Row 34 on Congress Street has run the Fort Point oyster room in Boston since 2013. Named for row 34 in Duxbury Bay; 20 East Coast oyster varieties daily; Boston Magazine Best Seafood 2025.
Signature dishes: Duxbury oysters, Lobster roll
Must order: A mixed dozen of East Coast oysters and the crispy oysters with sriracha aioli.
Tip: The bar runs the same menu without the reservation lead time. Tuesday nights walk in easily.
Address: 383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
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 the dish that draws the line.
Signature: Hot-buttered lobster roll, Oysters
Order: Hot-buttered lobster roll on a butter-toasted split-top bun.
Tip: Put your name on the iPad at 16:30. The wait at 18:30 runs 90 minutes; weekday lunch is the easy seat.
Kathy Sidell's Saltie Girl on Dartmouth Street runs tinned fish, crudo and lobster rolls in Boston's Back Bay since 2016. Caviar service, a 300-bottle list heavy on rose and Champagne.
Signature: Tinned fish board, Lobster roll
Order: The tinned fish board: anchovies, mussels and sardines on warm butter toast.
Tip: The window counter is the walk-in seat. Brunch books two weeks out on Saturdays.
Joanne Chang and Christopher Myers run Myers and Chang on Washington Street since 2007 as a pan-Asian diner in Boston's South End. Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai and Vietnamese plates.
Signature: Dan dan noodles, Tea-smoked pork ribs
Order: The dan dan noodles with house-ground Sichuan peppercorn.
Tip: Cheap Date Mondays runs a fixed $50 for two. The bar pours an excellent gin list.
The Helmand in East Cambridge runs an Afghan kitchen near Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge since 1989. Wood-fired flatbread, charcoal-grilled lamb, kaddo the chef's signature.
Signature: Kaddo, Aushak
Order: Kaddo, pan-fried baby pumpkin with garlic yogurt and meat sauce.
Tip: Weekday reservations easy. The kabuli pulao is the hidden order; ask for it.
Tres Gatos on Centre Street has run a tapas-bar-and-book-shop in Jamaica Plain Boston since 2011. All-Spanish wine list, regional plates and a small vinyl record section behind the dining room.
Signature: Patatas bravas, Iberico ham
Order: Chicken croquetas and a glass of Manzanilla sherry.
Tip: Weekend brunch is the under-the-radar seat. Book shop opens 17:00.
Anna's Taqueria on Harvard Street has run the city's fast-Mexican benchmark in Brookline near Coolidge Corner in Boston since 1995. Super burrito the order; eight Boston-area locations.
Signature: Super burrito, Carnitas tacos
Order: Super burrito with carnitas, rice, beans, salsa and guacamole.
Tip: Order the super burrito and split it with a friend. The line at noon moves in five minutes.
