Guides

Where to Eat in Greater Boston for September 2025

New and exciting restaurants to check out, plus good reasons to visit older spots.

By Rachel Leah Blumenthal· 8/29/2025, 2:59 p.m.

Overview of an elegantly plated tuna crudo garnished with a bright pink swoosh of beet puree dotted with three black dollops of black garlic puree.

Nine’s yellowfin tuna crudo with beet purée, black garlic purée, navel orange, and crispy shallots. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Summer’s going out with a bang with lots of new restaurants, from a pizza-focused spot (with pizza-inspired cocktails!) in Allston to French-Japanese fusion in the Seaport to fine-dining and fancy gin on Beacon Hill. Here’s the latest installment of our monthly guide on exciting newcomers to check out and older spots that have recently expanded or changed. (Check out last month’s guide here.) Plug these all into your to-eat list alongside revisits to old favorites as you cement your Michelin predictions, because those stars will be announced on November 18.

Jump to:

New restaurants to try this month: Recent (and imminent) openings
Older restaurants doing new things: Anniversaries and expansions—time for a (re)visit

Also check out our recently updated dining guides: Fish and chips | Provincetown restaurants | Rooftop bars | Seafood restaurants | Sushi

New Restaurants to Try This Month

Recent (and imminent) openings you’ve got to check out.

Akami Omakase (Brookline)

An omakase sushi feast under $100? Count us in for 13 beautifully fresh courses of pristine seafood, sourced from Japan and beyond—and served with flair (and occasionally some smoky theatrics).

187 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-383-5524, akamiboston.com.

Broken Cup Teahouse (Cambridge)

Hidden on the 12th floor of the CIC office building in Kendall Square, Broken Cup Teahouse highlights single-origin, full-leaf teas sourced directly from producers in East Asia. The teahouse celebrated its soft opening in late August, with a full opening to come imminently. Keep an eye on social media for details, as reservations are required, not to mention a bit of an adventure finding the beautifully appointed space.

245 Main St. (CIC, 12th floor), Kendall Square, Cambridge, brokencupteahouse.com.

Capri (South End)

There’s plenty of patio season left, and this expansive SoWa space is where we want to spend it. From the team behind Prima in Charlestown, Capri is an Italian steakhouse—with hand-rolled pastas costarring. A heaping portion of rigatoni alla vodka, eaten alfresco with a spritz, sounds like our kind of summer.

500 Harrison Ave., South End, Boston, capriboston.com.

Four pizzas with puffy, lightly charred crusts sit on a terrazzo table at a restaurant with cocktails, wine, appetizers, and a bit of a mustard-yellow banquette peeking through.

Pizzas and more at Fido Pizza. / Photo by Reagan Byrne

FiDO Pizza (Allston)

The Bar Mezzana team had us at pepperoni Negronis and giant meatballs—and, of course, killer “new New York-style” pizza with a long-fermented dough full of character. Playful cocktails abound at this sit-down spot, which has a prime location for Harvard’s continuing development of the area.

250 Western Ave., Allston, Boston, 617-420-3436, fidopizza.com.

An empty restaurant interior shows a light wooden sushi bar and dark gray tiled floor.

Lab 13 Handroll Bar. / Courtesy photo

Lab 13 Handroll Bar (Chestnut Hill)

Crispy nori-wrapped handrolls are the focus at this new sushi spot at the Chestnut Hill Square shopping center. Forego decision-making and pick one of the set menus—three or more handrolls—for an easy win, perhaps with sake, ranging from affordable picks to a bit fancier.

210 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, 857-297-2099, lab13handroll.com.

Overhead shot of a plate of food, including croquettes, baked oysters, hanger steak, shrimp and grits, and more.

Louis Corner. / Photo by MAZÍ Food Group

Louis Corner (South End)

MAZÍ Food Group’s South End restaurants always feel trendy and cool—particularly the listening lounge, Desnuda, that opened last year. But the group’s latest debut is a deliberate bucking of trends and a return to comforting nostalgia. Find regional American classics at Louis Corner, from shrimp and grits to hanger steak.

552 Tremont St., South End, Boston, louiscorner.com.

Red leather stools are lined up at a bar on a white-tiled floor.

Lou’s. / Photo by Alyssa Blumstein

Lou’s (Harvard Square)

Live music venues that place equal emphasis on the food are sadly rare, so we’re thrilled at the debut of Lou’s. Chef Jason Bond (of the gone-but-not-forgotten Bondir) heads up a serious kitchen to the sounds of bluegrass, South African jazz, and more. Plus: free parking (while spaces are available) at the garage at 20 Eliot St.

Lou’s, 13 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, 857-706-1100, wearelous.com.

Seaweed is propped up in a V shape in a wooden holder, full of raw fish and a sliced radish.

A Mai handroll. / F33D Marketing

Mai (Seaport)

Opening imminently in the Seaport, this glam French-Japanese izakaya comes from the team behind Matsunori Handroll Bar. Cofounder and CEO Kevin Liu previously hinted at “very flashy” cocktails inspired by Japan’s Bar Centifolia alongside dishes like miso bouillabaisse; eel sandwiches with strawberry yuzu jam and foie gras; and daily catch shabu-shabu with shiso-ponzu jelly.

31 Northern Ave., Seaport District, Boston, mai.boston.

Nine (Beacon Hill)

Gin rules at Beacon Hill’s new fine-dining spot, located in Barbara Lynch’s longtime No. 9 Park space and with much of the same team (minus Lynch). Alongside seasonal, high-technique tasting menus nodding to French and other European cuisines, sprinkled with bits of the Mediterranean, Nine pays homage to Victorian London’s “gin palaces” with an intriguing global selection of the spirit.

9 Park St. Pl., Beacon Hill, Boston, 617-936-3440, ninerg.com.

TooHot (Harvard Square)

We love spicy food, and we love not having to think, so the debut of this new Sichuan hideaway with a chef’s-choice tasting menu was kismet. Sit back, relax, and get ready for fiery, funky flavors.

18 Eliot St. LG1, Harvard Square, Cambridge, 617-945-1206, toohot.kitchen.

Older Restaurants Doing New Things

Anniversaries and expansions—time for a (re)visit.

Anna’s Taqueria (Multiple Locations)

Happy 30th anniversary (last month, but the celebration continues in September—watch social media for details on an upcoming throwback-pricing day) to this beloved local chain and its super-size burritos and refreshing agua frescas. A brand-new downtown location (84 Summer St.) could open later this month, with more outposts to come.

Multiple locations, annas.com.

Two long loaves of babka are brushed with a clear glaze.

At Bakey, loaves of vanilla babka are glazed with a vanilla syrup. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Bakey (Downtown Boston)

Babka alert: Bakey has opened a fifth location, this one inside Quincy Market. While each location offers decadent babka in multiple flavors, plus other pastries, breads, and more (we love the savory cheese burekas), this is the only one to offer the growing chain’s Boston cream pie-flavored babka year-round.

4 South Market St. (Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall Marketplace), Downtown Boston, bakeybabka.com.

Bottega del Sud (South Boston)

The creamy pink “fedora” pasta sauce from Coolidge Corner’s Bottega Fiorentina has been living rent-free in our heads for years. Soon, we can enjoy it at a sunny new location in Southie, too, not to mention cannoli and panini galore. Opening imminently.

645 E. 2nd St., South Boston, eatbottega.com.

Bubble Bath (Back Bay)

What’s better than Champagne, caviar service, and jazzed-up bar bites? All that, plus stunning views from a sky-high Back Bay perch. Chef-restaurateur Tiffani Faison has outdone herself with the second location of her bubbly wine bar, located atop the CitizenM hotel at the Lyrik development. (New locations of George Howell Coffee and Pink Carrot have also just opened at Lyrik.)

408 Newbury St. (CitizenM Back Bay Hotel; take the first elevator to floor 2 and the next elevator to “R”), Back Bay, Boston, bubblebathboston.com.

Café Anoush

Can’t get enough of Anoush’ella’s Eastern Mediterranean cuisine in the South End and various local food halls? It now has a temporary pop-up, Café Anoush—a weekly open-air communal dining experience at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center in Watertown. Swing by on Thursdays between 5 and 9 p.m. (reservations encouraged at the phone number below) for mezze, grilled entrées, and desserts. It will continue into the fall, while weather permits. BYOB (corking fee applies).

47 Nichols Ave. (ACEC), Watertown, 617-512-4819, anoushella.com.

A silver pan full of black pasta and scallops, tossed with a ground calamari and herb topping.

The Daily Catch’s squid ink linguine aglio olio with scallops, with fried calamari in the background. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The Daily Catch Takeout Window (North End)

On September 4, North End classic the Daily Catch debuts a takeout spot two doors down, focusing on travel-friendly staples from the restaurant (and some new dishes). Think: haddock sandwiches, lobster rolls, and more. Squid-ink pasta is well worth the wait at the original, but we’re looking forward to snacking on to-go fried calamari.

331 Hanover St., North End, Boston, thedailycatch.com/takeout-window.

Runny eggs, bacon, and cheese on a poppyseed bun.

Breakfast sandwiches (not on crullers, but you can get breakfast sandwiches on crullers, too) at Daily Provisions. / Photo by Peter Garritano

Daily Provisions (Harvard Square)

Thanks to a breakfast sandwich on a maple cruller, your boring workday just got a lot tastier. This New York-based all-day café has arrived in Greater Boston to kickstart your day with orange-cinnamon cold brew and make dinner easier with top-tier takeout roast chicken. Watch for a Seaport location in 2026.

1 Brattle Sq. Suite A1, Harvard Square, Cambridge, dailyprovisions.co.

Trays of tacos sit on a table alongside two glasses of beer.

Tacos and beer at Democracy Brewing. / Photo by Gene Buonaccorsi

Democracy Brewing (East Boston)

Eastie finally has its own brewery—with Cuban sandwiches and creative meat platters to boot. It’s exciting to see the friendly worker-owned brewpub, which also has a downtown location, expand throughout the area with its genre-hopping brews and warm vibes.

154 Maverick St., East Boston, democracybrewing.com.

Row 34 (Kenmore Square)

Quintessential New England seafood restaurant Row 34’s fifth location lands at a storied seafood address at the Hotel Commonwealth—the longtime home of Row 34’s previous sibling, Island Creek Oyster Bar, preceded by Great Bay and followed by Pescador. The balance of nostalgia to looking forward hits just right with a mix of Row classics (crispy oyster lettuce cups, lobster rolls) and seasonally driven new creations.

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

Third Time Together (Brighton)

Best of Boston winner Third Time Ice Cream, which has popped up in various guises in recent months, is putting down roots at the Charles River Speedway, serving that award-winning ice cream alongside lunch and dinner. It’s currently in soft-opening mode, so stay tuned for expanded hours and menu. (At past pop-ups, including a residency at Tilde in Cambridge, Third Time’s savory dishes were an eclectic mix taking some cues from Middle Eastern cuisines, as Third Time founder Nick Laden-Sienne is an Oleana and Sofra alum.)

525 Western Ave. (Charles River Speedway), Brighton, Boston, thirdtimetogether.co.

A version of this guide first appeared in the print edition of the September 2025 issue with the headline, “The Hot List.”