Updated: Oct. 8, 2020
It’s no secret that you can find clam chowder and baked beans in Boston, but the city's dining scene offers so much more. The Massachusetts capital has emerged as a top destination for first-rate eating and drinking. Whatever brings you to historic Boston, these 10 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners will take your trip to the next level, whether you’re looking for indoor dining, outdoor dining or options for both. To check out more food and wine destinations, see Wine Spectator’s nearly 3,800 Restaurant Award–winning picks, including our 52 Restaurant Award winners in the Boston metro area and the 100 Grand Award recipients worldwide that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Note: Opening hours and menus are subject to change as the industry continues to adjust to evolving regulations.
Grill 23 & Bar
161 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 542-2255
Website www.grill23.com
Grand Award
Now open for indoor dining, Grill 23 & Bar is the flagship wine program of Himmel Hospitality Group, which includes Boston Restaurant Award winner Bistro du Midi and another restaurant featured in this guide, Harvest. At the Grand Award–winning Back Bay steak house, wine director Brahm Callahan’s list includes verticals of Caymus Special Selection and Robert Mondavi back to the 1980s, and Diamond Creek back to the late ’70s. Pair your steak with a bottle from California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne or Germany, all of which are well-represented.
Abe & Louie’s
793 Boylston St., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 536-6300
Website www.abeandlouies.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Just two blocks before the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, runners will pass Abe & Louie’s, a neighborhood staple since 1965 with both indoor and outdoor dining areas. Come for the prime aged Midwestern-style steaks and linger with the Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list. Managed by wine director Michael Hanley, the nearly 400-selection book offers plenty in the way of California Cabernet, with strong showings from France and Italy as well. Abe & Louie’s sibling location in Boca Raton, Fla., holds an Award of Excellence for its 375-wine program emphasizing California and Italy.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
888 Boylston St., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 259-1568
Website www.delfriscos.com
Best of Award of Excellence
With 2,400 selections, the Back Bay location of Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse offers the most extensive wine list of any Restaurant Award winner in Boston, and it’s back open for patio dining. The chain’s other location in the city is close behind with nearly 2,000 wine selections, and there are 14 additional Restaurant Award–winning outposts nationwide, including a Grand Award winner in New York. Chef Anthony Figueroa executes the signature steak-house menu in Boston’s Back Bay, complementing wine director Michael Fellini’s program. The list excels in California, France (especially Bordeaux and Burgundy) and Italy, and it’s filled with stunning verticals from classic producers. Highlights include verticals of Opus One, Gaja, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Lafite Rothschild. The latter two are displayed in the Rothschild Room, one of the restaurant’s five private dining rooms.
Deuxave
371 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 517-5915
Website www.deuxave.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A few blocks from the Charles River, just off the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Best of Award of Excellence winner Deuxave offers modern French cuisine with creative twists. Chef and co-owner Chris Coombs’ menu includes dishes like lobster and sweet-corn agnolotti, crispy duck confit and cast iron–seared beef tenderloin with vegetables. Wine director Nick Daddona’s 700-selection list highlights bottles from France (especially Burgundy and Bordeaux), Italy and California. Enjoy it all in the restaurant’s elegant interior, which features floor-to-ceiling windows prime for people-watching on Commonwealth Avenue. There’s also patio seating on the tree-lined promenade for guests who prefer to dine outdoors.
Harvest
44 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass.
Telephone (617) 868-2255
Website www.harvestcambridge.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Down a cobblestone pathway in Harvard Square, escape the hustle and bustle at Harvest in downtown Cambridge. Chef Tyler Kinnett’s contemporary New England menus change seasonally and highlight ingredients from over a dozen local purveyors, resulting in dishes like roasted beets and apples, Giannone Farms chicken with ricotta gnocchi, and Georges Bank haddock with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. The moderately priced, Best of Award of Excellence–winning list is curated by Himmel Hospitality wine director Brahm Callahan and presents 350 options, with a focus on France (especially Burgundy), California, Italy and Spain. Dine on the outdoor patio or in the indoor space, which is open-air when the weather allows.
Lucca North End
226 Hanover St., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 742-9200
Website www.luccaboston.com
Best of Award of Excellence
There are countless restaurants for great pasta in Boston’s historic Little Italy, but few can match the wine program at Lucca North End, open for indoor and outdoor dining. Managed by wine director Jennifer Glover, the 500-selection list splits its focus between bottles from Italy and California. Those looking to sample a small taste of something special can opt for one of the choice pours via Coravin. Chef Yoni Alcantara’s menu offers something for everyone, from house-made rigatoni with classic ragù to veal osso bucco to seared Georges Bay sea scallops over creamy summer succotash.
Sorellina
1 Huntington Ave., Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 412-4600
Website www.sorellinaboston.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In Copley Square, treat yourself to contemporary Italian cuisine and a Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list at Sorellina. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and warm lighting, the space makes a memorable setting for a special-occasion dinner, but patio dining is an option as well. On chef Marga Rafucci’s menu, choose from dishes like maccheroncelli with meatballs, gnocchi with Maine lobster, and halibut with lobster brodo to pair with wine director Daniel Routhier’s 500-plus-selection list, which focuses on Italy (especially Piedmont and Tuscany), California and France. The restaurant is part of Columbus Hospitality Group, which also includes Restaurant Award winners Mooo and L'Andana Grill.
Strega Waterfront
1 Marina Park Drive, Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 345-3992
Website www.stregawaterfront.com
Best of Award of Excellence
In the Seaport District, overlooking Boston Harbor, you’ll find Strega Waterfront, open for indoor and patio dining. The Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list boasts more than 450 selections, championing bottles from California, Tuscany, Piedmont and France. Expect major names such as Napa’s Orin Swift and Italy’s Pio Cesare. On chef Farouk Bazoune’s menu, choose from Italian-inspired favorites like baked rigatoni with Bolognese, linguine and clams, and fettuccini alfredo with duck egg.
Alcove
50 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 248-0050
Website www.alcoveboston.com
Award of Excellence
In Boston’s West End, Alcove strives to be an all-purpose neighborhood restaurant, fit for every affair from casual lunches to special-occasion dinners. Chef Brian Paszko draws in diners with a crowd-pleasing menu of appetizers, snacks, sandwiches and mains. The dishes represent a variety of cuisines, so expect items like arancini and salmon poke as well as ones like cheeseburgers and shrimp cocktail. Owner Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli serves as wine director for the Award of Excellence–winning list of 180 selections. The picks are strongest in France and Germany, but like the menu, the list nods to an array of international regions. It’s moderately priced and accessible, with wines divided into helpful categories like “crisp and refreshing,” “mineral-driven” and “big and bold.” Seating is currently limited to the patio area, which is expansive and offers waterfront views of the wharf.
Mariel
10 Post Office Square, Boston, Mass.
Telephone (617) 333-8776
Website www.marielofficial.com
Award of Excellence
Originally opened September 2019 and recently reopened for dine-in service, Mariel is relatively new to the Boston scene. The restaurant is backed by Coje Management Group, which also owns Yvonne's a few blocks away. Both are Award of Excellence winners, Mariel for its wine list of more than 220 selections overseen by wine director Michael Adkins. To tie in with the restaurant’s Cuban cuisine, the wine program is focused on France, Spain and the United States, countries that played key roles in Cuba’s history. Dishes from chef Thomas Berry range from classics like pork empanadas and rice and beans to more adventurous creations like chicken tots and a Cubano pizza.
Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter, and follow us on Twitter at @WSRestoAwards and Instagram at @WSRestaurantAwards.
