Best of Boston

2005 Best New Restaurant

Umbria

Does Boston need another Italian restaurant? If it’s Umbria, the answer is a resounding yes. Chef Marisa Iocco is turning out flavorful cuisine from Italy’s bucolic central region, which means straightforward grilled, slow-braised, or brick oven-roasted food. It also means melt-in-your-mouth buffalo mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes, and moist, pan-seared cod loin with creamy celery root purée. And unlike its North End brethren, Umbria offers desserts—amazing ones, at that.

295 Franklin St., Boston, 617-338-1000, umbriaprime.com/