Restaurants
From Back Bay’s newest taco joint to Allston’s 72-hour dough pizzas, here are five new restaurants to check out this month.
There’s an autumn chill in the air but Boston’s newest kitchens are just heating up. This month, a diverse crop of restaurants are encouraging diners to use their hands as utensils, from Back Bay’s newest taco joint to Allston’s 72-hour dough pizzas and signature handrolls in Chestnut Hill. The South End and downtown also welcomed new eateries, but we’ll reserve a fork and knife for them. Read on to discover five new restaurants we can’t wait to try in September.
Fans of Boston’s reported best margarita no longer have to plan their agave and taco fixes around El Barco’s pop-up times as the vibrant Mexican concept from the team at Lyons Group has officially moved into its permanent Dalton Street space. Celebrated for its fusion of traditional and coastal flavors, El Barco serves its cult-followed tacos on house-made tortillas as two five-inch tacos per order with signatures like the El Fish with breaded haddock, citrus cabbage slaw, chipotle mayo and pico de gallo ($14) and the smashburger taco with a beloved, tangy special sauce ($14). Whatever you do, save room for dessert as their churros, glorified fried dough with cinnamon-sugar and creme anglaise are craveworthy ($6). The Back Bay location marks the second outpost for this cantina, with the flagship on Martha’s Vineyard, and they’re preparing to open with a series of events. Fall highlights include tequila and taco Tuesdays with $2 tacos served between 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and live DJs starting at 9 p.m., BU on Beat Thursdays will host weekly live music in partnership with BU’s DJ Collective and in October, El Barco will donate $1 from every Pina Colada (made with Bacardi silver rum, Coco Lopez and pineapple juice) sold to the Ellie Fund, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
50 Dalton St., Back Bay
Now Open
Chef Colin Lynch recently expanded his South End repertoire (Bar Mezzana, Shore Leave, No Relation and Black Lamb) with a new neighborhood pizzeria in Allston. “Everyone has their ideal style of pizza in their mind and it’s been awesome to bring mine to fruition,” shared chef Lynch. “I am so excited to share my version with the Allston neighborhood and Boston as a whole.” What is his version? A 16-inch pie crafted from 72-hour dough that nods to New England with three types of flour—King Arthur All-Purpose Flour and Sir Galahad Artisan Flour milled in Vermont and Organic Heritage Red Fife Wheat Flour milled in Maine—that when baked results in a lightly charred crust, full of flavor. The opening menu features a mushroom pie with red onion and fontina ($24), The DOC with sopressata, garlic honey, chili and whipped ricotta ($24) and even a vegan-friendly tomato pie ($18). Pizza even permeates the cocktail program, led by Ryan Lotz, with a pepperoni pizza-infused negroni ($15 on draft) that layers the Italian classic cocktail with a subtle spice and smoke. In addition to pizza, there are other snacks and entrees on the menu, including wings with a spicy Italian dry rub ($12), chopped antipasto salad with crispy chickpeas ($14), baked clams ($22) and baked rigatoni ($24).
250 Western Ave., Allston
Now Open
At the end of last month, Chestnut Hill Square welcomed its newest concept—an omakase-style handroll experience that blends premium ingredients with bold flavors. The menu promises an evening of delicious entertainment as guests at the wooden omakase counter have a front row seat to the making of their specialty handrolls with fillings like snow crab ($10.50), bay scallop ($8.50) and toro ($9.50). “We think that eating one of our just-made hand rolls, with its crispy nori, 3 vinegar warm rice, and delectable ingredients, will redefine our guests’ sushi experience,” explained owner TJ Zhang. Lab 13 also offers set menus, serving 3 to 6 handrolls as part of a progressive menu ($19 to $42) and a curated selection of sashimi, with exclusive cuts of albacore, toro and a rotating special.
210 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill
Now Open
Early last month, MAZÍ Food Group (behind Desnuda Cocina & Bar, Gigi, Ilona, Kava Neo-Taverna) debuted their new elevated American gastropub in the South End’s former Butcher Shop location. The interiors are transformed with a gold-flecked black marble bar, cobalt leather bar seating, brass chandeliers and a mosaic tiled floor and a menu delights with a selection of timeless comfort foods. Diners can settle into their reservation by ordering from the bites section, including shareables like Rockefeller oysters, deviled eggs and fried cauliflower, before moving onto appetizers where leek and spinach dip, Louis baked wings and bone marrow are highlights. For entrees, there’s fish and chips, roasted chicken and a smashed burger with spicy mayo and caramelized onions—there’s also a raw bar section with two seafood tower options for a hefty portion of oysters, crab, lobster and shrimp.
552 Tremont St., South End
Now Open
Chef Andrew Simonich breathes new life into a Beacon Hill institution while paying homage to the kitchen where he began his career; working under chef Heather Neri in 2019 as an intern and rising to the position of sous chef in 2022 before eventually earning the chef de cuisine title of Menton, Sportello and Drink at age 25. Now, he’s on his own journey with Nine as he’s created both a nine-course tasting experience and an a la carte menu reflective of his French training and New England’s seasons. The $180 chef’s tasting menu includes highlights like chive blossom pappardelle, seared foie gras and Japanese Wagyu while al la carte staples are steak tartare ($28), squid ink spaghetti ($38) and Vermont quail with dandelion green ($42). “While I am a classically trained chef, what is most important to me is honoring each and every ingredient,” he said, adding that each course is a chapter in a greater story. The new space also hosts Boston’s first gin palace, offering more than 30 gin selections from around the world—from India to Chile, Vietnam to Vermont. In addition to adding depth to classic cocktails, there are two specialty gin libations under The Palace Reserve: Tidepool blends Industrious Spirit Co. Seaflow Gin (from Rhode Island) with manzanilla sherry, Polynesian bitters and caviar while Titan Arum uses Japan’s Ki No Bi ‘Edition G’ with Creole shrub and rosé vermouth.
9 Park Street Place, Beacon Hill
Now Open
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