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GreekBack Bay
Demetri Tsolakis's Krasi on Gloucester Street has poured the country's largest all-Greek wine list in Boston's Back Bay since 2020. Priced at $$$.
OrderThe taramosalata with house pita and a glass of Assyrtiko.
TipReservations open four weeks out on OpenTable. The bar serves the full menu for solo diners.
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SpanishSouth End
Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's Spanish tapas room on Washington Street has run the South End's small-plate template in Boston since 2005.
OrderGrilled corn with aioli, lime and queso fresco.
TipWalk-in only for dinner. Get to the bar at 17:00 to skip the 90-minute wait that builds by 19:00.
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ItalianSouth End
Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's Italian enoteca on Shawmut Avenue runs house-made charcuterie and Roman pastas in Boston's South End since 2009.
OrderThe charcuterie board, all five cuts, with the bagna cauda.
TipThe marble counter is the better solo seat. Walk in at 17:00 for the easy table.
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JapaneseBack Bay
Ken Oringer's UNI inside the Eliot Hotel on Commonwealth Avenue has run the city's contemporary izakaya programme in Boston since 2002, expanded 2016.
OrderThe omakase nigiri flight and the spicy tuna roll with toasted sesame.
TipLate-night ramen menu kicks in at 22:00; the room is at its best after the dinner rush clears.
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SeafoodSeaport Fort Point
Row 34 on Congress Street has run the Fort Point oyster room in Boston since 2013. Located in Seaport Fort Point. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans seafood.
OrderA dozen mixed oysters and the crispy oysters with sriracha aioli.
TipThe bar runs the same menu without the reservation lead time, and Tuesday nights are the easy walk-in seat at the counter.
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BrasserieKenmore Fenway
Garrett Harker's Eastern Standard reopened in the Bower complex on Beacon Street in 2023, recovering the Kenmore Square brasserie template Boston lost.
OrderThe ESK burger with house frites and an Aviation cocktail.
TipPre-Sox-game dinner books out by 17:30. Late-night service runs to midnight on weekends.