Weekend Dining Recommendations: So Many New Restaurants to Try

The last two weeks have been packed full of new restaurant openings, so to kick off today's round-up of weekend dining ideas, here are all the brand new restaurants you could try — so many brand new restaurants — listed alphabetically with their neighborhood and a few menu items you'll find there:

• Antonio's Pizza by the Slice (Worcester): Beef taco pizza; chicken parmesan pizza; black bean avocado pizza; Nutella pizza
• Avenue (Medfield): Potato-crusted calamari; Angus beef bolognese; lobster fra diavolo flatbread; wood-grilled yellowfin tuna.
• Bar Mezzana (South End): Langoustine crudo with lime and pink peppercorn; prosciutto di parma with seasonal fruit; bone marrow and olive pesto crostini; dry aged ribeye for two
• The Best Little Restaurant (Chinatown): Soft-shell crab egg foo young; surf clam ceviche with rice noodles; whole roasted trout; lionhead meatballs
• Blaze Pizza (East Cambridge, Cambridge): Meat eater pizza; build-your-own pizza with a variety of toppings and sauces; beet & goat cheese salad; s'mores pie
• Brassica Kitchen + Cafe (Forest Hills, Jamaica Plain): Seaweed tagliatelle with charred octopus; pork belly with shimeji porridge; duck a l'orange; uni buttered Brussels sprouts
• Cafe Marliave (Downtown Crossing): Beignets; quiche; muffaletta; espresso
• FoMu Premium Alternative Ice Cream and Cafe (South End): Vegan ice cream; vegan baked goods; espresso; tea
• Lower Mills Tavern (Lower Mills, Dorchester): Bacon batter hush puppies; bourbon-braised chicken; spicy vegan noodles; margherita pizza
• Roza Lyons (South Boston): Pretzel sticks with beer cheese; Buffalo chicken empanadas; smoked salmon salad; classic Reuben
• Saltie Girl (Back Bay): Torched salmon belly crudo; pastrami smoked salmon; fried lobster & waffles; conserved sardine toast
• Scopa (North End): Crispy octopus and pork belly with arugula, mint, and watermelon; house-made salt cod; pappardelle bolognese; broccoli rabe pizza
• Tapestry (Fenway): Clams and sunchoke pizza; prawns on the plancha with harissa and labne; crispy soft-shell crab; bigoli with lobster
• Sillari's Pizza (Malden): Brick-oven pizza; chicken fingers; fries; soda (takeout only)
• Southern Kin (Assembly Row, Somerville): Fried chicken and biscuits; she crab soup; boozy frappes; whiskey
• Tea Bar by EvyTea (Stony Brook, Jamaica Plain): White tea "mojito" with lime, mint, and honey; black tea with strawberry and basil; cold brew matcha with honey; Boston Bonbon macarons
• Ziggy's Coffee Bar (Downtown Crossing): Breakfast spring rolls; roast beef panini; clam chowder; nitro cold brew coffee

In other news relevant to your weekend dining plans:

• A new location of Bottega Fiorentina opens this Sunday, June 5, with free espresso and its standard Sunday $4.99 pasta special.
• Don't forget to check out the new Wine Riot store in the South End for your weekend wine and liquor needs. And in other South End booze news, you can get your drink on at both South End markets. The South End Open Market is offering a number of beers and other adult beverages that you can carry around the whole space, while SoWa has a beer and wine garden.
• Head to South Boston to say goodbye to My Diner, closing after service on Sunday after more than a decade. The owners are trying to relocate, so stay tuned for a potential reopening in the future, but for now, June 5 is it.
• The Eater Boston Heatmap has been updated for June 2016; check it out for details on some of the most interesting recent openings you might want to add to your to-eat list.

And some events for the weekend:

• Asta is hosting a fried chicken & biscuit pop-up every Friday and Saturday in June, from noon to 2 p.m. (or until it runs out). $10 each.
• The Somerville Arts Council's Flavor Lounge pop-up at P.A.'s Lounge (Union Square) takes place each Saturday in June. This Saturday, it's build-your-own arepas plates with Las Carolinas of Carolicious.
• JP Beer Garden returns on Sunday, June 5, with a pop-up at Tres Gatos from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The a la carte menu includes sliders, schnitzel, fish fry, tarte tatin, and more (prices will generally range from $5 to $18.) Call 617-477-4851 or email lizzie@jpbeergarden.com for a reservation.
• Learn about the versatility of vinegar with a three-course brunch at Commonwealth at 11 a.m. on Sunday, hosted by Commonwealth's Nicco Muratore and OurCookQuest's Rich Shih. Tickets are $45 — or $65 if you want to take home a 12-ounce handmade vinegar bottle by Jeremy Ogusky of Ogusky Ceramics.
• Della's, a catering company by Nevin Taylor (Tres Gatos, Asta) and Beth Herbert (Coppa), launched around this time last year. These days, the duo has a custom food trailer that can travel to farmers markets and other events. One place to find them is the Egleston Square Farmers Market, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. They're currently serving up a variety of toasts on their own sourdough bread, and it's also a pickup spot for customers to buy salads and vegetable dishes.

Finally, a few oldie-but-goodie staff picks:

• I know I'm a year late on this rave — Chilacates opened last summer and has racked up numerous glowing reviews from critics and diners alike — but after finally visiting this week, I can enthusiastically join the chorus. These are easily among the best tacos in the Boston area. I was particularly fond of the al pastor, but you really can't go wrong with anything here. The space is tiny; try calling in your order ahead of time to avoid having to squeeze into whatever open space you find as you wait for your food.
• I can't stop pushing this boozy milkshake map on you; I hope you don't mind. I drank the salted caramel milkshake at Grass Fed this week (vanilla ice cream, caramel vodka, tequila, salt, whipped cream) — highly recommended.
• Eater Boston contributor Korsha Wilson visited Ashur Restaurant for the latest installment in her Boston Mainstays column. Try it for North African and Middle Eastern cuisine — dishes like braised lamb with a giant side of rice. Don't forget the Somali chai.
• Eater Boston contributor Ándrea Pentabona went to Audubon to drink mezcal with Brother Cleve, and it's the place to go for great hospitality and a small but inventive cocktail menu.