One of several quiet neighborhoods that didn’t see any restaurant openings in 2019 (let us know if we missed one), Charlestown did have one new spot, albeit not a restaurant: the Anchor, a family-friendly and pet-friendly wine and beer garden and public gathering space with skyline views and an events calendar packed with arts, culture, and fitness events and more. While it’s primarily a warm-weather space, it’s also open for a couple December weekends for cold-weather-appropriate programming. Keep an eye on social media for updates on a 2020 reopening once we get through winter.

East Boston had an especially busy year if you count all the new restaurant openings at Logan Airport, but East Boston “proper” also saw several strong debuts, including whiskey bar the Quiet Few, which has been wowing the neighborhood with its drink selection, comfort food, and welcoming vibes since opening in April. Want to fancy things up? There’s caviar and Champagne.

The West End may be the neighborhood that saw the largest amount of change to its drinking and dining scene in 2019. Of course, you can’t talk about the West End without talking about the Hub on Causeway and its soon-to-open food hall, Hub Hall. A number of local purveyors — and Guy Fieri — are doing (or are going to very soon be doing) some very exciting things there. Night Shift Brewing can’t be ignored, though. The Everett-born brewery — a favorite among local beer nerds — opened its massive brewhouse on Lovejoy Wharf this year, next to Alcove (one of 2018’s important West End debuts). It has space for 300 customers and offers drinkers and diners small plates of comfort food and the opportunity to drink small-batch experimental brews.

There tends to be a bit of a stigma against restaurants located in hotels; it’s sometimes deserved, but there are exceptions, and Peregrine — from the award-winning Juliet team — is definitely one of them. Sure, it’s located right in the lobby of the Whitney Hotel; you can see people checking in as you eat. But the food transports you far away to the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia and beyond, also drawing influence from places like Corsica and Catalonia.

The stunning, Cuban-inspired Mariel took home the 2019 Eater Award for design — a second win in this category for the restaurant group, who also won for Lolita Fort Point in 2017. (All their restaurants are gorgeous.) But that’s not the only reason to brave the crowded reservation books for this downtown newcomer: The food is solid as well, with dishes such as pan queso frito, fufu gnocchi, and Havanese lamb belly especially hitting the spot.

This kiosk is located inside the Super 88 food hall in Packard’s Corner in Allston and is best known for its Xinjiang-style hand-pulled noodles (and especially the dry-fried noodles with beef). Silk Road Express is the younger sibling of Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine in Cambridge, and it’s the only restaurant serving Uyghur cuisine in Boston proper. Super 88 has long been one of the city’s best food destinations; the addition of Silk Road Express further emphasizes that reputation. 

The Seaport District kept Seaport District-ing in 2019 — filling up open space with skyscrapers full of offices and fancy condos, bringing in about 100 more steakhouses, welcoming out-of-town chains. There were Instagram-bait ice creams in whimsical cones; there were darts thrown in a carnival-like space. But one notable opening was refreshingly local, very farm-to-table, and excellent overall: Woods Hill Pier 4, sibling to two popular Concord restaurants and a New Hampshire farm. If the Seaport wants to have some semblance of a soul, it’s going to need to welcome more places like this.

Chinatown experienced more closures than openings this year; most of the (very few) openings were bubble tea shops. But this hot pot chain — which is based in China and has more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including in New York City — was a bright spot in a slow year. It opened in Chinatown in January 2019 and offers diners Chongqing-style hot pot, which is a spicy preparation made with Sichuan peppers. The presentation is notable for a wooden wheel of sorts that holds all the thinly sliced meats, ready for dunking in the pot in the center.

Rochambeau, the latest entry into Boston’s French food scene, is a replacement — under the same ownership — for Towne at the Prudential Center. The space has been upgraded (it’s one of the most beautiful new restaurants this year), and the food hits the right notes, with classics like duck a l’orange and onion soup gratinee alongside grilled lobster frites and chermoula seared skate. There’s also an all-day cafe. Eataly’s right next door, so a hungry diner could easily make a mini European food crawl out of it.

Glam ambiance? Check. Martini cart? Check. Hilariously huge pepper grinder? Check. Orfano balances an exceptional take on Italian-American cuisine with equal parts fine-dining and silliness, and it works, adding to Fenway’s burgeoning food scene along with its big siblings (Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama, and Fool’s Errand).

One of the best new restaurants in America, South Boston’s Fox & the Knife is one of the year’s many new Italian restaurants, but it dials into a regionality that’s a little different for the city, paying homage in particular to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. (Chef and owner Karen Akunowicz spent time there, specifically in Modena, learning pasta-making.) The Modena-style tigelle, a bread cooked in a special cast-iron pan, is a must, but so is the other bread, a taleggio-stuffed focaccia.

Mission Hill got a few dining options and a new board game bar in 2019. If you’ve only got time to visit one, make it Nachlo, which serves an unlikely combination of Mexican and Pakistani food, as well as some dishes that combine the two. Tasty burritos and kofta coming from the same kitchen? Aloo gobi tacos? Yes, please.

This Jamaican chain originated in the Bronx borough of New York City in 1989 and has expanded to include more than 100 locations — including a few in Massachusetts — and a frozen food brand. It specializes in Jamaican patties, which are like flaky, golden turnovers filled with savory ingredients. Also on the menu: braised oxtail, jerk pork, curried goat, and various pastries. This brand new location opened in December in Dudley Square (which is being renamed Nubian Square).

Dorchester is the place to go for Vietnamese food in Greater Boston, especially where Dorchester Avenue and Adams Street meet near Fields Corner. Bạn Tôi is a newcomer, but it’s already becoming a neighborhood favorite. Go here for grilled squid, jackfruit salad, and snails with corn. (And explore the rest of the neighborhood’s Vietnamese food scene while you’re at it.)

Another neighborhood without many new additions in 2019, West Roxbury did welcome a tiny, casual Mediterranean restaurant called Stardust that’s attracting some attention in its early months. Stardust, which is mostly geared toward takeout orders but does have several seats, serves wraps and plates (falafel, spicy grilled chicken, hummus with vegetables, and some other options) and some sides, such as grape leaves and lentil soup.

Typically sleepy Roslindale Village was atypically abuzz for much of 2019. Turtle Swamp Brewing took over the Roslindale Substation and made its temporary beer hall there permanent, for one, and Distraction Brewing also opened. As far as food goes, the Square Root debuted this year, offering an all-day food menu, tons of tea and coffee options, mostly local beers, and a short but carefully curated wine list. The space also doubles as a performing arts and music venue.

Hyde Park didn’t have a single opening that fell on Eater Boston’s radar this year. (Know of one we missed? Let us know.) However, a third location of Only One Jamaican Restaurant will open on December 21, at least as of press time, sneaking in just under the wire for 2019. Located in a former D’Angelo’s sub shop, Only One will offer diners dishes such as oxtail, curry goat, barbecue beef ribs, and beef patties. Early risers will find an all-you-can-eat Caribbean breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. There are older locations in Dorchester and Brockton.