Spoke Wine Bar — which reopened under new ownership in early 2017 after closing in early 2016 — really manages to capture the magic of its original incarnation, serving up a small but intriguing selection of wine-friendly snacks and small plates in a convivial space that attracts countless neighborhood regulars and industry folks. Not all revivals of shuttered restaurants work out, but the new Spoke, owned by former Spoke bartender Mary Kurth, is a true tribute to the memory of its beloved founder Felisha “Flea” Foster, who sadly passed away in late 2017.

This intimate French-ish Cambridge restaurant, built into the front of an existing catering company, is helmed by Top Chef alum Carl Dooley, Eater Boston's 2016 Chef of the Year. Grab a small snack at the wine bar or settle in for the restaurant's centerpiece, the four-course prix fixe, which highlights Dooley's impeccable technique and love of seasonal ingredients.

This tiny Porter Square ramen destination isn't just a restaurant — it's a place where the owner wants to make everyone's dreams come true, starting by encouraging diners to literally stand up and share those dreams out loud (after successfully finishing a giant bowl of ramen, of course). Aside from occasional seasonal specials, the simple menu only includes ramen, with a choice of adding extra noodles and/or extra pork to an already hearty portion.

In September 2017, Yume Wo Katare got a nearby sibling, Yume Ga Arukara, which similarly focuses on just one dish: udon with beef. And dreams.

Sarma, the little sibling to Oleana and Sofra, opened in late 2013 on the tip of Winter Hill in Somerville, just uphill from bustling Union Square. The previous restaurant in the space had a forbidding, nearly windowless facade, and the neighborhood's dining options were scarce, but walk by Sarma today and you'll find giant windows and a beautiful, colorful spot with a lively bar scene. Chef/co-owner Cassie Piuma — an alum of Oleana, the Butcher Shop, and Sel de la Terre — creates a gorgeous array of Turkish-inspired small plates. (She’s also been a finalist for a James Beard award in the Best Chef: Northeast category.)

Sarma is also included on Eater restaurant editor Bill Addison's list of New England's 38 Essential Restaurants, where he calls it a "party of a restaurant celebrating the diverse, radiantly spiced flavors of the Middle East."

Since opening at the end of 2012 between Porter and Harvard squares, Giulia has racked up a number of glowing reviews for its housemade pasta and warm staff. The pappardelle with wild boar is a popular choice that doesn’t budge from the otherwise changing menu, but you can't go wrong with anything. Chef and owner Michael Pagliarini previously worked as executive chef at Via Matta and has also worked under renowned Chicago chef Grant Achatz. In late 2016, Pagliarini opened a second Italian restaurant, Benedetto, in Harvard Square.

Celeste is a dreamy little spot in Somerville’s Union Square, serving flavorful Peruvian in a neighborhood that — to be fair — already has its fair share of Peruvian options. Try them all, but go to Celeste for bright ceviche, fragrant lomo saltado, and the feeling that you’re sipping pisco as the honored guest at someone’s joyfully crowded dinner party.

Field & Vine is appropriately named: It feels like an intimate woodland nook, where you may dine under a tangle of branches or by a greenery-filled window. The menu, always changing, features ingredients that are local, sustainable, and exquisite; the dishes showcase those ingredients with simplicity and finesse. If there happens to be a gnocchi dish on the menu when you visit, get it. Note: During the Union Square farmers market season, swing by Field & Vine on Saturday mornings to visit Plum Delicious, a baked goods pop-up featuring some of the best pastries in Boston, such as a miso kouign amann and a pretzeled croissant.

Juliet opened early in 2016, and the restaurant's busy first year included plenty of awards, both locally and nationally, including Eater Boston's Restaurant of the Year for 2016. Accolades aside, Juliet is simply doing lots of things right — and with a lot of heart. Diners can find everything from a takeout breakfast taco and a cup of coffee all the way to a fancy multi-course dinner (and many things in between), all in one cozy space. There are lovely prix fixe breakfast and lunch options at the counter, not to mention a variety of a la carte snacks, meals, and baked goods. Juliet is trying to be a lot of things, and who's to say it can't succeed at being all of them? It's a neighborhood favorite, and other neighborhoods should be a little jealous.

An homage to New England, Puritan & Co. dresses up local classics beautifully — this isn’t your grandmother’s baked cod, unless she serves it with lobster stew, salt cod fritters, and wax beans. It’s the place to go for perfect scallops or roast chicken, but it’s also the place one might find a late-night bar pizza special or a gluttonous brunch pastry basket. Puritan fans who want to stay home can order from the restaurant’s delivery-only offshoot, Puritan Trading Company. The menu is mostly different, but the flavors and technique are equally excellent — and designed to travel well.

Serving up what it calls "East Coast Revival" cuisine in East Cambridge, inspired by the food of colonial New England, Loyal Nine was one of the most unique openings of 2015. Your plan of attack: Try all sorts of seafood, but try a meaty entree as well. Dessert is also a must (or at least try a baked good during a daytime visit to the restaurant's cafe). Don’t want to think? For $55 per person, trust the kitchen to make your decisions for your table with the “shared supper.”

Loyal Nine is also included in Eater's list of New England's 38 Essential Restaurants, where contributor Amy Traverso describes it as an "ambitious, thinky, New England-inspired restaurant without the ye olde kitsch."

Cafe Sushi has been serving up amazing and affordable sushi for more than 30 years, a favorite of industry folks and general sushi lovers alike. For a real treat, order the omakase, a chef's selection of seemingly endless courses that bounce joyfully between traditional preparations and funkier combinations.

Chris and Pam Willis call their hospitable Cambridge restaurant Pammy’s a “new American trattoria,” but the Italian influences are strong, from the not-to-be-missed pasta dishes (made with flour milled in-house) to the aperitivi. The space is charming, as is the staff, and the lumache with a gochujang-spiked Bolognese sauce belongs in every pasta enthusiast’s regular rotation.

Café du Pays, Eater Boston’s 2017 Restaurant of the Year, is a fantastic reinvention of the space that previously housed the same group’s acclaimed Hungry Mother. Where Hungry Mother looked to the South for inspiration, Café du Pays looks north to Canada to serve French-Canadian food with a touch of New England. (Yes, there’s poutine.) Despite Boston’s pseudo-proximity to Canada, this is the only French-Canadian restaurant in the area, and while the restaurant could probably get by on the uniqueness of the concept alone, it exceeds expectations with warm hospitality, a rich and meaty menu, and a delightful little bar.

Craigie is known for taking simple dishes like roasted chicken to the next level — and for serving dishes that are just plain extraordinary, like a confit and roasted milk-fed pig’s head with spicy pumpkin sambal and boudin noir-hoisin sauce. And of course, there's that iconic burger.

Craigie is also included in Eater's list of New England's 38 Essential Restaurants, where Eater restaurant editor Bill Addison describes it as "the American bistro in its noblest form." Craigie owner Tony Maws also opened up a more casual restaurant a few years ago, the Kirkland Tap & Trotter, which is located on the edge of Somerville and Cambridge.

One of the few non-Italian restaurants in the North End, this seafood spot consistently generates long lines at all hours, but the wait’s worth it for one of the best high-end lobster rolls in town. Might as well get some oysters while you’re there, too, and some fried clams. And clam chowder. And — surprise! — even the burger (topped with fried clams, of course) is great.

This teeny-tiny industry haunt in Downtown Crossing doesn't have much kitchen space, but it more than makes up for that with its selection of fancy tinned seafoods from Spain, Portugal, and the United States; its spectacular wine list; its ship-like ambiance; and its sense of humor. This is the place to go for those who want to eat Portuguese tinned smoked eels, perfectly paired with a funky, hard-to-find wine. Also on the compact menu: "biggie small plates," such as prime rib sliders; "bone thugs & charcuterie," such as lamb tartare; and more. Plus, Alton Brown approves. Check out Haley.Henry’s Fenway sequel, Nathálie, as well.

It started in Chelmsford, expanded to Boston, closed in Chelmsford, expanded to Woburn, and expanded to Westford. Gene's offers Xi'an-style Chinese cuisine, a little bit difficult to find elsewhere in Boston, and while the restaurant's name refers to the flatbread sandwiches stuffed with beef or pork, the real highlight of the menu is the chewy, garlicky hand-pulled noodles. "Slippery, slurpy, stinky," says Alton Brown.

Sushi lovers who have not yet embarked on O Ya's iconic grand omakase have not yet lived. And it's not just the seafood — the wagyu beef is so tender that it may bring a tear to your eye. Hidden in the Leather District, this tiny spot has accumulated numerous awards, including a James Beard for chef and co-owner Tim Cushman. In the last few years, the O Ya family has exploded to include a more casual Boston restaurant called Hojoko as well as an O Ya and a couple other restaurants at a hotel in New York. Plus, something new is in the works in Chestnut Hill.

Boston's O Ya is also included in Eater's list of New England's 38 Essential Restaurants, where contributor Jolyon Helterman writes that "dishes arrive as precise and evocative as edible Seurats."

Saltie Girl may be small, but it boasts a large selection of seafood dishes that touch on so many different genres. Your table might have everything from a raw bar tower to lobster bisque to uni Benedict toast to torched salmon belly crudo to fried lobster and waffles...and there are plenty of imported tins of seafood as well. This young Back Bay restaurant is a seafood lover's paradise. (By the way, you can add lobster and/or caviar by the ounce to anything on the menu.)

Of all the Barbara Lynch restaurants, Sportello is perhaps the most approachable in terms of prices and vibe while still showing off that Lynch magic. Minimalist diner meets trattoria with a small open kitchen, counter seating, and a menu of pleasing pastas and more. And oh, that spicy tomato soup.

Sportello also appears on Eater’s list of New England’s 38 Essential Restaurants, where contributor Jolyon Helterman describes Sportello as an "undersung gem" that "rocks a vibrant energy equal parts A-game and fresh."

This lively "workingman's oyster bar" — the perfect embodiment of Boston's current New England dining scene — has a bit more of a casual ambiance than its big sibling over in Kenmore Square, Island Creek Oyster Bar. Row 34 is one of several key players in the Fort Point restaurant boom, drawing massive crowds to a once-quiet section of town. With a creative beer list and ultra-fresh seafood, Row 34 is becoming one of the trickiest reservations to snag. It has a second location in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Boston location is also included in Eater's list of New England's 38 Essential Restaurants, where contributor Jolyon Helterman writes that both lobster rolls (creamy mayo and hot butter) "reach apotheosis."

Before catching a train at Back Bay station, fill up on “salty pig parts” at a neighborhood favorite. Known for its irresistible combo of charcuterie (aka the aforementioned “salty pig parts”), pizza, and pasta, this casual older sibling to South End gem SRV is a busy destination, especially during lunch, for nearby workers and shoppers. Come patio season, the outdoor seating area is perpetually full of happy pizza lovers.

Down the street from its older sibling, Sweet Cheeks, Tiger Mama is making a name for itself with funky decor (hello, disco ball elephant), exciting cocktails, and flavor-packed dishes inspired by cuisine around Southeast Asia. From spicy papaya salad to a banquet-style smoked and fried duck dish, from crispy pork ribs to noodle and rice dishes, there's something for everyone. Chef and owner Tiffani Faison also recently opened a third spot on the same street: Fool’s Errand, an “adult snack bar.”

Boston’s seen some major growth in its Greek food scene over the last few years, and one of the new arrivals, Kava Neo-Taverna, has really made a niche for itself in the South End. Hungry diners will happily wait several hours to get into the small, no-reservations restaurant for a taste of loukaniko, keftedes, and oktapodi. Save room for the honey-drizzled Greek yogurt dessert.

This South End gastropub became a boisterous neighborhood mainstay on day one, virtually (it opened back in 2010.) It is “loud and welcoming,” as its website proclaims, so don’t expect to have any quiet conversations. You’ll be too busy gorging on burgers, poutine, and the classic “stoner’s delight” dessert anyway. (That’s peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache, banana, and bruleed Fluff, and yes, you should try it, stoned or otherwise.) Since opening, the Gallows has spawned a couple well-received siblings — Banyan Bar + Refuge (a “pan-Asian gastropub” in the former Hamersley’s space) and three locations of a doughnut shop called Blackbird Doughnuts (with a fourth in the works).

Chefs and owners Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette team up for one of the city's hardest-to-get-into restaurants. Toro serves modern and traditional tapas ranging from simple grilled corn to elaborate dishes pairing seafood and charcuterie with rich, bold flavors that keep the crowds lining up. And now they're lining up in New York City, Bangkok, and Dubai as well — Oringer and Bissonnette have expanded the restaurant to three other locations. In summer 2016, they also opened a restaurant called Little Donkey in Cambridge, and they’re also behind South End mainstay Coppa.

The ultimate Southie hangout, the always-bustling Lincoln Tavern has been around since 2012, serving up Eater Boston readers' favorite pizza, not to mention over-the-top brunch specials, a full bar, and lots more. Since opening Lincoln, the team has virtually taken control of the whole block with the subsequent openings of sibling spots Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar and Capo, plus Fat Baby around the corner. South Boston is changing, and its future is full of Fruity Pebbles pancakes.

Swing by Boston's "Scottish headquarters" for great beer, a cheerful ambiance, and the hospitality of owner Jason Waddleton. The Haven offers up a solid menu of Scottish foods and beers, as well as a packed events calendar. Also, it's probably the only place you can eat haggis in the Boston area.