Boston's South End Restaurants

Plus South End bistros, bakeries, brasseries, bars

 

Boston's South End restaurants include the city's highest concentration of chef/owner eateries, featuring fresh ingredients, expert cooking, and many different cuisines. 

Restaurants line the main streets in this trendy but laid-back neighborhood, with choices ranging from homey bistros and bakeries to world-renowned fine dining.

Although you'll find many of the South End's restaurants clustered along Tremont Street, Washington Street, and Columbus Ave, some dot the side streets, while still others are opening in the increasingly popular SoWa (South of Washington Street) area.

Although some South End restaurants can be fairly pricey, others more affordable choices.  You can dine very well in all price ranges.

You'll find very few chain restaurants here in the South End, making it one of the best neighborhoods for trying the best local cuisine.  You can easily walk to most of the South End restaurants within 10 minutes or less from Back Bay, Bay Village, or the Park Square area of Downtown.

 

Guide to South End Restaurants

Here's my guide to the wonderful restaurants and other places to eat that you can enjoy in the South End.  You'd need more than a month to try them all.

Want to picnic instead, or just grab a quick sandwich or salad?  Check out the best South End markets for gourmet goodies.

 

Addis Red Sea $$   Ethiopian

544 Tremont St; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-426-8727

This long-established South End restaurant serves delicious authentic Ethiopian cuisine in stylish surroundings.  

Although many of the savory dishes feature meat, vegetarians will feel happy with the even lengthier vegan menu.

Another plus is the affordable and well-chosen wine list.

Aquitaine $$$    French

569 Tremont St; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-424-8577; www.aquitaineboston.com

Like many South End restaurants, Aquitaine's exterior is so understated that if you've heard raves about this popular spot, you may wonder what the fuss is about. 

But don't worry - the French bistro food is as wonderful as everyone claims. 

As soon as you walk up the stairs and through the door, you'll be in the stylish bar - a great place to sit and sip a glass of wine while people-watching - but mouth-watering classics like mussels en cassoulette, steak frites, and apple tarte tatin will beckon you to dinner.

And on Saturdays, stop by to enjoy the $10 prix fixe brunch, one of my own favorite Boston Cheap Eats.

B and G Oysters $$$  Seafood

550 Tremont St; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-523-0550; www.bandgoysters.com

This small but perfect oyster bar features the absolutely freshest seafood imaginable.

Oysters star in this well-loved South End restaurant - but a few other choices, mostly fish and shellfish - are also available.  Check the board for daily specials. 

If you love lobster roll, it is fabulous here. 

Wines, mostly whites, are carefully chosen to accompany the food.

Enter through the side gate, and in pleasant weather, sit outdoors on the small patio and enjoy some of the best seafood that you'll ever eat.

Emilio's $    Pizza, subs, sandwiches

536 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-423-4083

Super casual and affordable spot for subs, pizza (whole or by the slice), and sandwiches.

In the midst of so many high-end South End restaurants, Emilio's stands out for offering good, everyday food at reasonable prices.

Flour Bakery + Cafe $    Bakery plus soups, quiche, pizza

1595 Washington St. near E. Concord; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-267-4300; www.flourbakery.com

If you can tear your eyes away from the lemon ginger scones, brioche au chocolat, and other incredibly tempting pastries long enough, you’ll notice that this popular bakery/café also offers great soups, pizza, quiche, and drinks—try the new rooibos lattes.

A few mouth-watering lunch and dinner specials round out the offerings.

Warning: due to extreme popularity, if you want a sticky bun, you should call the bakery and pre-order before you come.

If you're in the Fort Point area, you'll find a second Flour location at 12 Farnsworth Street in the newly fashionable South Boston Waterfront. 

Franklin Cafe $ - $$   American

278 Shawmut Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-350-0010; www.franklincafe.com

Once just a beloved neighborhood bistro, the Franklin Cafe draws fans from all over Boston who come to enjoy its innovative American food featuring local New England products, nicely chosen wines, and microbrewery beers and ales on tap.  

The menu, featuring perhaps 8-10 first courses and about the same number of main dishes, changes seasonally, with an additional daily special or two based on what's best in the market at the moment. 

Keep in mind that the Franklin Cafe is small - fewer than 12 tables - and very, very popular - so you'll definitely want to make reservations. 

Fritz $$   Sports bar

26 Chandler Street, just east of Berkeley Street, next to the Chandler Inn; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-482-4428; www.fritzboston.com

As the Red Sox and Patriots games being shown on the 6 flat screen plasma TVs located throughout the bar make clear, food is not the main emphasis in this neighborhood spot that bills itselfs as a "gay sports bar" . . . but Fritz does serve a popular brunch on weekends and Monday holidays in their cafe.

Gaslight, Brasserie du Coin $$   French

560 Harrison Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-422-0224; www.gaslight560.com

At this fabulous French brasserie, you can get everything from fried mussels to fromage blanc to steak frites to salade nicoise.  The mouth-watering croque-monsieur, served with perfect frites, is reason alone to go. 

The weekend brunch menu offers a nice selection of omelettes, crepes, buttery croissants, fruits de mer, and light soups and salads.  Since this is a brasserie, beverage choices are plentiful and excellent - super French wines, draft beers, and cocktails. 

This is a place where you'll have a great time, great food, and of course, great drinks.

From April - October, come for brunch on Saturday or Sunday, and the stroll over to the nearby SoWa Open Market for an afternoon of treasure hunting.

Ginger Park $$$$   Asian fusion

1375 Washington Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-451-0077

Small plates with Asian fusian is the theme at Ginger Park, with favorites from across Southeast Asia to India with a little Korean BBQ thrown in.  Chef Patricia Yeo from New York has been brought in to oversee the new restaurant, which replaces popular (but pricy) banQ.

Most "plates" are under $20, and are intended to be shared . . . but you'll probably want at least 2 per person, so expect a final tab equivalent to a $$$$ restaurant.

Hamersley's Bistro $$$$   French

553 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-423-2700; www.hamersleysbistro.com

Gordon Hamersley, the first big-name chef to open a restaurant in Boston's South End, continues to delight bistro diners by creating innovative contemporary cuisine based on hearty French country dishes.  

Expect robust flavors based on garlic, lemon, and herbs.  

Seasonal menus feature seafood, meats, poultry, and vegetables provided by local growers, some of whom have collaborated with Hamersley for decades.

House of Siam $$   Thai

542 Columbus Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-267-1755

One of the very best Thai restaurants in Boston . . . a fact that unfortunately is well known, so you may have a wait - but rest assured you'll feel amply rewarded by the delicious food.  If you come more than once, the manager and waiters will remember you and greet you warmly.

Jae's Cafe $$    Asian

520 Columbus Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-421-9405; www.jaescafe.com

Pan-Asian . . . Korean, Japanese, and Thai, with a little fusion thrown in.

Laurel $$    American

142 Berkeley Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-424-6711; www.laurelbarandgrill.com

On the very edge of the South End, slightly north of Columbus Ave, Laurel's stylish taupe and cream interior provides the perfect ambiance for the American bistro-style cuisine.  

If you have trouble deciding what to order . . . paella, full of succulent seafood and spicy andouille sausage, is a brilliant choice, as is the lobster rissoto and the cilantro-scented flank steak.  Laurel hosts highly regarded wine seminars and tastings more or less monthly - call the South End restaurant to confirm dates.

Masa Restaurant $$$     Southwestern

439 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-338-8884; www.masarestaurant.com

Possibly the only South End restaurant featuring Southwestern flavors.

Mela $$    Indian

578 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-859-4805; www.melarestaurant.com

This stylish South End restaurant offers some of the best Indian cuisine in this part of Boston.  

Part of the One World Cuisine restaurant group that owns some of the other top Boston area Indian restaurants, Mela offers mainly traditional dishes.  

The daily lunch buffets and weekend brunch buffets provide a great way to sample many things and discover your favorites.

Mistral $$$$    French

223 Columbus Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-867-9300; www.mistalbistro.com

French-Mediterranean cuisine at its finest, in one of Boston's loveliest restaurants.

Myers + Chang $-$$    Asian

1145 Washington St. near Berkeley; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-542-5200; myersandchang.com

Enjoy addictively delicious interpretations of Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese favorites by the chef and creator of popular Flour Bakery + Café down the street. With items like wok-charred greens and pork sausage wrapped in shiso to choose from, my personal goal is to try every dish on their tantalizing menu.

They’ll also give you a vegetarian, gluten-free, shellfish-free, and nut-free menu upon request.

Plates are small (think tapas) so if you’re really hungry, you'll want to order more than one. Try several, and you'll realize that you need to move nearby so that you can eat all your meals here.

Noche $$$$   Contemporary American

3 Appleton Street (below street level); Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-482-0117; www.noche-boston.com

Designer cocktails such as the Caramel Macchiato (espresso and Godiva caramel liquors, cream) and the Cranberry Coconut Mojito, New American cuisine, and sparkling white-on-white welcome the night in the space occupied for 30+ years by Icarus.  New focus: "upscale lounge serving food," according to Euz Azevedo of Boston Nightlife Ventures, the team behind nightspots The Tap, near Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and The Federal, near Mass General and Beacon Hill.

Oishii Boston $$$$    Japanese

1166 Washington St. near Berkeley; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-482-8868; oishiiboston.com

Experience sushi and sashimi, and other Japanese favorites as an art form.  Oishii lifts typical Japanese dishes and flavors to sublime heights.  Specialty drinks and sake will enhance your experience - try the green tea martini made with Zen Green Tea liquor, or order from the extensive list of sake and sho chu.  This stylish South End restaurant is also one of the best places in the city to get green tea ice cream . . . but for a special experience, try the green tea tiramisu.

Orinoco $$    Venezuelan

477 Shawmut Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-369-7075; www.orinocokitchen.com

In Boston's South End restaurants come in all flavors - but this may be the only Venezuelan spot in the neighborhood.  Not only is the food delicious, but you won't have to empty your pockets when the check arrives.  Try the arepas - grilled corn pocket sandwiches with tasty fillings.  Main course offerings include Venezuelan specialties, many served with rice, black beans, and plaintains.  Delicious Venezuelan flan is available for dessert - but you may be unable to resist the molten chocolate cake made with Venezuelan dark chocolate.

Petit Robert Bistro $$    French

480 Columbus Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-867-0600; www.petitrobertbistro.com; other locations in Fenway and Needham

Fabulous French bistro food by one of Boston's most revered French chefs, Jacky Robert.  Focusing on "homestyle" cooking, this charming and cozy South End Restaurant is the place to go for French comfort food - onion soup, coq au vin, lobster bisque, and perfect steak-frites with bearnaise sauce.  You'll also enjoy the wines, which are as terrific as the food.  Petit Robert Bistro is one of my personal favorites.  More about Petit Robert Bistro

Pho Republique $$    Vietnamese-French fusian

1415 Washington Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-262-0005; www.phorepublique.net

If you enjoy fusion, try Pho Republique, a French-Vietnamese South End Restaurant that borrows from other Asian cuisines for its eclectic menu.

Picco $$   Pizza and Ice Cream

513 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-927-0066; www.piccorestaurant.com

Ah, Picco . . . in some ways, the quintessential South End restaurant - uh, I mean, "pizza and ice cream company."  

Soup stocks, sauces, ice cream, sausages, meatballs, baked desserts . . . they're all made on site, from scratch.  

The pizza dough ferments, cold, for 2 days in order to develop exactly the right texture and rich flavor.  Only the highest quality chocolate and spices are used for desserts, and only the best cheeses from the right places in Italy grace the pizza.  Wine and beer selections not only pair perfectly with the food, but also embody organic and biodynamic farming methods.

So does all of this care and pedigree add up to perfection?  Well . . . yes.  Picco's pizzas, ice creams, other items . . . they really are - there's no other word for them - perfect.  After savoring the pizza and ice cream here, you won't want to go anywhere else.  Period.

Pops Restaurant $$$   Organic American

560 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-695-1250; www.popsrestaurant.net

American dishes featuring organic veggies, meat from animals raised without antibiotics, and fish from renewable sources.

Rocca Kitchen and Bar $$$    Italian

500 Harrison Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-451-5151; www.roccaboston.com

Conceived and created by Michela Larson's Sapphire Restaurant Group as a neighborhood kitchen and bar, Rocca takes inspiration from the cuisine of Ligularia, the sun-baked Italian Riviera where land meets the sea. 

Accordingly, the menu focuses on simple but tasty preparations of seafood, meats, poultry, and vegetables.  Olive oil, pestos, lemons, anchovies, and herbs add complexity and flavor.

During warm weather, you'll enjoy dining outdoors in the garden patio.  We love to come for Sunday brunch (mouth-watering corn and tomato pizettas, fabulous prosciutto panini with gotta-have-more olive tapenade, plus other yummy treats), and then pop across the parking lot for an enjoyable stroll through the SoWa Open Market.

This South End restaurant also has one of the best bar menus in the neighborhood - and that's saying a lot.  Look for their yummy 5@5 specials.

Sage $$$     Italian

1395 Washington Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-248-8814; www.sageboston.com

Delicious modern Italian cuisine.  No heavy red sauce is evident here - just high-quality meats and seafood nicely cooked, flavored with things like garlic and truffles, and accompanied by Italian favorites such as white beans, roasted figs, and artichoke hearts.  A nice tasting menu, with or without wine parings, is also offered.

Sibling Rivalry $$$$    French and American

525 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-338-5338; www.siblingrivalryboston.com

The intriguing concept behind this innovative South End restaurant is that each of the 2 brothers/chefs has his own culinary style - one follows traditional French high-cuisine techniques, while the other embraces robust American cooking.

Both chefs start with the same fresh seasonal ingredients but produce 2 "dueling" menus and diners get to decide which is best.

The reality is that each brother/chef is so good that there's really no contest: both are winners. 

You're sure to enjoy the ambiance in this warm, welcoming restaurant with tantalizing glimpses of the kitchen - but the real star is the food - from both sides of the menu.  During warm months, sit outside in the semi-enclosed terrace that is one of the South End's best people-watching spots.

Six Burner $ (with a few $$ choices)  American

130 Dartmouth Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-262-4393; www.sixburnerboston.com

Within just a few steps of Back Bay Station and Copley Place, Six Burner sits on the border between the South End and Back Bay.

In warm weather, eat on the patio bordering the Southwest Corridor Park.  Inside in the winter, enjoy the warmth and the well-stocked bar.

Seasonal menus feature home-style comfort food made from scratch.  This is the place to come for meatloaf, Guinness pot roast, dinner-sized omelets, and - ok, this one's a little over-the-edge, but good - a Kobe beef hotdog. 

Brunch (9am-4pm) on Saturdays and Sundays offers a lot of tasty favorites such as huevos rancheros, Belgian waffles, and a huge omelet.  You need to get there early to get the unbelievably good cinnamon buns.

Best of all, the starters, sandwiches, burgers, brunch items, and salads are under $10, and even the "Big Plates" are mostly $10-11 - the Lobster Mac-N-Cheese tops out the menu at $13. 

South End Buttery $ - $$    Bakery plus Breakfast and Casual Food

314 Shawmut Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-482-1015; www.southendbuttery.com

Known for its yummy cookies, cupcakes, sandwiches, and breakfast items - for sheer bliss, try their buttermilk biscuit with scrambled eggs, bacon, and aged cheddar - the Buttery has now added a bar menu featuring innovative spins on bistro classics accompanied by interesting wine and beer choices.

Stella $$$    Italian

1525 Washington Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-247-7747; www.bostonstella.com

This popular South End restaurant features sumptuous Italian regional favorites from every part of Italy.  In warm weather, you'll enjoy the lovely outdoor seating area. This is a great place for lingering over Sunday brunch, and then popping into a few SoWa galleries

The Butcher Shop $$$$    Butcher Shop + Deli + Casual Food

552 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-423-2008; www.thebutchershopboston.com

Yes, this is a butcher shop where you can buy everything from exquisite cuts of perfectly marbled beef to the richest foie gras . . . but it's also a cozy neighborhood wine bar serving fabulous charcuterie, antipasti, and bistro food . . . oh, and some of the best wine of any South End restaurant.

The Dish $$    American

253 Shawmut Ave; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-426-7866; www.southenddish.com

Hip and trendy, this neighborhood bistro’s wine list is longer than its menu. Food offerings include wood-fired pizzas, small plates—appetizers, salads, and large plates—risottos, meat and fish, curries. Billed as “American homestyle,” the food’s influences and seasonings are global. The results are delicious. If you like bistro food, imaginative cooking, and a friendly atmosphere, this South End restaurant could become one of your favorite places in Boston. Oh, and did I mention their innovative sake cocktails?

Tremont 647 $$$   American

647 Tremont Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-266-4600; www.tremont647.com

This popular South End restaurant delivers big international flavors in its mostly American cuisine.  The menu changes frequently, but certain favorites such as momos remain constant due to customers' demands.  Southern touches such as cornbread, greens, barbeque, and creole seasonings give the food a "down home" feeling, even though global influences get equal space (how many non-Asian Boston restaurants include Vietnamese coffee on their menu?).  Tasting menus with 5 and 7 courses are offered, with or without wine.

Twenty Eight Degrees $$$    Seafood plus Steak and Pizza

1 Appleton Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-728-0728; www.28degrees-boston.com

The raw bar and seafood entrees dominate the menu, although you can also get a steak and pizza. The bar takes center stage, with fresh fruit cocktails and a carefully chosen wine list.

Union Bar and Grille $$$    American

1357 Washington Street; Orange Line/Back Bay; 617-423-0555; www.unionrestaurant.com

American bistro featuring hearty food with interesting seasonings.