37 upscale rooms in Boston, editor-picked. occasion rooms in Boston: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Boston food.
Neptune Oyster ★ 4.9
north-end · 63 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
Neptune Oyster on Salem Street has run the city's defining raw bar in Boston since 2004. 42 seats, no reservations, Gulf of Maine lobster roll on a buttered.
Tip: Put your name on the iPad at 16:30, walk to a bar, and return when they text. The 20:00 wait can run 90 minutes.
Neptune Oyster ★ 4.9
north-end · 63 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113
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.
Tip: Put your name on the iPad at 16:30. The wait at 18:30 runs 90 minutes; weekday lunch is the easy seat.
Oleana ★ 4.8
cambridge · 134 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Ana Sortun's Inman Square room has run an Eastern Mediterranean kitchen in Cambridge since 2001. Turkish, Syrian and Lebanese plates from Siena Farms produce.
Tip: The garden patio in summer is one of Cambridge's best outdoor seats. Books out three weeks ahead in season.
Sarma ★ 4.8
somerville · 249 Pearl St, Somerville, MA 02145
Cassie Piuma and Ana Sortun's meze room on Pearl Street in Somerville has run Turkish-style small plates since 2013. Kitchen leans eastern mediterranean.
Tip: Order the chef's choice tasting; the kitchen will send the best of the night unprompted.
Haley.Henry Wine Bar ★ 4.8
beacon-hill · 45 Province St, Boston, MA 02108
Haley Fortier's Haley.Henry on Province Street has poured natural wine in Downtown Boston since 2016. 30 seats, small-grower European list, tinned fish.
Tip: Walk-ins from 17:00. The tinned fish board with butter toast is the food order; the Bugey-Cerdon is the cross-glass house pour.
Backbar ★ 4.7
somerville · 7 Sanborn Ct, Somerville, MA 02143
Backbar in Union Square Somerville has poured artful cocktails behind an unmarked door in Boston since 2011. Order the greek mastiha milk punch.
Tip: Walk-in only, no reservations. Last call 23:15. Order from the staff-pick chalkboard for the best off-menu drink.
Bar Vlaha ★ 4.7
brookline · 1653 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02445
Demetri Tsolakis's Bar Vlaha on Beacon Street has poured northern Greek wine in Brookline since 2022. Open daily 17:00-23:00, brunch sat-sun 10:00-15:00.
Tip: Vlahiko, the Greek grape named for the Vlachs, is the by-the-glass to order. Sunday brunch is the easy seat.
Coppa ★ 4.6
south-end · 253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118
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.
Tip: The marble counter is the better solo seat. Walk in at 17:00 for the easy table.
Row 34 ★ 4.6
seaport-fort-point · 383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
Row 34 on Congress Street has run the Fort Point oyster room in Boston since 2013. Located in Seaport Fort Point. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans seafood.
Tip: The bar runs the same menu without the reservation lead time, and Tuesday nights are the easy walk-in seat at the counter.
Cafe Sushi Nisei ★ 4.6
cambridge · 1105 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
Brothers Kenshi and Seizi Imura run Cafe Sushi on Mass Ave near Harvard Square in Cambridge since 1984. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans japanese.
Tip: Twelve counter seats only; book on Tock 30 days ahead. Take-out bento boxes are the off-menu deal at lunch.
Row 34 ★ 4.6
seaport-fort-point · 383 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210
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.
Tip: The bar runs the same menu without the reservation lead time. Tuesday nights walk in easily.
Krasi ★ 4.6
back-bay · 48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115
Demetri Tsolakis's Krasi on Gloucester Street holds the country's largest all-Greek wine list in Boston's Back Bay since 2020. 300 Greek bottles.
Tip: The bar serves the full menu for solo diners. Wines by the glass rotate weekly; ask for the Limnio.
Carmelina's ★ 4.5
north-end · 307 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Damien DiPaola named Carmelina's after his mother and runs it on Hanover Street as a regional Italian kitchen in Boston since 2012. Located in North End.
Tip: Reservations open four weeks ahead on OpenTable. The bar is the easier walk-in seat at 17:30 weekdays.
Krasi ★ 4.5
back-bay · 48 Gloucester St, Boston, MA 02115
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 $$$.
Tip: Reservations open four weeks out on OpenTable. The bar serves the full menu for solo diners.
Toro ★ 4.5
south-end · 1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
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.
Tip: Walk-in only for dinner. Get to the bar at 17:00 to skip the 90-minute wait that builds by 19:00.
Carmelina's ★ 4.5
north-end · 307 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Damien DiPaola's Carmelina's on Hanover Street has run regional Italian in Boston's North End since 2012. Reservations available, family-style sharing.
Tip: OpenTable bookings four weeks ahead. Sunday lunch family gravy at 13:00 is the easy seat.
The Wig Shop ★ 4.5
beacon-hill · 27 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111
The Wig Shop has run a speakeasy-style cocktail bar behind a fake wig-shop storefront on Temple Place in Downtown Boston since 2019. 1940s magazine-ad decor.
Tip: Find the unmarked door inside the wig storefront.
Coppa Enoteca ★ 4.5
south-end · 253 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 02118
Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's Coppa Enoteca on Shawmut Avenue has run an Italian wine bar in Boston's South End since 2009. Open daily 17:00-23:00.
Tip: The marble counter is the better solo seat. Walk-in at 17:00 for the easy table.
Saltie Girl ★ 4.4
back-bay · 279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116
Kathy Sidell's Back Bay seafood room on Dartmouth Street has run the tinned-fish-and-crudo agenda in Boston since 2016. At 279 Dartmouth St.
Tip: The window counter is the easier walk-in seat at 17:30. Brunch books two weeks out on weekends.
Eastern Standard ★ 4.4
kenmore-fenway · 771 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02215
Garrett Harker's Eastern Standard reopened in the Bower complex on Beacon Street in 2023, recovering the Kenmore Square brasserie template Boston lost.
Tip: Pre-Sox-game dinner books out by 17:30. Late-night service runs to midnight on weekends.
Saltie Girl ★ 4.4
back-bay · 279 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116
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.
Tip: The window counter is the walk-in seat. Brunch books two weeks out on Saturdays.
Yvonne's ★ 4.4
beacon-hill · 2 Winter Place, Boston, MA 02108
Yvonne's reopened the historic Locke-Ober space on Winter Place in Downtown Boston in 2015 as a modern supper club. Order the aviation cocktail.
Tip: The library room is the quiet cocktail seat. Sunday and Monday nights are the easy walk-in slots.
The Gin Palace at Nine ★ 4.4
beacon-hill · 9 Park Street, Boston, MA 02108
The Gin Palace at Nine on Park Street is the cocktail bar inside the new Nine restaurant on Beacon Hill in Boston since August 2025. 80 gins from around.
Tip: Walk-in bar at the front; reservations for the dining room. Order the Gin and Tonic flight to compare three gins.
Trillium Brewing Fort Point ★ 4.4
seaport-fort-point · 50 Thomson Pl, Boston, MA 02210
Trillium on Thomson Place is the Fort Point three-storey taproom and brewpub in Boston since 2018. The third-floor roof terrace is the marquee seat.
Tip: Third-floor roof seats fill by 17:00 in summer. Online order ahead for can release lineups.
Yvonne's ★ 4.3
beacon-hill · 2 Winter Place, Boston, MA 02108
Yvonne's reopened the historic Locke-Ober space on Winter Place in Downtown Boston in 2015 as a modern supper club. Located in Beacon Hill. Priced at $$$.
Tip: Find the unmarked door inside the Yvonne's hair salon entrance. The library room is the quiet seat.
Yvonne's ★ 4.3
beacon-hill · 2 Winter Place, Boston, MA 02108
Yvonne's reopened the historic Locke-Ober space on Winter Place in Downtown Boston in 2015 as a modern supper club. Located in Beacon Hill. Priced at $$$.
Tip: The unmarked door is inside a fake wig shop. The library room is the quiet seat.
Estragon Tapas ★ 4.3
south-end · 700 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02118
Julio de Haro's Estragon on Harrison Avenue has poured Spanish gin-tonics and tapas in Boston's South End since 2008. Boston Magazine Best of Boston 2023.
Tip: Happy hour 17:00-19:00 weekdays runs half-price tapas. The lounge is the walk-in seat; book the dining room for parties.
Caffe Vittoria ★ 4.3
north-end · 290-296 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113
Caffe Vittoria on Hanover Street has poured espresso and grappa in Boston's North End since 1929. Four floors, three liquor bars, a cigar room.
Tip: Basement liquor bar after 21:00 is the under-toured seat. Grappa and espresso is the canonical close.
Harpoon Brewery Beer Hall ★ 4.3
seaport-fort-point · 306 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210
Harpoon Brewery's Beer Hall on Northern Avenue in Boston's Seaport has poured pints since 1986. Located in Seaport Fort Point. Order the harpoon ipa.
Tip: Saturday tour at 13:00 includes the full brewery and four pours. The hot pretzel is the kitchen signature.
Field & Vine ★ 4.3
somerville · 9 Sanborn Ct, Somerville, MA 02143
Andrew Brady and Sara Markey's Field & Vine on Sanborn Court has run a natural-wine bistro in Union Square Somerville since 2017. Local-farm sourcing.
Tip: The wine list rotates weekly; the by-the-glass Pet-Nat is the easy entry. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Union Oyster House ★ 4.2
north-end · 41 Union St, Boston, MA 02108
Union Oyster House on Union Street has shucked oysters in Boston since 1826, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States.
Tip: Skip the dining-room tables and sit at the historic raw bar. The bar is the original 1826 plank.
Alibi ★ 4.2
beacon-hill · 215 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114
Alibi inside the Liberty Hotel on Charles Street has run a former-jail-cell cocktail bar in Beacon Hill Boston since 2007. Order the charles street manhattan.
Tip: The jail-cell booths book up by 19:00 on weekends. The bar lounge is the easier walk-in seat.
Nathalie Wine Bar ★ 4.2
kenmore-fenway · 186 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Nathalie Lete's Nathalie on Brookline Avenue has poured natural wine inside the Pierce Boston building in Boston's Fenway since 2018. At 186 Brookline Ave.
Tip: Pre-Sox-game booking essential. Sunday brunch is the easy walk-in seat.
Tres Gatos ★ 4.1
jamaica-plain · 470 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tres Gatos on Centre Street has run an all-Spanish wine bar with a book and record shop in Jamaica Plain Boston since 2011. 100 percent Spanish list.
Tip: The sherry list runs Manzanilla, Fino, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez; ask for the tasting flight.
Legal Sea Foods Long Wharf ★ 4.0
north-end · 255 State St, Boston, MA 02109
Legal Sea Foods on Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium in Boston, has anchored the chain's flagship since 1968. Kitchen leans seafood.
Tip: Lunch with a harbor-side window is the best seat. The raw bar runs daily until 22:00.
Bleacher Bar ★ 4.0
kenmore-fenway · 82A Lansdowne St, Boston, MA 02215
Bleacher Bar on Lansdowne Street sits beneath the centre-field bleachers at Fenway Park in Boston's Kenmore Square since 2008. Located in Kenmore Fenway.
Tip: Reservations on the website during Sox games; arrive 2 hours before first pitch. The garage-door window opens onto the field on rainouts.
Brassica Kitchen + Cafe ★ 4.0
jamaica-plain · 3712 Washington St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Phil Kruta's Brassica on Washington Street has poured natural wine in Jamaica Plain Boston since 2017, expanded to a larger room in 2025. Booking recommended.
Tip: Cafe by day, wine bar by night. The pet-nat list rotates weekly; ask for the staff pick.