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Top trends we’re hoping to see in Boston’s restaurant scene
Plus: Best breakfast spots and bakeries, Petsi Pies, and Lamplighter's beer school.
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A new year is here, and with it comes reflection.
I’d like to reflect on my first year covering Boston’s dining scene. I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this unfamiliar place. It was overwhelming, to be sure. Each of its 23 neighborhoods and its nearby suburbs have its own identity, which pour into the cuisine. There’s also a mix of old and new, big and small — chowder in historic digs, creative concepts from new chefs, and a lot of chains or big restaurant groups squeezing out independently-owned businesses. The prices still give me sticker shock, though I pay up knowing that their rent, like all of ours, is too damn high. You’d also think the dining scene is much worse than it is given how much locals complain about the city.
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But I’ve met so many incredible, creative people who make Boston’s dining scene one worth high praise.
We saw an exciting new number of restaurants open (I tried to keep track of all of them in our opening guide). Sure, some of those were the typical concepts Boston sees come and go (seafood, Italian), but there were some exciting additions, like Portuguese fine dining and global cuisine pop-ups-turned restaurants.
Restaurants are packed! These days, you have to make a reservation weeks in advance. I’m not a huge fan of planning, but it’s nice to see restaurants bustling.
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What does this mean for the year to come? I have some thoughts I wanted to share, and then some dreams that I can only hope to see in 2025.
Snacks as a meal
Those high food prices aren’t going away, no matter how much you want them to. People will continue to go out with their wallets on their mind, and restaurants are already adapting to a price-conscious clientele. What they’re seeing more of: Diners are skipping big entrees for smaller plates, or sharing snacks. Snacks for dinner aren’t just cheaper, but it makes dinner more of an experience to share plates with your pals.
Skip the booze
There’s clearly an interest in non-alcoholic drinks in Boston. A second Dray Drinks bottle shop opened in Cambridge, and mocktail menus are growing both in size and in quality. And on top of Dry January, there’s “Sober October” and “Dry July.” I’m also seeing more “low alcohol drinks.”
I’m feeling nostalgic
Times they are a changin’ quickly, so much so that there’s a need from Gen Z and Millennial diners to connect with their youth. My favorite breakfast spot in New Orleans (Molly’s Rise and Shine) is decorated head to toe with ‘80s and ‘90s kid memorabilia, and even serves better tasting hashbrowns inspired by McDonald’s. Locally I’ve seen hot dogs topped with caviar, pizza get farm-to-table treatment, and other comfort food specials from high-end restaurants. For longtime Bay State diners, there’s nostalgia in comebacks, like the one soon to come from Ground Round.
Grab a seat at the bar
Once the underrated spot in the restaurant, now people are making reservations for bar seats. Personally, I think bar seats should be available for those of us who may not plan ahead, but I can’t blame them. Bar seats are the best. The bartender is the most conversational employee. It’s casually romantic for date night. And you get your drinks quicker.
As for my hopes and dreams. Let’s delete those food delivery apps in droves because they cost restaurants a lot of money (and dining out gets you in your community, around people, which is a good thing). I’d love to see those new liquor licenses expand Boston’s global cuisine options in the neighborhoods that need more restaurants. And please, restaurant owners, can you finally settle on consistent opening hours? Or at least make it known what your new hours are across your digital channels? I don’t envy the decisions you have to make, but I’m confused when to go to your restaurant!
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Lastly, I hope, given the year we’ve had, that those personal touches to hospitality will return. Dining out, for many of us, is an escape, a safe space, a way to connect with others. I want a meal that tells a story, a server who’s conversational, a friendly greeting. At the other end, I want diners to be more aware of the industry, and to embrace the restaurants that are healthy workplaces for the staff. We could all be a little nicer to each other.
For your reading
- 🍹 A perfect South End day, according to a bartender
- 🥐 One New England bakery makes NYT’s top list
- 🥞 Boston’s best breakfast spots (Boston Globe Today)
- 🤞 A Boston restaurant wishlist (Eater Boston)
- 🍩 Why a top NYC restaurant closed (New York Times)
For your calendar
- 🍻 Attend beer school at Lamplighter
- 💃 Sashay your way to Time Out Market’s Drag Race premiere
- 🍕 Pickleball + pizza at BOSSE
- 🍩 Take a food tour of Union Square
What I’m eating this week: Seasonal pie specials from Petsi Pies
I found myself in a predicament recently: I had just returned to Boston after going on a lovely trip to Mexico City. It was the evening of Dec. 23. My fridge was empty, and a Google search reminded me that businesses typically aren’t open the week of Christmas. For some reason, Petsi Pies was open Christmas Eve, with all kinds of pies to choose from. I went overboard and got three pies for a household of two people, but the holidays are for overindulging, right? I certainly did with the pictured chocolate peppermint cream pie, another eggnog cream pie, and a mixed berry pie.
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