The Top Restaurants in Boston Right Now — Resy | Right This Way
Updated: June 2, 2025
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
Consider it your essential resource for dining in Boston: a monthly-updated guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Five Things In Boston Not to Miss This Month
Story Time: On June 4, Pagu will be hosting an event billed as AAPI Journeys – Stories of Resilienc e, a roundtable marking Asian American Pacific Islander month with conversations from local chefs, community leaders and advocates. This being Pagu, it will also feature passed appetizers and a seated five-course menu, as well as the option to experience a beverage pairing. Tickets here, and check out more Resy Events here.
Eleven Heaven: On June 12th, Chickadee is turning itself into Eleven Madison Park — sort of — by serving a seven-course dinner inspired by chef Daniel Humm’s “Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook.” Tickets here.
Pink Friday: Pride is nigh, and haley.henry Wine Bar is stepping up to the plate with its “Good Luck Babe Pink Party” on June 13, which promises to be a Chappell Roan-soaked evening with games of chance, liberal amounts of temporary tattoos, and no shortage of natural wine. Find tickets here.
Block it Off: NorthEndstandbyPrezza is turning 25 and marking the occasion in classic North End fashion by throwing a block party. Held inside the restaurant and on a tented parking lot directly across the street, ticket holders will have their pick from respective seafood (oysters, tuna tacos, shrimp scampi cups), pasta (cavatelli Bolognese, orecchiette sausage rabe) and meat (pulled pork, beef tenderloin and chicken Milanese sliders) stations. Non-edible enticements include a DJ, cornhole, face painting, photo booths and more. Score tickets here.
Touch Grass: No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you: it’s actually nice outside. Which may necessitate a reservation at any of Boston’s finest patio-enabled restaurants, including SRV, Saltie Girl Boston, Shy Bird – South Boston, or ReelHouse East Boston Waterfront. Or find more of our top patio picks here.
New to the Hit List (June 2025)
Gary’s Pizza, Lone Star Taco Bar, Maguro, Zuma Boston.
1. Sarma
- Winter Hill
- Mediterranean
- $$$
2. Zuma Boston
- Back Bay
- Japanese
- $$$
3. Lone Star Taco Bar – Allston
- Allston
- Tex-Mex
- $$
4. Folio
- Downtown
- Wine Bar
- $
5. Noah's Kitchen
- Brookline
- Chinese
- $
6. Matria
- Downtown
- Italian Steakhouse
- $$
7. Josephine
- Somerville
- Italian & Pizza
- $
8. Birds of Paradise
- Brighton
- Cocktail Bar
- $
9. The Sea Hag Restaurant and Bar
- Harvard Square
- American
- $
10. Maguro
- Brookline
- Japanese
- $$
11. Woods Hill Pier 4 – Seaport
- Seaport
- American
- $$
12. Bar Enza
- Harvard
- Italian
- $$$
13. Qué Mas
- Beverly
- Spanish Latin Caribbean
- $$
14. Contessa Boston
- Back Bay
- Italian
- $$$$
15. Da LaPosta
- Newtonville
- Italian
- $
16. LoLa 42
- Seaport
- Asian-American-Mediterranean
- $$
17. Boston Chops – South End
- South End
- Steakhouse
- $$$
18. Mimi's Chuka Diner
- Union Square
- Chinese
- $
19. Gary’s Pizza
- South End
20. Fairway
- Downtown
- American
- $$
20 venues
1.Sarma Winter Hill map
Photo courtesy of Sarma
There’s something to be said — nay, a lot to be said — about the sort of restaurant in an otherwise sleepy neighborhood that still books up weeks in advance, more than 10 years after opening. Sarma is that. Yes, the bevy of awards has helped, but that would shortchange the constant creativity of chef Cassie Piuma, whose Turkish meyhane concept still resonates. Piuma has maintained her Somerville spot as a laboratory for Mediterranean flavors, pumping out playful mezze like lentil nachos, brussels sprouts bravas, and harissa barbecue duck, while still keeping diners on their toes for whenever the Turkish fried chicken — which can only be ordered direct from the tray — comes out of the kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Sarma
2.Zuma Boston Back Bay map
Ensconced within the One Dalton Street Four Seasons, Zuma Boston is the local branch of the globe-spanning contemporary Japanese restaurant chain with locations from Hong Kong to Ibiza. Sushi, as you might reasonably expect, is a mainstay, with over-the-top house special rolls that pair seared scallops with uni and fresh truffle, or fatty tuna rolls that can be kicked up with a few grams of imperial caviar. Also, on the menu are signature dishes like roasted lobster in shiso ponzu butter or hoba leaf-wrapped black cod, plus grilled robata skewers ranging from sake-marinated chicken wings to pork belly with apple mustard miso. On the weekends, its expansive bar takes on a decidedly oonce-oonce-ooncevibe, with Japanese whisky old-fashioneds or lychee and rose petal martinis on hand to keep the party going.
3.Lone Star Taco Bar – Allston Allston map
The “you can’t get good tacos in Boston” crowd would be well served by taking a trip to this slice of Tex-Mex heaven smack in the middle of Allston. Here, pillowyhousemade corn tortillas are made into any of the nine available taco options, ranging from Baja fried fish to chorizo fundido to the house specialty Dallas spicy beef. Non-tortilla-based offerings, meanwhile, come in the form of grilled street corn with garlic lime aioli or a tortaMilanesa made by stuffing a fried pork cutlet with refried beans, grilled pineapple, and Oaxacan cheese between two slices of bread. The drink menu isn’t anything to sneeze at either, with a half-dozen margarita varietals on call plus originals like the mezcal-based, tiki-inspired Oaxacan Dread.
4.Folio Downtown map
Folio — the open-to-the-public cafe that quite literally bookends the Boston Athenaeum, an esteemed members’ library — has refreshed itself for spring. And it’s a refreshment worth paying proper attention to, as it includes pressed maitake consommé, duck rillette gougère (read: very fancy sliders) with blue cheese and kumquat agrodolce, and mushroom and Madeira chicken pies. Meanwhile, the cocktail menu refreshes in another way, with specialties like Alice’s Wonderland with milk-washed gin, hibiscus, caramelized banana, pineapple, and guava.
5.Noah’s Kitchen Brookline map
Photo courtesy of Noah’s Kitchen
Málà is a Chinese word roughly translating to “numbing and spicy” — a sensation you’ll be well familiar with about 20 minutes after sitting down to a meal at Noah’s Kitchen, Brookline’s latest purveyor of Sichuan cooking. The eponymous peppercorn comes fast and furious here, via dishes like twice-cooked pork belly, grilled whole fish, and even a sautéed spicy bullfrog casserole. Also of note: mapo tofu, hot pot beef brisket, and housemade dumplings as far as the eye can see.
Photo courtesy of Noah’s Kitchen
6.Matria Downtown map
Piedmontese cuisine — hailing from the Northwestern region of Italy that sits just below the Alps — is the order of the day at Matria, an Italian steakhouse nestled within the Intercontinental Boston. What’s not on the menu is red sauce (an eggplant Parmigiana drizzled with San Marzanos is about as close as it gets). What is: Beef tartare with capers and shaved truffles, housemade pastas including a veal and beef short rib agnolotti with English peas, and a whole “bistecca” portion of the menu that tops off with a 44-ounce tomahawk for two. Yes, you’re going to need a bag.
7.Josephine Somerville map
Italian the old-school way is the organizing principle behind Josephine in Somerville’s Cambria Hotel.It comes to us from chef Michael Scelfo (of Alden & Harlow, Waypoint, and Longfellow Bar fame), whose homage to traditional Italian American cooking goes something like this: dry-aged meatballs, skillet eggplant parmesan, rigatoni with vodka sauce and housemade sausage, deep dish pies with spicy ‘roni cups — you get the picture.
8.Birds of Paradise Brighton map
International travel — via bar stool — is the theme at Birds of Paradise, which comes from the acclaimed team behind Baldwin Bar and Blossom Bar. Each drink is presented as a one-way ticket from one far-flung destination to another, with the resulting concoction incorporating elements of both locales. For instance, the Rio to Tokyo contains both cachaça and a wasabi-coconut cordial, or the Dublin to Caracas with Irish whisky, banana, and tonka bean. The globe-hopping theme similarly extends to the food menu, packed with snacks like pork gyoza and poke bowls.
9.The Sea Hag Restaurant and Bar Harvard Square map
Grendel’s Den — the subterranean watering holethat’s been beloved by Harvard undergrads and grads alike since 1871 — has gained a little sister in the form of The Sea Hag. The airy establishment makes its bones on oysters and modern, seafood-forward interpretations of traditional pub fare, including skillet-braised Mediterranean haddock, tempura fish tacos, and Mozambique-style shrimp in a garlicky saffron sauce. It also boasts what might be the Square’s most enticing special: a pint of Guinness and an oyster for just shy of $10.
10.Maguro Brookline map
Photo courtesy of Maguro
The owner of Sweet Rice, a longtime Thai standby in Charlestown, has put down roots in Brookline with this new concept that blends Thai and Japanese flavors. What that means in menu terms is an enormous sushi selection (don’t miss the house maguro roll, made with spicy tuna, torched tuna belly, caviar, and truffle) as well as izakaya standbys like chicken karaage don plus traditional Thai fare including drunken noodles, spicy chili larb, and chicken kra pao.
Photo courtesy of Maguro
11.Woods Hill Pier 4 – Seaport Seaport map
By virtue of its attachment to the same-named New Hampshire farm, Woods Hill Pier 4’s menu is organized around seasonality and a nose-to-tail ethos. What that’s meant in plated form lately is dishes including sunflower risotto with pickled sweet potato, smoked pork and foie gras bratwurst with spaetzle, and a formidable range of housemade pastas like cresto di gallo with red wine-braised duck. Throw in panoramic Boston Harbor views from their glass-walled dining room, and you’re truly getting the best of land and sea.
12.Bar Enza Harvard map
Lydia Shire — who you might recall as the first female winner of a James Beard Award, the chef and co-owner of Scampo, or a myriad of other highlights from her 50-year career — has just added another notch to her belt as culinary director of Bar Enza at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. With a menu already stacked with the likes of lamb merguez gnocchi and 14-ounce bisteccas with potato croquettes, it’s an auspicious start for the Italian restaurant group’s latest act.
13.Qué Mas Beverly map
Qué Mas — roughly translated as “what else?” — is a fitting moniker for this modern pan-Latin spot in Beverly, which serves as a culinary tour of Central and South America. Stops include sweet corn arepas with burrata and sundried tomato pesto, swordfish al pastor with grits and pineapple salsa, and braised lamb ossobuco served in grilled banana leaves. Fun fact: chef Alex Pineda is the son of legendary Boston-area chef Lydia Shire, and came up working at Scampo.
14.Contessa Boston Back Bay map
In Boston, Contessa has quite nearly cornered the market on seeing-and-being-seen. But as glamorous as this rooftop jewel box of a restaurant — and many of its patrons — might be, you’re coming here for more than views, since Major Food Group (of New York’s Carbone) doesn’t miss a beat on memorable dishes. Specifically, spicy lobster capellini, eye-popping 40-ounce bisteccas, and some of the best made Negronis on this side of the Atlantic.
15.Da LaPosta Newtonville map
Newtonville may be a long way from Naples, but chef Mario LaPosta is helping to bridge that gap with his eponymous restaurant specializing in naturally leavened, wood-fired pies and high-end takes on Southern Italian street food. Imagine: delicately fried calamari and housemade ricotta accompanied by hot honey, followed by pizza crowned with fresh figs and lardo or grilled ramps, ‘nduja, and mozzarella. Add in an enviable selection of wines sourced from the Boot’s lower half, and you’vegot yourself a stamp-free passport to Italy.
16.LoLa 42 Seaport map
No ferry is required to visit LoLa 42, the Seaport outpost of the beloved Nantucket institution Lola 41 Nantucket. Like its equivalent, the menu has a hyper-specific focus on cuisines that fall along the 42nd parallel. Fortunately, that makes for fare like beef bulgogi bao, spicy scallop sushi rolls, and cavatelli Bolognese. Always of interest is the Lola Burger, made with red onion compote and foie gras sauce and served on an English muffin.
17.Boston Chops – South End South End map
With a new class of neo-steakhouses suddenly sprouting up from Downtown to Charlestown, it’s worth remembering the venue that helped kickstart the trend way back in 2013 — and is still going strong (along with its sister Boston Chops Downtown). With its moody, low-lit interior and classic but never stodgy dishes like roasted bone marrow with balsamic onion jam, lardon-topped iceberg wedge salads, and filet mignon with goat cheese potato croquettes, it’s a fresh reminder that steakhouses are worth seeking out, expense account or not.
18.Mimi’s Chuka Diner Union Square map
After soft-opening for take-out last fall, Mimi’s Chuka Diner — to recap, that’s Chinese cuisine as cooked in Japan — is firing on all cylinders (and accepting reservations) at its space inside Aeronaut Brewing Co. Expect crunchy kombu-brined chicken karaage, fried pork gyoza, and extra-garlicky garlic noodles, plus more surprising fare like a wagyu burger with yaki-barbecue sauce and Kewpie mayo.
19.Gary’s Pizza South End map
For decades, the Columbus Hospitality Group has been synonymous with fine dining, opening and maintaining restaurants including Mistral, Ostra, Sorellina, and Mooo. Their latest is not that. Instead, it’s a tiny, counter-service joint in the South End serving a delightful take on Roman-style pizza, typified by square slices and crispy, doughy crusts. Drop in for a margherita or spicy soppressataby the slice, half-pie, or full pies, plus other goodies ranging from wagyu meatball subs to focaccia loaves to chocolate chip cookies.
Walk-ins only. Find more info here.
20.Fairway Downtown map
Photo courtesy of Bar Fellini
Also ensconced within the Intercontinental Boston, Bar Fellini is a sort of sibling establishment to Matria, specializing in aperitivo cocktails (i.e., you’ll want to drop in here to pique your appetite before sitting down to bistecca at the latter). Around a horseshoe-shaped bar that looks right out of a … Fellini movie, you’ll partake in Aperol spritzes or original creations like the Juliet of Spirits (grappa, bergamot liqueur, fig syrup), and maybe even snack on short rib arancini or burrata toast if you start to feel a bit peckish.
Photo courtesy of Bar Fellini
Craving something else?
Date NightCozy LocalesStaff PicksOutdoor DiningBrunchGlobal Dining Access… And More
Pagu
4.4 · Japanese · $$$
Central Square
Chickadee
4.8 · Mediterranean · $$
Seaport
haley.henry Wine Bar
4.8 · Wine Bar · $$
Downtown Crossing
Prezza
4.8 · Italian · $$$
North End
SRV
4.8 · Italian · $$
South End
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