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A guide to Boston's hidden gem restaurants

Food and Drink

Chris Evans' Boston wedding brings the Avengers to town

Chris Evans' nuptials brought Downey, Johansson, Hemsworth and Renner to Boston

Culture

Massachusetts' peak fall foliage schedule

When and where the good leaf peeping will be.

Things to Do

MBTA saw slower summer service as repairs mount

Slow zones on the MBTA led to longer delays this summer.

Transit

Some of Boston&#x27;s best restaurants are hidden neighborhood spots or low-key hangs you won&#x27;t find on a trendy list of what&#x27;s hot and new.What&#x27;s happening: Local Redditor &quot;lightskintastebud&quot; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="asked the Boston subreddit community" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/15y88hy/what_are_some_underrated_restaurants_that_you/" data-vars-content-id="73f2dbb6-e098-4a0a-8a29-a9aac5e64330" data-vars-headline="A guide to Boston&#x27;s hidden gem restaurants" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/15y88hy/what_are_some_underrated_restaurants_that_you/" target="_blank">asked the Boston subreddit community</a> for their favorite underrated restaurants, and it resulted in one of the best eating tours you could want.

Inside Gufo, Cambridge's new Italian eatery

Go for the mortadella, stay for the delicious pie.

👋🏼 Steph here. Gufo, the new Italian restaurant in Cambridge, has fresh pasta and lightly fried dough with prosciutto and garlic butter.<ul><li>But what won me over was the pizza.</li></ul>

Gufo's roasted mushroom pizza with fontina and roasted garlic is served on a platter at a table.

Boston's liquor license system is dragging down its nightlife scene

Officials want to issue new licenses in Dorchester and five other neighborhoods.

One of the biggest hurdles faced by would-be dining and nightlife entrepreneurs is the limited supply of liquor licenses available in the city.Why it matters: The dearth of licenses is a major contributor to Boston&#x27;s languid late-night scene.

Illustration of a cocktail glass with a dollar-sign-shaped orange twist

Harpoon Brewery launches pickleball club

It has four pickleball courts, two shuffleboard courts and cornhole.

Harpoon Brewery has hopped on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pickleball" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/pickleball-courts-noise-tennis-turf-wars" data-vars-content-id="61c2e87a-a74d-4309-857d-68ec251f25e3" data-vars-headline="Harpoon Brewery launches pickleball club" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/pickleball-courts-noise-tennis-turf-wars" target="_self">pickleball</a> train.What’s happening: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Pickleball Social Club" data-vars-click-url="https://hubsportsboston.com/pickleball-social-club" data-vars-content-id="61c2e87a-a74d-4309-857d-68ec251f25e3" data-vars-headline="Harpoon Brewery launches pickleball club" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://hubsportsboston.com/pickleball-social-club" target="_blank">The Pickleball Social Club</a> is open daily from noon to 9pm with room for some 400 people next to Harpoon in the Seaport.

A wide view showing four pickleball courts and shuffleboard courts next to Harpoon Brewery in Boston's Seaport.

I Spy: Kura Sushi coming soon to Dorchester

Kura is coming to Dorchester, months after opening a location in Watertown.

👀 Steph here with our first installment of &quot;I Spy,&quot; a series about what&#x27;s popping up around town.What&#x27;s happening: I spotted Kura Revolving Sushi Bar under construction at the South Bay Shopping Center in Dorchester, and it can&#x27;t open soon enough.

A Kura sushi outpost under construction in Dorchester's South Bay Shopping Plaza

Try these fish tacos in the Back Bay

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Cusser&#x27;s Roast Beef" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cussersboston.com/" data-vars-content-id="bf09fd8b-d0ae-487b-984f-adb62b64ccf8" data-vars-headline="Try these fish tacos in the Back Bay" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cussersboston.com/" target="_blank">Cusser&#x27;s Roast Beef</a> and Seafood in the Back Bay offers beer-battered fish of the day, pickled red onions, slaw and their house-special Thoreau sauce on corn tortillas.<ul><li>Two tacos are $13.</li></ul>Why it&#x27;s worth a visit: The white fish is meaty and a lighter alternative to the $17 fish and chips platter or the $12.75 rare roast beef sandwich.

Ask Axios: Why Boston has no Happy Hours

Newcomers to Boston are often gobsmacked when they find out that, to us, &quot;happy hour&quot; just means discounted appetizers at bars and restaurants.<ul><li>That&#x27;s because Massachusetts became the first state in the country to ban low-price promotions for alcohol in 1984 as a way to deter drunk driving.</li></ul>

Illustration of the Boston skyline with word balloons with exclamation points popping up from left to right.

Seaport lands a big Greek-food get

Zo Greek is opening a spot near the Commonwealth Pier.

<figure><img alt="" height="539" id="0c0dff66-7104-44e3-bee4-7d007cc2260b" src="https://images.axios.com/Q7W8EsItLaeTKY01gebK1-KoZ94=/2023/06/14/1686756339659.png" width="821"/><figcaption>Yes, it&#x27;s a lobby. But a lobby with gyros! Photo: Courtesy Pembroke</figcaption></figure>Some of the best Mediterranean food in town is expanding to the Seaport this fall.What&#x27;s happening: Zo Greek is opening a spot at the corner of Congress Street and Seaport Lane inside the Seaport East building near the Commonwealth Pier, which is under renovations.Why it matters: Zo has the best gyros and dolmadakia anywhere downtown. Legions of Suffolk students, City Hall workers and State House aides still lament the closure of the Center Plaza location.

Dani's Queer Bar opening pushed back

It'll be the first lesbian or femme-focused bar in decades.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dani’s Queer Bar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/03/28/boston-danis-queer-bar-lgbtq" data-vars-content-id="77d4b76a-98d2-4b65-9991-2b371b69e05f" data-vars-headline="Dani&#x27;s Queer Bar opening pushed back" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/03/28/boston-danis-queer-bar-lgbtq" target="_self">Dani’s Queer Bar</a> isn’t opening in June after all, but co-owner Thais Rocha is holding out hope for a debut later this summer.Why it matters: Boston hasn’t had a lesbian or femme-focused bar in decades.

Illustration of a rainbow colored disco ball.

West Broadway's Bar Volpe celebrates summer with an aperitivo hour

Even the olive-phobic should try the $7 olives all'ascolana.

West Broadway&#x27;s Bar Volpe is ringing in the summer with a new aperitivo hour, the Italian tradition of light appetizers and cocktails before dinner.Chef Karen Akunowicz put together a menu of stuzzichini-like fried olives, shrimp and crostini perfect for an after-work happy hour with friends.

Food and Drink 🍽