The November Hit List: Sarma, Atlántico, Fox & the Knife, Vincent’s, and More

Yes, big-deal restaurant openings are still happening, and the latest example is the third restaurant from chef Michael Serpa. Whereas Serpa’s Select Oyster Bar found inspiration in the whole of the Mediterranean, Atlántico zeroes in on Spain and Portugal to offer tapas including salt cod croquetas with squid ink aioli, braised lamb shoulder with Moorish spices and a grilled Maine lobster with Lustau amontillado butter. During weekday afternoons, Atlántico transitions to café duty, offering pastries from Café Madeline and coffee from New Hampshire’s Little Wolf roasters. 

Dining Status: open for indoor and patio dining by reservation; call the restaurant at 857-233-2898.

While the Somerville meze restaurant continues to be open for dinner indoors and out, they’ve recently launched a takeout breakfast menu available only on Saturdays and Sundays. Early risers will be rewarded by sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches with pickled hot peppers and feta mayo on housemade English muffins, plus pumpkin cinnamon rolls and egg shawarma with zhoug. 

Dining status: open for indoor and patio dining by reservation; order here for takeout.

Tucked within the recently opened Cambridge branch of Gracie’s Ice Cream, Earnest Drinks is a little bit of everything: café, cocktail bar, and humble breakfast-and-lunch spot. You might drop by in the morning for a pancetta-egg-and-cheese on brioche and return in the afternoon for a muffuletta and an affogato. Just allot some time for their broad selection of adult frappes, including a Lambrusco float and an ube coconut frappe made with white rum.

Dining Status: open for indoor and patio dining; walk-ins only. Order here for takeout.

The Newbury Street-adjacent Greek meze and wine bar has expanded into brunch, offering their refined take on hearty classics like saganaki (fried eggs, Greek cheeses, cherry tomatoes and barley rusk in a cast-iron pan) and lalagites (cheese-stuffed fried pancakes with honey syrup and lemon). Hellenic spirits take center stage in their brunch libations, which include a Bloody Mistos made with mastiha and garnished by spicy feta olives, and Aphrodite’s Bellini featuring Greek sparkling wine and ouzo-infused apricots.

Dining Status: open for indoor and patio dining by reservation; call the restaurant at 617-536-0230. Order here for takeout or here for delivery.

Make good use of the tail end of outdoor dining season by decamping to Shojo’s patio. The reason for your visit might be classic menu items like the spicy-sweet Wu-Tang Tiger Style ribs drizzled with chile oil and garnished by peanuts and Thai basil, or the kimcheese-smothered “Shadowless” duck-fat fries. Or maybe you’d like to give newcomers a shot — such as the fried chicken and lemongrass dumplings, or seared onigiri featuring duck confit and caramelized soy sauce. Naturally, you can always go with “all of the above.”

Dining Status: open for indoor and patio dining; walk-ins only.

The team behind Café Du Pays have transitioned the restaurant to Vincent’s, a neighborhood grocery selling charcuterie, preserves, and heat-and-serve tourtière in addition to a menu of Francophile-pleasing sandwiches that can be enjoyed at home or on their patio. Your options include confit duck grilled cheese with Gruyère, pickled peppers and dijonnaise; a pork pate sandwich with maple mustard and dilly beans; and “Le Deluxe,” which piles jambon de Paris, Gruyère, mustard, butter and cornichons on a baguette.

Dining Status: open for patio dining by reservation; order here for takeout.

When the Bisq crew announced their closure of their scrappy Brookline taco joint at the end of September, we feared it was truly the end for Taqueria El Barrio. But just two weeks later El Barrio reopened at Time Out Market, serving the same al pastor and fried fish tacos on housemade tortillas we thought we might never see again. Miracles happen.

Dining status: walk-ins only.

Fox & The Knife has debuted their fall menu, which means that warming dishes like tortellini en brodo, pappardelle with prosciutto, figs and toasted farro, and pollo al mattone with sumac and rosemary brown butter are all just a reservation away. Alternatively, you can always cozy up at home with freshly made bucatini by the pound, and sauces including amatriciana or pistachio pesto.

Dining status: open for indoor and patio dining by reservation; order here for takeout.

Bully Boy is finally welcoming patrons back into their distillery tasting room, and thanks to social distancing guidelines, guests can enjoy cocktails like the Ella Spritzgerald (gin, sage syrup, cucumber) or the Shrine of the Silver Monkey (rum, banana, pineapple, cinnamon demerara) — in their barrel room or production floor, too. Food trucks will be on site each night; past vendors have included Penny Packers, the Chicken and Rice Guys, and M&M BBQ.

Dining status: open for indoor dining by reservation; call the restaurant at 617-442-6000.

Myers + Chang continues to accept reservations for indoor and outdoor dining, connecting you with coal black chicken wings with sriracha blue cheese, or braised pork belly buns with brandied hoisin. But the pan-Asian favorite has also introduced a new “take + make” portion of their takeout menu, consisting of kits that will allow you to make dan dan noodles, scallion pancakes, pork and chive dumplings and other Myers + Chang classics at home.

Dining status: open for indoor and patio dining by reservation; order here for takeout.