Guides
New and exciting restaurants to check out, plus good reasons to visit older spots.
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Cafe Sushi’s akami (lean tuna) nigiri with herb gremolata and iced red onion. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
New year, new restaurants. Settle in with a decadent mug of hot chocolate, and we’ll fill you in on what’s new and exciting in the Greater Boston restaurant scene—plus, some good reasons to revisit older spots. On the to-try list this month: crispy Korean fried chicken in Somerville (from the family behind a decades-old Asian market); Ethiopian and Eritrean breakfast in the South End; eye-catching French-Asian pastries downtown; and lots more. (Check out last month’s guide here.)
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New Restaurants to Try This Month
Recent (or imminent openings) you’ve got to check out.
Ama at the Atlas (Allston, Boston)
The best new restaurant of 2023 is getting a sibling. The Comfort Kitchen team, led by Biplaw Rai and Nyacko Pearl Perry (collectively Pearl & Law Hospitality), will open Ama at the Atlas around late January. Seating 180, the sizable restaurant will be open all day on the ground floor of the new Atlas Hotel. Named for the Nepali word for mother, it’s an ode to mothers and caregivers, with culinary director Shelley Nason serving a globally inspired menu meant to “reimagine nourishment,” per a press release, and highlight ingredients that don’t always get their due, like okra, lentils, and parsnips. Some Comfort Kitchen favorites, such as the jerk duck, will carry over to Ama.
40 Western Ave. (the Atlas Hotel), Allston, Boston, ama-boston.com.
Bonanza Bites & Cocktails (Somerville)
Not far from Porter Square, a space best-known for the long, burger-filled tenure of R.F. O’Sullivan is now home to a Latin American restaurant focused on small plates and cocktails “with soul.” Think: confit pork belly with ponzu and guava glaze; arepa sliders; and salmon tiradito accompanied by, say, grilled peach-infused mezcal with green apple chicha morada and lemon.
Boxfish (Watertown)
A little over a year ago, Watertown favorite Cha Yen Thai Cookery moved across Mt. Auburn Street into a bigger space. Now, chef-owner Manita Bunnagitkarn, who also runs Kala Thai Cookery in Downtown Boston, has opened a new seafood restaurant in the original Cha Yen space. Currently in “soft opening” mode, Boxfish is serving dishes like clams with chorizo and garlic bread; oysters with caviar and urchin; and clam chowder. There are cocktails, too.
613 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, boxfish.food.
K-Bok Korean Fried Chicken (Union Square, Somerville)
The family behind Union Square stalwart Reliable Market—a grocery store that’s been offering goods from Korea, Japan, and beyond for decades—is now serving crispy fried chicken at a new restaurant nearby. In the old Cantina La Mexicana space, find spicy wings, sandwiches, and more. (For a vegetarian option, fried oyster mushrooms stand in for chicken.) There’s daytime café service, too, with espresso, tea, croissants, and a bit more.
249 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville, kbokchicken.com.
Kokoro Don Café (Somerville)
All-day Japanese comfort food has arrived in Somerville, from waffles topped with karaage (Japanese fried chicken) to handrolls and onigiri. The casual, counter-service spot, located in the old Manosalwas space near Union Square, also offers hot and iced café drinks, such as black sesame lattes and yuzu honey green tea.
66 Summer St., Spring Hill, Somerville, kokorodoncafema.com.
Mesob (South End, Boston)
Boston’s got a new spot for Ethiopian and Eritrean on Washington Street with the December debut of Mesob, named for the woven basket in which shared meals are served. Kickoff a weekend day with breakfast—poached berbere eggs, fitfit—or head in for lunch or dinner for all the classics, including kitfo, tibs, and lots more. (There are ample vegetarian and vegan options.)
1746 Washington St., South End, Boston, mesobrestaurantboston.com.
Mizu Matcha (Back Bay, Boston)
Matcha experts, this one’s for you: This new ice cream shop offers matcha gelato in five different levels of intensity, plus other flavors such as ube, hojicha, and sesame. There’s also soft serve (try matcha-hojicha swirl) and lattes aplenty, such as strawberry matcha or black sesame azuki.
217 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, instagram.com/mizumatcha_bos.
My Girl. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
My Girl (Downtown Boston)
Picture yourself here, listening to a live-request piano show, sipping a banana Old Fashioned, and snacking on small plates that meld Latin American and Japanese influences: chicken skewers with guava yakitori, for instance, or scallops with “mochi gnocchi” (dumplings made of glutinous rice flour) and ceviche butter. This is the latest beautiful venue from the COJE team (Yvonne’s, Coquette, etc.), underneath its sibling Mariel.
10 Post Office Sq., Downtown Boston, mygirlinboston.com.
Sorella rendering. / Courtesy image
Sorella (Burlington)
The Tuscan Kitchen space in Burlington is getting a renovation and rebrand from the same parent company, Tuscan Brands: Sorella is slated to open later this month, spotlighting scratch-made pastas. Some Tuscan Kitchen favorites such as the Bolognese and lobster pizza will carry over to the new spot, per a rep for the group, but “reimagined through a fresh, elevated lens.” Look for an expanded bar and lots of private dining options when the revamp is complete.
2400 District Ave., Burlington, tuscanbrands.com.
Wildgrain Bakehouse rendering. / Image by Guggenheim Architecture + Design Studio
Wildgrain Bakehouse (Somerville)
Somerville-born bread-and-more subscription box company Wildgrain—which ships customizable batches of par-baked, frozen goods—is opening a café and test kitchen in its hometown in late January, a way to try Wildgrain products IRL (and warm). (Customers will also be able to buy frozen items to take home, no subscription necessary.) On the menu: croissants, bagels, sourdough loaves, chocolate chunk cookies, rotating pastries, and café beverages. Gluten-free folks, there’ll be bagels, bread, and cookies for you, too.
29R Properzi Way, Somerville, instagram.com/wildgrain.bakehouse.
Older Restaurants Doing New Things
Expansions and other changes—time for a (re)visit.
Backbar. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Backbar (Union Square, Somerville)
It’s a new era for 14-year-old cocktail destination Backbar. The Field & Vine team next door has taken over ownership, and cofounder Sam Treadway has just departed after spending a year aiding in the transition. Expect all the Star Wars stuff and other geekery to continue, along with the inclusiveness and creative drinks. If you haven’t been in a while, why not take this opportunity to revisit and see for yourself that it continues to be one of the best places around to grab a cocktail?
7 Sanborn Ct., Union Square, Somerville, backbarunion.com.
Black Cat Eatery’s suya beef. / Courtesy photo
Black Cat Eatery at Wink & Nod (South End, Boston)
Former Krasi executive chef Valentine Howell is a Top Chef alum and a James Beard Award semifinalist. His next move? Taking his Black Cat Eatery pop-up, which he developed with his partner Renea Adger and previously ran at Vee Vee in Jamaica Plain, to South End cocktail bar Wink & Nod. He’ll be the 13th resident chef in the bar’s culinary incubator program, and following a New Year’s Eve preview, he’ll fully debut Black Cat at Wink & Nod soon, blending Afro-Caribbean traditions and European techniques. On the menu: oxtail cavatelli, grilled jerk half chicken with pikliz, djon djon fried rice, and more.
3 Appleton St., South End, Boston, winkandnod.com, instagram.com/blackcateateryy.
Cafe Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Cafe Sushi (between Harvard and Central Square, Cambridge)
At last, the dining room has reopened! The Cambridge icon isn’t doing omakase anymore—it’s in its sake bar era. The menu is a streamlined selection of Japanese-inspired small plates and sushi in various forms (nigiri, handrolls, makimono); the sake menu is fun and hits a variety of price points. Head to Cafe Sushi Nisei for dine-in or next door to Cafe Sushi Shoten for takeout, delivery, and Japanese retail items, from chopstick holders to imported candy (and loads of bottles of sake).
1105 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, cafesushicambridge.com.
Fuful Bakery (Downtown Boston)
Mousse cakes that look like fruits, sweet and savory croissants, and more—these French-Asian pastries are as delicious as they are photogenic. Now open on Franklin Street, this is the first brick-and-mortar location for a popular pop-up that previously frequented SoWa.
274 Franklin St., Downtown Boston, fufulbakery.com.
A spread of dishes at Moona, including several dips. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Moona (Central Square, Cambridge)
Moona’s cozy Inman Square location is lovely (and deservedly award-winning). The spacious new Moona, now open in Central, is ramping up to all-day hours soon and spotlighting Levantine-inspired flavors of croissants and soft serve. Quite the upgrade. Relax over dips, mezze, and larger dishes like date molasses-glazed lamb shank, and watch for café hours, with breakfast and lunch, to begin in the next couple of months.
750 Main St., Central Square, Cambridge, moonarestaurant.com.
Wood-fired pizzas at Posto. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Posto (South End, Boston)
Acclaimed wood-fired pizzeria Posto, which moved from Somerville’s Davis Square to Assembly Row a year ago, has just opened a new location in its sibling Burro Bar’s former South End space. Choose among traditional and out-of-the-box pizzas—some red, some white—as well as pastas (such as gnocchi with braised beef short rib) and entrees (such as Tuscan seafood stew).
1357 Washington St., South End, Boston, 617-426-0738, postoboston.com.
Third Time Together (Kendall Square, Cambridge)
Best of Boston winner Third Time Ice Cream, which opened as Third Time Together (with ice cream and more) at Brighton’s Charles River Speedway a few months back, closed up shop there in December when negotiations for a longer-term lease didn’t work out. But come mid-January, Third Time Together will open a permanent location in the former Gracie’s Ice Cream/Earnest Drinks space in Kendall. The plan: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and (of course) ice cream, with chef Nick Laden-Sienne’s signature Middle Eastern-y/fusion-y fare. (He’s an Oleana and Sofra alum.) There’ll be seasonal outdoor seating, too.
399 Binney St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, thirdtimetogether.co.
Dining and Cooking