Welcome back to Five Restaurants to Try This Weekend, a weekly(ish) column in which the Eater Boston team recommends, well, five restaurants to try this weekend. Most Fridays, we offer up a blend of old and new spots, typically including a mix of suggestions in Boston proper, Cambridge/Somerville, and farther afield. Sometimes there’s a topical theme; sometimes we just share our favorite standbys or the new places that are exciting us. Bookmark this page for updates; we add new recommendations to the top each time. Can’t hit ‘em all in one weekend? That’s what next weekend is for.
Want more recommendations from Eater staff and fellow readers? Join the Eater Boston Facebook group. Want to make sure your favorite hidden gem is on our radar? Send tips to us via email.
May 11, 2018: The Mother’s Day Crunch Time Edition
Didn’t snag a Mother’s Day brunch reservation yet? There’s still time — a tiny bit, anyway. Here are some Eater favorites that still have some reservations open as of press time (based on a party of four on the morning of Sunday, May 13).
For a hearty central European feast of sausages and more: If the weather cooperates, try for a seat in Bronwyn’s cozy Biergarten (first come, first served), or play it safe and snag one of the remaining reservations at 11 a.m. or after 1 p.m. to eat a filling brunch. Try the Bronburger (one of the best burgers in town), or perhaps share some smoked kielbasa by the pound with your family, and end with a slice of Black Forest cake. Somehow still hungry after? Check out Bow Market down the street, celebrating its first weekend in business. While the food vendors won’t officially be open in their own spaces yet, many of them will be popping up in the courtyard, including Buenas (empanadas), Maca (macarons), Jaju (pierogies), and more. Bronwyn, 255 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville; Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way (find it behind P.A.’s Lounge on Somerville Avenue), Union Square, Somerville
For a lovely Italian prix fixe meal hidden away in West Medford: Usually head into the North End for Italian? Try Medford instead: Bistro 5 is a gem. The restaurant is normally dinner-only but serves a special prix fixe brunch on a few holidays, including Mother’s Day. It’s $49 per person for a three-course meal this year (there’s a special menu available for kids, too), with options including soft-shell crab (seize the season), bacon-wrapped chicken roulade, lemongrass sorbet, and more. There are currently 10:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. reservations left. 5 Playstead Rd., West Medford
For something pretty and probably covered with edible flowers: At Cultivar, Eater Boston 2017 chef of the year Mary Dumont serves beautiful New England food in the heart of downtown Boston, in a bright, gorgeous space that screams brunch. Especially if it’s patio weather. This is one of the hottest new brunches in town; grab a seat if you can. The special Mother’s Day menu includes three courses for $65 with an optional $30 wine pairing. Hint: Choose the squid ink messinesi for the entree course and the cherrywood smoked brownie for dessert. There are a few reservations left around noon. 1 Court St., Downtown Boston
For a fun “la bruncha” in East Somerville: La Brasa’s “la bruncha” menu includes everything from grilled ox tongue quesadillas to wood oven-baked pancakes, but don’t forget about the tacos, which are among the best around. And yes, the meat cart will be making its rounds, so save room for that. Reservations available at a variety of times. 124 Broadway, East Somerville
For a memorable Mother’s Day potentially involving haggis: If your mother wants to experience the only Scottish restaurant in town — and we’re not talking about the short-lived “Scottish Hooters” by Fenway — head to the Haven, Boston’s “Scottish headquarters” for the better part of a decade. You’ll have to go at night for the haggis, but the brunch menu is packed full of lots of treats, including Scotch eggs, toffee French toast, smoked fish cakes, and a full Scotch breakfast. Make a reservation here. 2 Perkins St., Jamaica Plain, Boston
April 13, 2018: The Carbo-Loading, Pasta-Twirling Edition
The Marathon is on Monday — here’s where to drink along the route if you’re spectating (or perhaps if you are a runner who finds beer to be motivational and refreshing). For runners, spectators, or anyone else who just loves pasta, here are five restaurants to try this weekend that do an excellent job in the pasta department.
For pretty plates of pasta in an intimate Somerville hideaway: La Brasa’s sibling and neighbor, Fat Hen, is the perfect spot for a dark, romantic dinner date. The small, simply decorated space — painted in quite a lovely turquoise shade — feels miles away from the more noisy, open space next door at La Brasa. Try the four-course dinner for $45, which allows you to pick one dish each from the antipasti, pasta (such as bucatini with mussels, ‘nduja sausage, lobster broth, and broccoli rabe), secondi, and dolci sections of the menu. 126 Broadway, East Somerville
For a wild board pappardelle that will signal the apocalypse if it ever disappears from the menu: Cambridge pasta mainstay Giulia — which has a newer (also excellent) sibling, Benedetto, at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square — can be a hard reservation to nab, so get on that right away. Seasons may come and go, but the aforementioned pappardelle is always there, a hearty bowl perfect for a pre-race carbo-load session. 1682 Massachusetts Ave., between Harvard and Porter squares, Cambridge
For all-you-can-eat pasta that is about a million times better than Olive Garden: Mida is a wonderful newish addition to the South End, and the non-pasta options are just as delightful as the pasta, but we’re talking about pasta today, so eat that. If you can go on a Monday, it’s all-you-can-eat pasta — with salad and bread, too — for $35 per person. 782 Tremont St., South End, Boston
For a gochujang bolognese sauce in a friendly Cambridge trattoria: Pammy’s is so hospitable (not to mention good-looking). The restaurant, which mills grains in-house, describes itself as a “New American trattoria,” but a tiny bit of Korea sneaks in there as well in the form of spicy gochujang (a chili paste) heating up the lumache bolognese. It’s a cool and unexpected combo. 928 Massachusetts Ave., between Harvard and Central squares, Cambridge
For pasta paired with lots of little Italian snacks: South End hotspot SRV also mills grains in-house. Cicchetti — Italian small bites — are the specialty at this Venetian-inspired bacaro, but there are also plenty of pasta options, including some less frequently seen shapes. Try the mafalde (wide, ruffly ribbons), currently served with pig head sugo, fermented fennel, and ramps. 569 Columbus Ave., South End, Boston
April 6, 2018: The PAX East Edition
In town for PAX East this weekend and feeling hungry? You’re in luck: There’s lots of food near the convention center. Your best bet is to escape the Seaport District and hop right next door to Fort Point — pretty much anything on Congress Street and in the surrounding area will be great. Here are five picks, all within a 10-minute walk of the convention center. Need more ideas? Join the Eater Boston Facebook group as noted above, and fellow readers and Eater staff will make sure you’re set for the weekend. (Note: Reservations recommended; these are hard places to get into even when there’s not a big event going on nearby. Or, try to snag a bar seat at odd hours.)
For fried chicken tacos and cotton candy as big as your head: Perhaps you’ve been to Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar’s original Back Bay location; it’s been around for years. But much newer is its Fort Point sister, which won Eater Boston’s 2017 award for best restaurant design. It’s a short walk from the convention center and a lively destination for frozen margaritas, fun, and tacos. And that cotton candy? It’s complementary and arrives with the check, so save a little bit of room. 253 Summer St., Fort Point, Boston
For oysters and funky beers: Hit up Row 34, sibling to Island Creek Oyster Bar and a seafood lover’s dream come true. Can’t go wrong with oysters or any of the other raw bar options, and beer nerds will find plenty to love here as well. The lobster roll is one of the best in town, but the price seems to be creeping up lately, and it may hold the current title for most expensive in town at a heart-stopping $36, so it’s up to you whether it’s worth the splurge. (If you have a few extra minutes and a few fewer dollars, try the lobster roll at the no-frills classic nearby, Yankee Lobster Company, located at 300 Northern Ave. That one rings in at $24.) 383 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston
For barbecue: In the mood for brisket? Hot links? Burnt ends? The Smoke Shop’s new Fort Point location will make your meaty dreams come true. And don’t miss the wings, smothered in agave and spices. Whiskey lovers will be pleased by the large selection here, too. 343 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston
For spicy tomato soup and killer cocktails: Two recommendations for the price of one here. Start upstairs at Sportello and get the spicy tomato soup with a cheesy crostini; it’s been on the menu since the beginning and will hopefully never go away. Then head downstairs to sister cocktail bar Drink for a drink. No cocktail list — just discuss your likes and dislikes with the bartender and get ready for some magic to happen. Still hungry? Drink has food, too, and it’s good. A wagyu burger or apple pie empanadas may be in your future. 348 Congress St., Fort Point, Boston
For gorgeous desserts: Don’t shy away from the rest of the menu at Oak & Rowan; it’s all solid, especially the clam and pork chowder and any pasta dish. But you’ll definitely want to save room for a dessert or several. Take a gander at pastry chef Brian Mercury’s Instagram account for a sneak peek at what you’ll be ordering. 321 A St., Fort Point, Boston
March 30, 2018: The New Restaurant Edition
If you’re not otherwise tied up with Easter or Passover celebrations this weekend, it may be a good time to score a reservation at one or two (or five) of the hot new dining destinations around town. This week’s Five Restaurants to Try are newish to very new and are quickly making names for themselves. From spicy seafood to fried chicken to sashimi, here are some recommendations for the weekend.
For beautiful ceviche and friendly hospitality: Celeste is tiny and adorable and wonderful. The Peruvian restaurant joined Union Square’s bustling dining scene earlier this month, serving up ceviche, lomo saltado (pictured above), and more, along with a nice selection of booze, with a focus on pisco and mezcal. Want to try it this weekend? Note that it’s closed Sundays but open until midnight on Saturdays, with an abbreviated late-night menu kicking in at 10 p.m. 21 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville
For a taste of Uruguay and beyond in a swanky old diner car: La Bodega — from the owners of Cambridge’s acclaimed Salts, which was forced to close in early 2014 due to a burst pipe — sort of quietly opened around Christmas with plans to slowly extend the menu and hours as time went on. It’s been building up momentum over the past few months, and regardless of whether it’s actually celebrated a “grand” opening yet, it’s already well worth a visit. It’s a unique, romantic space (be warned that it can get loud, especially in the diner car section, so don’t count on a very quiet evening.) Drink some wine; eat some steak and assorted small plates; be happy. 21 Nichols Ave., Watertown
For heavenly hushpuppies and hot chicken: And biscuits, too. Southern Proper really does smell like pine, as promised, and the attractive space is the perfect spot in which to gorge yourself on fried chicken — available in classic and hot styles; get the hot if you can handle a bit of a slow burn. Perhaps it’s a bit of a carb-heavy combo for one sitting, but the hushpuppies, biscuits, and chicken are all must-try items, so wear your stretchy pants and dig in. 600 Harrison Ave., South End, Boston
For a fun, messy date night: Another newbie in the neighborhood is Bootleg Special, jumping into Boston’s growing Cajun seafood boil scene. Throw on the provided bib and gloves before diving into a big bowl of spicy seafood — choose from crawfish, lobster, shrimp, and more — and be sure to add something boozy on the side, such as a hurricane or daiquiri. 400 Tremont St., South End, Boston
For pretty plates of Japanese food with a touch of Hawai‘i, not to mention loads of sake: Momi Nonmi is the elder of this batch of recommendations, having opened back in October 2017, but we’ll allow it. Located in the former East by Northeast space (it was briefly a burger joint after that), Momi Nonmi serves up beautiful dishes of sashimi, tempura, and more. Splurge on the wagyu beef dumplings, don’t miss the duck confit rice dish, and try out the sizzling loco moco if you’ve got room left. Fan of sake and shochu? The staff will be eager to discuss options with you. 1128 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge
March 23, 2018: The Bao Edition
Today’s theme is bao, simply because we’ve been eating them a lot lately and want to share a few recent favorites with you. Bao is a bit of an ambiguous word; it pops up on menus all over town to refer both to fully enclosed baozi (steamed or baked buns stuffed with various meats or other fillings) and to the wide world of variations on gua bao, or pork belly buns, which sort of resemble a fluffy taco or a sandwich where the bread’s connected on one side. Boston’s got both, but we’re just going to focus on the latter today — steamed bread folded around the traditional filling of pork belly or a range of other meats, sauces, and toppings.
For a meal that fuses Japanese food with Spanish and beyond: Now a little over a year old, Pagu is part of the increasingly awesome edge of Central Square by MIT, a short stretch of Massachusetts Avenue that includes Saloniki, A4cade, Naco Taco, Abide, and lots more. The pork belly bao, served with pickles, peanuts, and cilantro, is exceptional, and there’s another option as well — jet-black squid ink oyster bao, stuffed with panko oyster, “norioli” (nori aioli, naturally), and purple cabbage. Decidedly less traditional; equally worth trying. Also eat: jamón ibérico, Guchi’s midnight ramen, and cedar campfire black cod. 310 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge
For a fun, boozy meal to a loud hip-hop soundtrack: You know it; you love it. Shojo is still going strong in Chinatown — and it’s now a big sibling to two nearby spots, BLR by Shojo and Ruckus. Order a cocktail and get the bulgogi beef bao (with marinated carrots and shinko pear gochujang), the Shojo pig bao (smoked barbecue sauce, kimchi, jalapeno), or the curry cauliflower bao (black bean mayo, onion rings, pea greens). Also eat: pork belly dumplings and shadowless fries. 9A Tyler St., Chinatown, Boston
For a Tiki hangover that is totally worth it: New downtown spot Tiki Rock is a blast. It’s colorful, it’s noisy, and it’s serving up a variety of Tiki drinks that’ll make you happy and pretty tipsy. The food menu focuses on sushi, but there are also some non-sushi entrees, skewers, and appetizers, including the pork belly bun. The pork has a chili maple soy glaze, and it’s served with uni mayo, lettuce, and nori seasoning. Also eat: coconut shrimp and winter squash dumplings, and how about a bowl of ramen at Oisa Ramen next door? 2 Broad St., Downtown Boston
For even more sushi and even more cocktails: Here’s another loud, energy-packed, sushi-packed, boozy option — Fat Baby in South Boston. There’s steak bao (skirt steak, hoisin, pickled Fresnos, bean sprouts) and chicken bao (Thai herbs, carrot, daikon, green chiles, hoisin, and “boom boom” aioli). The Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar sibling also has some solid cocktails. Also eat: the crispy rice cake snack with tuna, any of the crudo options, and the spicy tuna roll. 118 Dorchester St., South Boston
For bao that are not quite bao but eat them anyway: This is the least bao-like option of the bunch, but Eventide Fenway’s acclaimed brown butter lobster roll and fried oyster bun are served on light, squishy bao-style buns. It’s an easy win for anyone who loves bao and seafood. Also eat: Maine lobster stew, the green salad, and brown butter soft serve. 1321 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston
March 16, 2018: The Beard Edition
The James Beard awards — aka the “Oscars of the food world” — are coming up fast, and the nominee list was just announced earlier this week, including a handful of local folks. For the inaugural edition of Five Restaurants to Try This Weekend, we’re featuring restaurants from Boston’s nominees.
For a truly lovely meal you probably won’t be able to eat this weekend because the restaurant’s basically booked up forever: Look, it’s probably too late to get reservations to Sarma for this weekend; sorry. Plan ahead for next weekend...or, like, a month from now. (Or walk in and put your name on the bar waitlist. Try showing up right at 5 p.m. on Sunday.) From Best Chef: Northeast nominee Cassie Piuma, Sarma — sibling to Oleana and Sofra (home to Outstanding Baker nominee Maura Kilpatrick) — serves up “an exhilarating survey of the herbaceous, sun-baked flavors of the Middle East,” according to Eater’s national critic Bill Addison, who named it to his 2016 list of the best restaurants in America. Highlights on the current menu include the Black Sea cornbread, venison wrapped dates, and harissa barbecue duck (pictured above). When ordering, save room for the specials that circulate the room like dim sum, especially the fried chicken. 249 Pearl St., Winter Hill, Somerville
For a dim sum brunch: Sarma’s got its dim sum-like trays of specials; Myers + Chang has dim sum brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. — you’ve got plenty of time to sleep in. The self-proclaimed “indie diner,” a longtime South End staple, serves a “very personal interpretation of Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese specialties,” which includes brunch necessities like Mama Chang’s pork and chive dumplings; grilled corn with Sriracha butter; tea smoked ribs; wild boar dan dan noodles (“hotterest” on the restaurant’s spicy scale); and lots more. Executive chef and partner Karen Akunowicz is a nominee for Best Chef: Northeast. 1145 Washington St., South End, Boston
For a mai tai-soaked brunch: Let’s say you make it to Myers + Chang for Saturday brunch. Why not hit up Tiger Mama for Sunday brunch (11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), from Best Chef: Northeast nominee Tiffani Faison? There’s everything from Fruity Pebbles doughnuts to a bacon and cheddar-stuffed waffle that comes with Thai chili butter and maple-glazed bacon, not to mention a rotating selection of enticing cocktails. Past Sundays have featured mai tais; a bloody mary that included tamari, sambal, and wasabi; and more. 1363 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston
For a baller sushi feast: Go nuts at Uni, and don’t even worry about thinking — there are a number of omakase options that leave it all in the hands of the chef, spanning from a 10-piece nigiri omakase ($58) up to $185 for an epic tasting of the restaurant’s immaculate sushi. There are plenty of other ways to drop some major cash here as well, from a whole tray of Maine uni for DIY hand rolls ($65) to beluga hybrid caviar ($375). While sushi’s the focus, there are some don’t-miss hot dishes as well. Our pick: the Korean rice cakes with kalbi oxtail, kimchi butter, and gremolata. Chefs and partners Ken Oringer and Tony Messina are both up for Beards — Oringer for Outstanding Restaurateur and Messina for Best Chef: Northeast. 370 Commonwealth Ave., the Eliot Hotel, Back Bay, Boston
For the weirdest “I can’t believe this menu actually works” menu: Oringer is also behind, among other spots, Little Donkey in Cambridge’s Central Square, which he co-owns with Jamie Bissonnette. (The two of them recently debuted a ready-made food crawl that brings diners to Toro, Coppa, and Little Donkey in a row, with transportation included in the price.) When the duo opened Little Donkey in 2016 — one of the top newcomers of the year — they spoke about how they’re tied to certain themes at their other restaurants, but Little Donkey is a place to break the rules and cook whatever they want. That means that matzo ball ramen co-exists with an extensive raw bar selection, duck nachos, seriously spicy Jamaican jerk chicken wings, and lots more. It shouldn’t work. It does. Don’t miss the manti (Istanbul meat ravioli), poke, or Parker House rolls. 505 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge