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These are the best restaurants in Boston of 2025, according to NYT

The guide is updated from 2024, when The New York Times first featured its "Where to Eat: Boston" list, and this year it includes three new restaurants.

Shrimp Mozambique with chili, lemon and cerveja at Baleia, a new Portuguese restaurant in the South End. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe

By Katelyn Umholtz

August 18, 2025

3 minutes to read

The New York Times is back again to tell us Bostonians what’s good to eat around here, and it includes some beloved restaurants along with new additions that go beyond Boston proper.

The list of 25 restaurants, updated Aug. 13, makes a point that while Boston’s reputation may precede it as a seafood and Italian restaurant city, the reality is that our restaurants and chefs have so much more to offer. Former restaurant critic Kevin Pang, reporters Priya Krishna and Julia Moskin, and editor Brian Gallagher contributed to the report.

“It’s not just seafood and Italian in the greater Boston area,” read the Times. “There’s great Vietnamese, omakase, Peruvian and even bagels worth seeking out. (Don’t worry, there’s also great seafood and Italian.)”

Hanger steak with dry pho is a new menu item at Le Madeline in Quincy. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

If you read the list published by the Times last year, this updated guide will look mostly similar except for three new entrants: Baleia, the new Portuguese restaurant from the Coda Restaurant Group; Lê Madeline, the former Pho Linh in Quincy; and Somaek, the Korean spot from chef Jamie Bissonnette.

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“Thank you @nytimes and @kevinthepang for recognizing us as one of the 25 Best restaurants in Boston right now,” the Baleia team wrote on Instagram. “We’re so honored to be on this list and to be able to represent Portuguese food and beverage!”

“We are honored to be in the company of many amazing restaurants in the @nytimes Best of Boston Feature,” Lê Madeline’s owners shared on Instagram. “Thank you to the best crew, one that is always down to ride, learn, and grow with us along this journey. A vision is just an idea without the execution of the team, and we are forever grateful for y’all!”

Though new to the “Where to Eat” Boston edition — part of a series of Times guides that include other cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, and Philadelphia — Somaek secured a spot in the national publication’s 50 best restaurants across the country last year.

“Korean food is all about sharing — gathering around the table, passing dishes, and showing care through every bite,” the Somaek team wrote on Instagram. “This recognition wouldn’t be possible without our incredible team and the guests who join us to eat, laugh, connect, and raise a glass. Thank you for letting us share a piece of Korean culture and hearts with Boston!”

Dwaeji Bulgogi at Somaek. (Jonathan Wigg/Globe Staff)

Before we get into the list, we want to know what you think about it — we know you have opinions. Did a favorite of yours show up? Do you want to give a shoutout to a deserving restaurant that they missed?

Tell us in the form below, or e-mail us at [email protected], and we’ll put together our readers’ version of the best Boston restaurants list.