suite in full view.

Right by the front windows at Dalia, a comfortable seating area by a fireplace will accommodate diners waiting for tables. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Between the sun-drenched front dining room and the moody, sexier space in the back, the custom-built kitchen is stacked with equipment by Barcelona-based Josper, including four Basque-style grills and a wood-fired broiler. From sure-to-be-coveted counter seats along the edges of the kitchen, or from virtually anywhere in the two dining rooms, customers will be able to watch the team prepare everything from fresh breads like pan de cristal to brightly flavored crudo to big pans of paella, the latter perfected by that three-person team.

Dalia’s Valencia paella, with shellfish, chorizo, and chicken. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Dalia’s razor clam crudo. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“What’s really fun about Spanish cuisine is that it’s [often] wood-fired cooking,” says culinary director and partner Nick Dixon. “And the Spanish culinary scene is constantly evolving. It’s one of the top cuisines in the world. We like to have eclectic, creative menus, so we took the idea of wood-fired, Spanish-influenced food and put a spin on it.” Case in point: a mountain of Spanish potato chips with jamón ibérico and (optional, but encouraged) caviar, or those aforementioned churros and dan dan not-noodles. While the menu isn’t traditional, the team is sourcing many ingredients from Spain, including sherry and ibérico pork (a jamón cart will feature staff slicing ham tableside). In a perfect blend of near and far, the restaurant’s olive oil of choice is produced in Spain by a company based in South Boston, Titin.

The bar in Dalia’s back dining room. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The best way to get a feel for Dalia’s culinary philosophy, says Dixon, is to start with a crudo, such as the bluefin tuna with blood orange, black olive, and kumquat, before moving into the tapas. “We’re a very tapas-focused restaurant,” he notes. The guisantes à la brasa, charred snap peas, are “very fresh and bright,” cooked in a bed of charcoal, tossed with orange and sherry, and garnished with Marcona almonds and burnt-orange chimichurri. That calamares “dan dan” is also a must-try, he says, and a good example of Dalia’s out-of-the-box take on Spanish. Try a robata dish, too—that’s Japanese-style charcoal-grilling—such as the thinly sliced wagyu rib cap with sherry ponzu.

/ Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Then, choose your own adventure: Several types of bomba-rice-based paella beckon, including the shellfish-loaded Valencia style. “The paella, for us, is like the pasta in an Italian restaurant,” Dixon says. Or try some of the larger, made-to-share entrees, such as whole suckling pig or whole local fish. Either way, save room for dessert, such as the gâteau Basque, a cookie-meets-pie situation with blackberry preserves.

Dalia’s Amapola cocktail (strawberry mezcal, Aperol, white vermut, lemon) with mejilones à la brasa (PEI mussels, cockles, and salsa verde). / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“Even with the beverage program, we’re trying to incorporate Spanish ingredients,” says Dixon, “and we wanted to have drinks that are crushable but thoughtful, that will make you feel like you’re on vacation.” The Amapola—strawberry mezcal with Aperol, white vermut, and lemon—is summertime in a glass. There’s red sangria, too, not to mention a passionfruit-and-coconut margarita. On the wine side, the options are mostly Spanish. “Everything from delicious, affordable wines by the glass to baller reds,” says Dixon, noting that Spanish wines are particularly affordable. “An $80 bottle of Spanish wine could drink like a $120 bottle of wine [from somewhere else]” he says—which, in this economy, feels like reason enough to visit.

Dalia’s txistorra “hot dogs” with chorizo, peppers, and onions. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The thread of Spanish sourcing continues in everything from Dalia’s ingredients to the décor and accoutrements. “Both Erica [Diskin, cofounder of Assembly Design Studio] and I wanted to honor Spain as much as possible in the space,” Dixon says. Plates were handmade by Cerámicas Ortiz in the south of Spain; lamps were custom-made in Valencia; intricate floor tiles come from Spain, too. Broadway Restaurant Group and Assembly Design Studio have collaborated on projects for well over a decade, “and everything I ever do [in the future], Assembly will be involved in,” Dixon says.

The front dining room at Dalia features a large skylight full of living plants. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The bar in Dalia’s front dining room. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“Nick and I have each been living and working in Southie for a long time,” says Assembly cofounder Erica Diskin, “so the perspective with this place was, ‘What does the neighborhood need?’” Adds Dixon: “I’ve been cooking [in this neighborhood] for 14 years,” starting next door at sibling spot Lincoln. “What do people who are 14 years older want now? They want something where they can have a date night and feel transported.”

Dalia’s gambas al ajillo, featuring Argentinian red shrimp. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

From the starting point of the central kitchen, the existing skylight, and the idea that the space should feel lived-in, Assembly worked to design a restaurant equal parts homey and worthy of special occasions. “[I wanted to create] my fantasy home that I’d want to sit in and live in,” says Diskin, “because when you go to a neighborhood restaurant, it’s like your third space. We want it to feel like you’re moving through rooms of a house,” from a cozy area at the very front—with a fireplace, furniture that invites lounging, and walls covered in paintings of dogs (and one cat)—to the plant-filled front dining room and bar, to the “more formal” backroom for “fancier dinners and sexy date nights.” Fancier, but timeless; Diskin uses layers—paint, plaster, fabrics, textures, reclaimed wood—to evoke the feel that this has been someone’s dining room for ages.

Dalia’s back dining room and bar, with a view of the open kitchen. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Given the long-term relationship between Broadway Restaurant Group and Assembly Design Studio, it feels like the teams up the ante with each new restaurant, working on a grander scale each time. Sure, Dalia is poised for an easy social-media win with its countless photogenic nooks and details, but there’s a lot more at play here. The design and the culinary philosophy play off each other to create what we can only predict will be an important South Boston destination for years to come—or, at the very least, a rockin’ paella party.

Dalia’s churro with crab and caviar. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Dalia opens for dinner on April 2, with plans for brunch and cafe service at a later date. Also still to come: a downstairs lounge with its own personality; stay tuned. 429 W. Broadway, South Boston, daliaboston.com.

Dalia. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

A spread of food at Izakaya Minato, where chef/co-owner Thomas Takashi Cooke is nominated for a 2026 James Beard Award in the Best Chef: Northeast category. / Photo by Caroline Alden

James Beard Awards season continues today with the announcement of the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees across the United States—a pared-down selection that follows January’s broader semifinalists list. (Winners will be announced at a Chicago gala on June 15.) Zero Massachusetts chefs or restaurants made the cut. What gives, James Beard Foundation? There’s an extra sting to the omission given the Boston area’s mixed feelings around its first inclusion in the Michelin Guide just a few months ago, yielding a single Michelin star. Other parts of New England fared a bit better in today’s Beard announcement, with the region as a whole landing 10 nominees across six categories; more on those below, but first, a refresher on the James Beard Awards.

The annual awards are a big deal in the U.S. restaurant world, recognizing talent across the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. From promising newcomers to industry veterans, a variety of chefs, bakers, beverage professionals, and more are granted awards across about two dozen categories under the “restaurant and chef awards” umbrella. Additionally, there are food media awards, lifetime achievement recognition, and other honors, some of which are announced on a different schedule throughout the year.

The announcement of the closely watched restaurant and chef awards is a multi-step process, with the long list of semifinalists dropping early in the year, followed by the nominees in the early spring (that’s what happened today), and finally the winners at a big event in June. At the start of the process, there’s a public open call for recommendations, while decisions are made by a voting body of Beard Foundation subcommittee members and appointed judges around the U.S.

Super Secret Ice Cream. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Here are the 2026 nominees around New England:

• Dana Street of Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co., and others (Portland, ME)—Outstanding Restaurateur nominee
• David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter (Mystic, CT)—Outstanding Chef semifinalist
• Loma (Providence, RI)—Best New Bar nominee
• The Port of Call (Mystic, CT)—Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program nominee
• Super Secret Ice Cream (Bethlehem, NH)—Outstanding Bakery nominee
• David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante (Bantam, CT)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
• Evan Hennessey of Stages (Dover, NH)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
• Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato (Portland, ME)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
• Paul Trombly of Fancy’s (Burlington, VT)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee
• Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway (Providence, RI)—Best Chef: Northeast nominee

Matsunori Handroll Bar’s miso cod with pumpkin puree and mustard seed. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Where there’s a will to eat, there’s a Fenway. Whether you’re hanging around before the Sox hit the field or just looking to run the bases around some of the city’s hottest restaurants, this neighborhood has it all. Here are 40-plus excellent restaurants and bars to explore—and one food hall!—spanning from Fenway Park-adjacent to Peterborough Street’s “restaurant row” to Audubon Circle to Kenmore Square.

Last updated in March 2026; stay tuned for periodic updates.

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Jump to:

• Where to Eat a Meal: From very casual to a little bit fancy, here’s where to sit down for an excellent brunch, lunch, or dinner.
• Where to Grab a Drink: You’ll find the spots that are more bar than restaurant here—although most also offer great food.
• Where to Get Caffeinated: You’ll find outposts of large chains like Caffè Nero, Starbucks, and Boston’s own Tatte in the vicinity, but we prefer visiting the smaller indies when possible.
• Where to Get Dessert: From late-night doughnuts to all things matcha, here’s where you can grab a quick dessert in the neighborhood.

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See also: So, You Want to Live in the Fenway?

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Where to Eat a Meal

From very casual to a little bit fancy, here’s where to sit down for an excellent brunch, lunch, or dinner. (Looking for late-night options? Find those here.)

Audubon

Around for over a decade, this Trina’s Starlite Lounge sibling is a neighborhood staple during Sox season (and the rest of the year!) thanks to its tasty comfort food, easy-drinking cocktails, and delightful hidden (and heated) patio out back. Don’t miss Taco Tuesdays.

838 Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston, 617-421-1910, audubonboston.com.

Bab Al-Yemen’s aqdah dajaj (foreground)—a chicken stew—and lamb haneeth with rice. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Bab Al-Yemen

One of 2022’s most exciting restaurant openings, Bab Al-Yemen is one of the region’s only restaurants specializing in Yemeni cuisine. We particularly love it on a chilly night for its hearty stews, roasted meats, and clove- and cardamom-spiced adani tea, but you’ll be delighted in any weather. The lamb haneeth is a highlight.

468 Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square, Boston, 857-250-2943, babalyemenboston.com.

Basho Japanese Brasserie

This neighborhood favorite—which opened way back in 2010—has always been a reliable place for sushi that won’t break the bank. (And it offers a brown rice substitution, fairly rare for local sushi spots.) Feast your way through rolls such as the Fenway roll (of course) with seared tuna, asparagus, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, and wasabi mayo. There are plenty of rice and noodle dishes and other entrees, too, if you’re not in the mood for sushi.

1338 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-262-1338, bashosushi.com.

Scallops with miso butter at Blue Ribbon Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Blue Ribbon Sushi

More sushi! This comes from the same glitzy New York-based restaurant group behind Blue Ribbon Brasserie—which briefly had a Boston location, too—and has a bit of an upscale vibe. We’re partial to the yaki sea scallop skewer with decadent miso butter and the crispy rice with spicy tuna, serrano pepper, and eel sauce. And you can never go wrong with an order of Blue Ribbon fried chicken wings.

500a Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square, Boston, 617-264-0410, blueribbonsushikenmore.com.

The pig roast at the Citizen. / Courtesy photo

The Citizen

Formerly known as Citizen Public House, this beloved gastropub and whiskey bar by Fenway Park got a bit of a revamp (and a slightly new name) at the start of 2026 in celebration of its 15th anniversary. Goodbye to the raw bar; hello to more room at the drinking bar (there are over 400 whiskies to try, after all). The interior feels brighter and warmer as well. Upgraded tavern-style fare remains the culinary focus, from a truffle aioli-topped bacon cheeseburger to confit duck croquettes. But the biggest draw? That would be the decadent whole pig roasts that feed up to 10 people. The porky pig-out features a whole suckling pig that’s been slow-roasted for over 14 hours, plus a spread of oysters, shrimp cocktail, and plentiful sides.

1310 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-450-9000, thecitizenboston.com.

A spread of dishes at Don’t Tell Aunty. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Don’t Tell Aunty

You’ll find this super-fun 2025 arrival—billing itself as “Boston’s first Indian gastropub”—on the Back Bay/Fenway border. Among the tropical decor (and giant faux tree), you’ll dine on comforting fusion dishes like kothu Bolognese, rasam ramen (try it with fried chicken), and mango lassi cheesecake. The cocktails follow suit, such as Chai Felicia, a chai-infused take on an espresso martini. Don’t Tell Aunty’s landlord is the nearby Berklee College of Music, so it’s no surprise that the restaurant offers live music.

1080 Boylston St., Back Bay/Fenway, Boston, 617-982-6152, donttellaunty.com.

Eastern Standard’s butterscotch bread pudding. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Eastern Standard

It’s back! A pandemic-era closure that left Bostonians heartbroken, Eastern Standard opened anew at the end of 2023, down the street from the original location, now in a shiny new apartment complex. The one-time French-ish brasserie-inspired destination for so many things—late-night dinner for restaurant industry workers, brunch for college students when their parents visited, pre- and post-Sox snacks for baseball fans—is reasserting itself with plenty of old favorites (we missed you, lamb rigatoni!) and new surprises.

775 Beacon St. (the Bower), Fenway, Boston, easternstandardboston.com.

Oysters and more at Eventide Fenway. / Photo courtesy of Eventide Fenway

Eventide Fenway

There’s lots to love at the Boston offshoot of Portland’s seafood-showcasing Maine event, Eventide Oyster Co. Come for a quick lunch of a fried oyster bun with mixed pickles and tartar, or linger over the raw bar for a while and crush a dozen just-shucked oysters. (Washed down with some bubbly, naturally.) Between the Thai-inflected lobster stew with coconut milk and the delectable nori-dusted potato chips, you might have a few daydreams of pan-Asian travels while people-watching at the wide windows. The real star of the show—the gorgeous brown butter lobster roll—anchors closer to home.

1321 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-545-1060, eventideoysterco.com.

Futago Udon’s mad tiger udon. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Futago Udon

This sunny little nook features big bowls of bouncy noodles—and we love a good noodle—a variety of udon dishes, both hot and cold. Try the cold “mad tiger udon” on a hot summer day, a surprisingly light combo of spicy miso pork, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and poached egg. (Note: Most of Futago’s dishes can be made vegan upon request.) A few snacks, such as purple sweet potato tempura and takoyaki, round out the menu.

508-512 Park Dr., Audubon Circle, Boston 617-505-6157, instagram.com/futago_udon.

Ramen at Hojoko. / Photo by Natasha Moustache

Hojoko

What happens when you set a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired Japanese izakaya inside a former Howard Johnson’s hotel? You get the beautifully bonkers Hojoko, restaurateurs Tim and Nancy Cushman’s more casual sequel to downtown’s super-fancy O Ya. Here, it’s all about the playful playlist of flavor mash-ups, from the ginger-soy-marinated karaage fried chicken to the Best-of-Boston-winning wagyu cheeseburger with zingy dashi pickles and special sauce. Sushi offerings similarly hit with a remix of funky ingredients, from the truffle salsa and miso caramel in the shiitake mushroom tempura roll to the smoked Oaxacan pasilla chili pepper that lights up the spicy salmon.

1271 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-670-0507, hojokoboston.com.

India Quality

Open for a commendable 40+ years, this north Indian restaurant brings the heat with savory, fiery curries and lots more. (The menu is huge; there are even two dozen different breads available.) It’s been a Best of Boston winner multiple times over the years, including a best neighborhood restaurant nod in 2021 and best Indian restaurant in 2022. The lamb vindaloo and beef bhuna are among our favorite dishes.

484 Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square, Boston, 617-267-4499, indiaquality.com.

KChickin

Korean fried chicken and sushi are co-stars here, plus an assortment of other dishes from Korean and Japanese cuisines. You’ll have to make several visits to work through all the wing sauce options, from soy garlic to “spicy crazy Korean,” not to mention hand rolls (with little eye droppers of sauces); Korean dishes like bulgogi and tteokbokki; and luxurious Japanese donburi like one topped with lobster, ikura, uni, octopus, and more.

86 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston, 617-530-1181, kchickin.com.

Kenzoku Mazesoba

Steps from Futago Udon (see above) is another noodle shop with a singular focus: mazesoba, or brothless ramen. Thick, chewy noodles, made fresh daily, are the stars at this relative newcomer (it opened in 2024), served with toppings like spicy minced pork, scallions, and poached eggs. Finish your noodles? Ask for a free serving of rice to eat with whatever remains in your bowl.

506 Park Dr., Audubon Circle, Boston, 617-608-3572, instagram.com/kenzoku.mazesoba.

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar. / Photo by Reagan Byrne

Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar

The second location of Loco is a big hit, just like its boisterous older sibling in Southie, which has become a neighborhood fave since its 2015 opening. The Fenway Loco took over the massive space that was briefly home to Plantpub but better known for its decades as Boston BeerWorks. It has two bars and over 200 seats, serving up, well, plenty of tacos and plenty of oysters, not to mention a big selection of margaritas.

61 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston, locotacoshops.com.

A spread at Luke’s Lobster. / Courtesy photo

Luke’s Lobster

The Maine-based casual lobster roll chain with locations in Boston’s Back Bay and Downtown Crossing has two outposts at Fenway Park—one inside the park and one just outside on Jersey Street—featuring lobster rolls and chowder. The rolls are served chilled with a little bit of mayo, plus lemon butter and “Luke’s secret seasoning.” Note: These locations are only open on game days when the gates are open.

Inside Fenway Park and on Jersey Street, Fenway, Boston, lukeslobster.com.

Matsunori Handroll Bar’s A5 Miyazaki wagyu with truffle salt. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Matsunori Handroll Bar

Even more sushi in the neighborhood? Yep. This 2023 arrival focuses on handrolls, in particular—and plenty of A5 wagyu, because co-owner Kevin Liu is also a partner in a cattle ranch in Miyazaki, Japan. Standouts include the miso cod roll and the Hokkaido scallop roll. Note: Matsunori doesn’t currently serve alcohol, take reservations, or offer takeout/delivery.

900a Beacon St., Audubon Circle, Boston, 857-305-3993, matsu-nori.com.

Bucatini all’amatriciana at Mida Fenway. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Mida

We were bummed to lose the short-lived DW French and its faithful renditions of French classics in 2024, but fortunately chef/co-owner Douglass Williams and co-owner Seth Gerber kept hold of the space and turned it into their fourth location of Italian favorite Mida instead. With dishes like an exemplary bucatini all’Amatriciana and a hefty meatball-stuffed sub, plus thin, crispy pizzas, we can’t be mad that Mida is here.

1391 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, midarestaurant.com.

Nagomi Izakaya’s uni spoon. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Nagomi Izakaya

This versatile sushi spot in the heart of Kenmore can feel as casual or elegant as you’d like. Splurge on chef’s-choice sets full of luxurious ingredients, or keep it a little simpler with donburi, hand rolls, and maki. Add an easy-drinking, sake-based cocktail if you’re feeling fancy, such as a smoky yuzu rose martini or strawberry shiso mojito.

636 Beacon St., Suite A, Kenmore Square, Boston, 617-267-8888, nagomiizakaya.com.

Rod Thai Family Taste

Offering what it describes as a mix of classics and “surprising” family recipes, this bustling counter-service spot on “restaurant row” focuses on Thai street food, with plenty of noodle and rice dishes to satisfy any appetite. (The drunken noodles are a popular choice, as is the tom yum noodle soup.)

94 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston, 617-859-0969, rodthaifenway.com.

Chilled lobster salad with avocado, sweet corn, lemon vinaigrette, chickpeas, Bibb lettuce, and dill, accompanied by the Pink Pony Club cocktail (gin, lemon, strawberry amaro, guava, and basil oil) at Row 34 Kenmore. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Row 34

You’re never far from a location of Best of Boston seafood mini-chain Row 34, serving New England classics, elegant dishes showcasing local fish, and more. The newest location, number five, opened in Kenmore Square in 2025—in the longtime space of Row’s former sibling, Island Creek Oyster Bar. How’s that for full circle? Try a lobster roll (Row 34 offers its takes on a both a cold-with-mayo and warm-with-butter version), crispy fish tacos, and plenty of oysters.

498 Commonwealth Ave. (Hotel Commonwealth), Kenmore Square, Boston, 617-213-7750, row34.com. 

One of Saloniki’s signature pitas. / Photo by Amanda Lewis

Saloniki

Maybe right now you can’t just get up and jet off to Greece for a vacation spent strolling narrow streets, munching a warm pita from a vendor. You can, however, more easily make it over to fast-casual restaurant Saloniki, which offers the next best thing. The Fenway spot is this local chain’s original location—a bright, chic setting that offers even brighter flavors: There’s the charred lemon gracing the chicken plates; the tzatziki that abounds; and the spicy whipped feta you might choose to accompany the lamb meatballs or herby-salty pitas wrapped hug-like around, say, grilled chicken thighs or zucchini fritters.

4 Kilmarnock St., Fenway, Boston, 617-266-0001, salonikigreek.com.

Shy Bird’s fried chicken and egg sammy, pictured without the pepperjack. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Shy Bird

Should you find yourself in need of a remote-working spot with killer food, the newest location of Shy Bird—which also has outposts in Kendall Square and South Boston—offers a weekday deal with wifi, bottomless coffee, and other perks. But you’ll want to come to this rotisserie-focused spot for regular meals, too: fried chicken and egg breakfast sandwiches, warm grain bowls for lunch, herby-spicy piri piri chicken for dinner. Throw in a banana margarita or black cherry Negroni for good measure.

201 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston, shybird.com. 

Spring Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns

It’s all about the pan-fried buns at this quick and easy meal stop, as the name suggests: The plump pork dumplings, browned just so on the bottom, come in orders of four for nine bucks and change. Might as well stay on the dumpling theme and try the pork-and-shrimp wontons in chili oil, too. A few noodle dishes and soups round out the succinct menu.

90 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston.

Standard Italian’s lasagna Bolognese with veal, pork, beef, pomodoro, and fontina. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Standard Italian

Big martinis, an enviable porchetta, and warm hospitality are a winning equation at this Eastern Standard/Equal Measure sibling and neighbor, which plays up culinary director Brian Rae’s many years working in Italian restaurants, including Rialto, Coppa, and Faccia a Faccia. There’s plenty of fresh pasta—squid ink bucatini with lobster, bucatini carbonara with chanterelles—not to mention hearty entrees like branzino with salsa verde or chicken marsala with wild mushrooms. End your meal with something from the extensive amari list.

771 Beacon St. (the Bower), Fenway, Boston, 857-305-3095, standarditalian.com.

Sufra Mediterranean 

Known for its late-night hours—open until 1:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and midnight Sunday through Wednesday—Sufra serves up fresh halal meals and is sure to be packed on the weekend. (This spot has limited seating but occasionally makes appearances at Boston-area events in its food truck.) Sufra’s meals work well for takeout, especially options like the tender supreme chicken shawarma wrap topped with a creamy sauce or the cheese-pull worthy eggs and akkawi cheese manousheh, a Lebanese flatbread reminiscent of pizza.

52 Queensberry St., Fenway, Boston, 781-645-8080, suframediterraneanfood.com.

The patio at Sweet Cheeks Q. / Photo courtesy of Sweet Cheeks Q

Sweet Cheeks Q

Okay, unlike Tiffani Faison, none of us walked away with $100,000 as a winner of the Food Network’s Tournament of Champions. But at least we can head to her longtime Fenway barbecue restaurant for our consolation prize: a bucket of delectable buttermilk biscuits best enjoyed with a slathering of honey butter. The homey spot, around since 2011, boasts a bounty of meats, from the smoked short rib to tender and juicy pulled chicken. Savor all these beauties as a tray, doused in house-made sauce (especially the zippy, Carolina-style vinegar one) alongside scoops of classic mac ‘n’ cheese or barbecue ranch beans.

1381 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-266-1300, sweetcheeksq.com.

Taberna de Haro

We may be stretching the “Fenway” bounds a bit, but this Brookline/Audubon Circle-ish Spanish stalwart—which recently came under new ownership—is worth the trek for its arroz negro, a squid-ink paella; seasonal seafood and vegetable specials; and tapas aplenty, such as txistorra con brandada, or Basque sausages with salt cod. You should definitely try a flight of four sherries.

Tots and a burger at Tasty Burger. / Photo by Wayne Chinnock Photography

Tasty Burger

Though this much-loved local chain has expanded around the city and into Cambridge, its roots are in Fenway. (The original location—which opened in a former gas station in 2010—is gone, but it reopened nearby.) Fifteen years later, Tasty Burger still knocks it out of the park with no-frills feasts of juicy stacked burgers, perfectly crispy fries, and milkshakes that will have you licking the inside of your cup (no judgment). A special shout-out to the classic Buffalo chicken sandwich and the side of 50/50 fries and onion rings combo, best enjoyed with chili and cheese for dipping. And as meal deals go, it’s tough to beat the Starvin’ Student combo, a $13 happy-making meal of a burger, fries, and tall boy beer.

86 Van Ness St., Fenway, Boston, 617-425-4444, tastyburger.com.

POE-Lenta wild game Bolognese. / Photo by Eleven Seven Media / PAH Creative

Time Out Market Boston

Not closed! Over a dozen restaurants in one—this food hall is the place to go when you can’t decide. There’s something for everyone, from an excellent rendition of classic North Shore-style roast beef from Cusser’s to irresistible birria tacos from Taqueria el Barrio to barbecue from local mini-chain Blue Ribbon BBQ (no relation to Blue Ribbon Sushi above). If you haven’t been in a bit, be sure to check out one of the latest additions, POE-Lenta Italian Café from the Tip Tap Room’s chef-owner Brian Poe and chef de cuisine Guillermo Guzman.

401 Park Dr., Fenway, Boston, 978-393-8088, timeoutmarket.com/boston.

Wow Tikka’s customizable bowls. / Photo courtesy of Wow Tikka

Wow Tikka

Another “restaurant row” spot, this fast-casual Indian restaurant, which opened in late 2022, offers an assembly-line-style build-a-bowl version of Indian cuisine that doesn’t shy away from big flavors. The highly customizable menu offers plenty of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. Don’t want to go the bowl route? Tandoori chicken, samosas, and more are also available.

84 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston, 857-250-2062, wowtikka.com.

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Where to Grab a Drink

You’ll find the spots that are more bar than restaurant here—although most also offer great food.

Bleacher Bar

Can’t get much closer to the field than this without a ticket! This 17-year-old spot is nestled into a part of Fenway Park that was once the away team’s batting cage. Now, it’s an independently operated bar with a no-frills beer list and some comfort food, mostly burgers and sandwiches. You can see the field through the glass garage door (and from the men’s room).

82a Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, 617-262-2424, bleacherbarboston.com.

A mocktail at Equal Measure. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Equal Measure

When the original Eastern Standard location closed a few years back, its sibling-and-neighbor cocktail bar, the acclaimed Hawthorne, also bid Boston farewell. While Eastern Standard has been reborn under the same name in a new location (see above), the Hawthorne has not—but instead, Eastern Standard has a new sibling cocktail bar next door, Equal Measure. Even though the name is different, the space feels similar—think upscale living room—and cocktail veteran Jackson Cannon and his team are serving creative, beautifully made drinks just like in the old days. Those still mourning the Hawthorne will find just what they’re craving here.

775 Beacon St. (the Bower), Fenway, Boston, 857-449-5579, equalmeasurebos.com.

Fool’s Errand

This “adult snack bar”—another Tiffani Faison venue—is a tiny nook of a cocktail bar that complements its creative drink list with snacks like caviar-topped wagyu hot dogs or French onion dip with pretzels and crudités.

1377 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, foolserrandboston.com.

The Lansdowne

Every Boston neighborhood needs a solid Irish pub or two, and this one is Fenway’s. With live entertainment and late-night hours seven days a week, this is a reliable pre- or post-game stop for a Guinness, or something interesting from the sizable whiskey list. Snack on items like steak-and-cheese egg rolls, corned beef Reubens, and roasted chicken nachos.

9 Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, 617-247-1222, lansdownepubboston.com.

Loretta’s Last Call

This country-themed bar features frequent live music, two nights of line dancing a week, and whiskey flights. There’s a pretty hefty food menu, too, so you could come here for a full meal: Think barbecue pulled pork-topped mac and cheese, Nashville hot chicken, brisket queso dip, and more. Also, late-night doughnuts. (See Back Door Donuts below.)

1 Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, 617-421-9595, lorettaslastcall.com.

Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

Grab a pint of Cloud Candy IPA, Mike Czech pilsner, or Lucky Luke oatmeal stout at this spacious family-friendly taproom, an expansion from the original Waltham location. (There’s one in Watertown now, too.) There’s live music and a full kitchen, too, churning out brick-oven pizzas, tacos, and more. And if you’re just in need of coffee and a pastry? Swing by for caffeine and café fare daily, starting at 7 a.m.

1 David Ortiz Dr., Fenway, Boston, mightysquirrel.com.

Nathálie

This Best of Boston wine bar—sibling to downtown favorite Haley.Henry—is the kind of darkly lush and inviting space you’ll want to bring a date to in order to compare tasting notes. We’re listing it in the drinking section because it is, first and foremost, a wine bar—one that focuses its quirky and wonderful list on small-production, natural wines. But the food is certainly no afterthought: Make your way through small plates like gnocchi with blue crab or roasted broccoli with miso cream, and leave room for dessert. Keep an eye out for occasional live music events as well as the “L Club” on the third Saturday night of the month, a “lesbian love fest for our community of queer queens who need a place to slay.”

186 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston, 857-317-3884, nathaliebar.com.

Trillium

The popular local brewing company has a small, freestanding taproom on the lawn in front of Landmark Center, featuring over a dozen of its beers (and hard seltzers) on tap, covering a variety of styles, from hoppy to sour. Retail four-packs and bottles are also available for purchase, and customers are welcome to bring in their own food. (Conveniently, Time Out Market Boston is right there—see above.)

401 Park Dr., Fenway, Boston, 857-449-0078, trilliumbrewing.com.

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Where to Get Caffeinated

You’ll find outposts of large chains like Caffè Nero, Starbucks, and Boston’s own Tatte in the vicinity, but we prefer visiting the smaller indies when possible.

Pavement Coffeehouse

This local mini-chain, established in 2009, now numbers nine locations in Greater Boston—including a Boylston Street spot convenient to Fenway Park. Bagels, on their own or in sandwich form, are the thing to get; Pavement has its roots in a bagel shop, after all (Allston’s late Bagel Rising). A few other baked goods and snacks round out the menu, along with plenty of hot and cold coffee- and tea-based drinks. Fun Fenway fact: Pavement’s house blend, Rathskeller, is named for the gone-but-not-forgotten iconic Kenmore Square rock club.

1334 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 857-263-7355, pavementcoffeehouse.com.

Phinista

When you’re in the mood for sweet crêpes and your friend wants a bánh mì, this French-Vietnamese café is here for you both. Don’t miss rotating drink specials—strawberry matcha lattes, coco cloud ube, spiced maple mocha, and more.

96 Peterborough St., Fenway, Boston, 617-262-7700, phinista.com.

The Sipping Room by Breeze

This is more of an afternoon/early evening café; it typically doesn’t open until noon. But it’s worth the wait for the compact menu of tasty drinks touching on various Asian countries. There’s a Milo dinosaur, for example, popular in Singapore and Malaysia; Hong Kong-style milk tea; and Thai iced tea. Interesting art is always on display in the cozy spot, but if you prefer to caffeinate while surrounded by nature, the Fens are right across the street.

132 Jersey St., Fenway, Boston, instagram.com/thesippingroombybreeze.

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Where to Get Dessert

From late-night doughnuts to all things matcha, here’s where you can grab a quick dessert in the neighborhood.

The Back Door Donuts apple fritter. / Photo by Emily Burke/ENB Social

Back Door Donuts

Remember those late-night doughnuts mentioned in the Loretta’s Last Call blurb above? Well, here they are. Martha’s Vineyard icon Back Door Donuts pops up out of a side door of Loretta’s, open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly, with apple fritters and lots more. (The team is calling it a pop-up, but there’s no definite end date on the books.) Just look for the “Donuts After Dark” neon sign. Bonus: On Sox game days and other Fenway events, the doughnuts are available starting at 4 p.m.

1 Lansdowne St., Fenway, Boston, 508-693-3688, backdoordonuts.com.

Blackbird Doughnuts

Don’t worry, you can get doughnuts earlier in the day, too. Beloved local chain Blackbird Doughnuts has a Fenway location that operates from 7 a.m. (weekdays) or 8 a.m. (weekends) to 4 p.m., featuring a mix of cake- and brioche-based doughnuts. Most flavors rotate monthly, but there are a few classics always available, like chocolate old fashioned or vanilla glaze.

20 Kilmarnock St., Fenway, Boston, 617-482-9000, blackbirddoughnuts.com.

Fomu

Another local favorite with a few locations, Fomu—tagline “Earth Inspired Desserts”—offers a fully vegan menu of treats, particularly ice cream, which is made with coconut milk. A core list of year-round flavors like the minty chocolate “grasshopper pie” and peanut butter chocolate cookie are joined by seasonal specials like pancake breakfast (maple ice cream with a latte swirl and pancake). Also on the menu: ice cream cakes, cookies, popsicles, and more.

140 Brookline Ave., Fenway, Boston, 857-284-7229, fomuicecream.com.

Matcha Cafe Maiko. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Matcha Café Maiko

This Hawaii-based dessert chain now has quite a few locations in the United States (and a handful elsewhere in the world), and we’re pleased it has made its way to Boston because we can’t get enough of its matcha-filled menu. There’s edible gold-covered matcha soft serve if you’re feeling a little bit fancy, plus plenty of lattes, floats, and bubble teas. Why not grab a green dessert before heading to the Green Monster?

115 Jersey St., Fenway, Boston, 617-322-5360, matchamaikobos.com.

A spread of Hawksmoor food. / Courtesy photo

With charcoal-grilled steaks, super-cold martinis, hearty Sunday roasts, and water views, a London-based steakhouse chain is coming to Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood this fall. It’ll be the 15th location for Hawksmoor, which debuted in London’s East End 20 years ago and has since expanded around the United Kingdom, Ireland, and United States (New York and Chicago). Founded by childhood friends Will Beckett and Huw Gott, the restaurant is an ode to Britain’s remarkable cattle history.

Boston—and the waterfront, in particular—is full of steakhouses, both out-of-town chains and local indies. We’ve got steakhouse styles aplenty: classic American, Italian, Brazilian, Colombian (new in Brookline), and Spanish (opening next month in South Boston). But British? That’s new. A 2021 New York Times review of the Manhattan location provides optimism: “Does New York need a British steakhouse?” asked the Times. “Yes, if it’s Hawksmoor.” (Critic Pete Wells seemed particularly enamored with the quality of the steaks, tasting “irrefutably like beef,” perhaps thanks to the Hawksmoor team’s focus on sourcing from small, traditional cattle ranchers with ethical, sustainable practices.)

“The concept of a chophouse has existed in the UK since the 17th century,” says Beckett, “a restaurant that does simple things really well, often over a live fire. That’s kind of the pared-back version of what a [modern] British steakhouse is.” Twenty years ago, though, “there wasn’t really a British steakhouse in London,” says Beckett. “You could go to the traditional American-style steakhouses that, in my mind, were that archetype from the 1950s to 1970s, and there were Argentinian and Australian types of steakhouses too.” But Beckett (son of a food journalist) and Gott (son of cafe owners; grandson of a long line of butchers) thought that something was missing: a comfortable restaurant that celebrated Britain’s “really proud tradition of beef cattle” while meeting “the aesthetic of London at the time.”

Recalls Beckett: “We stripped back all the pretension.” The first Hawksmoor, named for an 18th-century architect, “was in a rundown part of East London, and you got a steak on a white plate—but it was the best steak we could possibly find. Local, ethical, and all that.” The team made a point of hiring “alternative-looking” people who were serious about a career in hospitality but, at the time, would be unlikely to be hired by most other venues in the fine-dining echelon of London restaurants. That’s not unique now, he says, but that come-as-you-are vibe remains a core piece of the Hawksmoor philosophy, in terms of staff as well as customers. In other words, don’t expect white tablecloths, and don’t feel bad swinging by in jeans.

In a sea of steakhouses, Beckett touts Hawksmoor’s craft, passion, and sourcing as “maybe unusual for steak restaurants, generally.” But moreso, “it’s that strand of London” that sets the restaurant apart from its peers on this side of the pond. “We’re from London; we really enjoy leaning into that,” says Beckett. The most obvious manifestation of this on the menu is the Sunday roast—a feast of beef, all the trimmings, Yorkshire pudding, and more—which has won a couple of awards. (“I’m hesitating to [mention the acclaim] because I’m English, and then I remember that I’m in America, and it’s ok to say something positive about yourself,” jokes Beckett.) “We’re probably almost as well-known for [the roast] in the UK as we are for steak. It’s that experience of family coming together and enjoying a predictable meal formula that everyone knows.”

Back to the actual steak, though: Dry-aged before hitting the charcoal, the meat comes in a variety of cuts. Hawksmoor touts its eight signatures, including the rump (beefy, a little chewier than a filet), the ribeye (juicy, flavorful), and the chateaubriand (tender, large, good for sharing). Diners will find information about the day’s cuts and sizes displayed on chalkboards. Sauces such as anchovy hollandaise and bone marrow gravy are available as accompaniments, as well as sides that feel akin to those at American steakhouses, from creamed spinach to mac and cheese.

The expansive Necco Street space will seat 200, featuring a large terrace for seasonal outdoor dining and a big bar area, the first thing you’ll see when you enter the restaurant. “We’re going to be a great neighborhood bar,” says Beckett. “We’re going to lean into the drinks being fun, accessible. You want people to come in and have a really good time, and it’s the kind of place you could go three or four times a week.” Beckett adds that Hawksmoor’s bar program is “really well-regarded” (see, he’s embracing that American self-promotion); in fact, the New York location picked up a James Beard Awards semifinalist nod in 2025 for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

A few things to watch for on the drink side: The martinis are “small and unbelievably cold,” says Beckett, so you can drink them before they warm up. Plus, they’re put through a jewelry cleaner (really!) “to homogenize the liquid and give a viscosity to it.” Sour cherry Negronis are among the other popular drinks, and then there’s Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew: “For the first 18 years, it outsold the whole rest of the cocktail list, and it’s brilliant,” says Beckett. “People honestly go nuts for it,” and it’s a reminder that bars should be fun. In America, he’s noticed, the restaurants themselves are fun, but many high-end cocktail bars have somehow managed to “take alcohol and make it not fun.” The goal here, he says, is to adhere to the standards of a high-end cocktail bar but add back the fun.

While “what most people enjoy most at Hawksmoor are the things we do across the board,” says Beckett, the team does explore some city-specific items on the food and drink menus. Nothing to share on the food side yet for Boston, says Beckett, although there’ll certainly be an emphasis on seafood and Boston history. As for drinks, Hawksmoor beverage director Liam Davy is on a mission to create “the most incredible” pistachio martini, says Beckett: On Davy’s most recent Boston trip, he came across the local classic in the North End and plans to figure out how to make it “and turn it to 11 out of 10,” promises Beckett.

Beyond the appeal of our pistachio martinis, Boston is a draw for Beckett and Gott because of the “natural affinity” between British people and Bostonians. “There’s a similarity in terms of sense of humor and a bit of caution around things that are from somewhere else,” says Beckett. “A bit of judgment. I like that mutual sensibility. And it’s a really nice-sized, manageable city, and the seafood is great. The restaurants are great.” Fort Point is a particularly good fit, he adds, as the neighborhood feels like London’s East End did when the first Hawksmoor opened. “There’s a soul to [Fort Point], a history to it,” says Beckett. “All of these incredible, beautiful, old industrial buildings. There’s an energy to the neighborhood that makes us feel at home.”

Hawksmoor is on track for a fall 2026 opening. “I’d like your readers to know that I successfully said ‘fall’ instead of ‘autumn,’” says Beckett. “I’m acclimatizing.” 15 Necco St., Fort Point, Boston, thehawksmoor.com/us.

Hawksmoor co-founders Will Beckett (left) and Huw Gott. / Courtesy photo