Many of these places have been listed on prior Favorite Lists, some for multiple years, and are all worthy of recognition and recommendation. There are also some new Favorites, places I only recently encountered but which I know I will be returning frequently. Please note that this list doesn't include the restaurants which I previously recommended in my first favorites list of this year.
There are thousands of restaurants in the Boston+ area and just because a place is not on my list doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. This is only a small list, and can't include every good restaurant. Plus, there are some worthy restaurants that I haven't yet dined at, or reviewed, and I hope to remedy that in 2025. For more Restaurant reviews, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.
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Butter UR Biscuit: Delicious biscuit sandwiches. Love the Cheesy Bird Biscuit.
Soall Viet Kitchen: Excellent Vietnamese cuisine. Some of my favorite dishes include their plump Shrimp Summer Rolls, the crispy Sweet Potato & Shrimp Fritters, the tasty Steamed Pork Bao, and the alluring Chicken Clay Pot.
Boston
Bistro du Midi: A fine French bistro.
Boston
Bistro du Midi: A fine French bistro.
Committee Ouzeri & Bar: Tasty Greek cuisine with a nice Greek wine list.
Dumpling Cafe: In Chinatown, one of my favorite spots for Soup Dumplings. Mooncusser Fish House/Cusser's Roast Beef: Two restaurants in one, with a high-end seafood restaurant and a casual roast beef sandwich spot.
Myers & Chang: Still consistently excellent with creative Asian cuisine.
Prezza: Excellent Italian cuisine. One of the best in the North End.
Select Oyster Bar: Top notch seafood restaurant.
Select Oyster Bar: Top notch seafood restaurant.
Brookline
Taberna de Haro: Spanish tapas with a huge Spanish wine list, and a compelling Sherry list. Almost every time I'm in the area, I stop by at least for a glass of Sherry.
Burlington
The Bancroft: One of my favorite steakhouses, and a great spot for lunch too.
Taberna de Haro: Spanish tapas with a huge Spanish wine list, and a compelling Sherry list. Almost every time I'm in the area, I stop by at least for a glass of Sherry.
Burlington
The Bancroft: One of my favorite steakhouses, and a great spot for lunch too.
Feng Shui: Tasty Chinese and Japanese cuisine, with a buffet on the weekends.
Karma Asian Fusion Cuisine: High-end Asian spot with amazing Sushi.
Row 34: An excellent, high-end seafood restaurant. I even love their Tuna Melt.
Sichuan Gourmet: Authentic Sichuan cuisine.Việt Citron: Casual Vietnamese restaurant serving primarily delicious Bahn Mi and Pho. Their Crispy Pork Belly Bahn Mi is excellent.
Cambridge
Puritan & Co.: Modern American cuisine for dinner and an excellent Brunch.
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen: Authentic Hunan cuisine and a place to explore Baijiu.
Tampopo: A tiny spot for tasty and inexpensive Japanese cuisine.
Puritan & Co.: Modern American cuisine for dinner and an excellent Brunch.
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen: Authentic Hunan cuisine and a place to explore Baijiu.
Tampopo: A tiny spot for tasty and inexpensive Japanese cuisine.
Pammy's: New American cuisine with an Italian accent.
Charlestown
Peruvian Taste Restaurant: A casual spot, serving delicious and authentic Peruvian cuisine, including Chifa, a combination of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine.
Chelsea
Tambo 22: A high-end Peruvian restaurant with excellent food and a killer bar program. Pisco Sours!
Danvers:
Nick & Andy's: One of my favorite Breakfast spots, which very reasonable prices. Love their fresh-baked muffins and hashbrowns, as well as their Chicken & Waffles.
Ipswich
Clam Box of Ipswich: My favorite clam shack on the North Shore, providing such delicious, fresh fried seafood. On Fridays, they often have Fried Lobster Tails, such a decadent treat.
Malden
All Seasons Table: Excellent Asian cuisine, including sushi.
District Kitchen: Excellent spot for Chinese cuisine, from Soup Dumplings to Dan Dan Noodles.
Medford
Bistro 5: Delicious Italian cuisine. Lots of special seasonal menus.
Bistro 5: Delicious Italian cuisine. Lots of special seasonal menus.
Melrose
Liberty Bell Roast Beef: I often dine here, or get take-out, enjoying their tasty roast beef sandwiches or crispy chicken fingers.
Thai Chili Basil: Tasty takeout Thai spot. Love the Chiangmai Noodles.
Newton
Farm Grill & Rotisserie: Casual Greek spot with delicious gyros, lamb dishes, and more.
Endless Hibachi & Sushi: All you can eat Sushi, Japanese appetizers and Hibachi. One of the best deals in the area.
Ithaki: Delicious Greek cuisine and wine.
Pellana Prime Steakhouse: Another of my favorite steakhouses.
Salem
Bambolina & Kokeshi: Where else can you find delicious wood-fired pizza and ramen in the same place? Bambolina and Kokeshi are two restaurants, under the same ownership, which also share the same space.
Saugus
Prince Pizzeria: A 60+ year old pizza restaurant, and probably the place where I've had lunch the most amount of times this past year. I've been dining there since I was a child, and I still love their pizza, meatballs (and new meatball egg rolls!), and other Italian dishes.
Somerville:
Yakitori Totto: Excellent yakitori (grilled meats, seafood, and veggies) as well as other Japanese dishes. So much variety available, and prices are reasonable.
Stoneham
Ailaa Himalayan Bar: Intriguing and delicious Himalayan cuisine.
Anthony's Italian Specialties: Their sandwiches are tasty and huge, filled with plenty of meat and/or veggies, and the quality of their meat and produce is excellent. One sandwich can feed two people.
Fusion Taste: Tasty Chinese and Japanese cuisine, and a place I regularly get take-out.
Sturbridge:
B.T.'s Smokehouse: Tasty barbecue spot, and their fried chicken is one of my favorites. Plus, they are a BYOB spot so you can bring your own wine or beer.
Wayland
Coach Grill: Another of my favorite steakhouses.
Winchester
Woburn
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe: Tiny Chinese spot with delicious home-made noodles, dumpling soup, and lamb skewers.
Winchester
China Sky: Tasty Chinese and Japanese dishes, including sushi. Their Sesame Chicken is probably the most delicious example of this dish I've eaten.
Ristorante Lucia: Old-school Italian spot, with superb pizza which doesn't receive anywhere near the amount of recognition that it deserves.
Woburn
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe: Tiny Chinese spot with delicious home-made noodles, dumpling soup, and lamb skewers.
Flip The Bird: Fast-casual spot for delicious fried chicken sandwiches
Hahaha Chicken: Casual spot for tasty Korean Fried Chicken.
Shake Shack: My fast casual burger joint of choice. I usually go to either their Woburn or Burlington locations.
Surf Seafood: Excellent seafood dishes. Their Portuguese Seafood Stew is amazing.
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What were some of your Favorite Restaurants this year?