Inn Square Men's Bar
Funky and loud. Real loud. 1350 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA .
Union Square Donuts
This newcomer—which shares space with Cafe Tango, in Somerville—goes way beyond boring crullers and plain old glazed, offering a roster of flavors like chocolate chipotle, brown butter-hazelnut crunch, and orange-ginger cream. Sorry, Dunkin'—we'll be taking our doughnuts with a side of locally sourced frosting from now on. 16 Bow St., Somerville, MA .
Copley Square News
Max Kaiserman's newsstand is a great example of spatial economy. Situated on just a few square feet of pavement, it manages to cram in everything from literary quarterlies and Italian sporting broadsheets to newspapers from Germany, France, and England. Kaiserman himself, 86, passes on his own knowledge of local history. Corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets, Boston, MA .
Washington Square Tavern
In Europe, the luckiest of travelers lost on some tiny rue or strasse will happen upon the bar their guidebooks forgot: barely marked, yet packed with locals eating, drinking, and socializing with gusto. Such a find is the Washington Square Tavern, whose book-lined walls and scattered Orientals suggest a boozy study, an irresistible combination for largely literate, well-off Brookline (and the odd wayward traveler). 714 Washington St., Brookline, MA 2146, washingtonsquaretavern.com.
Ball Square Fine Wines
There are glossier retailers of rioja and champagne. But Ball Square's supreme approachability has us bubbling over. Once a perfectly respectable neighborhood store, this shop has gradually expanded into a wine-lover's heaven, with staffers that make education—not the upsell—their mission. Whether you seek something for the cellar or something you can drink, um, right now, it's impossible to walk out unsatisfied. 716 Broadway, Somerville, MA 2144, ballsquarefinewines.com.
Kendall Square Cinema
Culture and film buffs thank the celluloid gods for this place to see all the idiosyncratic flicks that get reviewed in The New Yorker and The New York Times. Still the sole straddler of the art house/multiplex genres, it offers a great selection on nine screens and in many languages. Great snacks too: real biscotti and cappuccino, and birdbath-size containers of high-quality popcorn. All this and gumfree floors. One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA .
Union Square Bistro
The crab cakes at Union Square Bistro are, quite simply, the best around: knowingly seasoned, creamy, but not heavy, with a flawlessly crisp exterior. Served with a chunky tartar sauce, they make a great appetizer or a light summer meal. 16 Bow St., Somerville, MA .
Union Square Donuts
Heather Schmidt's airy, yeasty doughnuts, in gourmet-ified flavors such as sea-salted bourbon caramel and zingy raspberry-lime rickey, have turned her Somerville shop into a bona fide destination. And now, thanks to outposts in Coolidge Corner and at the Boston Public Market, it's never been easier to get a taste of her confections. Multiple locations. 20 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143, unionsquaredonuts.com.
Inn-Square Men's Bar
Another new arrival in the Hall of Fame. 1350 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA .
Union Square Donuts
Card-carrying Bostonians that we are, we couldn't really get behind the whole Boston-cream doughnut thing—until we tried the version at Union Square Donuts, with its thick layer of dark ganache frosting and custardy vanilla-laced center. The shop also specializes in unusual flavors like sea-salted bourbon caramel, PB & J, even pizza (hey, it works). 20 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143, unionsquaredonuts.com.
Central Square Theater
This intimate stage happens to be the only U.S. theater to enjoy a long-term collab with a research institution (MIT), hence such science-centric plays as 2018’s The Women Who Mapped the Stars, the untold story of Harvard’s 19th-century female astronomy pioneers. 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, centralsquaretheater.org.
Union Square Donuts
We thought we couldn’t possibly love Union Square Donuts’ soft, flaky pastries, filled with homemade pineapple preserves, glazed with blackberry-basil-lime icing, and studded with smoky-sweet Vermont maple bacon, any more than we already do. Then the Somerville-born bakery, led by recent Food Network Holiday Baking Championship finalist Sarah Belisle, started offering its treats at outposts of the Bagel Table, another growing Boston-area brand. Now we know where to go for a morning fix of sugar and everything spice — and boy, is it nice. Multiple locations, unionsquaredonuts.com.
Central Square Florist
What does a flower shop do with 3,000 extra tulips in the midst of the COVID shutdown? If you’re Central Square Florist, you donate them to essential stores and senior living facilities to add a splash of color to otherwise dark days—then turn around and repurpose your unused vans to deliver meals to healthcare workers. Now that this perennial favorite is back to delighting locals with lush, fragrant bouquets and arrangements (available for same-day delivery or curbside pickup), the future is already looking brighter. 653 Massachuetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, centralsquareflorist.com.
Ball Square Fine Wines
Perusing spirits buyer Nate Kruback's well-curated selection of craft gins, small-batch bourbons, and world-class liqueurs is almost as fun as drinking them. He stocks unparalleled local spirits, amaros, and Japanese whiskey, and he's starting to bring in private-label, handpicked blends from the likes of Angel's Envy and Chicago standout Koval. 716 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144, ballsquarefinewines.com.