The Resy Hit List: Where In Boston You’ll Want to Eat in Oct. 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
- Spice it Up: Every Wednesday is Salsa Night at Victory Point. No, there will not be tortilla chips, but there will be a few light appetizers before a full-on dance lesson. Book tickets for the Oct. 9, Oct. 16, and Oct. 25 installments, and check out plenty more Resy Events here.
- Oktober Surprise: You’ve got until Oct. 6 to make the most of the Oktoberfest specials at Sloane’s, which include grilled bratwurst sandwiches, homemade strudel, and some very, very generously sized pretzels. Oh, and because this is a beer fest we’re talking about, pours of Zero Gravity’s Oktoberfest lager by the full or half liter. And if you want more inspiration for great fall drinking, we’ve got you covered.
- Rosh Decisions: Mamaleh’s Kibitz Corner is marking Rosh Hashanah with a “Shabbat Happy Hour” on Oct. 4, which will include a Shabbat blessing amid holiday-themed snacks and specialty cocktails. Tickets here. And they’re following that with a Yom Kippur “break-FEAST” on Oct. 12. Consider your high holidays sorted.
- Coast to Coast: What do Capri and Cape Cod have in common? Aside from their coastlines, they’re both regions of inspiration for an upcoming Friends of James Beard Dinner that will be held by La Padrona on Oct. 9, with assistance from the culinary crew behind the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club in Harwich. A ticket provides entry into a welcome reception with cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres followed by a four-course seated dinner.
New to the Hit List (Oct. 2024)
Little Donkey, Gray’s Hall, Spoke Wine Bar, Tres Gatos, Wa Shin.
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. Somaek Boston
Jamie Bissonnette’s first new restaurant since going solo is an ode to traditional Korean cooking inspired by none other than his mother-in-law, who is officially credited as a consulting chef. 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 in fact a three-in-one, as Somaek also hosts listening bar Temple Records (see below) and its associated act, Sushi @ Temple Records.
3. Contessa Boston Back Bay
As it enters its fourth year of business, Contessa remains a hot ticket — one of the hottest in town. Which is why it’s a smart idea to take care of the usual post-holiday lull to try and snap up a table for two (or more) and either get reacquainted with, or finally experience, all the rigatoni carbonara and veal Milanese-related hubbub, of the sort that made Major Food Group restaurants like Carbone into modern dining legends. Even if you don’t have dinner on the mind, its glitzy bar helmed by bow tie-clad staff remains the chicest spot in town for a Negroni, rooftop views included.
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. Woods Hill Pier 4 – Seaport Seaport
An outgrowth of Concord’s Woods Hill Table, Pier 4 is an ingredients-focused breath of fresh air in a glossy neighborhood otherwise crowded out by steakhouse chains and margarita joints. Like its suburban sibling, the Seaport location sources much of its ingredients from the Farm at Woods Hill in Bath, N.H., with others drawn from similarly minded local purveyors. The result is simple, classic fare, served in a starkly modern dining room with sweeping views of Boston Harbor. And while seasonal dishes come and go, you can always count on the popovers (don’t miss them).
8. Myers + Chang South End
“Asian-ish” flavors abound at Joanne Chang’s longstanding South End restaurant, whose small plates incorporate the culinary traditions of Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, China and beyond. The charm rests not only in its airy diner-like space, but also to an openness to accommodating allergies and dietary restrictions that goes above and beyond. The entire menu, from Mama Chang’s pork and chive dumplings to the wok-roasted lemongrass mussels, is carefully coded to alert diners to vegan or vegetarian status and the presence of any potential allergens. And distinct gluten-free, shellfish-free or nut-free menus are available.
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. Little Donkey Central Square
Ken Oringer likes to play in a lot of different cuisines: see Toro, Faccia a Faccia, Uni, etc. But Little Donkey’s free-wheeling approach to global street food allows the chef and owner to get really crazy with it: think “cacio e pepe” made with miso and ramen noodles, “Little Mac” beef empanadas stuffed with American cheese and pickles, or the evergreen caviar sandwich with whipped butter and chives on a grilled potato roll.
11. Sushi by Bosso Ramen Tavern Back Bay
The ownership of Harvard Square’s Bosso Ramen Tavern has crossed the Charles to open Sushi by Bosso on Newbury Street. The lower-level space shakes up the otherwise staid Back Bay sushi status quo with fresh fish sourced directly from the Seaport, plus pressed sushi, decadent wagyu skewers and snacky bites included fried tuna karaage and clam chowder croquettes.
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. ShoChu Co. Chinatown
In true “name a more iconic duo” fashion, Shojo has partnered with Mimi’s Chuka Diner to establish ShoChu Co. The pop-up, which is housed at the former Ruckus space next to Shojo’s Chinatown location, is set to serve Japanese-style teishoku set lunches in the afternoon, and then izakaya fare and cocktails come evening time. The additive awesome of these two together should not be missed.
Walk-ins only. More info here.
20. Folio Downtown
A new outgrowth of the Boston Athenaeum, a historic member’s library on Beacon Hill, Folio is a wine bar and bistro open to the public at large. It’s expectedly bookish interior — yes, that’s a wallpaper pattern marked with the spines of fictional titles — serves as a respite between marathon reading sessions for shareable bites of potato and smoked paprika cannelloni or guava and cheese empanadas and one of the literary inspired cocktails like an Alice’s Wonderland made with milk-washed gin, hibiscus, caramelized banana and lime.
