The Resy Hit List: Where In Boston You’ll Want to Eat in Sept. 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.
Three Things In Boston Not to Miss This Month
- XO Factor: XOXO Sushi Bar has debuted its long-awaited omakase program, and in true XOXO fashion, it’s gleefully over the top. The 16-course experience makes the most of the in-house dry-aging, and is offered each Tues. and Wed. in one seating.
- Shell Game: If you haven’t experienced a real New England clam bake this summer, you can still do so at The Koji Club. On Sept. 13th Boston’s only sake bar will hold an outdoor, all-you-can-eat clam boil and raw bar accompanied by — what else — sake pairings. Find tickets here.
- That’s the Tea: Sumiao Hunan Kitchen is holding its second annual “Mid-Autumn Festival Tea” with local importer MEM Tea on September 15th. Guests will partake in a guided tasting that will pair eight tapas-sized Sumiao dishes — including steamed duck bao, mala duck and hot dry noodles — to the same number of MEM teas. Score tickets here, and keep up with plenty of other happenings on our Resy Events page.
New to the Hit List (Sept. 2024)
Amba, Saigon Babylon, Shawmut Inn, ShoChu Co.
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. Toro Boston South End
Ken Oringer’s Toro arguably introduced tapas to Boston — and supercharged the South End’s nascent dining scene — when it opened on an otherwise snoozy stretch of Washington Street in 2005. Ever since, Toro has been anything but quiet, with small crowds packing around the Barcelona-style restaurant’s entrance. While the menu rotates regularly, a number of house signatures have emerged: most notably, its ultra-saucy patatas bravas (which can be fortified with sausage crumbles), the Valencian-style paella and a decadent uni bocadillo that spreads fresh uni, miso butter and pickled mustard seeds between two slices of well-toasted bread.
10. Field & Vine Union Square
The arrival of pizza-focused sibling June Bug (see above) is a good reason to check back into Field & Vine. Given its emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients, the menu is rarely static, currently with dishes like steak tartare with nuoc cham aioli, smoked beets with raspberry vinaigrette and almond coffee cream, and a grilled swordfish swimming in guajillo broth with hominy. If that sort of tweaking of what otherwise might go under the category of “New American” feels especially novel, well, that’s why F&V’s customers are a loyal bunch.
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. The Vermilion Club Downtown
Who says that Downtown is dead? Certainly not John Fraser, who’s countering the downer narrative by opening The Vermilion Club, a new steakhouse concept with no shortage of swank, sex appeal, and most importantly, dry-aged tomahawks. The menu is indulgence up-and-down, from a foie gras Boston cream pie to mozzarella-smothered veal chop pizzaiola, and a genuinely scorched Baked Alaska made with honey ice cream for dessert. In case that weren’t enticing enough, the glitzy rectangular bar at the center of the space maintains a 70-strong cocktail list.
13. Pagu Central Square
Chef Tracy Chang won plaudits for starting volunteer-run organizations to address food insecurity during the pandemic. But she’s also garnered a James Beard nomination for her work at this unclassifiable Central Square restaurant, which serves classic Spanish tapas alongside Japanese and other Asian dishes. In the mood for jamón Ibérico, but also braised pork belly bao? Pagu has you covered. Craving miso black cod but also vegetarian paella? Ditto. And depending on the size of your party, you might even plump for the scene-stealing suckling pig, which can satisfy up to six.
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. Amba East Cambridge
Chef Will Gilson’s East Cambridge footprint keeps expanding — and we’re not complaining. His most recent expansion is a Mediterranean café that serves breakfast pita sandwiches and spinach and feta borekas in the morning before switching to a lunch and early dinner menu that includes za’atar dusted chicken tenders or “street cart” rice bowls. However, the true star of the show might just be its spice-rubbed rotisserie chickens, which come with such sides as harissa roasted carrots or spiced crinkly fries, and sauces like dill ranch or black garlic tahini.
Walk-ins only. More info here.
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.
