Now on Resy: Shy Bird South Boston, Nosh and Grog, Tonino, and More Local Favorites

Chicken, roasted or fried, is king at this all-day café, bar, and rotisserie — an offshoot of the Cambridge original — from Andrew Holden (who ran the terribly-missed Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks), but the grain bowls, salads, and smash burgers are definitely not to be forgotten. 

The Canton iteration of this gastropub brings the same flair and farm name-dropping as the original, albeit in a modern space with exposed brick walls and punches of earthy sage green. There are cocktails and snacks, like lobster bao, for the peckish. Or boards (Meat! Cheese! Butter!) for sharing amongst friends. And a great chicken sandwich when it’s needed. Point is: You can’t go wrong anywhere you point on the menu. 

You have to love a place that looks simple to the eye but sparkles on the plate. This Jamaica Plain gem does exactly that. Doesn’t matter if it’s the pizza bianca with stracciatella and whipped ‘nduja, the countneck clams with Calabrian chili, or literally any of the pastas — you’ll want more. Have you ever had sake and pizza? Now’s your chance.

Yes, get the corn fritters, and make sure to end with whatever the ice cream flavor is that day (but hope it’s Thai iced tea). In between, Thai specialties mimic sibling restaurant, Cha Yen, but that’s absolutely not a bad thing: Every stir-fried noodle dish, curry, and grilled meat over rice bursts with flavor.

You’ll definitely want to reserve a table at this 20-seat jewel box of a place, where chef-owner Yuri Asawasittikit draws on her mother’s recipes to produce a treasury of traditional Thai dishes, along with a scattering of Japanese and Chinese treats.

You’ll definitely want to find your way to this semi-secret steakhouse, hidden speakeasy-style with entrances in the back of the adjacent JM Curley restaurant and Wig Shop cocktail lounge, from the same proprietors. Expect the likes of oysters Rockefeller, prime Angus steaks, and truffle fries.

If you love fresh seafood and Cajun flavors, step right this way to the second Boston area location — after the Newton original — of this popular, ever-expanding Northeast-wide chain where the all-you-can-eat menu features crab, shrimp, lobster, and crawfish boiled in a bag and served on bare tabletops with an array of sauces.

Here’s a place to have some messy fun, tearing into bags of fresh crab, shrimp, crawfish, or lobster boiled Cajun-style with garlic and butter with your bare hands.

You won’t want to miss this upbeat all-day vegan café from Whole Foods veteran Mary Lattouf and her sister, Nada. Do not overlook the beet and red bean Lulu Burger.

If a dazzling list of wines (more than 150 bottles, with about 50 served by the glass) accompanied by savory snacks and homemade pastas in a warm environment sounds like your kind of thing, you’ll definitely want to enjoy this longtime Beacon Hill institution run by brother-and-sister team Babak Bina and Azita Bina-Seibel (who were also behind the sorely-missed Lala Rokh).

When Josh Lewin and Katrina Jazayeri moved their charming, idiosyncratic Somerville café-restaurant just next door to a larger space, they decided to focus the menu on Mediterranean fare with a special shout-out to the Italian-French cooking of Nice — and diners couldn’t be happier.

There’s lots to love at this cozy Afghani place (think a fireplace, plush rugs, and a wood-burning oven), a Kendall Square stalwart since 1994 where the seductive fare spans heady meats (the lamb-studded qabelee is a favorite) to vegetarian delights. Pro tip: Do not skip the kaddo, a signature baked pumpkin dish layered with yogurt, or overlook the complimentary freshly-baked flatbread at the start of your meal.

Dress in style for an elegant afternoon sojourn in this luminous tea room overlooking the Italianate courtyard at the Boston Public Library, and enjoy tea sandwiches, scones, and petits fours with a wide choice of teas. Like your tea with an added punch? Imaginative tea-based cocktails are also served.

Say hello to this only-in-New-England mashup — a 1935-vintage Somerville candlepin bowling alley, repurposed as an outpost of the Vermont-based American Flatbread chain. Flatbreads with many toppings are served — but save room for the famous Peace of Mind chocolate whoopie pie sundae.

What was once a Boston police headquarters is now something much more inviting. Whether seated at a plush banquette in the airy dining room or sprawled out on the sunken front patio, you’ll be treated to classic New England fare like lobster rolls with citrus-tarragon mayo, beer-battered fish and chips, and combo boards stocked with local charcuterie and cheeses.

This attractive wine bar and bistro is, like the South End original, as French as they come — a Gallic fantasy on the edge of Boston, where the classic choices include escargots, sole meunière, and steak au poivre, and the atmosphere is as Parisian-romantic as it gets.