Prima e Dopo
At Eastie red-sauce palace Rino's Place, patrons can get stuck waiting two hours for huge portions of baked rigatoni and chicken Parm. To accommodate the throngs, the owners opened Prima E Dopo across the street, offering balsamic-glazed wings and $6 cocktails. Now we just skip Rino's altogether and hang here, dining on sausage-and-broccoli-rabe pizza, crispy bruschetta, and perhaps the most flavorful meatballs we've ever had. 300 Saratoga St., East Boston, MA 2128, .
Franklin Southie
The problem with comfort food is that you often must make sacrifices to get it ? ambiance, booze selection, etc. Not so at Franklin Café's Southie outpost, which features a menu of food-coma-inducing items like steak frites and pork ribs beside a list of well-priced wines. And yes, the waitstaff will let you linger at your patio table. And linger you should: The kitchen stays open till 1:30 a.m. 152 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, MA 2127, franklincafe.com.
St. Alphonzo's
In the gap between Southie's working-class past and emerging condo-class future, St. Alphonzo's stands as a small marvel of a bridge: authentic but not staid, polished but not pretentious. Owned by Silvertone alums Natasha and Peter Irving, who live nearby and obviously pride themselves on feeding their neighbors well, it plates up top-notch sandwiches (the Cuban's a standout) and affordable pastas, meat, and fish that embody home cooking in the best sense. The pocket-sized space is rarely packed, which means patrons can relax and actually hear themselves think—probably, about how soon they can come back. 87 A St., Boston, MA 2127, stalphonzoskitchen.com.
Franklin Southie
You don't need reservations to snag a seat at this local favorite, where the fritto misto and steak tartare are best chased with a pickleback. What to Order: The fried catfish; crispy-pork lettuce wraps. 152 Dorchester Ave., Boston, MA franklincafe.com.
Ko at the Shipyard
We mourned the loss of a local gem with the closing of Scup's in the Harbour, but when it was replaced by this Australian spot—which offers meat pies, salads, and down-under treats like potato wedges with sweet chili sauce—we breathed a heavy sigh of relief. What to Order: The chicken pita; chickpea salad; meat pie. 256 Marginal St., East Boston, MA kocateringandpies.com.
Local 149
The fried Brussels sprouts smothered in chipotle-lime sauce justify a trip to this one-and-a-half-year-old hot spot all by themselves. But as long as we're here, we'll also take the tater tots poutine and the pressed-duck club sandwich, and follow it all with a Delirium Tremens, just one great selection from the vast tap list. Chef Leah Dubois's playful dishes taste even better against Local 149's backdrop of rainbow-hued vintage seltzer bottles, chalkboard tables, and reclaimed wood floors. 149 P Street, South Boston, MA 2127, local149.com.
Tertulias Café
At this modest storefront with a tiny bar in the back, a crowd drawn mostly from the neighborhood’s large Colombian expat community gathers from morning to evening for hefty plates of Colombian specialties and a few Venezuelan dishes. Come for arepas with shredded chicken, mildly fiery shrimp ceviche, fried red snapper, or the staggering montañero plate (steak, chicharrón, plantains, beans, fried egg, and rice) and soak up the relaxed neighborhood vibe. 26-28 Porter St., East Boston, MA 02128, tertuliasboston.com.
<em>Sinatra Suite</em>, choreographed by Twyla Tharp, performed at the Wang Center for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Elaine Kudo of the American Ballet Theatre.
Tawakal Halal Café
This national-caliber Somali kitchen makes and bottles its own luxuriously supple-textured mango-habanero hot sauce, which adds just the right zhoosh of incendiary complexity to coconut-milk grits with slow-cooked chickpeas; unctuous braised goat (hilib ari) bursting with turmeric and cardamom; and, honestly, any leftover taking up space in your fridge right now. 389 Maverick St., East Boston, MA 02128, tawakalfoods.co.
Lenox Sophia
Southie didn’t need another pub. It needed, and received in Lenox Sophia, a fine foodie destination for popping in on the way home from work — having reserved one of the four chef’s-counter seats, ideally — and decompressing over a set prix fixe: steaky king trumpet mushrooms with honey-fermented garlic, miso, and tart dried plum might be on the menu from ones-to-watch chefs Shi Mei and Yesid Areiza. The wine? That’s whatever you bring: It’s BYOB. 87 A St., Boston, MA 02127, lenoxsophia.com.
Moonshine 152
If you live in the neighborhood, you know the menu — the crowd-pleasing jalapeño crab rangoon, the legendary mushroom tofu burger, the famous fried chicken and waffles. You know the staff, too, especially effervescent chef-owner Asia Mei, who’s always there with a smile as she checks in on diners. For weeknight dinners and weekend date nights, this is the living room of Southie, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 152 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, MA 02127, moonshine152.com.
Omni Parker House
Invented at the Omni Parker House back in the days when men wore top hats and no one had heard of hydrogenated fats, this custard-filled, chocolate-topped sponge cake is the 19th century at its most decadent. 60 School St., Boston, MA omnihotels.com.
St. Alphonzo's Kitchen
The best local spots offer more than just a good dinner at a fair price; they also provide a window into the neighborhood. At St. Alphonzo's, the shoebox of a dining room feels like a private gathering of Southie characters. But the calamari, pasta Bolognese, and Cuban sandwich are far better than you'll find at any dinner party. 87 A St., Boston, MA 2127, stalphonzoskitchen.com.
Mavens Kosher
A New York deli finally comes to town. Say a brocha and pass the pickles. 95 Winthrop St., Cambridge, MA .