The May Hit List: Bar Lyon, Tip Tap Room, Barra, The Nautilus, and More

After going dark for more than a year, the South End’s resident Lyonnaise bistro is back in business. After all that time, you may want to reclaim your old booth and catch up with favorites like the pike dumplings in lobster velouté, braised rabbit tagliatelle with foraged mushrooms, or bavette steak au poivre with roasted onions. Or perhaps you’ll go the comfort route and start with French onion soup kicked up with sherry, before diving straight into “Le Burger,” with tops dry-aged beef with tarragon aioli, pork belly, mushrooms, American cheese and an oozy farm egg. Either approach is perfectly acceptable in our book.

Dining status: Open for indoor dining. Order here for takeout.

Nantucket’s premier purveyor of swanky Asian tapas has opened a 5,000-square-foot Seaport location with nautical murals on the inside and Boston Harbor views on the outside. The menu imports hits from the original, including Berkshire pork belly buns, Indonesian chicken drumettes, and blue crab fried rice, while introducing new dishes like tempura oyster tacos and housemade dan dan noodles. And Nautilus’ large-format mainstay — the whole roasted Peking duck served with steamed buns, ginger scallion rice, smoked mayo and sriracha — is very much available.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining. Call 857-957-0998 for reservations.

Yes, it really has been 13 months since the Tip Tap Room last served a plate of steak tips with horseradish mashed potatoes, or boar meatballs in a spicy ginger-cilantro broth, alongside a frothy pint pulled from any of their three dozen draft lines. But the West End gastro pub is really back: make a Resy to get re-acquainted.

Dining status: Open for indoor dining.

Ciao Roma — which you may recently remember as Ciao Bella — has reopened with a new name and new focus squarely on Roman-style cooking. To that end, the menu has been revamped with artichokes alla Romana, hand cut tonnarelli cacio e pepe, Sundays-only gnocchi with braised oxtail, and other specialties from the Eternal City. They’ve also revived their North Square patio, which provides a positively Fellini-esque backdrop for polishing off a plate of rigatoni all’amatriciana.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining; call 617-829-4975 to book a table. Order here for takeout and delivery.

If you’re looking to mark the fifth of May the way locals do, Union Square’s Barra may be your best bet. The recently re-opened venue’s focus lies on contemporary Mexico City, which means that in addition to chips and guac, you’ll also find grasshoppers, cured cactus salad with aged cheese, and fried tortillas filled with sautéed shrimp and potato puree. The potable side offers a well-curated list of mezcals in addition to less commonly sighted spirits like sotol, and reimagines classic cocktails with the addition of agave spirits. 

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining. Order here for takeout and delivery.

Shojo is back on the scene after months of hibernation, with a brand-new sidewalk patio and a revamped cocktail list that features Asian-influenced drams, like Belly Slaps (butter-infused Japanese whisky, miso brown sugar, Averna, mole bitters) and the Ca Phe Martini (vodka, cold brew, condensed milk, Saigon cinnamon). On the food side, expect the greatest hits: smoked barbecue sauce pork belly buns, kimchi fried rice and “Shadowless” duck-fat fries smothered in kimcheese.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining.

The impromptu cocktail garden launched by Bully Boy last year has returned for another season, with 15 new cocktails, including Breakfast in Hell (wood-smoked whiskey, amaro, vanilla, cold brew), Monahan Boy (mint-infused white rum, lime, passionfruit, agave) and mai tais on draft. And on Fridays, both the outdoor cocktail garden and the indoor tasting room will observe Aperitivo Hour by serving snacks provided by Pammy’s, including chicken liver crostini and charcuterie plates.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining. Call 617-442-6000 for more info.

Call it a Cinco de Mayo miracle: The Painted Burro has also shaken off its slumber, just in time to provide swordfish al pastor tacos and mango Margaritas at the moment they’re needed most. Or book a table any day to re-experience old standbys like their chicken Milanese torta or street-cart chicken with achiote-citrus marinade and tamarind butter.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining. Order here for takeout and delivery.

Grand Tour has returned, bolstering its subterranean dining room with a new patio on Newbury Street. Indoors or out, you’ll encounter a tight menu of upscale bistro standards including prime filet mignon steak tartare, duck breast with artichoke crema and swiss chard, and steak frites in either the 8-ounce bavette or 14-ounce ribeye variety. Its wine list continues to champion domestic makers, and its beer selection is stocked with local craft brews.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining. Call 857-277-0800 for reservations.

Trillium’s Fort Point mothership is again open, inviting imbibers to drink and dine on its outdoor beer garden, inside dining room, or roof deck. They’ve taken the time off to whip up a new menu, affording the chance to enjoy grilled octopus with herbed black lentils or uni linguine with Calabrian chili oil alongside a double dry-hopped IPA or a coconut stout with cold brewed coffee.

Dining status: Open for indoor and outdoor dining.