The Resy Hit List: Where In Boston You’ll Want to Eat in Dec. 2024
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in Boston: a monthly-updated (and now expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Boston Not to Miss This Month
- Book ’Em: A night out should never end at a police station. But it can start there, in the case of D16, a newly opened cocktail bar located in what was once the BPD’s Back Bay district headquarters. Located directly below Dillon’s, it’s a touch more tuned-up and capable of serving punny drinks like the Right to Remain Silent (reposado Tequila, yuzu, lemon, and blood orange).
- Holiday Lunching: Ready to spend an indulgent afternoon? Try the following venues: The Koji Club, which is proffering a ticketed three-course prix fixe with much sake on Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20; Nathálie Wine Bar, which is accepting reservations for the afternoons of Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Dec. 14, Dec. 20, and Dec. 21, and is serving a special menu with roasted oysters, lobster caramelle, and much more; and haley.henry Wine Bar, which is similarly taking reservations for a midday prix fixe on Dec. 6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20.
- Christmas Miracles: Post-presents, you might find yourself at the Raffles Boston Christmas Brunch, which promises seafood and sushi bars, crescent duck and NY strip loin carving stations, bloody mary and mimosa bars, and much more; tickets here. Later in the evening you might mosey down to Contessa Boston for an Italian Christmas dinner with caviar-studded burrata, spicy lobster rigatoni, prime rib, and further delights. Tickets here.
- The Final Countdowns: Of course you have New Year’s plans. Maybe it’s an NYE bash at Hobgoblin with a prix fixe menu, an organic Champagne toast and a live pianist; tickets here. Or perhaps it’s a four- or five-course pre-set menu at Amar; tickets here. Or it might even be an evening at SRV with the Venetian restaurant’s famed “Arsenale” prix fixe menu; tickets here. And keep an eye for much more on our Resy Events page.
New to the Hit List (Dec. 2024)
Desnuda Cocina & Bar, Loyall Counting Room, Taco Azul, Zurito.
1. Sarma Winter Hill
There’s something to be said — actually, a lot to be said — about the sort of restaurant in an otherwise sleepy neighborhood that still books up weeks in advance, more than 10 years after opening. Sarma is that. You could chalk up its sticking power to its bevy of awards, but that would shortchange the constant creativity of chef Cassie Piuma, whose Turkish meyhane concept still resonates a decade in. It has become a laboratory for Mediterranean flavors, pumping out playful mezze like lentil nachos, brussels sprouts bravas and harissa barbecue duck, while still keeping diners on their toes for whenever the Turkish fried chicken — which can only be ordered direct from the tray — comes out of the kitchen.
2. Zurito Beacon Hill
Nevermind that Jamie Bissonnette already had a threepeat, with Somaek, Temple Records, and Sushi @ Temple Records earlier this year. Turns out Bissonnette and his partners at BCB3 Hospitality had one more up their sleeve, in the Charles Street space that was Bin Enoteca 26. Basque-style pintxos are the mission here, with bites of garlic-buttered sea urchin toast or miniature jamón Ibérico croissants giving way to such small plates as squid ink risotto. All of which sets the stage for large-format finishers, including a 32-ounce ribeye with French fries and … kimchi. Why not? An expectedly Spanish-heavy wine list is rounded out by a roster of low-ABV cocktails that complement the restaurant’s snacky ethos.
3. Tonino Jamaica Plain
Since quietly opening in the fall of 2022, Tonino has built itself into that rarest of restaurant birds: the sort of establishment people come back to again and again. Chalk it up to chef and owner Luke Fetbroth’s tight menu of trattoria greatest hits, from white pizzas to homemade rigatoni amatriciana, chitarra with clams and breadcrumbs, and small plates like mortadella with pecorino and pickles. It’s all complemented by an equally curated set of Italian wines available by the glass or bottle … and the surprising addition of a sake list.
4. Shawmut Inn South End
At 477 Shawmut Avenue, it’s out with Orinoco and in with … the Shawmut Inn. The restaurant that’s taken over the longstanding Venezuelan spot is a New American bistro focused on housemade pastas and local seafood. To wit, it’s serving bluefin tuna carpaccio and beer tempura crispy shrimp, and pasta dishes like blue crab risotto and mafaldine lobster fra diavolo. Said pastas come in a full or half-size, should you wish to save room for an entrée like grilled swordfish with tomato bacon butter or an eponymous burger topped with shaved shallots and truffle barbecue sauce.
5. Baleia South End
For years, the Coda Restaurant Group has been content to play in the Italian sandbox. First it was wood-fired pies and housemade pastas at The Salty Pig, then Venetian-style small plates via SRV, and most recently the restaurant-cum-café Gufo. But the group’s last venture eschews the boot in favor of flavors from another peninsular nation, Portugal. Baleia bets big on Portuguese seafood with oysters spiced by piri piri, steamed baby clams in Vinho Verde, and an entire roasted fish with ham and anchovy xo. Meanwhile, landlubbers can still be contented by a lamb shank served with spicy pickles or a sucking pig complete with crispy ears.
6. La Padrona Boston
Jody Adams has added another jewel to her Italian restaurant crown with the opening of La Padrona inside the Raffles Hotel. In an opulent, bi-level space that features a bar on each floor, patrons will have their pick of regional specialties from across the boot, including spring vegetable fritto misto with lobster bottarga, lobster and uni risotto with chive blossoms, and a 36-ounce, dry-aged bistecca alla Fiorentina accompanied by bone marrow and grilled focaccia. Meanwhile, the cocktail program affords drinks like the excellently named Sophia Loren On the Beach made with rum, Batavia arrack, falernum, and vanilla, plus an entire martini-centric menu that includes an espresso martini infused with Parmesan.
7. Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern Back Bay
Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern is bringing a slightly different sushi experience to Back Bay: think less hushed reverence, and more clinking sake glasses, from the group behind Japan’s leading sushi conveyor belt and izakaya chains. The Boylston Street newcomer promises seared “Fancy Pants Scallop” sushi topped with truffles beside izakaya snacks including karaage or seaweed tempura, and flights of fancy like mackerel bruschetta, all meant to be enjoyed with sake flights or lychee martinis.
8. Gigi South End
There’s a lot to be said about pushing a cuisine forward and boldly reimagining classic flavors. But there’s just as much to recommend about a neighborhood standby where you can count on top-notch executions of the expected and the comforting. Gigi — in the space long known as Giacomo’s, before being remade by the team behind Kava fits perfectly into the second category. With housemade pastas like campanelle Bolognese and baked ricotta gnocchi, or satisfying secondi ranging from veal Milanese to a massive bistecca Florentina, here’s precisely the sort of Italian restaurant Billy Joel would sing about, and it’s all the better for it.
9. Tres Gatos Jamaica Plain
Yes, date night ideas are hard to come by. But here’s a freebie: dinner at a tapas restaurant that is also a bookstore that is also a record store. This three-for-one deal just happens to be Tres Gatos, which is likely the only place in the Greater Boston Area where you can simultaneously nosh on seafood paella, pick up a Sabrina Carpenter LP, and buy a copy of “Dune.” You can also, importantly, tuck into plates like roasted cauliflower with red mole, patatas bravas with hazelnut-almond romesco, and both vegetarian and seafood paellas in multiple sizes.
10. Somaek Downtown Crossing
Photo courtesy of Somaek
Jamie Bissonnette’s debut restaurant after going solo was an ode to traditional Korean cooking inspired by none other than his mother-in-law. The menu — which reads in both English and Korean — pairs dishes like seafood and green onion pancakes, and steamed pork and kimchi dumplings, to a robust assortment of banchan, including four types of kimchi. The bar program, meanwhile, serves its namesake drink made by blending soju and beer, alongside other low-ABV cocktails. Bonus: the concept is a three-in-one, as Somaek also hosts listening bar Temple Records (see below) and Sushi @ Temple Records.
Photo courtesy of Somaek
11. Loyall Counting Room Downtown
The vibes are ye-olde at this new semi-speakeasy at the InterContinental Boston inspired by the city’s revolutionary past. How this manifests as a cocktail bar in 2024 is through a drink list heavy on Colonial-era spirits and ingredients, including rum, sherry, Cognac, and applejack (one potent example: the Gaspee Affair made with bourbon, rum, Cognac, banana, cacao, lemon oleo saccharum, walnut Demerara, and barrel-aged whiskey bitters). Oh, and meat pies. One mustn’t forget about the meat pies, Mrs. Lovett.
12. Gray’s Hall South Boston
13. Spoke Wine Bar Davis Square
For over a decade, Spoke Wine Bar has been quietly doing its thing in Davis Square. That “thing” in question is being a lovely little jewel box of a restaurant with a thoughtful menu of seasonally driven small plates (which change often — but a few, like the sunchoke donuts with XO Gouda, never go away) and a beverage program split between globally sourced wines and cocktails that make generous use of amari and vermouths. Keep doing you, Spoke.
14. SRV South End
SRV — as in “Serene Republic of Venice” has brought the cooking of the City of Canals to Columbus Avenue. The emphasis is cicchetti, bite-sized morsels you might enjoy in a Venetian wine bar, or bacaro. Within SRV’s brick-walled dining room, dinner might start with a Venetian Spritz or the vermouth of the day, followed by such cicchetti as its baccala mantecato — salt cod spread on a piece of black bread with herbs — or the evergreen pork-and-beef meatballs. Dinners gradually progress to small or main-sized plates; don’t miss the seasonally changing risotto.
15. Wa Shin Boston
Newly minted Bay Village omakase outpost Wa Shin comes from chef Sky Zheng, who was trained under the Michelin-starred sushi chef Daisuke Nakazawa (who in turn was mentored by Jiro Ono, aka, the “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” guy). Zheng’s taken everything he’s learned and incorporated it into an 18-course experience driven by the availability of local, seasonal ingredients. Pro tip: the best seats in the house are along the custom-built hinoki wood counter, where a party of four or fewer can be seated and watch Zheng’s every move.
16. Temple Records Boston
In the 1950s, “listening bars” sprouted in Japan, where audio nerds could bring in their vinyl to be played in a laid-back atmosphere with a cold drink in hand. Why is this history lesson important? Because it provides the context to Jamie Bissonnette’s other new downtown concept. Connected to his new Somaek, Temple Records serves as a listening library for the chef-owner’s impressive collection of LPs, and offers a cocktail menu split between simple, fizzy highballs and more creative drinks like the Off Minor made with Japanese gin, Midori, basil, yuzu, and absinthe. Just no shaken cocktails, as that would disturb the music—an essential rule of listening bars everywhere.
17. Saigon Babylon Cambridge
Here’s the latest endeavor from Vinh Le and Duong Huynh, the married duo behind Cicada Coffee Bar and The Eaves. Like their previous establishments, this is a fresh take on Vietnamese flavors in lush, colorful digs: this time, the rooftop of Central Square’s Sonder 907 Main hotel, which has been transformed with over 10,000 pounds of stone, antique furniture and flora to resemble the famed Hanging Gardens of one of its namesake cities. The fare is inspired by the “Saigon” part of its title, with dishes like American wagyu lemongrass beef or coconut salmon, and cocktails including the Good Dealer, made with gin, yuza jam, pho spices, and egg white.
18. KAVA neo-taverna South End
If there’s one thing you must know about the tiny, perpetually in-demand taverna at the intersection of Shawmut and Union Park, it’s this: The restaurant only takes reservations a day in advance, starting at 10 a.m.. Now that you’ve set your alarm, we can fill you in on what’s made Kava a hot ticket. There’s the matter of its undeniable good looks. But most of the credit goes to the menu, which is rustic, simple and sized to share, with dishes like keftedes (lamb meatballs) bouyiourdi (baked feta with tomatoes) and grilled octopus among the perpetual favorites.
19. Desnuda Cocina & Bar South End
Once it was Tremont 647. Then it was the short-lived Whaling in Oklahoma. Then it was… nothing, for a long time. But one of the South End’s most eligible corner spaces has been reborn as Desnuda, a new concept from the folks behind KAVA Neo-Taverna, Ilona, and Gigi. This latest venture’s a bi-level affair split between a swanky upstairs dining room specializing in Asian and Latin cuisine (think: baos and ceviche), and a seriously vibey downstairs listening bar equipped with a custom sound system, vinyl and cocktails.
20. Taco Azul Beacon Hill
Photo courtesy of Taco Azul
What’s so blue about Taco Azul? The Beacon Hill newcomer makes its own tortillas daily from blue corn (and then piles them with slow-roasted beef birria, beer-battered Alaskan cod or grilled skirt steak), and maintains a cocktail program heavy on blue agave: think of a house margarita available by the pitcher, or a smoky pineapple marg made from mezcal and pineapple juice. Also in the offering: guacamole, which remains green, but we’ll give Taco Azul a pass.
Photo courtesy of Taco Azul
