Where to eat in Boston when the Michelin spots are full
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After the Michelin Guide launched in metro Boston late last year and put several local eateries on the map, it's harder than ever to get a table at the city's hottest spots.
Yes, but: There are plenty of great restaurants you can visit as soon as you like without a weekslong waitlist.
The Michelin Guide's only starred selection for the area, 311 Omakase Boston, is booked up pretty solidly since winning the award.
- Our alternative pick: Anchovies, at 433 Columbus Ave., doesn't have legendary sushi, but it does one hell of a chicken parm and enormous cocktails.
At Giulia on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge reservations "are taken two weeks in advance of your date of interest."
- But if you're in the neighborhood, head over to The Abbey for some pub grub or go to Bagelsaurus before they run out of the good ones.
Up Mass. Ave is Urban Hearth, a teensy tiny dining room that's looking to expand after being heaped with critical acclaim last year.
- You're not getting in, so go to Cafe Barada the next block over. It's got very solid Lebanese favorites.
If you're looking for Italian food, Carmelina's in the North End got a nod from Michelin, but good luck finding a table any time soon.
- Our alternative pick: Go almost anywhere else in a three-block radius. It's the North End.
You're not getting into Wa Shin, the Michelin-picked sushi place by the Park Plaza.
- So try the Parish Cafe & Bar, a little way into the Back Bay on Boylston. They have sandwich selections from Boston's top chefs, many featured in the Michelin Guide.
Chef Karen Akunowicz's Fox and the Knife in Southie can get packed, but look no further than Moonshine 152 across Broadway on Dot Ave.
- Get Chef Asia Mei's fabulous buttermilk fried chicken wings or the famous dirty fried rice.
You could hustle for a table for the vegan tasting menu at the Michelin-approved Asta in the Back Bay ...
- ... or you could try Cafe Sauvage's cozy French fare without the wait.
We all know Pammy's is fantastic and the Cambridge hot spot deserves the praise it gets.
- But the Plough and Stars, one of the finest pubs in town, is practically right next door.
The bottom line: Yeah, sure, fancy restaurants with highfalutin' designations from a French tire company are great and all, but sometimes you just need to find an open table at a quality spot on a busy night.