2023 Top Massachusetts Bites
Every year, we compile our top NYC restaurant highlights that truly impressed us. Since Sara moved to Boston in 2023 she hit the ground running to try all the best restaurants in Boston and find the best bites including lobster rolls, pizza, Boston cream desserts, and clam chowder. She even went down to the South Shore to immerse herself in bar pizzas! It was a fun year, so here are the top 20 bites we had in Massachusetts.
Top 20 Things We Ate
20. Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes at Bar Prima (Charlestown)
Prima, which opened in 2023, is serving amazing pastas and steak, but it was there brown butter mashed potatoes topped with crème fraîche really wowed us. Check out our review on Prima here.
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes from Prima
19. Clam Chowder at Boston Sail Loft (North End)
Nothing hits quite like a warm cup of clam chowder when visiting New England. If you’re looking for the best one in Boston, you’ll get it from Sail Loft. Watch our review top clam chowder in Boston here.
Clam Chowder from Sail Loft
18. Lobster Pie at The Lobster Pool (Rockport)
Growing up in Connecticut, there is nothing we love more than hitting a good seafood shack in the summer. We stumbled upon this one on the North Shore and couldn’t stop eating their Lobster Pie. If you’re not familiar with Lobster Pie, it’s essentially lobster, lots of butter, and Ritz crackers. Check out our video here!
Lobster Pie from The Lobster Pool
17. Basque Cheesecake at Comfort Kitchen (Dorchester)
This was the only Massachusetts restaurant named on the New York Times 50 Best New Restaurants in America list. We were really impressed by this meal overall, but could have ordered a second cheesecake, and if you haven’t seen it, watch it here.
Basque Cheesecake from Comfort Kitchen
16. The Million Dollar Baked Potato at Abe & Louie’s (Back Bay)
We LOVE a classic steakhouse dinner. We found Abe & Louie’s to be great, besides their burger, but this potato was the standout. It comes topped with smoked-sturgeon crème fraîche and a mound of Kaluga caviar. Video review
The Million Dollar Baked Potato from Abe & Louie’s
15. Lobster Roll at Row 34 (Seaport)
Lobster Rolls are very important and necessary during the summer, especially in New England. This year we found the top lobster rolls in Boston and this was the best. Watch the roundup here.
Lobster Roll from Row 34
7. Mozzarella Sticks at Faccia a Faccia (Back Bay)
I mean, who wouldn’t love mozzarella sticks topped with caviar?!?!
Mozzarella Sticks from Faccia a Faccia
13. Cheese Pizza at Ernesto’s Pizza (North End)
It’s no secret the best pizza comes from New York and Connecticut, but we did try to sniff out the best of the best pizza in the Boston area. Ernesto’s in the North End was our winner. Check out the full list here.
Cheese pizza from Ernesto’s Pizza
Lobster donut from FIN
11. Orecchiette at Bar Mezzana (South End)
We LOVE Bar Mezzana. They are serving amazing Italian dishes and surprisingly usually have a table available. If you dine here, don’t skip this dish.
Orecchiette from Bar Mezzana
10. Lobster Risotto at SRV (South End)
SRV is one of our favorite restaurants in Boston. It’s really hard to narrow down our favorite dish from here, but this giant plate of lobster risotto never misses.
Lobster Risotto from SRV
9. Lumache Bolognese at Pammy’s (Cambridge)
Pammy’s may be a top 5 restaurant in Massachusetts for us. It’s a “choose your own adventure” tasting menu for $79 per person. We loved every dish we tried, but the best was this lumache bolognese with gochujang. Watch our full video from our tasting menu here.
Lumache from Pammy’s
Olive Oil Cake from Gufo
Carpaccio from June Bug
6. Lamb BLT Lettuce Wraps at Little Donkey (Cambridge)
We could eat at Little Donkey once a week. Everything here slaps, from their burger, to their cacio e pepe ramen, but the lamb blt lettuce wraps are so delightfully unique. Watch our full video on their brunch here.
Lamb BLT lettuce wraps from Little Donkey
5. Uni Sandwich at Toro (South End)
An uni sandwich, grilled with miso butter…. c’mon that’s insane. This sandwich is something we never knew we needed. It’s like a warm uni panini. The perfect balance of salty and carbs!
Uni sandwich from Toro
4. Monkfish Liver at Sushi Sang Lee (Gloucester)
As you know, we love a good omakase. This one tucked away in a wine store on the North Shore really blew us away. We love that they’re using a lot of locally caught fish, as well as fish from Japan. This local Gloucester monkfish liver will melt in your mouth. Check out our entire experience here.
Monkfish liver from Sushi Sang Lee
3. Soppressata Pizza at Coppa Enoteca (South End)
Boston has so many restaurants coming up with creative and unique pizzas, we had to round up our favorites. These are your fancier pies as opposed to a classic cheese and red sauce one. Check out our list here… our favorite it this soppressata pizza found at Coppa.
Soppressata pizza from Coppa Enoteca
2. Mortadella Tarts at Puritan & Company (Cambridge)
We didn’t do the tasting menu when we dined at Puritan & Co., but we loved everything we ordered a la carte. Specifically these mortadella tarts!
Mortadella tarts from Puritan & Company
1. Wienerschnitzel at Eastern Standard (Kenmore Square)
This iconic Boston restaurant reopened this year, after closing due to Covid. They kept some of their beloved classics on the menu and added some new fun dishes. We couldn’t stop eating this wienerschnitzel. It was the perfect thickness and perfectly crispy. Check out our review here if you want to watch us taking bone marrow shots!
Wienerschnitzel from Eastern Standard
