18 Best Restaurants in The South End, Boston

When folks need coffee, a great sandwich, or an irresistible sweet, like a pecan sticky bun, lemon tart, or double chocolate cookie—or just a place to sit and chat—they pay a visit to one of owner Joanne Chang's 10 Flour bakeries, including this one in the South End. A communal table in the middle acts as a gathering spot, around which diners enjoy morning pastries, homemade soups, hearty bean and grain salads, and specialty sandwiches, which change seasonally.

This sweet little white-washed taverna serves authentic Greek cuisine, with many ingredients imported directly from the Mediterranean, such as the feta, fish, and octopus. Order some crisp white wine off the hard-to-find Greek wines and liquors list to sip with a parade of home-style dishes, from tasty meze plates to entrées like grilled lamb chops. The tables may be tight and the wait a bit long without a reservation, but you'll forget about these tiny inconveniences once dinner arrives.

Since 1997, Boston's fashionable set has flocked to this long-popular South End restaurant with polished service and upscale yet unpretentious French-Mediterranean cuisine. While seasonal tweaks do occur, fail-safe favorites like Burgundy-style escargot, parfait of Hudson Valley foie gras, tuna tartare, duck with cranberries, and Dover Sole Meunière are part of a menu that rarely changes—but no one's complaining.

Pink and orange dragon decals cover the windows of this all-day Chinese café, where Joanne Chang (of Flour bakery fame) taps her familial cooking roots to create shareable platters of creative dumplings, wok-charred udon noodles, and stir-fries brimming with fresh ingredients and plenty of hot chili peppers, garlic, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and lime. The staff is young and fun, and the crowd generally follows suit. On Monday through Wednesday nights, the Great Date Night prefixe menu for two is a bargain at $65. Weekends are packed for the Dim Sum brunch menu.

Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's tapas joint, which now has an outpost in Manhattan, is a lively, popular spot where the Barcelona-inspired small plates, such as the jamon and queso, salt cod croquettes, and grilled corn with cotija cheese, are hefty enough to make a meal out of a few. The traditional or vegetarian paella is also perfect for sharing with a hungry crowd. A predominantly Spanish wine list complements the plates. Crowds have been known to wait it out for more than an hour for dinner, which is on a first-come, first-served basis. Aim to go for lunch during the week for a less hectic, but just as satisfying, experience.

B&G Oysters' chef Barbara Lynch (of No. 9 Park, the Butcher Shop, Sportello, DRINK, and Menton fame) offers a style-conscious seafood restaurant with fresher than fresh oysters from both coasts; creative, seasonal dishes; and New England classics, including one of the best lobster rolls in the city. Designed to imitate the inside of an oyster shell, the iridescent bar glows with silvery, candlelit tiles and a sophisticated crowd that in warm weather fills the hidden outdoor patio strung with tiny white lights.

While diving right into the monumental cheese and charcuterie menu seems like a solid starter bet, save some room for the outstanding tapas at this lively wine bar. Favorites on repeat with its young sophisticated diners include blistered shishitos, patatas bravas, chorizo with figs, spicy empanadas, and sauteed mussels. The animated crowd's chatter rarely lowers below a dull roar, and with a lengthy list of mostly Spanish wines, happy glass clinking can also be heard throughout the night. The location in Brookline is equally as popular (read: packed).

Black Lamb's chefs call the American brasserie "a love letter to the South End." Translation: they pour their hearts into the menu to captivate the palates of all who dine there, with dishes such as duck breast frites, lamb burger, roasted cauliflower with anchovies, and day boat scallops.

A small enoteca with a whole lot of personality, Coppa is the definition of a neighborhood staple. James Beard–winning chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette have made this the South End spot to share Italian plates, charcuterie, and a spritz on the outdoor patio.

Recharge with a fresh-baked sticky bun and oversize mug of coffee at this South End favorite. Award-winning chef Joanne Chang and her staff serve up delicious creations including soups, hearty salads, and sandwiches. There are additional locations in South End, Fort Point Channel, and Back Bay in Boston, and Central Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge.

A good spot to refuel on a budget is Flour Bakery + Café, a perennial candidate for Boston's best sandwiches and stuffed bread. Also superb are the fresh pizzas, dinner specials, and delicious pastries. You may end up taking home one of their cookbooks as a sweet keepsake.

Step down into this charming wine bistro and you'll feel like you've been transported to Paris, with a menu of classic French fare dressed up a bit, such as escargot toast or foie gras on brioche, paired with one of two dozen wines by the glass, all served with a smile by an attentive staff. The wall-length bar is a buzzy spot in the evenings, while those looking for a romantic nook choose the garden-side solarium. Tables fill up fast with diners lingering over escargot toast, duck magret, and steak frites. The mousse au chocolate for dessert ends a meal with a decadent and delicious touch. Visit their sister restaurant, Collette Wine Bistro, in Cambridge's Porter Square.

Although the entrance to this superb sushi restaurant may elude you, simply follow the crowds of raw-fish fans streaming into the sleek, gray, industrial space, to find edible aquatic enchantment in the form of Tokyo-style soft-shell crab, lobster tempura, and Chilean sea bass. The vibe is stylish and so are the diners. While it's easy to rack up quite a bill, especially ordering endless sushi a la cart, the omakase is a splurge; at $265–$280 its six to nine courses include Wagyu with truffles and sake add-ons.

With a name that's short for Pizza and Ice Cream Company, Picco is perfect for both kids and kids at heart. This South End spot combines an upscale, trendy feel with an old-fashioned soda fountain and a changing list of homemade ice cream flavors that might include chocolate malt chip, prickly pear sorbet, and honey. When your appetite calls for more than just chilly sweets, dig into their pasta dishes, pizzas, and salads. Want to imbibe with your meal? There's a long rotating list of craft beers and a hefty wine list.

As you walk down the stairs to this subterranean hot spot, rattan cane pendant lamps, a tiki bar, and a striking tropics-to-Japan mural wall light the way to plates of tasty nigiri, creative rolls, and bar bites (the burgers and tots are local favorites). Named after a sailor’s leisure time on dry land, the bar's drinks create the perfect escape, with rum Old Fashioneds, highballs, and punches on the long menu. The namesake cocktail blends local and Jamaican rums with Madeira, molasses, passionfruit, lime, and a hefty dose of Angostura bitters, served in a coconut mug (take it home for $30). The menu's grilled hamachi collar is a do-not-miss.

SRV, short for Serene Republic of Venice, bills itself as a bacaro, or Italian wine bar, which in the South End translates into a happening cocktail scene. The chic set gathers to sip on aperitifs like Aperol Spritz and negroni bianco before tucking into tantalizing small plates and hand-crafted pastas made from flour the chefs mill themselves from durum wheat berries. Sharing is the way to go and once you've forked up some two-bite pork-beef meatballs and marinated olives it's time for pastas and risottos, like the ricotta gnudi or potato, asiago, and rabbit tortelli.

Neighborhood denizens swear by the counter-service whoopie pies, coffee, and buttery biscuits at this daytime destination for snacks, but the biggest buzz is saved for the back-room bistro, which boasts a hefty wine list and down-to-earth dinner options like meatloaf and shrimp fra diavolo. Housemade breakfast sandwiches keep locals returning, as do seasonal soups, gourmet sandwiches, and scratch pastries from their own pastry kitchen.

With a full menu served until 1:30 am, The Franklin has jumped to the head of the class by keeping things simple yet effective, from the well-crafted cocktails to the homey cuisine: think skillet-smoked mussels, lasagna, and steak frites. The vibe tends to feel more like a bar than a restaurant (hence the many bartender awards), so be forewarned that it can get loud and the wait for a table (there are only seven booths and two tables) can be long.