2025: My Top Five Favorite Restaurants & Four New Restaurants

As 2026 approaches, it's time once again to reflect upon the past year, to remember and savor pleasant memories. It's the time for my Annual Year-End Favorite lists, from restaurants to wine. And I'm starting this year with my Top Five Favorite Restaurants of 2025 & Four New Restaurants. 

These end-of-the-year lists should provide a comprehensive summary of my favorites, allowing my readers to more readily locate such gems, the best of my recommendations. I'll note that last year this list included only my Top Four Favorite Restaurants. However, this year, I decided to add one more restaurant, which continues to impress me with its consistent excellence. It's more than worthy of being on this list, but the other four restaurants already on the list remain worthy as well. So, this year, there will be a Top Five list, to accommodate this new Top Favorite.

This list is also in no particular order, and is purely a subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. However, all of the restaurants here earn my heartiest recommendation and I hope you'll enjoy them as well, as so many others have done. For more Restaurant reviews, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

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My Top Five Favorite Restaurants are those exceptional spots which are consistently excellent, offering great food and drink as well as top notch service. These are the five places which first come to my mind when I want a celebratory dinner, or just want a sublime dining experience. They receive my unqualified highest recommendation. These are also the restaurants I most frequently recommend to others when I'm asked for my top restaurants. And those people who then go to these restaurants usually become big fans of these restaurants too.  

Krasi Meze & Wine (Boston)

Part of the Xenia Greek Hospitality group, this Greek restaurant is amazing, where nearly every innovative dish is exceptional. Their menu consists of a wide selection of small plates, perfect for sharing, and offers creative Greek cuisine, with roots in tradition but it's not afraid to experiment. Their Greek wine list, the largest in the country, is superb with so many delicious and interesting options. Service is excellent, and the servers are very knowledgeable of the food and wine. Krasi never disappoints. This past year, I celebrated my Anniversary there, and it proved once again that it's thoroughly worthy of being one of my Top Five restaurants. 

Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn)

Offering inventive and delicious French/Vietnamese inspired-cuisine, with their own unique spin, this restaurant offers Tasting Menus, of various number of courses. Their dishes are exceptional, bursting with flavor, and creatively composed. Plus, they have an excellent wine list and cocktail program. I like their homey vibe, service is always excellent, and they have an open kitchen, which I've always loved. Be adventurous with your palate and you'll be amply rewarded. This year, they were also awarded recognition, and duly deserved, by the Michelin Guide. 

A Tavola (Winchester)

This excellent Italian restaurant in Winchester is owned by Chef Joe Carli, who is very talented and personable. His Italian cuisine is as good as anything you'll find in the North End. The restaurant is relatively small and intimate, perfect for date night or a business dinner. Much of the sourcing is from local farms. I especially love their superb home-made pasta dishes, as well as when they have Duck Wings as a special. Their wine list concentrates on Italian wines, and there are many good choices. You also should check out their event list, which includes fun and tasty wine dinners and cocktail classes. Recently, they also introduced a special Pasta tasting menu on Wednesdays, but only for those seated at the chef's counter. 

Il Ponte (Woburn)
Chef Beni Kurti of Il Ponte has brought his deep passion, lengthy culinary experience, and charm to Woburn. It's a homey restaurant, with a casual elegance, and the Italian cuisine is top notch, from home-made pasta dishes to exquisite Neapolitan pizza. During this past year, I've thoroughly enjoyed so many different dishes here, such as the Lamb Lollipop Milanese. Their Swordfish Puttanesca, which is a Special all the time, is amazing, an ample piece of tender and moist Swordfish with a compelling puttanesca sauce. Service is excellent, the servers being genuinely personable and attentive, without being obtrusive. It's consistently superb and every person I've recommended has raved about their own dining experience.  

Row 34 (Burlington)

This year, I've decided to add Row 34 to my Top Favorites, as this seafood restaurant has continued to impress me since it replaced Island Creek Oyster Bar. Fresh seafood, from raw oysters and crudo to lobster rolls and fried clams. Every seafood dish pleases the palate, even something as simple as their delicious Tuna Melt. They have an excellent wine and cocktail program, and service is always top notch too. Whether I want a tasty lunch or a celebratory dinner, Row 34 doesn't disappoint, and is well worthy of being included in my Top Five.

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I want to now address four restaurants, which were "new" to me this year, and impressed me. One of these restaurants recently moved their location, and I hadn't dined there for several years, so I now consider it "new" to me. These four are definitely restaurants I want to dine at again, and which are worthy of a hearty recommendation. 

Karma (Winchester)

This high-end, Asian fusion restaurant is part of a small chain, with locations in Westford, Concord, Burlington, and Andover. Though each restaurant shares much in common with the others, they also have some of their own identity. They have superb Sushi, and many other delicious dishes, from Soup Dumplings to Wagyu Beef. They offer tasty and reasonably priced Lunch specials, a great way to experience their cuisine. 

Posto (Somerville)

Posto recently moved their location from Davis Square to Assembly Row. I hadn't been to the Davis Square location since before the pandemic, so had to check out their new location. And the food was just as delicious as I remembered, which is why it used to be on some of my prior lists of Favorite Restaurants. For example, their Roasted Garlic pizza was amazing, with maybe more garlic than any other pizza I've ever had. Thus, it has earned its space back as one of my Favorites. Posto has also recently opened a second location in the South End.

The Cormorant (Newburyport)

With a diner-like vibe, this small restaurant serves a killer burger and fries. The Brioche type bun was butter grilled, and was soft and flavorful. The large, smashed patties possessed a nice meaty, grilled taste, enhanced by the toppings, which added a touch of smoke and salt, as well as a mild sweetness. A top notch burger! The French Fries were also delectable, with a great salty crispness to them. They also serve alcohol, and I enjoyed their Bourbon and Cream Soda cocktail. They have other appetizers and sandwiches, but the burgers are certainly a star. I can't wait to dine there again.

Sung Kong Restaurant (Malden)

Though I haven't yet reviewed this spot, I plan to in the near future. The restaurant gives me a Chinatown vibe, and it's well known for its Dim Sum, which is available every day. I have enjoyed lunch there several times, and most of the food has been excellent, from the fried rice to the sesame chicken. It's very inexpensive as well, and they provide complimentary hot tea. I still need to check out their Dim Sum, especially as the menu is intriguing.  

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What were some of your Favorite Restaurants this year?

2024: My Top Four Favorite Restaurants & Three New Favorites

As 2025 approaches, it's time once again to reflect upon the past year, to remember and savor pleasant memories. It's the time for my Annual Year-End Favorite lists, from restaurants to wine. And I'm starting this year with my Top Four Favorite Restaurants of 2024 & Three New Favorites. These end-of-the-year lists should provide a comprehensive summary of my favorites, allowing my readers to more readily locate such gems, the best of my recommendations. 

I'll note that last year this list included only my Top Three Favorite Restaurants. However, this year, another restaurant has risen to the top of my attention, thoroughly impressing me with its consistent excellence. It's more than worthy of being on this list, but the other three restaurants already on the list remain worthy as well. So, this year, I chose to make this a Top Four list, to accommodate this new Top Favorite.  

This list is also in no particular order, and is purely a subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. However, all of the restaurants here earn my heartiest recommendation and I hope you'll enjoy them as well, as so many others have done. For more Restaurant reviews, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

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My Top Four Favorite Restaurants are those exceptional spots which are consistently excellent, offering great food and drink as well as top notch service. These are the four places which first come to my mind when I want a celebratory dinner, or just want a sublime dining experience. They receive my unqualified highest recommendation. These are also the restaurants I most frequently recommend to others when I'm asked for my top restaurants. And those people who then go to these restaurants usually become big fans of these restaurants too.  

Krasi Meze & Wine (Boston)

Part of the Xenia Greek Hospitality group, this Greek restaurant is amazing, where nearly every innovative dish is exceptional. Their menu consists of a wide selection of small plates, perfect for sharing, and offers creative Greek cuisine, with roots in tradition but it's not afraid to experiment. Their Greek wine list, the largest in the country, is superb with so many delicious and interesting options. Service is excellent, and the servers are very knowledgeable of the food and wine. Krasi never disappoints.

Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn)

Offering inventive and delicious French/Vietnamese inspired-cuisine, with their own unique spin, this restaurant offers Tasting Menus, ranging from 7-30 courses. Their dishes are exceptional, bursting with flavor, and creatively composed. Plus, they have an excellent wine list and cocktail program. I like their homey vibe, service is always excellent, and they have an open kitchen, which I've always loved. They recently instituted a 30 course tasting menu and one of my desires for 2025 is to partake of that epic dinner. Be adventurous with your palate and you'll be amply rewarded. 

A Tavola (Winchester)

This excellent Italian restaurant in Winchester first made my Top Three list last year, and it continues to impress. Chef Joe Carli is very talented and personable, and his Italian cuisine is as good as anything you'll find in the North End. The restaurant is still relatively small and intimate, although this year they enlarged their space a bit, adding a small bar and some additional tables. Much of the sourcing is from local farms. I especially love their superb home-made pasta dishes, as well as when they have Duck Wings as a special. Their wine list concentrates on Italian wines, and there are many good choices. You also should check out their event list, which includes fun and tasty wine dinners and cocktail classes, like the A Tour of Italian Noble Grapes and BBQ & Bourbon events I attended this year. 

Il Ponte (Woburn)
Chef Beni Kurti of Il Ponte has brought his deep passion, lengthy culinary experience, and charm to Woburn. It's a homey restaurant, with a casual elegance, and the Italian cuisine is top notch, from home-made pasta dishes to exquisite Neapolitan pizza. During this past year, I've thoroughly enjoyed so many different dishes here, such as the Lamb Lollipop Milanese (pictured above_. Their Swordfish Puttanesca, which is a Special all the time, is amazing, an ample piece of tender and moist Swordfish with a compelling puttanesca sauce. Service is excellent, the servers being genuinely personable and attentive, without being obtrusive. It's consistently superb and every person I've recommended has raved about their own dining experience. Besides dining there numerous times this year, I also celebrated my birthday there and it was a memorable event. Il Ponte also recently added a special Gelato machine, and the gelato is silky and delicious. There's no need to drive into Boston for Italian cuisine with restaurants such as Il Ponte north of Boston.  

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I want to now address those restaurants, which were new to me this year, and impressed me. These are definitely restaurants I want to dine at again, and which are worthy of a hearty recommendation. 

XOXO Sushi Bar (Chestnut Hill)

This high-end Sushi spot opened in March and it's a superb spot, offering some of the best Sushi in the area. They serve Edomae-style sushi, which includes the used of aged and preserved fish, and they even have an intriguing glass case behind the sushi bar showing the aged fish. They serve other Japanese specialties as well, and they are as delicious as their sushi offerings. Their beverage program, from Sake to cocktails, is excellent as well. This is a restaurant well worth a splurge. 

Greco (Burlington)

I was very excited this past year when a branch of the Greco chain opened at the Burlington Mall. I've been a fan since the first Greco opened in 2017 on Newbury Street. It's a fast casual restaurant, specializing in Gyros and Loukoumades (Greek donuts!). Everything is made fresh, so you can enjoy whatever your food preference. You can opt for a Pita, Plate or Salad, with both meat and veggie options. The Greco Fries, with French fries topped by feta cheese, are delicious. And you have to end your meal with sweet Loukoumades, available own three flavors. 

Pinoy Kabayan (Boston)

There's only 3 Filipino restaurants in the Boston+ area, and Pinot Kabayan is the only one in Boston proper. This new restaurant is a fast-casual spot which does plenty of take-out. The food is authentic, delicious and reasonably priced. Many of the dishes are very approachable, such as Tocino (sweet cured pork) and Tapa (Filipino jerky) while other dishes are for the more adventurous. For example, Dinuguan, which roughly translates "bloody soup or stew," is commonly made with pork, offal and pork blood. However, I found it delicious, especially atop some garlic rice. I eagerly look forward to dining there again soon.

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There are a few other new restaurants I've dined at this past year, but for which I haven't yet written reviews, but which are still worthy of recognition. They include Sogne (Woburn, Italian cuisine), Fiorella's Cucina (Burlington, Italian cuisine), Adega Restaurant (Woburn, Portuguese), Bar Mezzana (Boston, Italian cuisine) and Feather & Wedge (Rockport, Seafood). Reviews of these restaurants are likely to come in 2025.

What were some of your Favorite Restaurants this year?

Nightshade Noodle Bar: A Birthday Celebration

It was one of my top dining experiences of the year, a 14 course extravaganza which occurred this past weekend. In a recent article, Choosing a Special Occasion Restaurant, I provided some recommendations for excellent restaurants for celebrations. On Saturday night, for a special dinner to celebrate my birthday, I chose one of my own recommendations, Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn.

Over the course of nearly four hours, five of us thoroughly enjoyed 14 courses of delicious and inventive food, along with wine and cocktails. Although we had only ordered the 12 course dinner, Chef Rachel Miller served us two additional courses in honor of my birthday. Service was excellent, attentive and accommodating, and we were never rushed. Although we had a primary server, MJ, other members of the Nightshade team assisted at times, and each one of them provided top-notch service. 

There are roughly 25 wines on their list, and it's a well-curated list with plenty of interesting choices. We began with some celebratory bubbly, the 2019 Avinyó Brut Cava Rosé, a delicious choice which helped to set the festive mood of the evening. We also later ordered the 2021 Troupis Moschofilero Hoof & Lur, a Greek Orange wine, which was intriguing and tasty, pairing well with many of the dishes.

The food! The dishes are inventive and well-composed, delicious and intriguing. We enjoyed quite a variety of dishes, our palates tantalized by such a diversity of flavors and textures. When you order a tasting menu, you can mention two dishes from the menu which you'd like to be included, and the rest is selected by the Chef. So, nearly every dish is a surprise when it comes to the table, and a very pleasant surprise it is. This is a dining experience which will long live in my memory.     

Here are photos of all of our dishes, but please note that some photos don't do proper justice to the exquisite taste of the food.

Nightshade Caviar Service, with bowfin caviar, eggspuma dip, crispy garlic, and potato chips (like kettle chips). A decadent and fun way to begin your dinner. 

East X West Coast Oysters. Acadian Pearl (NB) oysters with black truffle mignonette, & lemon. Shigoku (WA) oysters with roasted coconut, grape, & aloe. A nice comparison of the differences between East and West Coast oysters.

Chilled Portuguese Percebes with a black pepper and lime dipping sauce. It's rare to find Percebes at local restaurants, and they are quite tasty. 

Grilled Coconut Sticky Rice Pop, with tamarind brown butter pork floss. A decadent treat.

Kabocha Squash Bot Chien, with rice cakes, green chili sauce, fried duck tongues, & pickles. The duck tongues are delicious! The flavors in this dish work so well together.

Tamarind BBQ Moulard Duck, with braised yuba in a smoky hu tieu broth. One of the dishes I chose and it was a great choice. 

Live Santa Barbara Sea Urchin Brûlée, with a red curry hollandaise & torched cinnamon. A creamy and briny with hints of sweetness.

Grilled Striped Bass, with a sherry & smoked raisin glaze, peanut romesco, and grilled garlic scapes. Tender and flavorful, with an excellent romesco sauce.

Australian Black Truffle, with red crab, pho broth, parmesan, and fresh pho noodles. It may not look attractive but it's rich in flavor.

Roasted Gulf Shrimp, with a super lemongrass cajun butter. Plump and flavorful.

Shredded Cabbage, with green apple, mistake mushrooms, mint, and a buttermilk-maple nuoc cham. 

Garlic Noodles, with angel hair, parmesan, candied lemon, & fennel pollen. Another well-composed and delicious dish.

Lobster Glace, with smoked vanilla chili vinaigrette & sea foam. Another dish where the photo doesn't do it justice. Excellent flavor with pieces of sweet lobster at the bottom of the glass.

Lemon Verbena & Aloe Palate cleanser

With a candle within it, I received the Honeydew Froyo, with a magic shell and watermelon pop rocks. Creamy and crunchy, with rich honeydew melon flavors.

We also received their Salted Chocolate Mousse, made from 66% Valrhona Caraibe with Cognac. Sweet and salty, with intense chocolate. 

As for the photo at the very top of this post, it's from the Sin City Superette, the market connected to Nightshade. They have renovated the market from its previous incarnation, and now it offers various prepared foods for lunch and other times. Baguette sandwiches, a Steam Bar, Bahn Mi, Po Boys, and more. Various desserts are also available, from Sweet Bread Pudding to Chocolate Fish Sauce Caramel Tart. I need to stop by at lunchtime and check out their offerings soon. 

Final Note: Today, Nightshade has opened up reservations for October. If you want to dine there, make a reservation here ASAP.

Nightshade Noodle Bar: Tasting Menu Delights

Nightshade Noodle Bar is one of my Top Three Favorite Restaurants in the Boston+ area. It's consistently excellent, with killer cuisine, an interesting drinks program, top-notch service, and a cool ambiance. It earns my highest recommendation (check out prior reviews) and I have encouraged numerous people to dine there, who also loved their own experiences there. Thus, when I was deciding where to have a celebratory dinner for my birthday, I chose Nightshade. 

For this visit, I opted for the Blind Tasting Menu option, where you simply choose the number of courses and then the Chef decides which dishes to serve you. You can suggest a course or two you would like included in the menu. The Tasting Menu options include 7 courses ($85), 9 courses ($110), 12 courses ($140), and 14 courses ($160). In addition, on Wednesday evenings, they offer a special 5 course menu ($50). For an additional fee, they can also create Custom Drink Pairings for your dinner.

This was my first time trying one of their Tasting Menus, and I chose the 9 course dinner, without the custom drink pairing as I decided to select my own wine. I also asked for the Dry-Aged Duck Breast to be included in my tasting menu. I was thoroughly impressed with my dining experience, greatly enjoying the various dishes, which presented a nice variety. Some of the dishes were presented in a single dish, to be shared with my dining companion, while others were presented in individual dishes, one for each of us. By the end of the evening, I was sated and very, very happy. A wonderful birthday celebration.

As I was there more for a celebration, I took photos but no notes, so I don't recall all of the specific details of each dish. Our server, who was personable, knowledgeable and attentive, did explain each and every dish. Some of the dishes were prepared fairly simply, while others were more complex, with a greater amount of ingredients, and each dish was well balanced, with both taste and texture. 

We started our dinner with a glass of a Brut Nature Cava, as all celebrations should begin with some bubbly. It was a very dry and flavorful Spanish sparkling wine, which ended up being a great choice for our initial food courses. 

We began our dinner with Caviar Service, with an eggspuma dip, garlic, and crisp potato chips. The caviar, slightly sweet and mildly briny, went nicely atop the creamy dip and the salty chips. There is some creme fraiche in the intriguing and tasty dip too. I liked the fun pairing of caviar with potato chips, rather than the usual blinis. 

The Second Course included more unique treasures from the sea, Percebes and Uni. The chilled Percebes, also known as gooseneck barnacles, commonly come from Spain and are very dangerous to harvest. They are found on rocky coasts, in dangerous surf, in Galicia and the fishermen risk their very lives to obtain them. Their shell almost looks like talon, and you simply need to twist off the shell to get the tubular meat inside. The meat is tender, lightly sweet and briny, a definite taste of the ocean, and they were served with a Vietnamese lime pepper dipping sauce. A delicious and unique treat. It's been a long time since I enjoyed percebes, so it was a pleasure to have them again. 

I've long been an Uni fan, so was also pleased to enjoy some again too, this time in the shell with some Thai basil. Creamy, salty, and tasty, the Uni also went very well with our bubbly. This duo, of Percebes and Uni, was one of my favorite dishes of the tasting menu. 

For the Third Course, we received Kabocha Squash Bot Chien, which is composed of Vietnamese rice cakes, crispy confit duck tongues, green chili sauce, duck egg, and pickled carrots & daikon. As I've said before, this is an intriguing and creative dish, which was a fine blend of textures and flavors, all meshing well together. The crispy duck tongues were a nice addition and unless you knew what they were, you probably never would have guessed that they were tongues. This is a fine example of a more complex dish, which is well balanced and works extremely well. 

The Fourth Course was Peach Bahn Mi, with green chili citrus butter and pickles, atop toasted bread. A nice treat, with some sweetness from the peach, a nice crunch from the toast, more crunch from the pickles, as well as good acidity balancing the sweetness. 

It was difficult to get a good photo of the Fifth Course, as it was deep down inside a a small cup. It was Dry-Aged Duck Breast with braised yuba, smoked pork broth, and a tamarind bbq sauce. The duck was exquisite, tender, moist and flavorful, and I could have easily devoured a much larger dish of the duck. What looked like thin, wide noodles was the yuba, dried tofu skin, which was a little dense and sopped up the broth and sauce well. Highly recommended.

The Sixth Course: The Homemade Egg Noodles, one of my favorite dishes on their menu, made with caramelized garlic sauce, peanuts, Thai basil, and chili crisp. A superb dish, with immense flavor, lots of umami, and a great balance of textures and flavors. I think I've eaten this dish every time I visited Nightshade, and I'm sure I'll eat it again many times to come.

Onto the Seventh Course: Amarena Cherry Claypot Caramel Foie Gras atop grilled coconut sticky rice. A decadent dish, with delightful textures, including the silky foie, and a nice blend of flavors, from the cherry to the coconut. 

As a palate cleaner, our Eighth Course was light and refreshing, although I can't recall exactly the components. Our Final Course, of which I didn't get a photo, was a small dish of Chocolate Mousse. a rich, creamy chocolate with a subtly complex taste with hints of citrus, dried fruit and spice and enhanced by a touch of sea salt. And there was a lit candle in my dish for my birthday. A nice little touch. 

During the course of the dinner, we drank a bottle of the 2018 La Tintorera “Kira-9” Rosado, a Spanish Rosé made from 95% Mencia and 5% Dona Blanca. It was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Delicious, dry, and full of bright red fruit flavors. Easy drinking and very food friendly, it went well with the various dishes we enjoyed. Great summer choice! 

If you haven't dined at Nightshade Noodle Bar then you should make reservations to do so soon. If you have been there before, why not visit them again? I'll also note that I made a brief stop at their new Sin City Superette, which is adjacent to the restaurant. The small shop has a wide variety of items, from basic essentials to Sushi, from fresh veggies/fruits to frozen meats, from cheeses and tortillas, and much more. You can get Nightshade's Chili Crisp! And earlier during the day, you can get freshly made sandwiches, such as cheeseburgers and special hotdogs. I need to return there to spend more time checking out everything they have for sale. 

2021: My Favorite Restaurants

What were some of my Favorite Restaurants of the past year?

As 2022 approaches, it's time once again to reflect upon the past year, to remember and savor pleasant memories. I'll be posting my annual series of Favorite Lists over the next couple weeks, covering food, restaurants, wine, spirits and other drinks. These lists should provide a comprehensive summary of my favorites from this past year, allowing my readers to more readily locate such gems, the best of my recommendations. 

Obviously, these Favorite Lists will be different, and smaller, from prior years due to the pandemic. Many food and drink events, such as the Seafood Expo North America, were canceled, postponed, or held virtually. Although dining out has occurred more this year than in 2020, it's still been significantly limited. However, there are still restaurants deserving of being highlighted, and I'll endeavor to showcase them. Hopefully, 2022 will a better year for restaurants, as well as major food and drink events. 

My first Favorites List of 2021 is my Favorite Restaurants, which will also include my Top Five Dishes of 2021. This is certainly not a complete list but is more a sampling of memorable restaurants and food items I've experienced and/or posted about over the past year. This list is also in no particular order, and is purely a subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. However, all of the restaurants here earn my hearty recommendation and I hope you'll enjoy them as well. For more Restaurant reviews, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Soall Viet Kitchen (Beverly)

     This Vietnamese restaurant opened during the pandemic, and is their second location, the first being in Marblehead. You can find my review here: Soall Viet Kitchen: A Bright & Tasty Spot in Beverly. The two owners are Sa Nguyen and Mia Lunt, close friends who desired to offer authentic Vietnamese cuisine, to highlight the culinary delights of their homeland. The food is fresh, well-prepared, delicious and reasonably priced. 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 (one of my Top 5 Dishes of 2021). They have Pho and Bahn Mi as well, but I recommend you branch out and try some of their other Vietnamese dishes.

Peruvian Taste Restaurant (Charlestown)   

    This is another restaurant which opened during the pandemic, in a commercial area of Charlestown. You can check out my review here: Peruvian Taste Restaurant: Compelling Chifa & More. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and serve both American and Peruvian cuisine, including Chifa. Chifa is a combination of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine, and they have the largest Chifa menu in the area. It's a casual spot, serving ample dishes of delicious, fresh comfort food that is reasonably priced. Some of my favorites dishes include the Papa a la Huancaina (boiled yellow potatoes in a spicy, creamy sauce), Pollada (an amazing fried chicken), Wantan Frito (fried wontons filled with chicken), Pollo Chi Jau Kay (boneless chicken morsels battered, fried and topped with sesame seeds and scallions), and Aeropuerto (a melange of fried rice, chicken, Char Siu pork, Lo Mein noodles, peppers, snow peas and scallions. And also one of my Top 5 Dishes of 2021). Go here, ignore the American cuisine, and expand your palate with fantastic Peruvian and Chifa cuisine. 

Butter "UR" Biscuit (Beverly)

   This restaurant began as a food truck and offers "Latin Soul Cuisine." You can read my review here: Butter "UR" Biscuit: A Warm Comfort To The Soul. The menu has items like Empanadas, Caribbean Rice Bowls, Burritos, and Quesadillas, but their Biscuits are compelling and delicious. with an assortment of Biscuit Sandwiches. The biscuits are huge, buttery, flaky and delicious. The Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit is made with a buttermilk biscuit, two eggs your way, bacon and melted cheddar jack cheese. My favorite is their Cheesy Bird Biscuit, made with a buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken, a fried egg, and melted cheddar jack cheese. This was one of my best sandwiches of the year. The chicken was crisp and moist, complemented by the egg and cheese. Pure comfort food for the belly and soul.

Committee Ouzeri & Bar (Boston)   

    This Greek restaurant has long been one of my favorites, and my Brunch experience was a highlight of the year. Check out my review here: Greek Brunch & New Cocktails. Brunch is offered at Committee on both Saturday and Sunday, from 10am-3pm. Their Brunch Menu offers some Greek variations of popular brunch items, from Tsoureki Toast (Greek French Toast) to Spanakopita Grilled Cheese. You'll also find some of their regular dishes, from Souvlaki to Zucchini Crisps. My favorite dish were the Greek Yogurt Pancakes, which are topped by a sour cherry vyssino, honey, toasted almonds, and fresh berries. The pancakes were light and fluffy, some of the best I've had in recent years. Also compelling is their Breakfast Gyro, amply stuffed with scrambled eggs, grilled Halloumi, and loukaniko, and served with crispy home fries. Their Brunch cocktails are always an excellent addition as well. 

 

Tasting Counter (Somerville)  

     This is another restaurant which has long been one of my top favorites, and my experiences this year only solidify my love for this restaurant. Check out my review here: Chef Peter Ungár & Consistent Excellence. As I've frequently mentioned, Chef Ungár is one of the best chefs in the Boston+ area, and doesn't receive as much attention as he deserves. His restaurant has been consistently excellent every time I've been there, due in large part to Chef Ungár being a perfectionist. His dishes are creative and delicious, with such intriguing combinations of ingredients. And the drink pairings are excellent choices as well. It continues to receive my highest and unqualified recommendation. If you want to splurge on one of my top dining experiences in the Boston+ area, this is the spot you should do so. 

Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn)

    This is one of my newest favorite restaurants and it's only been open for two years, having to undergo the difficulties of the pandemic during much of their existence. You can read my two reviews here: Compelling Vietnamese/French Cuisine in Lynn, and Back to Nightshade: More Excellence. They offer a variety of small plates, great for sharing, and nearly every dish is exceptional, bursting with flavor, and creatively composed. Plus, they have an excellent wine list and cocktail program. I like their homey vibe, service is excellent, and they have an open kitchen, which I've always loved. Some of my favorite dishes include Curried Beef in Betel Leaves, Dungeness Crab Fried Rice, Homemade Egg Noodles with beef and mushrooms (One of my Top 5 Dishes of 2021, and the Bone Marrow Bahn Mi. This spot has received raves since its opening, and they are very well deserved. I'll be returning there soon and it receives my highest recommendation. 

 

Krasi Meze & Wine (Boston)

     This is another amazing restaurant where nearly every dish is exceptional. Check out my review here: Crazy for Krasi: A Greek Paradise. Their menu is also a wide selection of small plates, perfect for sharing, and offers creative Greek cuisine, with roots in tradition but it's not afraid to experiment. Their Greek wine list is amazing, the second largest in the country. Even their bread selections are excellent, such as the Tiropita cheese rolls. My favorite dish of my recent experience was the Makaronia Me Kima, usually a Greek version of Bolognese, made with ground beef or lamb (And also one of my Top 5 Dishes of 2021). Chef Valentine chose to create his own version using seafood and it was a major success. The dish was made with ground monkfish, smoked eel tomato sauce, fides pasta, and grated horseradish. This is another restaurant that receives my highest recommendation. 

Pammy's (Cambridge)

     Pammy's has received many raves over the years but I hadn't dined there until recently, and I look forward to a return visit. You can read my review here: Pammy's: A Compelling Restaurant of Creative Simplicity. Currently, the restaurant serves a prix-fixe menu, where you select any 3 dishes from their menu for $69. That is cool, and you can create any type of meal you desire. Some of the dishes we enjoyed included the Lobster Biscotto, Sea Scallops, with Grilled Avocado & 'Nduja Vinaigrette, and Marshall Cove Mussels with Squid Ink Arancini & Lime Leaf Aioli. My favorite dish was the Lumache, with Bolognese sauce and Gochujang, a killer combo of spiciness and umami (And also one of my Top 5 Dishes of 2021). Their wine list is intriguing, with plenty of excellent options, especially more organic/sustainable options from small wineries around the world. Service is excellent, I loved the comfy ambiance, and the food is delicious.

I also need to give some love to some of my other favorite restaurants, which I've visited this past year even though I haven't written articles about them this year. I've written about these places in previous years though, and they have remained consistent and excellent, and continue to earn my hearty recommendations. Please dine at these restaurants as well. 

A Tavola (Winchester)

     Excellent Italian cuisine.

Việt Citron (Burlington)

     Delicious, casual Vietnamese fare. 

Tambo 22 (Chelsea)

    Excellent Peruvian cuisine.

 
Prince Pizzeria (Saugus)

    Casual spot for Pizza and Italian cuisine.

District Kitchen (Malden)

    Excellent Chinese cuisine. 

Row 34 (Burlington)

    Excellent high-end seafood 

Clam Box of Ipswich (Ipswich)

    Excellent casual seafood spot.

Nick & Andy's (Danvers)

     Excellent, casual breakfast spot.     

Support the Restaurant Industry: As I said above, the restaurant industry has been devastated by this pandemic, especially as the federal government has done little to aid and assist the industry. Some restaurants have closed permanently and others may be forced to do so in the near future. We need to support our favorite restaurants as much as we are capable, from buying gift cards to ordering take-out, from getting delivery to tipping well. If you have a positive dining experience, tell your family and friends. Spread the word on social media. 

What were some of your Favorite Restaurants and Dishes this year?