Beyond the Top 50: (Almost) Open for Business
Could these hotly anticipated restaurant openings get a spot on next year’s Top 50 Restaurants list? Only time will tell.
The ground-level bar at La Padrona at Raffles. / Rendering by AvroKO
Our annual list of Boston’s Top 50 Restaurants just came out—but we’ve already got an eye on next year. Here are a few hotly anticipated openings we can’t wait to explore.
Eastern Standard
Countless diners wept over Eastern Standard’s COVID-era closure, and for good reason: With its crowd-pleasing brasserie fare and classic Garrett Harker hospitality, the restaurant gave us 15 years of good vibes. But it’s back, baby—a new Eastern Standard debuted just after this issue went to print, a short walk from the original location. Also be sure to head to All That Fish + Oyster, a new seafood spot from the team that opened in September.
Fenway/Kenmore, easternstandardboston.com.
La Padrona
We love everything chef and restaurateur Jody Adams touches (see Trade on this year’s Top 50 list), but we’ve been itching for an Italian-focused throwback to her Rialto days. Our wish is soon to be granted with the opening of La Padrona—as soon as December—at the glitzy new Raffles Boston. It’ll showcase a variety of Italian regions through fresh seafood, house-made pastas, and more.
Back Bay, raffles.com/boston/dining/la-padrona.
June Bug
Whimsy and wood-fired pizza are coming to the former T&B Pizza space in Union Square, courtesy of the talented Field & Vine team right around the corner, in late 2023. Owners Andrew Brady and Sara Markey plan to follow the ethos of their older spot—think in-season, local sourcing—with naturally leavened pizzas, inventive salads, raw fish, and other treats.
Somerville, junebugrestaurant.com.
Merai
Sometime in late 2023, the acclaimed Mahaniyom team will open a “playful” sequel, also in Brookline Village, using Thai flavors as a vehicle to celebrate a range of cuisines. There’ll be a full bar, too; Merai is a Thai word referring to alcohol, after all, and big sibling Mahaniyom is known for its cocktail program.
Brookline.
A version of this piece was first published in the print edition of the November 2023 issue as an addendum to the Top 50 Restaurants list.
