The Garden at the Cellar

Even with the throngs of outsiders vying for a seat in this cozy, brick-walled gastropub, it still feels very much like an insider hangout, thanks to the regulars chewing on dinner and local gossip at the bar. Chef Will Gilson has mastered the kind of ingredient-driven, French-accented comfort food—e.g., chicken and rosemary flatbread or steak frites with garlic spinach and parsnip purée—that would earn any neighborhood some serious bragging rights. RUNNERS-UP: River Gods, Central Kitchen