The Resy Hit List: Where In Boston You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
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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.
Consider it your essential resource for dining in Boston: a monthly-updated guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Boston Not to Miss This Month
- Turkey Time: Thanksgiving is nigh, and we can think of a few worthwhile places to spend it. In particular, The Smoke Shop BBQ for a buffet with smoked turkey, Texas toast stuffing, and pork ribs, tickets here; Contessa Boston for roasted turkey with sage gravy and pumpkin gelato, tickets here; La Padrona for a three-course prix-fixe, tickets here; and Victory Point for a waterfront buffet with Italian herb-roasted turkey, honey-roasted ham, and pumpkin pie.
- Peep This: We’re hitting prime time for fall foliage, and there are few better places to spend it than the Berkshires. And should you find yourself leaf peeping around its lovely hills, you may want to consider a reservation at The Airport Rooms in North Adams for cocktails in an 1813 farmhouse; Prairie Whale for burgers and brick chicken in downtown Great Barrington; or Cello in Lenox for olive oil confit onion rings and rigatoni Bolognese.
- Cry Me a Riviera: Boston’s just added an LPM Restaurant & Bar to its dining scene, located inside the Four Seasons One Dalton Street. The restaurant — whose acronym stands for La Petit Maison — has 10 other locations around the world, from London to Dubai, and built its culinary empire on the flavors of the French Riviera, including homemade pasta and fresh whole fish. And to catch up on what else is New on Resy, see the latest list here.
- Wine About It: Woods Hill Pier 4 at the Seaport is holding a dinner with Piemontese wine maker Giuseppe Vaira that includes live scallops, porcini-crusted pork collar, and charred beef short rib on Wednesday, Nov. 18, tickets here; while City Winery is hosting a four-course prix-fixe dinner pairing its wines to Thanksgiving-inspired dishes like turkey croquettes with cranberry aioli and pumpkin crème brûlée on Monday, Nov. 30; tickets here.
New to the Hit List (Nov. 2026)
Al Wadi, Black Ruby, Josephine, Rochambeau.
1. Sarma Winter Hill
There’s something to be said — nay, 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. Yes, the bevy of awards has helped, but that would shortchange the constant creativity of chef Cassie Piuma, whose Turkish meyhane concept still resonates. Piuma has maintained her Somerville spot as 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. Novo Lantern South End Boston
A little corner of the South End now has roughly 1000% more handmade dumplings (we checked the math), thanks to the presence of newcomer Novo Lantern. Aside from its reputation-making soup dumpling — which you can watch being freshly made on a flour-coated wooden slab in the back of the dining room — the restaurant also offers Chinese classics like beef with longhorn pepper, mapo tofu, and Peking duck.
3. Nightshade Noodle Bar Lynn
With a Michelin recommendation now under its belt, Nightshade Noodle Bar continues to cook up an innovative blend of French and Vietnamese flavors through a variety of tasting menu options. They range from a seven-course “Prelude” that lasts up to 90 minutes to a showstopping, 30-courser dubbed “The Ultimate” that runs over three hours. Between the extremes is its 14-course “NNB Signature Tasting,” which may include everything from grilled coconut sticky rice pops to confit garlic noodles with crab cakes.
4. Bey South End
Among the South End’s hottest current reservations, Bey is a shoebox-sized space on Shawmut Avenue that takes its name from Beirut and serves a modern interpretation of Lebanese cuisine. Said food comes in the form of cold mezze like whipped labneh with za’atar chips, hot mezze including pan-fried halloumi with orange blossom honey, and larger plates like beef kabab or a whole grilled branzino.
5. Marzae Cellar + Provisions Boston
The only winery in the state of Massachusetts focused on would-be natural wine has set up shop in Boston Public Market, where they’ll be pouring out not only their vino but also cocktails, beer, and spirits from local makers, plus non-alcoholic fermented beverages. Accompanying all that liquid will be build-your-own charcuterie boards and small plates like lasagna or a local foie gras hot dog.
6. Black Ruby: Thai Craft Burger and Dining Cambridge
American comfort dishes-meets-Thai street food flavors is the whole idea behind Black Ruby in Porter Square. How that manifests is in offerings like a khao soi burger topped by curry sauce and crispy egg noodles, larb Parmesean fries, and a coconut milk potato chowder.
7. Mesob Restaurant South End
If you’re not yet familiar with the bounties of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, you’re about to get a hands-on experience of them (in more ways than one) at relative South End newcomer Mesob. Situated on Washington Avenue and dialed into authentic flavors, it offers the likes of gored gored (raw beef mixed with spiced butter and chile powder) and berbere-spiced chicken stew, all of which can be scooped up with spongy, sour injera.
8. Louis Corner Boston
Louis Corner — which now has a full liquor license — continues to delight its little corner of the South End, with its upscale takes on American comfort classics like bechamel-enhanced mac ‘n’ cheese and a smash burger finished with spicy mayo and caramelized onions. And the newly enhanced cocktail menu now features the likes of Expedition 552, made with bourbon, amontillado sherry, and crème de banana.
9. West on Centre West Roxbury
West on Centre has a decidedly “Cheers” vibe as a neighborhood gathering spot, a reputation they’ve earned with tavern favorites like barbecue tenderloin steak tips, hot honey wings and beer-battered fish and chips. And that doesn’t even get into the pizza offerings, which come topped with the likes of braised chipotle chicken or pepperoni and hot honey.
10. Al Wadi West Roxbury
Traditional Lebanese cuisine is represented in West Roxbury by Al Wadi, which promises diners a feast of smaller mezze dishes like pan-seared halloumi, miniature spinach pies, and minced beef dumplings in yogurt sauce before moving onto mains including shrimp kebab and spicy lamb stew. Should there be any room left for dessert, there’s always baklava and Lebanese-style ice cream accented by cotton candy, pistachios, and a chocolate drizzle.
11. Picco South End
One of the South End’s best-kept secrets, Picco keeps regulars (particularly families) coming back for cold-fermented, perfectly charred sourdough pizzas crowned with bountiful pepperoni slices or made up as house specialties like the Alsatian (bacon, Gruyere, shallots, and crème fraiche). Just leave some room for the other side of its name (it stands for “Pizza and Ice Cream Company”) with homemade flavors like miso blueberry and chocolate malt, which can be taken home by the pint.
12. Matria Downtown
If “Northern Italian Steakhouse, but on Boston’s waterfront” sounds appealing, you may want to consider Matria. Perched in the Intercontinental Hotel, it features a harbor-facing patio warmed by fire pits, which is as good a place as any to enjoy a freezer-cold martini and a bagna cauda-coated prime tenderloin with truffled polenta and pancetta brussels sprouts on the side.
13. Rochambeau Boston
It’s steak frites season, and Rochambeau has the goods. Inside its Belle Epoque-inspired dining room are Gallic delights ranging from the aforementioned frites — which are available as part of a “steak room” prix-fixe experience that also include hot and dirty martinis poured tableside and endless rosemary fries — as well as escargot, steak tartare, bouillabaisse, and everything else your Francophile heart desires.
14. Viale Central Square
Since 2014, Viale has quietly served its stretch of Mass Ave. with handmade pastas like tagliatelle verde with heirloom tomato pomodoro and saffron lumachel in a seafood broth with clams and mussels. They also have one of the best dollar oyster deals going, with buck-a-shuck taking place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays.
15. Extra Dirty Cocktail Club North End
A 20-seat lounge hidden behind a curtain at The Red Fox, Extra Dirty Cocktail Club is the mixology equivalent of a tasting menu. After buying tickets on Tock, guests are treated to progressive courses of cocktails paired to small bites and curated around a particular theme, for instance, agave spirits and Mexican citrus fruits.
16. Kahaani South Boston
The old Worden Hall space on West Broadway has been transformed into Kahaani, a new gastropub with bold Indian flavors and flower-festooned walls. Specializing in Hyderabadi cooking, which incorporates Turkish and Arabic flavors, signature dishes here include slow-cooked chicken biryani and Haleem meat stew.
17. Josephine Somerville
It’s a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure scenario at Josephine’s where pizza is concerned. You can order up wood-fired, thin-crust pies topped by white clams and garlic or shaved ribeye and sharp American cheese, or delve into deep-dish options like a pork and fennel sausage pizza or a vegetable-focused entry with mushrooms and Cubanelle peppers. And that’s just scraping the surface of chef Michael Scelfo’s Somerville love letter to Italian-American cooking, which also features a wide range of freshly made pastas like rigatoni in vodka sauce, and even cheesesteaks on housemade rolls.
18. Willie’s Beacon Hill
Jamie Bissonnette’s latest ventures (see Somaek, Temple Records, etc.) have a funny way of expanding into adjacent spaces. Now the same has happened with Zurito, whose next-door neighbor — formerly a pizzeria — is now Willie’s, intimately sized and new but with a similar continuity: chewy, thin-crust pizzas and housemade pastas with influences from Spain or Asia. Witness, for instance, the P.C.T. pie, essentially a large-scale pan con tomate; or spaghetti carbonara made with yuzu kosho and Parmesan dashima. Quintessentia Bissonnette, and we’re here for it.
19. Sarva Back Bay
A beautiful brownstone on the corner of Newbury and Gloucester Street is home to Sarva, where dedication to regional Indian cuisine manifests in classics like butter chicken, tikka masala, and tandoor chicken, in addition to Indo-Chinese specialties like gobi Manchurian. Also on deck are cocktails like the Tamarind Trail made with tamarind, gin, lime, and mint.
20. Avra Boston Back Bay
To step inside Avra Boston is to be instantly transported to some sun-kissed seaside town on the Aegean coast. It’s a feat the upscale chain accomplishes with white-washed walls, indoor olive trees, and most importantly, a menu stocked with whole-grilled fish flown in fresh from the Mediterranean. Go all out with an entire, de-boned branzino ladled in lemon sauce, plus grilled Portuguese sardines, and Maine lobster pasta to fill in any gaps.
