Analyzing Dine Out Boston, Part 3: $25 Lunches

This is the third part of a six-part series analyzing the offerings at this year's Dine Out Boston, the revamped Restaurant Week. Refer to part one for details about the methodology of the following ranking. In short, Eater has combed through the options available at each price tier (lunches for $15/$20/$25 and dinners for $28/$33/$38) to determine the best (and worst) bets for Dine Out Boston based on three factors: number of options, rough amount of money saved based on the same (or similar) dishes on the regular menu, and how well the Dine Out Boston menu actually represents a regular meal at the restaurant. What this ranking does not include: quality of the dishes or the restaurants. It's also possible that some restaurants will downgrade portion sizes, so while something might appear to be a deal on paper, that's no guarantee of what it will look like on the plate.

So far, we've looked at the $15 lunches and the $20 lunches. Now, the $25 lunches.

Here are all of the places offering $25 lunch during Dine Out Boston. Several options have been omitted from Eater's analysis because they haven't shared their Dine Out Boston menus, regular menus, or both, or their regular menus don't list prices: B&G Oysters, Boston College Club, The Butcher Shop, The Capital Grille, Eastern Standard, Harvest, McCormick & Schmick's, Mooo, Post 390, Toro.

BEST BETS

· Marliave (Downtown Crossing): A habitual winner at Restaurant Week, Marliave is offering the vast majority of its menu, and you can save up to $23.
· Aragosta (Waterfront): Choose from more than a dozen options, which are a good representation of the regular menu items. You'll save around $9-$18. There are a few supplemental add-ons available.
· Kitchen (South End): Same ownership as Marliave. Again, lots of options, and they're all straight from the real menu. Save up to about $19.
· The Oceanaire (Financial District): Save up to about $20 and choose from 10 options, which represent the regular menu well.
· Miel (Waterfront): Not a ton of options, but you can save as much as $34.
· Grotto (Beacon Hill): Plenty of real menu options, like its sibling Marliave and Kitchen, but you'll only save about $8 here.
· Haru (Back Bay): Get a good idea of standard menu items while saving $12-$18.
· Smith & Wollensky (Atlantic Wharf): Save up to $25 trying some standard menu items from this pricey steakhouse. Some of the menu items are unique to Dine Out Boston, though.

DECENT OPTIONS

· Atlantic Fish Co. (Back Bay): Save up to $17 and get reasonable exposure to typical menu items.
· The Courtyard Restaurant (Boston Public Library): You can save up to $21, but it barely looks like the regular menu.
· Scampo (Beacon Hill): Save $12-$21, but don't expect many choices from the regular menu.
· Parker's Restaurant (Downtown Crossing): You'll save around $22, but you won't get a very good idea of the real menu at this historic restaurant.
· Del Frisco's (Seaport District): It's a good opportunity to save $16-$23 at this expensive steakhouse, but most of the items aren't on the regular menu.
· Union Oyster House (Downtown): Save about $14. The options are limited, but they're straight from the real menu.

GO SOME OTHER TIME

· Abe & Louie's (Back Bay): Save about $10. Some items are on the regular menu.
· Davio's (Boston and Foxborough): Save around $10, choosing from seven options, most of which aren't on the regular menu.

· Legal Sea Foods (Park Square and Charlestown): You'll only save $5 or so, but it does look like the real menu.

· Cantina Italiana (North End): It's hard to make a clear estimate on this one as it barely resembles the regular menu, but you might save about $10.
· Ristorante Fiore (North End): Save $8-$10, but it doesn't resemble the regular menu.
· Top of the Hub (Back Bay): Just go on a normal weekday to get a very similar prix-fixe meal for $24.
· All coverage of Dine Out Boston on Eater [~EBOS~]