Q Restaurant
Chinatown is a cross-roads of cultures, and Q clearly understands the assignment: In one place, it offers people-pleasing Chinese classics like kung pao shrimp and scallops, a great Japanese sushi bar, and Mongolian-style hot-pot cooking. When we’re not around tables bubbling our own veggies, meats, and noodles in the peanut-y Malaysian satay broth, though, you’ll find us grabbing a lychee or ginger “Q-tini” at the bar, the perfect perch for a pre-theater cocktail. 660 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, thequsa.com.
The Brendan Behan Pub
When he wasn't behind bars, Irish writer and nationalist Brendan Behan was usually bellied up to a bar. Odds are, he would've felt right at home in the Jamaica Plain pub named for him. Small and smoky, the Behan is everything a pub should be: buzzing with a friendly mixed clientele of tattoos and suits, all there for the good conversation and, of course, some top-notch Guinness. Occasional Irish seisuns and other entertainment—including play readings and storytelling—make this an even more ideal place to lose yourself for a few hours. Certainly worlds better than an English prison. 378 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA brendanbehanpub.com.
Eastern Standard
A good brasserie is not a paean to fine French cuisine—though great eats should be in ample supply. Nor is it a flash-in-the-pan hot spot that's busy one month, empty the next. It's a bustling, reliable restaurant where everyone—foodies, tourists, business travelers, sports fans—feels welcome. No place does all-occasion fun better than Eastern Standard, which, five years after takeoff, is still filled noon to night with revelers catching the Sox game and regulars dining at the bar on an expansive menu (raw bar, burgers, salads, charcuterie) that's only gotten better with time. 528 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 2215, easternstandardboston.com.
Huntington Theatre Company
Boston theater is humming on high thanks to its two biggest companies, both of which send shows to Broadway and garner Tony nominations and awards. But while the American Repertory Theater had another star-studded year of notable spectacles, we preferred the Huntington’s eclectic drama. With Chekhov’s The Seagull, a sex romp, comedies and romances, and even its own extravaganza in The Jungle Book, the Huntington had everything for everyone this year. Even better, we love seeing its dedication to fostering playwriting stars, such as recent fellow Lydia Diamond, whose work has been produced on Broadway by Alicia Keys and who world-premiered Smart People here this season. 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 2115, huntingtontheatre.org.
Coquette
Location, location, location is key to a hotel restaurant, and Coquette’s captive audience inside the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport and the neighboring convention center means its sexy bar buzzes with out-of-towners on business. The ooh-la-la flavors in its coastal French- and Spanish-inspired cuisine, meanwhile—borek spring rolls stuffed with spiced chicken and Gruyère, for instance—make it a draw for cool-hunt- ing foodies and fans of its similarly scene-y (and singles-friendly) downtown sibling, Yvonne’s. Plus, if sparks fly at the bar, there are a thousand rooms upstairs. 450 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210, frenchcoquette.com.
The Haven
In Boston’s sea of rowdy, singles-filled Irish bars, this rare Scottish gastropub stands out as unique, friendly, and approachable—just like the ideal date. As its name suggests, the restaurant is an intimate place to get cozy by candlelight with your Tinder match over an extensive, icebreaker-friendly scotch list organized by region, as well as hard-to-find specialties like haggis and Scotland-born deep-fried Mars bars. With so much to talk about, conversation will flow as easily as the Belhaven beer on draft 2 Perkins St., Jamaica Plain, MA thehavenjp.com.
Midway Cafe
Real women appreciate good beer and know how to cut loose when the music starts. That's why so many of them frequent the Midway. Thanks to an event calendar of crowd-pleasers like Queeraoke, the bar's dance floor quakes seven nights a week to a soundtrack spanning R&B to death metal; the anti-decor is underscored by neon beer signs and sprinklings of Americana. And while definitely a home base for the girl-meets-girl crowd, this J.P. joint welcomes good-timers of all persuasions. 3496 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, MA midwaycafe.com.
Jackson Cannon
Settle into Eastern Standard's plush, cozy bar and let Cannon welcome you with an easy grin and quick, imaginative recommendations: an old-school cocktail he's revived (such as his signature Jack Rose), or maybe a little-known bottling. His obsession with fresh ingredients makes Cannon a true bar artist, though one mercifully free of snobbery—which means if you're looking to throw back something a touch more pedestrian, he'll pour that light beer and serve it with a smile. Eastern Standard, Hotel Commonwealth, 528 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA easternstandardboston.com.
Sports Club/LA
It's the kind of gym we hate to love: full of people who put on makeup and hair gel before they work out, and packed with fluffy extras like a roof deck, spa, salon, and bar. (Yes, bar.) But dangit if it isn't a really, really good place to burn calories: 114,000 square feet filled with Cybex and Precor cardio equipment, basketball and squash courts, a pool, a boxing studio, and more. 4 Avery St., Boston, MA 2111, thesportsclubla.com.
TD Garden
It's a vaunted sports temple, of course, but the Garden had a banner year for music, with appearances by everybody from the current stars Museto the stalwart Rolling Stones, on their 50th-anniversary tour—plus Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, and Coldplay. Lady Gaga had to cancel her show to undergo hip surgery, but the fact that she planned to perform here, for the second tour in a row, is a testament to the arena's go-to status. 100 Legends Way, Boston, MA tdgarden.com.
C. K. Pearl
Patrick Shea, son of the couple behind Essex icon Shea's Riverside, has New England seafood in his blood. So much so, in fact, that he decided to open his own riverfront restaurant, C. K. Pearl, right next door to his parents' joint. Now in its second year, the younger Shea's spot offers a more modern but no less delicious take on the local haul with live music, $1 oyster nights, and a lobster sandwich that rivals Dad's. 112 Main St., Essex, MA 01929, ckpearl.com.
S & I to Go
Sometimes the most unassuming places pack the most punch. This humble haunt serves up pad see ew with ample wok char, just-sweet-enough pineapple curry, and a soulful pad gra prow with enough heat to make you sweat. About that sweating thing—the five-chili marker on the menu (completely written in Thai) really does mean business. You've been warned. 168A Brighton Ave., Allston, MA 02134, sanditogo.com.
Paul Butler and Kelcey Rusch, Spoke
The hopeful future of Boston dining — a generational shift toward collaboration over competition — can be glimpsed in the effortless teamwork that co-chefs Butler and Rusch bring to the kitchen at Somerville’s stellar Spoke wine bar. Besides pairing perfectly with the boutique vintages behind the bar, their inventive small plates (say, savory sunchoke doughnuts dusted with XO gouda and powdered leek) speak to a unified vision — hyper-seasonal, polished but playful, highly technique-driven — that is, in a word, singular. spokewinebar.com.
The Moderna Vaccine
What a coming-out party this past year has been for Moderna. For years the Cambridge company had been all-in on messenger RNA vaccines, the radical approach to disease prevention that attracted billions of dollars from investors but had yet to be proven in the real world. After its wildly successful vaccine put the startup on par with major drug manufacturers like Pfizer — not to mention helped break COVID-19’s grip on humanity — it’s clear that the bet has paid off. modernatx.com.
Matsu
Kate Spade may have cornered the market on corduroy and seersucker, but Matsu continues to introduce Bostonians to cutting-edge bag designers from both sides of the Atlantic. Whether it's Australia's Annabel Ingall, Paris' Apres Midi de Chien, New York's Ro, or just colorful beach bags by Inca or Tote Le Monde, Matsu's handbag selection remains committed to color, surprise, and innovation. 259 Newbury Street, Boston, MA matsuboston.com.