First the food: my very favorite cuisine Mediterranean and they do it so well. The crispy…read moreeggplant is like nothing else: perfectly fried with a honey feta sauce. The dips and bread so good and the watermelon salad divine. Our server was so nice and perfect and the manager was friendly and accommodating. It's a beautiful restaurant with outside seating: fresh, airy, and inviting. I want to come here every week.

Ilona is a Mediterranean restaurant in Boston, and my boyfriend and I came here for dinner on the…read moreFourth of July. He had a $100 Resy credit, which ended up covering our entire meal with a little left over. For the quality of the food and the overall experience, it felt surprisingly affordable and very satisfying. The ambiance is open, stylish, and inviting, with both booth and table seating. We were seated at a corner table, which made the dinner feel relaxed and comfortable. The menu is mostly tapas-style, so it is a great spot if you want to order several dishes and share. One downside is that the entrées were pretty meat-heavy. The kebabs, for example, were limited to beef, lamb, chicken, and swordfish. I would have loved to see a vegetable or tofu kebab on the menu. That said, I was still able to put together a really satisfying meal from the appetizers, mezze, and salads. We started with a dip assortment that came with Lebanese-style flatbread, or manakish. The dips included a spicy yogurt-based dip, beet hummus, and another grainier orange-colored hummus. Everything was flavorful, fresh, and really enjoyable. The standout dish for me was the crispy eggplant. It came as thin, tempura-style slices of eggplant with a pomegranate yogurt sauce and a honey glaze. It was definitely on the sweeter side, but it was absolutely delicious--honestly, I could have made a meal out of that dish alone. We also ordered the fattoush salad, which had the classic vegetables but felt especially fresh because of the watermelon cubes, cherry tomatoes, sumac vinaigrette, and capers. My boyfriend also tried the oysters, which were a special that day. Overall, Ilona was a great dinner spot: cute atmosphere, central Boston location, shareable plates, and tasty Mediterranean food. I do wish there were more vegetarian-friendly entrée options, but I still had a very satisfying meal and would happily come back.

I came to Boston to celebrate my cousin's graduation and we had a dinner reservation here for 10…read morepeople. The space is absolutely stunning: high ceilings, dim lights, lots of natural colors and greenery. We got seated right away in this really cute table in the middle of the big dining room. Service was exceptional! I feel like our waiters went above and beyond to make the experience very special for us. They also really helped us with recommendations on how much to order for our table and what the best dishes to get were. For drinks we got a few bottles of white wine and I opted to get a lemonade which had cucumber and mint. It was so delicious and refreshing! We ended up getting an assortment of apps as well as mains for each person. I tried: - Dips and pita: assortment of 3 dips: spicy feta, tzaitziki, and fava dip. All were amazing but somehow the fava dip felt particularly good compared to others that I have had before. The pita came out warm and had a very nice flavor, like they toasted it lightly with a bit of olive oil. Super good to share! - Lamb meatballs: amazing! One of my favorite apps. The meatballs were tender without being crumbly, the lamb was flavorful without being gamey, and the tomato sauce added a perfect acidic/ sweet balance to the spices of the lamb. The touch of labneh on top also added a really delicate creamy balance. - Baked feta: literally amazing! The feta they use there is some of the best quality, creamiest feta I've had at a Greek restaurant. It was also not too salty. This came baked in a delicate layer of perfectly crispy phyllo, topped with a light drizzle of honey, roasted grapes, and olives. If I had known in advance how good this was, I may have actually asked for it as dessert. A table-wide favorite! - Caramelized carrots: another very solid dish. Perfectly caramelized carrots over a bed of dill yogurt. Really simple but good! - Eggplant salata: I'd probably skip this one next time. I was expecting a warm baked eggplant but this was cold and a bit difficult to eat since it came with the skin of the eggplant that was tough. The flavors were a bit flat but the presentation was definitely nice. - Whole branzino: usually comes with head and tail but we asked if we could have it deboned since we would be sharing between two. The two perfectly cooked fillets had a nice crispy skin and tender meat. The green herb dressing was perfectly tangy and complemented the mild white fish flavor very nicely, - Village salad: another hit for me! I'm usually not too impressed by "Greek" salads at places, however, they used such high quality product here, that it was impossible not to enjoy this. The feta was creamy and perfect, the peppers/tomatoes/cucumbers were so fresh, the olives and onions were not overpowering at all. It also came with a touch of capers which I have not seen before but really enjoyed. The olive oil they used felt 1A grade. Pretty filling and would recommend sharing. - Lamb chops: I stole a few bites from my husband's lamb chops which were perfectly cooked, tender, and had a generous amount of fat. The seasoning was amazing also though a bit salty for my taste. Not gamey at all! - Baklava: we thought this would be a traditional baklava but it was more like a reimagined baklava with some yogurt, pistachios, cranberry sauce, halva. While it has great textures, and nice healthy flavors, I think we were hoping for something a bit more traditional. Very big though so probably ideal if you have a larger group. Overall, I really enjoyed my meal here! The ambiance was super cute and the food was good. This is a perfect place to have a big celebratory meal since the dishes are so shareable and the set up is sufficiently smart casual- formal without being over the top or stuffy. Would come back if I found myself in Boston! Definitely check them out if you have a chance. PS: forgot to photograph a few dishes but sharing what I have!

Came here with a large group and this place did great!! Large venue with lots of seating and…read morebeautiful decor. SERVICE: Outstanding! The team here was super attentive and they handled our large group perfectly. FOOD: WOW! Everything came out very fresh and hot. We had a couple misunderstandings on the menu, but the food was great - so nothing to worry about. As you can see by the photos - the food also looked great! This is a great restaurant in the seaport area. Go give them a try!!

KAVA neo-taverna is one of those places that works well for almost any occasion. The zucchini chips…read moreare an absolute must-try--honestly the best I've had so far, and I've tried a LOT of zucchini chips. They never disappoint and are something I order every time. I especially enjoy coming here in the summer when the outdoor patio is open. It has such a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere and makes for a great meal in the South End. The service has always been very good as well. Definitely a place I'm happy to come back to again and again.

6/5/26: My visit to Kava neo-taverna on a Friday afternoon was great! The waitress was very…read moreattentive and friendly, making the experience memorable. The waitress walked us through the menu recommending her favorites as well as explaining the specials. It was recommended to have 2-3 small plates per person. The food quality was very good and their take on traditional greek dishes was creative! I highly recommend checking this place out whenever you are in the South End. Note: Inside seating is very cramped. If it is a nice day out, I would recommend grabbing a seat outside.

We were torn between here and sister restaurant Black lamb. So glad we went with this one, much…read moremore welcoming, less pretentious than the sister. Everything we ordered was fantastic. Arrancini, farm egg to start, than amazing braised rabbit special and fresh pasta. Service was friendly and attentive. Highly recommend. Would definitely return.

It's been 4 years since I've visited and my actual rating for this place is a solid 5/5 stars…read more Honestly, I think this is a strong contender for best pasta in Boston. I've had lots of places in the North End and recently had the much-hyped Tonino, but I still dream about that duck confit agnolotti I had 4 years ago (sadly it's no longer on the menu) Heirloom Tomato Crostini (7/10): Reminds of the tapas we had in Spain. Not as tasty, but still pretty good. Raviolo all'Uovo (9/10): Wow, so good. One giant raviolo. The sauce was so eggy and flavorful. It was like a carbonara raviolo. It just worked. Tagliatelle (9.5/10): Pasta was perfectly al dente. So, so delicious. I loved the slight kick in the sauce. They do ragu bolognese so well here!! I was left wanting more. Prices have barely gone up (if at all) in the past 4 years, surprisingly. Insanely overpriced 4 years ago, but a bit less so now. You really get what you pay for in terms of pasta. I'm very sad to hear they'll be closing at the end of 2026...

The Shawmut Inn is an American restaurant on a quiet corner in the South End. The atmosphere is…read morecozy, as the restaurant only has a handful of tables and bar seats, with an open kitchen. The dishes feature a nice mixture of flavors, sauces and vegetables. Drinks are well prepared and service is attentive and well paced.

Came here for a Tasting Collective dinner and loved every dish! There was so much thought and love…read moreput into each dish and the flavors were incredible. Can't wait to come back!

Pizza Bianca (9.5/10): Fantastic bread, bursting with aroma. Nice texture as well. We got the…read morestracciatella/tomato relish/balsamic/basil with it. Tasted SOO good. Very well balanced - I especially liked the stracciatella. Taleggio Capeletti (7/10): A bit too rich and too salty for my tastes. I think this dish just needed something to cut through the richness. Still really good nonetheless. Lumache (8/10): The chew on the pasta is impeccable!! The chew on those mushrooms is also insane. Texture-wise, this dish was a home run. For some reason, I kept getting hints of something resembling boar taint in the sauce flavor itself. Not sure why... I don't think there was meat? I feel like I would've given this dish a 10/10 had it not been for the hint of that flavor. Service was very friendly and fast. The restaurant is small, but the seating didn't feel too tight. Even though I gave it a 5/5, I actually don't know if I would come again. The pasta was very steeply priced for not that much food. Although the capeletti was surprisingly filling, I'd rather feel full on carbs than full on pure butter and cheese.

Another 10/10 visit to Tonino in the books!…read more It's such a hard reservation to get, but so worth it. I'm actually getting salivating while posting this review and looking back at my food pictures. I get the Eggplant & Ricotta Pizza as my appetizer and the Rigatoni Amatriciana as my entree each time I go - because they're consistently amazing. The service is always warm and friendly, and I also love the music playlist they play. Believe the hype & come to Tonino!!

Amazing neighborhood joint dishing out great drinks and fun vibes…read more It almost feels like a dive, but extremely classy. Gets crowded, but remain patient!

This is a south end Gem! This very trendy Neighbourhood pub had the most amazing seafood tower,…read morewhich was ideal for my husband and I to have the seafood tower! Lots of good stuff! The crab claws, and the oysters were my favorite! Also had an order of fried oysters, which was delicious too! It had a really nice indoor seating as well and what's nice too is it's very accommodating to anyone for a gastro pub. It was a bunch of strollers parked outside. Fit for new mothers so that was a cool thing to see. I was here in the afternoon so I don't exactly know what the night vibe is, but I can only imagine it's pretty happening. Definitely will come back here again to try something new on the menu.

The food at Baleia is outstanding. I went with a friend shortly after they opened and was blown…read moreaway by the quality of the ingredients and the cuisine. It was like a homecooked meal made with care. The staff was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating. They customized the level of spice heat and ingredients on request. The Bolinhos de bacalhau were extraordinary. I normally try to to avoid fried food but I tried one and they were crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, flavorful but not overly salty as they usually are. I can't say enough about the duck rice as well, it was the perfect texture, full of flavor, just fantastic. And for dessert, the Tarte de Natas again blew my mind. I've had them before but what made these special was the caramelization on top of the creaminess of the custard. They validate parking under the highway around down the street, so it's easy to park. The experience was so positive that I went back for an anniversary dinner last summer and again had a fantastic meal with great service--and a special "Happy Anniversary" menu--such a nice touch.

Baleia delivered on one of my top meals in Boston and I would recommend it to anyone…read more I love the decor and kept thinking what a bold move it was to have pale yellow seating. They really trust us diners to not make a mess. I sat at the bar and the service was excellent. I started with an old fashioned and opted for the explorer menu. This felt like an excellent value and allowed me to taste many of the delicious menu items. I genuinely liked everything. I think the standouts were the sea bass crudo and the duck rice. Highly recommend!