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Mathbi chicken (grilled chicken on rice) at Bab Al Yemen restaurant in Kenmore Square.
Mathbi chicken at Bab Al-Yemen.
Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

12 Excellent Restaurants to Try in Fenway

It’s not all Fenway Franks around here

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Mathbi chicken at Bab Al-Yemen.
| Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Sure, Fenway is most recognizable for Fenway Park, and if you’re looking for a burger and a beer on game day, there are loads of places to find that in the neighborhood. But the area is also home to some of the city’s best Thai and Indian restaurants, as well as what may be the region’s only Yemeni restaurant. Below, find 12 excellent Fenway restaurants for lunch, dinner, or somewhere in between.

Looking for a guide to dining at the stadium, or some of the best sports bars in the neighborhood? See also: What to Eat in and Around Fenway Park and Boston’s Best Sports Bars

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Pescador

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Coastal seafood is the focus at Pescador, which means plenty of fish in all sorts of forms, from raw crudos to pizza toppings. The seafood paella, studded with cockles, shrimp, and squid, is a must-order.

A small red clay pot filled with shellfish and seafood and rice cooked together in a paella.
The seafood paella at Pescador.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Bab Al-Yemen

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This bi-level Yemeni newcomer to the neighborhood is the place to go for rare-in-Boston dishes like slow-roasted, tender lamb haneeth over rice and the mathbi chicken, a flavorful grilled chicken plate. Stock up on the puffy, blistered flatbread that is cooked in a cylindrical tanoor oven (similar to the tandoor oven often used in Indian cooking).

India Quality

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India Quality is a decades-old Kenmore Square institution that is known for its excellent North Indian food. The biryanis are a great place to start — from goat to lamb, beef, and vegetable, they’ve got plenty of options — and don’t miss the naan stuffed with green chilis, onions, or cherries, coconut, and honey.

The exterior of a restaurant. A large read sign says “India Quality, Fine North Indian Cuisine, Est. 1983”
India Quality.
non-euclidean photography/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Futago Udon

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A pleasant spot for hot and cold udon options, including some more unique spins, such as the cold Mad Tiger udon with spicy miso pork and cherry tomatoes.

Located at the Verb Hotel, this izakaya-inspired restaurant from the O Ya team is full of fun sushi and small plates, loud music, great bartenders, and Japanese knick-knacks.

Saloniki Greek

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Fast-casual Greek from the team behind Trade and Porto. Come here for choose-your-own combos of pita, rice, or salad with braised pork, spicy lamb meatballs, zucchini fritters, and more. Put the “secret sauce,” a preserved lemon concoction, on everything.

A spread of pita sandwiches, salads, and kabobs laid out on a circular wooden table.
A Greek feast from Saloniki.
Saloniki

Time Out Market Boston

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Indecisive? Try a food hall. Time Out Market Boston offers over a dozen counter-service food and drink options from some of Boston’s best local brands, from doughnuts to tacos to fried chicken sandwiches. Pair anything with a pint from Trillium, located just outside the food hall.

The interior of a food hall with crowds of people milling about long wooden tables with vendors on the sides.
Time Out Market in Fenway.
Brian Samuels/Time Out Market

Eventide Fenway

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This is the Boston sibling to Portland, Maine’s popular Eventide Oyster Co., and you’ve probably already heard that you should try the brown butter lobster roll. You should, and follow it up with brown butter soft serve. To note: the restaurant has been closed for renovations since early 2023; it will reopen starting Monday, April 3.

An overhead photo of a roll stuffed with lobster pieces and garnished with green chives.
Eventide’s brown butter lobster roll.
Mat Trogner/Eventide Oyster Co.

Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar

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Head here for lots of oysters, whole suckling pig (order in advance), whiskey, and daily chalkboard specials.

 Chef Steven Brand’s charcuterie board with pig liver and heart plate at Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar on Tuesday, April 04, 2017.
A Citizen charcuterie board.
Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Nathálie

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From the team behind acclaimed downtown wine bar Haley.Henry, this Fenway wine bar was Eater Boston’s 2018 bar of the year thanks to its unique wines, intimate space, and small but enjoyable food menu.

Sweet Cheeks

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Chef Tiffani Faison’s ode to barbecue, featuring the best biscuits in the world, according to a Forbes Magazine contributor. Seriously, get the biscuits. And follow that with the prime brisket or the juicy pulled pork, available by the tray or in sandwich form.

Rod Thai Family Taste

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There’s nearly always a crowd hanging out inside Rod Thai’s tiny dining room because insiders know that this is one of the best Thai restaurants in the city. From the tart som tum to the creamy massaman curry in coconut milk, it’s hard to go wrong here.

Pescador

Coastal seafood is the focus at Pescador, which means plenty of fish in all sorts of forms, from raw crudos to pizza toppings. The seafood paella, studded with cockles, shrimp, and squid, is a must-order.

A small red clay pot filled with shellfish and seafood and rice cooked together in a paella.
The seafood paella at Pescador.
Erika Adams/Eater Boston

Bab Al-Yemen

This bi-level Yemeni newcomer to the neighborhood is the place to go for rare-in-Boston dishes like slow-roasted, tender lamb haneeth over rice and the mathbi chicken, a flavorful grilled chicken plate. Stock up on the puffy, blistered flatbread that is cooked in a cylindrical tanoor oven (similar to the tandoor oven often used in Indian cooking).

India Quality

India Quality is a decades-old Kenmore Square institution that is known for its excellent North Indian food. The biryanis are a great place to start — from goat to lamb, beef, and vegetable, they’ve got plenty of options — and don’t miss the naan stuffed with green chilis, onions, or cherries, coconut, and honey.

The exterior of a restaurant. A large read sign says “India Quality, Fine North Indian Cuisine, Est. 1983”
India Quality.
non-euclidean photography/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Futago Udon

A pleasant spot for hot and cold udon options, including some more unique spins, such as the cold Mad Tiger udon with spicy miso pork and cherry tomatoes.

Hojoko

Located at the Verb Hotel, this izakaya-inspired restaurant from the O Ya team is full of fun sushi and small plates, loud music, great bartenders, and Japanese knick-knacks.

Saloniki Greek

Fast-casual Greek from the team behind Trade and Porto. Come here for choose-your-own combos of pita, rice, or salad with braised pork, spicy lamb meatballs, zucchini fritters, and more. Put the “secret sauce,” a preserved lemon concoction, on everything.

A spread of pita sandwiches, salads, and kabobs laid out on a circular wooden table.
A Greek feast from Saloniki.
Saloniki

Time Out Market Boston

Indecisive? Try a food hall. Time Out Market Boston offers over a dozen counter-service food and drink options from some of Boston’s best local brands, from doughnuts to tacos to fried chicken sandwiches. Pair anything with a pint from Trillium, located just outside the food hall.

The interior of a food hall with crowds of people milling about long wooden tables with vendors on the sides.
Time Out Market in Fenway.
Brian Samuels/Time Out Market

Eventide Fenway

This is the Boston sibling to Portland, Maine’s popular Eventide Oyster Co., and you’ve probably already heard that you should try the brown butter lobster roll. You should, and follow it up with brown butter soft serve. To note: the restaurant has been closed for renovations since early 2023; it will reopen starting Monday, April 3.

An overhead photo of a roll stuffed with lobster pieces and garnished with green chives.
Eventide’s brown butter lobster roll.
Mat Trogner/Eventide Oyster Co.

Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar

Head here for lots of oysters, whole suckling pig (order in advance), whiskey, and daily chalkboard specials.

 Chef Steven Brand’s charcuterie board with pig liver and heart plate at Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar on Tuesday, April 04, 2017.
A Citizen charcuterie board.
Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images

Nathálie

From the team behind acclaimed downtown wine bar Haley.Henry, this Fenway wine bar was Eater Boston’s 2018 bar of the year thanks to its unique wines, intimate space, and small but enjoyable food menu.

Sweet Cheeks

Chef Tiffani Faison’s ode to barbecue, featuring the best biscuits in the world, according to a Forbes Magazine contributor. Seriously, get the biscuits. And follow that with the prime brisket or the juicy pulled pork, available by the tray or in sandwich form.

Rod Thai Family Taste

There’s nearly always a crowd hanging out inside Rod Thai’s tiny dining room because insiders know that this is one of the best Thai restaurants in the city. From the tart som tum to the creamy massaman curry in coconut milk, it’s hard to go wrong here.

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