What’re you bound to hear when eavesdropping at Eaves, which officially debuted in Somerville’s Bow Market early September? Rave reviews about the soul-warming congee with micro shrimp. Or the cozy vermicelli soup with fish broth that’s topped with crispy fish and herbs. And don’t forget the grilled duck. While the small plates at this Vietnam-meets-New-England restaurant helmed by chef Vincenzo Le and Duong Huynh (of Cicada Coffee Bar) change on a whim, what’s constant are flavors you’ll want to blab about.

This new Italian steakhouse is the place to be, judging by the nightly crowd of diners at Prima, on the edge of City Square Park in Charlestown. The restaurant is a stylish, ambitious affair that ups the ante for a group best known for reliable neighborhood spots in Charlestown (Waverly, Monument) and South Boston (Lincoln, Capo). Sample the mozzarella bar, slurp some spicy pici pasta, and don’t skip the seafood mains, including hake wrapped in parchment paper and baked with shrimp, clams, and a bright citrus salad.

If you’re looking for a more casual Italian experience, head to Gufo, a new cafe and restaurant from the talented team behind pasta hot spot SRV in the South End and charcuterie expert the Salty Pig in between the South End and Back Bay. Start off the meal with an artful selection of snacks — don’t miss the eggplant caponata with whipped ricotta — and then round out each order with other subtly experimental dishes like a broccoli Caesar and a pizza topped with mozzarella, fennel sausage, kale, and calabrian chilis.

A highly anticipated opening this spring, Grace by Nia is among a handful of local restaurants shaking up the Seaport’s chain-heavy scene. Nia Grace of well-loved, jazzy Boston hangout Darryl’s, is behind the glittery Seaport space, along with nightlife heavyweight Big Night. Sip on a smoky cocktail, dig into a Southern-inflected menu — including a fried green tomato salad that tastes like a deconstructed mozzarella stick, and molasses-braised oxtail and coconut grits — and sit back and relax with nightly live music acts.

Zhi Wei Cafe, a chic new Chinese restaurant, landed in downtown Boston’s Leather District in July. The whole menu is worth a try, including the fast-selling soup dumplings; but no matter what, be sure to order the restaurant’s signature Lanzhou beef noodle soup. Owner Jin Tan is obsessive about quality control in the dish, and it shows: The housemade al dente noodles are tender yet snappy, and the rich, meaty broth is a luxurious treat.

Under chef Carl Dooley, Mooncusser has quickly established itself as one of the city’s go-to spots for an inventive tasting menu that is worth the splurge. At Moon Bar, a more casual weeknight hangout located below the second-floor fine dining spot, Dooley hands the reins to chef Nelson Whittingham to oversee a menu that preserves the spirit of Mooncusser without the white tablecloths. Don’t miss the sweet potato samosas dipped in tamarind chutney and the red snapper and crab stew, and pair it all with a couple of cocktails from Uni alum Jake Smith, who is leading the bar program.

With a name that means “love” in Portuguese, it’s no surprise that there’s lots to love at Amar, the modern Portuguese restaurant by Michelin-starred chef (and recent Boston transplant) George Mendes. And, given the nearly booked-solid reservations for the next month or so, it seems like the city has a new culinary crush. Here, seafood-heavy fare celebrates and reinvents classic Portuguese dishes, like bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, with a zing from dehydrated black olives. Unexpected, though, are sublime desserts, like brûléed lime and vanilla-scented rice pudding. The made-to-order pão de ló sponge cake with smoked cinnamon ice cream is enough to write love sonnets to.

Boston was hit hard by the loss of industry favorite Eastern Standard during the pandemic. The subsequent comeback story is particularly sweet: Restaurateur Garrett Harker and his team of hospitality all-stars re-opened the brasserie in October at the Bower complex in Fenway, resuscitating the restaurant legend with dishes like the steak frites, the roasted half-chicken, and the baked rigatoni. Have room for more? Check out the seafood-focused restaurant All That Fish + Oyster and the cocktail bar Equal Measure, the team’s other just-opened ventures within the Bower.

You probably need an excuse for a a splurge-y night out. Luckily, the 18-course chef-curated meals at this new beauty in a South End brownstone lean on the luxe side. While the menu changes often, expect treasures like salmon roe and amberjack fish tucked into a mochi rice cracker shell, plus Hokkaido hairy crab served with uni and caviar, and a palate cleanser of miso soup with a rich anchovy broth. And the 411 on 311: The restaurant offers two services for ten people every night, excluding Tuesdays. And hey, at $230 per person, it’s still cheaper than a flight to Japan, where co-owners Carrie Ko and chef Wei Fa Chen source most of their seafood.

What would a restaurant, butchery, and grocery store look like if it was built by the community, for the community, in Roxbury’s historic Nubian Square? That was the precedent behind Nubian Markets, which traces the intersecting African and Muslim diasporas by way of a fast-casual menu that includes a chickpea peanut stew with coconut ginger rice and pickled plantains, and one impressive burger. Shop the grocery aisles while you wait for your food and check out products from local Black and brown purveyors, including spice blends from Hapi African Gourmet and hot sauce from Hillside Harvest.