The Top 10 New Restaurants in Greater Boston

Alongside this year’s Top 50 Restaurants list, we’re also excited to highlight 10 must-try new spots defining the future of Boston’s food scene. These recent openings show thrilling potential, and we’ll surely be keeping a close eye on them in the coming year and beyond.

1. La Padrona

La Padrona marks chef and co-owner Jody Adams’s return to crafting Italian cuisine within a hotel setting, but her and partner Eric Papachristos’s new restaurant inside Raffles doesn’t dwell in the past (aside from the much-appreciated Rialto breadstick callback). This new era is about shareable platters of lamb chops with Lambrusco demi-glace, luscious lobster-and-uni risotto, and decadent chocolate cake. World-class hospitality matches the glamorous international hotel location; we forgot we were even in Boston when the positions of a lefty’s dining utensils were quietly swapped.

Back Bay | Italian | Read more | Reservations

2. Somaek

Restaurateur and chef Jamie Bissonnette (previously of Toro, Coppa, et cetera) is running with a new crew these days—the folks behind JM Curley and more—and while we adore all of their new spots, this loving ode to Korean home cooking is hands-down our favorite. Bissonnette developed the menu with his Korean mother-in-law, Soon Han, who is billed as consulting chef, bringing much-loved dishes such as kkaennip-jeon, or stuffed sesame leaves, to Boston. Add in the namesake cocktail—a somaek is a fun combo of soju plus beer—and a bunch of creative banchan, and you’ve got yourself a party.

Downtown Crossing | Korean | Read more | Reservations

3. Wa Shin

Steps from the Theater District, sushi chef Sky Zheng—who trained at New York’s Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa—is adding a worthy new competitor to Boston’s omakase thunderdome. Throughout 18 courses, Zheng and his team aspire to the balance promised by the restaurant’s name (Wa Shin means “harmony of the heart”), putting on a show behind a handsome hinoki-wood counter as they add hints of spiciness, citrus, and salt to the restaurant’s pristine cuts of fish.

Bay Village | Japanese | Read more | Reservations

4. Lê Madeline

From Viet-Cajun garlicky noodles topped with crawfish to a tamarind-laced fried-lobster roll, Lê Madeline is a slam-dunk showcase of modern Vietnamese with tantalizing bits of influence from the American South, New England, and beyond. Throw in a pandan Negroni or lychee martini, and you have more than enough reasons to make the trek down to Quincy to check out this impressive revamp of what used to be a traditional Vietnamese noodle shop.

Quincy | Vietnamese | Read more | Reservations

5. Baleia

While Greater Boston’s old-school Portuguese spots tend toward more-casual vibes, newcomer Baleia offers an elevated date-night spin, with its yellow-accented South End dining room a portal to Portugal’s sun-soaked south—sans the long-haul flight. Pretend you’ve wandered in from the beaches of the Algarve as you dig into cataplana, a braised-pork-and-seafood stew, and sip ice-cold Super Bock beer.

South End | Portuguese | Read more | Reservations

6. Saigon Babylon

A feast for the eyes as well as the belly, this beautifully appointed Vietnamese restaurant took everything we loved about its older siblings, the Eaves and Cicada Coffee Bar, and put it into a bigger, glitzier package, complete with rooftop cocktails (tamarind Old Fashioned, anyone?). Lemongrass beef carpaccio—thin slices of rare American Wagyu with passion fruit and sea salt—is a must, as is the sliced duck with fresh rice noodles.

Cambridge | Vietnamese | Read more | Reservations

7. Mr. H

This buzzy newcomer is already stealing the spotlight in the Seaport’s evolving, high-energy nightlife scene. At its core stands a cool, opulent den of dumplings (serving food until 1:30 a.m.) with jade and crimson hues mingling beneath a brass lotus chandelier. But it’s the consistently bold flavors and the knowledgeable servers, often carrying smoky drinks, that have turned chef Tom Berry’s Asian-inspired homage into a runaway hit; here, it really is dinner and a show.

Seaport | Chinese | Read more | Reservations

8. Jahunger

Last June, Providence superstar Jahunger arrived to teach us—deliciously—about Uyghur cuisine of Central Asia, a rarity in Greater Boston. Haven’t been yet? Consider the namesake Jahunger noodles, hand-pulled and chili-spiked, your first assignment. The cumin-spiced lamb, stir-fried with chunks of Uyghur naan, helps drive the lesson home—and shows why chef and co-owner Subat Dilmurat got a James Beard semifinalist nod this year.

Cambridge | Uyghur | Read more

9. Citrus & Salt

With flowers dripping from ceilings, painted flamingos galore, and bejeweled tequila bottles on display, celebrity chef Jason Santos’s recently relocated coastal Mexican spot is one of the most dazzling restaurant spaces in Boston today. But it’s not just good for the ’Gram: Indulge your other senses with generous pours of tequila and favorite dishes from the restaurant’s previous incarnation in the Back Bay, from street corn to blue-crab empanadas, plus a tasty new raw bar. 

Fort Point | Mexican | Read more | Reservations

10. Seamark Seafood & Cocktails

Yes, you’ll still find the classic Schlow burger that once ushered in Boston’s fancy-burger era at Seamark. But chef-partner Michael Schlow’s culinary vision has evolved since his Radius and Via Matta days: At this seafood-focused temple with a dash of casino glitz, you can dig into “quintessentially New England” lobster rolls and elevated caviar-topped creations, then check out the hidden cocktail bar called Old Wives’ Tale.

Everett | Seafood | Read more | Reservations

First published in the print edition of Boston magazine’s November 2024 issue as part of the Top 50 Restaurants package.