Where to Eat in Greater Boston for June 2025
New and exciting restaurants to check out, plus new reasons to visit older spots.
Gourmet Kreyòl’s poul fri (Haitian fried chicken). / Courtesy photo
This month in Greater Boston food and drink: al fresco caviar-topped hot dogs, a surprisingly complex Midori sour, must-try mole poblano, and more. Here’s the latest installment of our monthly guide on exciting newcomers to check out and older spots that have recently expanded or changed, plus a peek ahead at imminent openings. (Check out last month’s guide here.)
Jump to:
- New restaurants to try this month: Recent openings to check out.
- Older restaurants doing new things: Local expansions, reopenings, anniversaries, and more—time for a (re)visit.
- Looking ahead: Spots set to open in the next couple months or so.
Also check out our recently published or updated dining guides: Cape Cod outdoor dining | Jamaican food | Madison, Connecticut must-try restaurants
New Restaurants to Try This Month
Recent openings you’ve got to check out.
Bar Lunette. / Photo by Nathan Tavares
Bar Lunette
The Paris Creperie team has opened a French-inspired cocktail bar next door to the creperie (in a former eyeglass shop, hence the name and décor), and we’re giddy about its cocktails—like a Midori sour that doesn’t taste like the college parties we’d rather forget. Coming soon: French-y brunch service on weekends and Mondays (fluffy omelets, pressed baguette sandwiches), plus fun events such as cognac tastings.
To start, Bar Lunette opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. 278A Harvard St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline, barlunette.com.
Cocolee
Plan your next shopping trip, because Somerville’s Assembly Row just added a new restaurant to its roster. Cocolee, a self-described “modern Asian bar and grill,” is now open in the former River Bar space. The menu includes lobster siu mai, barbecue spareribs, blue crab rangoon, and more, plus tropical cocktails and a spacious patio with fire pits.
Open for lunch and dinner daily (drinks until 1 a.m.). 661 Assembly Row, Somerville, 617-616-5561, cocolee-assembly.com.
Essex Rooftop. / Courtesy photo
The Essex and Essex Rooftop
Cocktails, crudo, and skyline views: the Cambria Hotel Boston Downtown – Seaport has a couple new dining options on the ground floor and the expansive rooftop, taking over the former Six / West spaces. Kristin Jenkins, 1928 Beacon Hill owner, is in charge of the new spots, with ‘Quin House alum Polit Castillo cooking up dishes like spring risotto and ceviche downstairs and lobster rolls and salmon crudo upstairs.
The Essex serves breakfast and dinner daily, and Essex Rooftop serves dinner and drinks nightly, plus weekend lunch. 6 W. Broadway (Cambria Hotel), South Boston, 617-766-8580, essexboston.com.
Koro
Not every sushi feast has to be an hours-long omakase; we also love a casual grab-and-go option. Lucky for Eastie, there’s a new takeout-friendly sushi-and-ramen joint, starring creative sushi rolls and very customizable ramen alongside plenty of made-to-travel snacks—crispy sweet-and-sour wings, juicy gyoza—on the menu, too.
Open for lunch and dinner daily (with a break in the afternoon). 329 Sumner St., East Boston, 617-418-5101, eatkoro.com.
Mr. Tamole
A mother-and-son team showcasing family recipes from Puebla, Mexico, this new Boston Public Market stall highlights a 22-ingredient mole poblano. Taste it in many forms: tamale (start here), tacos, chilaquiles, and more.
100 Hanover St. (Boston Public Market), Downtown Boston, mrtamole.com.
Pound House’s salted matcha latte and pork spring rolls. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Pound House
We’re sipping Pound House’s delightful salted matcha latte as we write this, thankful for a cozy new coffee shop full of strong Vietnamese brews. Bánh mì and spring rolls complement the caffeine.
703 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, 714-495-1646, poundhouseboston.com.
Zusammen
Come for the wine; stay for the “radical togetherness” at this petite wine bar from the Momma’s Grocery & Wine team down the street. (But don’t come hungry—there are some chips and light snacks, but this is primarily a drinking spot for before or after your Mass. Ave. dining adventures.) Watch for live music (there’s a baby grand!) and other events.
Currently open Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. with extended hours coming soon; walk-ins only. 2322 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge, zusammen.wine.
Older Restaurants Doing New Things
Local expansions, reopenings, anniversaries, and such—time for a (re)visit.
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
It’s the big 4-0 for homegrown steakhouse chain Davio’s; celebrate over elegant seafood towers and hefty cuts of Brandt beef at one of seven hospitable Massachusetts locations. You’ll find it particularly reliable for a power lunch or big-shot business dinner.
75 Arlington St., Back Bay, 627-357-4810; 26 Fan Pier, Seaport District, Boston, 617-261-4810; and other locations; davios.com.
Distraction & Democracy Beer Garden
Nothing says summer like pints on a patio (and frozen “maltinis,” or brewed cocktails from Distraction Brewing), so we’re rejoicing over the seasonal reopening of this outdoor drinking spot at City Hall Plaza, a collab between two terrific local breweries.
Open at 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. 1 City Hall Ave. (between Government Center and State MBTA stations), Downtown Boston, distractionbrewingco.com, democracybrewing.com.
Gourmet Kreyòl. / Photo by Reginald Anis
Gourmet Kreyòl
You don’t have to chase a food truck around town to enjoy Gourmet Kreyòl’s Haitian delights—from tropical lemonades to crispy griot—anymore. Its first brick-and-mortar debuted in Mattapan in May, with a sibling sit-down spot opening in Dorchester’s Codman Square later this year.
1210 Blue Hill Ave., Mattapan, Boston, gourmetkreyol.com.
Island Creek Raw Bar Seaport. / Photo by Emily Hagen
Island Creek Raw Bar
A seasonal outdoor restaurant from the iconic Island Creek Oysters team, inspired by its cheery bayside Duxbury Raw Bar? We’re so there—especially for caviar-topped hot dogs. Also on the menu: tinned fish from Island Creek’s New Bedford cannery, sushi in partnership with Red’s Best, lobster rolls, and more, plus beer, wine, and canned cocktails. But wait, there’s even more: A food truck from Row 34 (Island Creek’s seafood bestie forever, despite a partnership split-up a few years back) is onsite, with its opening menu including dishes such as tempura lobster bao buns and New England clam chowder.
Serving lunch and dinner daily. 99 Autumn Ln. at Harbor Way, Seaport District, islandcreekoysters.com.
Breakfast sandwich at Lulu Green. / Courtesy photo
Lulu Green
Triple the award-winning vegan food, triple the fun: Southie’s Lulu Green is bringing its dazzling daytime café fare and nighttime dinner-and-drinks vibe to Kendall later this month, and it just expanded to Fenway’s Time Out Market Boston. We’re eating super-savory mushroom short rib and sweet strawberry pop-tarts in celebration of the expansions.
246 W. Broadway, South Boston, 617-420-4070; 401 Park Dr. (Time Out Market Boston), Fenway; opening soon at 675 W. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, lulugreen.com.
Part of Mighty Squirrel’s spacious patio at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards. / Courtesy photo
Mighty Squirrel Taproom and Tapas
It’s location #3 for Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.—and this one’s got global small plates and a giant patio. The permanent Watertown space comes after several years of popping up as a seasonal beer garden at the Arsenal Yards development and features, alongside its beers, dishes like tinga tostadas, lamb lollipops, birria poutine, and more.
102 Arsenal Yards Blvd., Watertown, mightysquirrel.com.
The revamped Pazza on Porter. / Courtesy photo
Pazza on Porter
Five years in, Pazza on Porter owners Raffaele Scalzi and Mivan Spencer are looking to the future by putting down roots (they bought the building) and refreshing the Italian-American restaurant’s space and menu. Snack on wagyu meatball sliders, spicy vodka rigatoni, and Bianco & Sons steak tips while soaking up the ambiance the team is describing as “retro Italian charm.” Bonus: Pazza on Porter is a quick ride to Logan, so Scalzi and Spencer have added airport-friendly amenities like bag-check service and rideshare promo codes.
107 Porter St., East Boston, 617-362-7663, pazzaonporter.com.
Looking Ahead
Here are a few spots we’re keeping an eye on, set to open soon-ish. See our full guide of anticipated openings—We Can’t Wait for These Greater Boston Restaurant Openings in 2025—for lots more.
The Block at Woods Hill
We can’t wait to try this adventurous Woods Hill Pier 4 sibling and neighbor, which will open soon with hyper-local, dry-aged, grass-fed meats; communal seating; and an attached market. Unapologetic carnivores, take note. (In the meantime, we’ll keep enjoying the exemplary locavore fare—and killer views—at Woods Hill Pier 4!)
Seaport District.
Darling
It’s been a while since we’ve seen comfort-food magician Mark O’Leary (a Shōjō alum) cooking around town, so we can’t wait to see what he dreams up at this dim-sum-inspired, cocktail-filled, soon-to-be hot spot, opening soon in the former Mary Chung space. (Co-owner Brian Callahan previously teased a take on Mary Chung’s famous suan la chow show, a spicy Sichuan wonton dish.)
464 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, darlingcambridge.com.
A version of this guide first appeared in the print edition of the June 2025 issue with the headline, “The Hot List.”
