390 Best Restaurants in Massachusetts, USA

With exposed-brick walls and soft lighting, the heart and soul of this charming Italian restaurant is its communal pasta table at which chef Michael Pagliarini spends hours hand-rolling superlative pastas for dishes like buckwheat pizzoccheri and pasta alla Bolognese. Plates such as house-made lamb sausage, monkfish piccata, warm semolina cakes, grilled barramundi, and Sardinian flatbread are original, generous, and, of course, delicious. Known for its romantic nature, it's the perfect place for lovers to linger over a chocolate terrine and cappuccino.

Gracenote roasts top-shelf coffee beans using its own unique process here in Massachusetts, and then serves it in a teeny Leather District storefront just across the border from Chinatown. The flavor is well worth the slightly out-of-the-way jaunt to this hipster haven for pour-overs and espresso drinks that are the focus of the menu.

With art deco airs and crystal chandeliers, "majesty" and "grandeur" are two words we'd use to describe Grana's dining room so make sure you dress for the occasion. The family-style menu offers Italian fare for breakfast and lunch, as well as brunch on the weekends.

The ambience at this cozy Southie wine bar is artful and welcoming. Small-producer and unique natural wines are available by the glass or bottle and are meant to be paired with a well-edited menu of small plates and snacks that highlight ingredients from the New England region.

Once a favorite of former Cambridge resident Julia Child, this sophisticated shrine to New England cuisine has been a perennial go-to spot for Harvard students when their parents are in town since 1975. The seasonal menu could feature Cape scallop crudo, fresh pasta with braised veal and pesto, or fresh Cape lobster with lemon hollandaise. The restaurant also serves lunch and à la carte brunch (cinnamon buns on the pastry board are worth the visit alone). In addition to the elegant dining room there's a lush outdoor patio (with fans as well as blankets and an outdoor fireplace to accommodate any season).

The area's first Afghan restaurant, named after the country's most important river, welcomes you into its cozy Kendall Square confines with Afghan rugs, a wood-burning oven, and exotic yet extremely approachable food that reflects the motherland's location halfway between the Middle East and India. Standouts, beyond the chewy warm bread, include magical names from a faraway land like aushak (leek-stuffed ravioli over yogurt with beef ragù and mint), chapendaz (marinated grilled beef tenderloin served with cumin-spiced hot pepper–tomato puree), and a vegetarian baked pumpkin platter. The warm atmosphere, courtesy of a small fireplace and a wood-burning oven that provides heat for the restaurant's famous flatbread, gives off the comforts of home while maintaining a world's-away vibe.

On the lower level of Thornes Marketplace, Herrell's is known for not only having some of the state's best ice cream, but also for being the first ice cream shop to mix in brand-name candies with its ice cream. Flavors often rotate, but an up-to-the-minute list is available online.

Options are endless at this food hall, so if you can't agree among your traveling partners what to eat where, this is your place. Every single one of the 20 vendors hails from the Boston area—Tenderoni's Pizza, Mamaleh's Delicatessen, and Pennypacker's are just a few of the options. Our favorite, though, remains Bubble Bath, a champagne bar that pairs bubbly (including a Moét & Chandon champagne vending machine) with gourmet hot dogs.

The perfect find along the Cape Cod Rail Trail: a cute café that serves everything from mozzarella-artichoke sandwiches to chocolate-covered Oreos and nitro iced coffee. This family-run spot is a go-to for breakfast and lunch sandwiches, but they also make chocolate, so it's worth grabbing a treat to go (almond-, cashew-, and pecan turtles are a specialty). 

Yuji Watanabe, chef--owner of the Cape's best Japanese restaurant, makes early-morning journeys to Boston's fish markets to shop for the freshest local catch, and the resulting selection of sushi and sashimi is vast and artful. The serene and simple Japanese garden out back has a traditional koi pond.

A favorite among Financial District 9-to-5ers, this local mom-and-pop doughnut shop sells crave-worthy flavors, from the standard honey dip to the more elaborate crème brûlée and maple bacon. Kane's also offers 10 different seriously delicious gluten-free varieties.

This sweet little white-washed taverna serves authentic Greek cuisine, with many ingredients imported directly from the Mediterranean, such as the feta, fish, and octopus. Order some crisp white wine off the hard-to-find Greek wines and liquors list to sip with a parade of home-style dishes, from tasty meze plates to entrées like grilled lamb chops. The tables may be tight and the wait a bit long without a reservation, but you'll forget about these tiny inconveniences once dinner arrives.

Right across the street from the west-facing side of South Station, this Philly born-and-bred coffee shop supplies Downtown and Financial District workers with top-quality caffeine during the week—unfortunately, it's not open on weekends. Blended and single-origin coffee comes from all over South America and Africa, from dark to light roast. The café has a few latte and cold brew drafts on tap, not to mention espresso drinks and pour-overs. You can take your order to go, sip at the bar, or sit and stay awhile. 

Northern Italian and Mediterranean cooking distinguish this upscale, popular place. Make sure to come hungry—portions of classic favorites here are huge. Live music adds to the festive vibe on Sunday afternoons year-round. An excellent wine list pairs perfectly with the food.

Basically a retail fish store, Larsen's has a raw take-out counter and will also boil lobsters for you. They also offer stuffed quahogs, crab cakes, steamers, and mussels, cooked to order. Dig into a plate of fresh littlenecks or cherrystones; oysters are not a bad alternative. There's also seafood chowder and a variety of smoked fish and dips. Bring your own bottle of wine or beer, buy your dinner here, and then set up on the rocks, the docks, or the beach: there's no finer alfresco rustic dining on the island. Sunset-watching is wildly popular here; call ahead or expect to wait a bit.

Provincetown's Lobster Pot, a mainstay for more than 40 years, is fit to do battle with all the lobster shanties anywhere (and everywhere) else on the Cape; although it's often jammed with tourists, the crowds reflect the generally high quality, and the water views can't be beat. The hardworking kitchen turns out classic New England cooking: lobsters, generous and filling seafood platters, and some of the best chowder around.

From the street, you wouldn't even know what kind of place you're passing by—there's literally just a door—but inside, this multiroom, Havana-inspired nightspot is an absolute jaw-dropper, mixing murals, muted brickwork, tropical plants, massive art deco chandeliers, and rattan seating. Meals are meant to be shared, with the menu offering delicious snacks, small plates, and street pizza. Mojitos and daiquiris are the stars of the craft cocktail menu, and everything on it can be made without alcohol. For dancing and live music, hit Mariel Underground until 2 am.

This perennial favorite with magnificent harbor views focuses on local seafood and organic meat and produce with a cross-cultural flair (there's also a lighter bistro menu for smaller appetites). The view of the bay from the bar is nearly perfect, and the gentle lighting makes this a romantic spot to have a drink. This is one of the relatively few restaurants open year-round in town. Check out the who's who of previous diners on its website, including Elizabeth Taylor and Billie Jean King.

Since 1997, Boston's fashionable set has flocked to this long-popular South End restaurant with polished service and upscale yet unpretentious French-Mediterranean cuisine. While seasonal tweaks do occur, fail-safe favorites like Burgundy-style escargot, parfait of Hudson Valley foie gras, tuna tartare, duck with cranberry gastrique, and branzino meunière are part of a menu that rarely changes—but no one's complaining.

Since 1999, this unpretentious, quick-serve creperie and café in the heart of Davis Square has been a local favorite for those seeking savory or sweet treats. For the savory set, ingredients are layered together (think grilled veggies, fresh cheeses, and crispy greens), wrapped in very thin pancakes, and heated until warm and toasty, while the gourmet sweet crêpes are filled with combinations such as dark Belgian chocolate and peanut butter, ricotta cheese and jam, or Nutella and berries. The Super Crêpes are heartier foldable meals with meats, veggies, and cheeses. Get creative and build your own crepe, or enjoy a flaky pastry, piping hot bowl of house-made soup, or chilly acai bowl.

Pink and orange dragon decals cover the windows of this all-day Chinese café, where Joanne Chang (of Flour bakery fame) taps her familial cooking roots to create shareable platters of creative dumplings, wok-charred udon noodles, and stir-fries brimming with fresh ingredients and plenty of hot chili peppers, garlic, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and lime. The staff is young and fun, and the crowd generally follows suit. On Monday through Wednesday nights from 4 to 9 pm, the Great Date Night prix fixe menu for two is a bargain. Weekends are packed for the Dim Sum brunch menu.

More than 1,000 oysters are eaten here on an average summer weekend, a good deal of them procured almost daily from the restaurant's own oyster farm in Barnstable Harbor. There are close to two dozen raw and "dressed" oyster dishes, but there's also a nice range of non-oyster entrées, salads, and appetizers. Outdoor bistro tables offer good people-watching while guests slurp their oysters.

Diners searching for Shanghainese soup dumplings should head to this place, the cousin of New York City's Michelin-recommended Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao restaurant. Now one of a small chain, this fast-casual modern Chinatown newcomer boasts hearty food served in to-go containers that you can eat in-house—if you can find an open seat. Try the myriad dumpling flavors and styles, fried udon noodles, and other belly filling dishes. 

Watch the oyster shuckers deftly undo handfuls of more than a dozen different kinds of bivalves, and other raw-bar items piled over ice, that you can order from the slip of paper they pass out listing each day's crustacean options. Dishes change seasonally, but a couple of year-round favorites include the spicy North End Cioppino (fish stew) and the signature Maine lobster roll that, hot or cold, overflows with meat, and you can add caviar, if desired. Service is prompt even when it gets busy (as it is most of the time). Go early to avoid a long wait.

More than just a tap room, this place satisfies a variety of different needs, although beer is at the forefront—there are more than two dozen beers on tap as well as a couple hard seltzers and some nonalcoholic varieties. Food focuses on Detroit-style pizza, with sandwiches and shareable plates, too. Children are welcome.

Despite o ya’s tucked-away location and hidden door, the place isn't exactly a secret: critics from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine have all named this improvisational sushi spot among the best in the country. The chef--owner plates a 20-course nightly omakase dinner with sushi and cooked preparations. The extensive sake list includes sparkling and aged varieties.  Make a reservation well in advance.

With two restaurants (including Sofra in Cambridge), a James Beard award, and two cookbooks to her name, chef--owner Ana Sortun continues to bewitch area diners with her intricately spiced eastern Mediterranean mezes (small plates) made with fresh-picked produce from her husband's nearby Siena Farms. Oleana's menu changes often, but look for the hot, crispy-fried mussels starter and Sultan's Delight (tamarind-glazed beef with smoky eggplant puree) along with large plates of Iskender lamb kebab and lemon chicken. The Chef's choice is a delightful vegetable meze, complete with a rich dessert. When the weather is inviting, the cozy atmosphere of this tucked-away spot spills out into a peaceful back patio garden. Of note: a 5% kitchen appreciation fee and 1% administrative fee are added to all checks.

Don't miss this red clapboard, Pan–Latin American restaurant located down an alleyway in Harvard Square. Owner Andres Branger's dream to bring bountiful plates of superfresh family fare from his home country of Venezuela to Cambridge (as well as Brookline Village) rewards diners with delectable, palm-size arepas (crispy, hot, corn-flour pockets stuffed with beans, cheese, chicken, or pork), pabellon criollo (moist shredded beef with stewed beans, rice, and plantains), and red chili adobo–marinated, charred pollo (chicken). Empanadas, hearty salads, and stuffed French-bread sandwiches at lunch, along with a small selection of wine and beer, round out the very affordable menu at this casual eatery. When weather permits, ask for a seat on the back patio, a quiet flower-and-fountain-filled oasis that makes the rest of the world feel very far away.

Don't be surprised to see a queue down the street at this neighborhood hot spot, no matter the time of day. Regulars come for waffles topped with fresh fruit, caramel-and-banana French toast, huge salads, and hefty sandwiches, all made to order, which you do from the counter. Newbies should note The Paramount's unspoken rule: don't take a seat until after you wait in line, order, and pay.

Once a clam shack, this bistro has found new life and won legions of fans in this seaside town selling just-baked bread and succulent pastries—by early morning (even in off-season) the line snakes into the parking lot. They also offer prepared gourmet foods to go, and a well-curated menu of sandwiches (on excellent bread, of course!), plus there's outdoor and indoor seating, and they stay open all year (hours vary come wintertime).