Knight Moves Café
Not technically a bar (it's BYOB), New England's only board-game café offers gamers the opportunity to hang out in a comfier version of their living room while kicking their friends' asses in rounds of Settlers of Catan. A $5 or $10 drop-in cover is all you need to play any of the nearly 1,000 games neatly stacked from floor to ceiling, from Cards Against Humanity to Battleship to your favorite cult Euro import. Also featuring: comforting steampunk-lite décor, a Nutella milkshake, and fresh-baked pastries. 1402 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446, knightmovescafe.com.
The Inn at Hastings Park
The charming Inn at Hastings Park, in Lexington. / Photo provided by the Inn at Hastings Park Spanning three lovingly restored 19th-century buildings, this Relais & Châteaux property is so New England it hurts, right down to the prime location next to Lexington’s Battle Green. That means you’ll find a proper front porch for sipping afternoon tea, fireplaced rooms with throw blankets loomed in Maine, and a red, white, and blue color scheme complete with quilted American flags on the walls. Thanks to Top Chef alum Stacy Cogswell, though, the menu at house restaurant Artistry on the Green is thoroughly modern (see: lamb loin with pistachio pesto and mussels with spring-garlic-and-almond broth). 2027 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, MA 02421, innathastingspark.com.
The Fat Cat
You’ll need to loosen your belt a few notches to try all the new entries to Quincy’s expanding restaurant scene, but the decade-old Fat Cat is still the locals’ spot for craft-beer-accompanied comfort food gussied up to gastropub standards. The lobster mac ’n’ cheese is legendary, wings are doused in more than a dozen sauces (don’t miss the orange-agave), and a jovial hubbub of rapid-fire South Shore accents ricochets off the industrial-cool brick walls. In other words, this place keeps everyone purring. 24 Chestnut St., Quincy, MA 02169, fatcatrestaurant.com.
C.K. Pearl
Let the tourists stand in line for fried clams across the way while you claim a seat at Patrick Shea’s riverside Essex spot and let the clams come to you. The scene here is pretty darn scenic, with boaters and paddleboarders drifting by as live music plays in the background. Yet you may have a hard time pulling yourself away from what’s on the table: Shea’s brunch favorites include house-made smoked salmon, a wicked good lobster Benedict, and a bloody mary to make you forget all others. 112 Main St., Essex, MA 01929, ckpearl.com.
December Thieves
Ever feel like you can’t find everything you need to complete your outfit in just one shop? Never fear: Lana Bakarat’s accessories empire spans two storefronts just blocks apart in Beacon Hill. Her collection includes graphic silk scarves from the French label Année, silver-leather open-toed booties from the Berlin brand Trippen, and cowhide clutches handmade in Oregon. And if you get home and realize you still need one last piece to put it all together, click over to her new online store. 51 and 88 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, decemberthieves.com.
Latitu
While studying abroad, Tanya Pham logged a lot of time in airports—enough time to hear plenty of fellow female travelers complain about their bland, bulky luggage. She’s used their feedback to design her Boston-based brand of sleek weekenders, duffels, and backpacks, crafted from Italian leather in Vietnam, where she lived for a year while vetting the production process. Equipped with thoughtful details (hidden compartments, magnetic closures), the bags are made in limited runs from custom materials—so your travel companion will stand out in a sea of scuffed-up carry-ons. MA latitu.com.
Grill 23 & Bar
For years, Grill 23 has served Boston’s ultimate power-crowd fare. Sure, you have your waiters in white jackets, towers of fresh seafood, and a top-notch wine list, but the reason we keep coming back to this local institution is because no one in town cooks a better steak. It’s salty, crusty, buttery—an unmistakable carnivore’s delight. And remember, if the 10-ounce American Kobe cap seems a bit too small, the 18-ounce 100-day-aged prime rib-eye will be more than happy to oblige. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, grill23.com.
Tiger Mama
Call it equal parts Thai and Vietnamese, with generous helpings of Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, and personal interpretation. If that sounds suspiciously like the "F" word—fusion—well, it is. But trust us: Even purists will be impressed by chef-owner Tiffani Faison’s real-deal pad gra pow, fiery-cool papaya salad, and tender pork laap, which teeters between fish-sauce funk and lime-y tang. Bonus points for Hanoi’s bun cha, hard-to-find lettuce wraps featuring charred pork, sour broth, spring rolls, noodles, and herbs. 1363 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, tigermamaboston.com.
Tony Messina, Uni
Outstanding chef Tony Messina takes a break from the kitchen at Uni. / Photo by Christoper Churchill Sometimes it’s good to let your roots show. At Uni, Tony Messina unexpectedly draws from his Eastie-Italian heritage to bring something new to the burgeoning-in-Boston izakaya genre. That translates to dishes like his signature lubina sashimi with gremolata and chermoula, and hot plates such as spaghetti with nori. And Messina and partner chef Ken Oringer aren’t afraid to have fun within the luxe dining genre, either—as anyone who’s eaten one of Uni’s cheeseburger sushi rolls can attest. 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, uni-boston.com.
Lone Star Taco Bar
Bacon-wrapped and smothered in refried beans, crema, and chipotle mustard, Lone Star’s over-the-top Sonoran dog tastes best around midnight—wonder why that is? In fact, the Mexican spot’s full menu of satisfying snacks—including house-made chorizo tacos, piquant chili con queso, and crispy tostadas—is available until 1:30 a.m. every night at both the Allston and Cambridge locations. Pair them with a hydrating Topo Chico mineral water, and you’ll thank yourself in the morning. Multiple locations. 479 Cambridge St., Allston, MA 02134, deepellum-allston.com/lonestar.
Erbaluce
Named for a rare Piedmont grape, Charles Draghi’s Erbaluce is the rare 2018 restaurant that manages to do just about everything right without calling too much attention to itself. Maybe it’s the tucked-away Bay Village location, or, more likely, the fact that the veteran chef isn’t on Instagram and hasn’t tweeted in years, but is still in the kitchen night after night, churning out a soulful deep dive into northern Italian cooking, from wild boar meatballs that resemble breakfast sausage in the best way possible to an impeccable duck-egg-yolk carbonara with house-made bucatini. 69 Church St., Boston, MA 02116, erbaluce-boston.com.
Legal Harborside
Sun, saltwater, and seafood on Legal Harborside’s roof deck. / Photo by Christopher Churchill Or views, more like it: Nowhere else in Boston will you find three options for al fresco dining under one roof. All you need to do is pick your floor. Snag a coveted seat on the ground level’s harborside deck and tuck into fried clams while listening to the concert rocking at the nearby Pavilion; savor a splurge-worthy meal on the second floor’s secluded outdoor patio (complete with fireplace); or head all the way up to the third floor’s roof deck, where you can sip, snack, and savor views of the water and the city skyline rain or shine thanks to retractable glass walls. 270 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210, legalseafoods.com.
Blossom Bar
Turns out, dan dan noodles and Latin libations are a cross-cultural match made in heaven. After putting Woburn on the map as a cocktail destination with his nationally lauded Baldwin bars, Ran Duan recently opened his third concept, in Brookline. And just as expected, the minimalist bar he installed in his parents’ Sichuan restaurant offers drinks that are as adventurous as they are thirst-quenching: Tropical flavors, unexpected textures, and sugar-cane-based spirits drive the menu, with mascarpone cheese adding weight to the Bocadillo Sour, the anise-y Colombian spirit aguardiente mingling with papaya in the Angie Valencia, and a grasshopper rim imparting an element of surprise to the avocado-tequila libation Broken Spanish. 295 Washington St., Brookline, MA 02445, blossombarbrookline.com.
La Fábrica Central
Long the local torchbearers of Caribbean cuisine, Hector and Nivia Piña (the owners of Merengue, Vejigantes, and Doña Habana) have spread those rays of hot tropical sunshine across the river. Their new Central Square venture serves up a freewheeling mezcla of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican flavors—think garlicky tostones, savory cubanitos, and showstopping rum-flamed rice dishes delivered to your table en fuego—in a lively atmosphere that includes both a jazz lounge and a nightclub. Need a little liquid courage before you hit the dance floor? Peruse the ample drink menu, which features a deep bench of high-end rums. 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, lafabricacentral.com.
Row 34
This Fort Point spot from the Island Creek Oyster Bar team is as much a serious beer bar as it is a seafood mecca. Maybe that’s why cult-followed breweries seem to celebrate special occasions here—think only-at-Row drafts from Bissell Brothers, Dieu du Ciel, and Upland Brewing. Beer director Suzanne Hays has saved deep cuts, such as cellared bottles from the dearly departed Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, for past Sunday specials, but any day, it’s the best place for a rotating selection of fresh hops and food-friendly sours. 383 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210, row34.com.