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A centerpiece tile hearth, rich leather banquettes, and a 14-foot communal table lined with flowers make Pammy’s feel like a good friend’s cozy living room. With an approachable menu of hearty Italian American dishes that could include lasagna bianca with wild onion chutney, wife-and-husband team Pam and Chris Willis have created an inviting space you’ll want to return to again and again.

Acclaimed brasserie Eastern Standard is back and better than ever at the Bower complex. Snag a seat at the oyster shell-inspired bar or in the mahogany-decked dining room for longtime favorites like the baked rigatoni and roasted bone marrow, plus the same showstopping cocktails that earned the restaurant accolades from Esquire and Tales of the Cocktail.

Prolific James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Ken Oringer brings a taste of Barcelona to Boston at this charming South End restaurant. Plates of exceptional tapas and pintxos paired with exciting drinks served in a rustic space with wooden furniture feel like an evening out in the beachy Spanish city. So will lingering on the patio with drinks like the coffee liqueur- and passionfruit-based Pasión Bayamón cocktail on warmer days.

Open since 2002, Back Bay’s Uni still turns out some of the city’s best seafood, much of it sourced from Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji market. Acclaimed chef Ken Oringer’s menu stars decadent dishes like the uni spoon—uni paired with caviar and a quail egg—in a luxe and lively space inside the Eliot Hotel that makes every meal feel like a special occasion.

You know the food at this Cambridge spot is going to rule because it's from the hitmakers behind beloved Peruvian restaurant Celeste—La Royal has a 2022 best new restaurant crown from Boston Magazine to back it up. Chef JuanMa Calderon's menu is a little more ambitious here, leaning into other cuisines in Peru like Chifa or Chinese-Peruvian food. Choose from dishes like Chinese-Peruvian-style stir-fried noodles with seafood and Nikkei-style portobello mushroom sashimi all while seated in the light and airy dining room or the spacious patio adorned with string lights. Either way, you have to get the pisco martini—Esquire dubbed it one of the best martinis in America in 2023.

Modern takes on old-school New England classics shine at Puritan & Company, thanks to James Beard Award-nominated chef Will Gilson. In a cozy, industrial-chic space made for lingering, Gilson serves up elegant, seafood-forward dishes like smoked bluefish pâté and lobster risotto. Don't miss the top-notch Sunday brunch, starring some of the city’s pastries from sibling spot Cafe Beatrice.

You’ll find globally-inspired, seafood-forward mashups, an award-winning wine program, and sweeping waterfront views at Nautilus Pier 4, the Nantucket destination’s Boston sibling. Grab a seat in the glam dining room decked with nautically themed murals or on the greenery-strewn patio and dig into shareable crowd favorites like blue crab fried rice and a Peking-inspired whole roasted duck, and you won’t be disappointed.

Part neighborhood cocktail den, part tapas restaurant, this buzzy hotspot from Shōjō alum Chompon Boonnak does some of the city’s most exciting Thai food; Boston Magazine named it the city's best Thai restaurant in 2023. You won't really want to skip anything on the shareable menu, but the beef panang and crab fried rice are non-negotiable. Cocktails like the Sazerac with Thai tea-infused rye are equally top-notch, and the cozy, rustic space with exposed-brick walls is for lingering.

Somerville has stellar Peruvian restaurants, but Celeste has always stood out from the crowd; Eater Boston named it restaurant of the year when it opened in 2018. That's because chef and owner JuanMa Calderon is recreating the recipes he learned from his mother and grandmother in a cozy and sleek space that will make you feel like you're eating in Calderon and his partner Maria Rondeau's home. You can expect some of the best ceviches in the city, the Andean stew carapulcra with pork and chicken, and colorful cocktails that celebrate Peruvian spirits and drinks like pisco and chicha.

This Dorchester gem's cross-cultural menu is unlike anything else in the region, and that's why it's already earned a five-star review in the Boston Globe and been named Boston Magazine's best new restaurant in 2023. The restaurant, led by managing partner Biplaw Rai, is a nod to the rich contributions of immigrants to this country. Dishes embrace the ingredients and flavors of the African diaspora, which means you'll find West African-style suya beef with caramelized onions and spicy Ghanian plantain preparation kelewele. Get in on the celebrations in the light and airy dining room or the greenery-lined patio in the back, all part of what was once a historic rest station in Upham's Corner.