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SeafoodNorth End
Neptune Oyster on Salem Street runs the city's defining raw bar in Boston's North End since 2004. 42 seats, no reservations, hot-buttered lobster roll.
OrderHot-buttered lobster roll on a butter-toasted split-top bun.
TipPut your name on the iPad at 16:30. The wait at 18:30 runs 90 minutes; weekday lunch is the easy seat.
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SeafoodBack Bay
Kathy Sidell's Saltie Girl on Dartmouth Street runs tinned fish, crudo and lobster rolls in Boston's Back Bay since 2016. Kitchen leans seafood.
OrderThe tinned fish board: anchovies, mussels and sardines on warm butter toast.
TipThe window counter is the walk-in seat. Brunch books two weeks out on Saturdays.
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Pan-asianSouth End
Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers run Myers and Chang on Washington Street since 2007 as a pan-Asian diner in Boston's South End. Priced at $$.
OrderThe dan dan noodles with house-ground Sichuan peppercorn.
TipCheap Date Mondays runs a fixed $50 for two. The bar pours an excellent gin list.
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AfghanCambridge
The Helmand in East Cambridge runs an Afghan kitchen near Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge since 1989. Wood-fired flatbread, charcoal-grilled lamb.
OrderKaddo, pan-fried baby pumpkin with garlic yogurt and meat sauce.
TipWeekday reservations easy. The kabuli pulao is the hidden order; ask for it.
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SpanishJamaica Plain
Tres Gatos on Centre Street has run a tapas-bar-and-book-shop in Jamaica Plain Boston since 2011. Kitchen leans spanish. Booking recommended.
OrderChicken croquetas and a glass of Manzanilla sherry.
TipWeekend brunch is the under-the-radar seat. Book shop opens 17:00.
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MexicanBrookline
Anna's Taqueria on Harvard Street has run the city's fast-Mexican benchmark in Brookline near Coolidge Corner in Boston since 1995. Priced at $.
OrderSuper burrito with carnitas, rice, beans, salsa and guacamole.
TipOrder the super burrito and split it with a friend. The line at noon moves in five minutes.