Photo courtesy of 1928 Beacon Hill

The Resy Guide to Autumn in Boston

By Eric Twardzik September 11, 2023

Nothing against summer, but there’s no use getting sore over its conclusion. Why? Because the approach of autumn has a veritable cornucopia of delights to offer, from mulled cocktails to apple cider donuts to the overabundance of edible squash. It offers a last chance to make good on such activities as patio dining and last-minute weekend escapes before New England winter rears its frosty head. To ensure you’ll make the most of the season to come, allow us to humbly present your Boston Fall Bucket List below.

1. Make the most of those final al fresco dining days…

… with an outdoor dinner at Kava Neo Taverna. It’s never easy saying goodbye to those last balmy evenings, but at least you can do so with a belly full of lamb meatballs and seared tiger prawns.

2. Raise a glass to autumn…

… by securing a velvet lounge seat at The Wig Shop, where a stiff Cesar Cardini mixed with mezcal, Baraolo Chinato, and white crème de cacao will chase away those end-of-summer blues, just before a Mala Vida composed of bourbon, passion fruit, cinnamon, and coffee lifts your spirits for the season to come (and ahead of your visit, get the 101 on The Wig Shop here).

3. Carve out some room in your schedule…

… to explore all the latest restaurant openings in the Boston area, like Gufo, the new modern Italian restaurant from the Coda Restaurant Group. Now, if only there was a way to find all that new openings information in one place …

The fire is lit at Gufo. Photo courtesy of Gudo

4. Take an off-season trip to Nantucket or Martha’s…

… and avoid the crowds while making the most of what the islands’ restaurant scenes have to offer before they go back into hibernation.

5. Peep the changing leaves in the Public Garden…

… and plan to end up at 1928 Beacon Hill, where your efforts will be rewarded by a bone-in veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and mushrooms and The Hill Suburban made by mixing rye, rum, and port with orange and aromatic bitters.

6. Say sayonara to swimsuit season…

… with some seriously comforting fare at Sweet Cheeks Q, whether that be a basket of honey butter-slathered buttermilk biscuits or a tray laden high with sliced prime brisket, broccoli cheese casserole, and “church basement” potato salad.

7. Maximize your remaining summer Fridays…

… with a power lunch to end all power lunches at Scampo to the tune of a wedge salad with pancetta vinaigrette followed by a flat iron steak with hot honey tomatoes and matchstick potatoes. And if you’re really off the clock, you may want to consider a biscuit-based dark chocolate crémeux with torched meringue and whipped caramel Chantilly.

8. Resume your usual brunch schedule…

… now that your friends aren’t bounding off to the Cape every weekend. With everyone in town, it’s a perfectly good time for a post-summer catch-up brunch at Cafe Luna with plenty of corned beef hash, butter-poached Maine lobster Benedict, and lemon ricotta pancakes to go around.