Every year, dining out website Eater chooses their picks for best places to eat and drink in the country, and the picks for Boston are in.
Dining out in Boston seems to get better every year, and for the Eater awards, restaurants and bars are typically open between September 1 of 2022 to September 1 of 2023 in order to be eligible. However, last year Eater Boston skipped the awards so the range was a little wider to accommodate openings they might have missed. The site says this year's selections show how “ambitious” Boston’s dining scene is, and we couldn’t agree more. Of course, don’t miss Time Out Boston’s own Best of the City Awards!
Eater’s best new restaurant: Rubato
This Quincy cafe, modeled after a Hong Kong style diner, made headlines in the summer of 2022 when Joyce Chan, owner of Contempo Bakery, announced she was stepping down and passing the restaurant down to her son and daughter-in-law, Laurence Louie and Rary Stasifa. Thus, Rubato was born, with a space that pays homage to the bakery, but with a new spin on the menu. The space now serves modern takes on Cantonese and Hong Kong comfort foods, and also made Bon Appétit’s best new restaurants list. Eater says writes that “Hit items include the crispy fried chicken sandwiched on a bolo bao, and savory bowls of ji cheung fun, or jiggly steamed rice rolls, served with add-ons like melt-in-your-mouth cubes of beef brisket.”
Time Out’s pick for best new restaurant for 2023 is Charlestown’s Prima, which took over the former Olive’s space in City Square Park. Like much in Boston, it mixes the old and new. The pastas, steaks and wine list are all top notch and don’t forget to sneak into the speakeasy in the back after dinner.
Looking for more great restaurants? See the best places to eat and drink in Boston.
Eater’s best new bar: Birds of Paradise
You’re going to have to head to the Charles River Speedway in Brighton to try drinks Eater says “will make you do a double take.” The newest cocktail bar from the team behind the award-winning Blossom Bar, Ivory Pearl, and Baldwin Bar out in Woburn, Birds of Paradise is inspired by the golden age of travel, with a drink menu playing with the idea of plane tickets and destinations and featuring ingredients that evoke different locations around the world. Eater writes, “The Big Apple in Lil’ Jalisco is a carbonated mix of tequila and apple cordial that could easily be mistaken for fizzy, tart champagne.”
Time Out’s best new bar is The Long Bar at Raffles. Perched on the 17th floor, this bar exceeded our hopes of a hotel bar that we locals could enjoy as well. With a spacious outdoor terrace, chic interior and a fairly priced cocktail list this is the spot we have had on repeat. Order the Boston Sling for a local take on the Raffles signature, the Singapore Sling.
For more cocktail bar inspo, see our guide to the best cocktail bars in Boston.
Eater’s game changing restaurant: Comfort Kitchen
This Dorchester restaurant was a highly anticipated opening in 2023, as Chef and partner Kwasi Kwaa and managing partner Biplaw Rai had been hosting pop-ups around town prior to opening. Comfort Kitchen serves a taste of the African diaspora, like plates of Senegalese yassa chicken, za’atar-brown-butter trout, and jerk jackfruit sliders, alongside killer cocktails (we love the daiquiri) that pair well with the menu.
Looking to dine out at the best new spots? See our picks for Boston’s best restaurants.
Eater’s best night out: Grace by Nia
Among a “sea of steakhouse chains,” writes Eater, Grace By Nia is a 5,000-square-foot dining and entertainment venue in the Seaport and includes a stage and lounge on the main floor with adjacent restaurant seating. Owner Nia Grace, who is also behind Darryl’s the legendary Southern comfort food restaurant on the edge of the South End and Roxbury, has brought nightly live music to the Seaport, along with dishes like oxtail grits, carrot cake chicken and waffles and more comfort classics. Eater writes, “Everyone is here to have a good time, and Grace serves that up in spades.”
Time Out also gave Grace by Nia the nod, naming the modern-day supper club with cultural vibrancy, live music and soulful flavors, our pick for best new nightlife.
For more fun adventures, here are the 50 best things to do in Boston.
Eater’s best new pop-up: Southern Pines Diner Car
Located in Somerville’s Bow Market, this pop-up is the passion project of Chef Matthew Bullock, who previously worked at upscale bistro Forage in Cambridge. The sandwich shop, Eater writes, is doing the “kind of sandwich engineering that would be a fool’s errand to try at home.” Held together by slices of challah from Hi-Rise Bread Company in Cambridge, try the Rouxgroux: Cajun barbecue-spiced chicken thigh with pickled jalapenos, coleslaw, and American cheese.
Our pick for best pop-up? The Elvis Jungle Room! This kitschy tiki-inspired pop-up was a big hit with Elvis fans and was sold out almost immediately! Jungle Room-style furniture and decor, Elvis songs, signature Memphis cocktails and lots of photo ops were all on the menu during this brief, but fun pop-up.
Craving a handheld? See our best sandwich shops in Boston.