The 7 best new Boston restaurants of 2023

After a three-year hiatus, James Beard Award-nominated restaurateur Garrett Harker and co. launched a rebooted version of their beloved French-American brasserie in a swanky new spot in October. The menu carries over nostalgic hits like salt cod fritters, skinny French fries, and butterscotch bread pudding, and the marble-clad dining room channels a timeless aesthetic. What’s brand-new is the neighboring Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar, Equal Measure (owned by the same team), which diners can get to from Eastern Standard itself. Most prime-time reservations for October were snapped up just days after the restaurant reopened, underscoring its undeniable local-favorite status.

Bar Vlaha is led by the James Beard Award-winning team behind Mediterranean wine bar Krasi and all about lesser-seen Greek specialities. Its name is an ode to northern Greece’s nomadic Vlach community, which explains its earthy menu, heavy on grilled lamb, goat and sheep milk cheeses, plus a deep wine list featuring many Greek imports. Boston magazine dubbed Vlaha “Brookline’s hottest restaurant” just a few months after it opened its doors in March, and the restaurant’s super niche approach continues to earn it local cred. Bar Vlaha is now also open for brunch and draws weekend crowds for comforting, mountain-inspired food like lamb souvla with fried eggs and pork and fennel sausage in puff pastry.

Comfort Kitchen was one of Boston’s first—and hottest—new openings of 2023, confirmed by its place on The New York Times’s annual best restaurant list and recent Boston magazine award. The cafe-restaurant stands out for its eclectic African diaspora-inspired menu—the jerk-roasted duck leg with rice and Haitian pickled vegetable relish and yassa chicken with cassava dumplings are must-orders. Owners Biplaw Rai and Kwasi Kwaa, who come from Nepal and Ghana respectively, are determined to show that food is the ultimate connector, and that global, noble mission makes Comfort Kitchen one of the most sought-after reservations in the city right now.

Boston’s chicest new tearoom launched in early March and comes from Drink alums Patrick Brewster and Lee Morgan. Its intricately decorated storefront stands out in Faneuil Hall—but rest assured, it’s not just for tourists, judging from some recent Boston Globe love. Silver Dove is locally adored for its fit-for-a-king coronation chicken, cucumber sandwiches, and 30 kinds of loose-leaf tea, which include rare blends from Kyoto and London. Add luscious interiors, made up of brocade wallpaper, rich emerald fabrics, and gold accents for days, and you’ve got one of the most regal escapes in town.

This brasserie landed in the former Gaslight Brasserie du Coin (RIP) space in April and traded its predecessor’s red curtains and dark interiors for an airier, minimalist vibe. Marseille is also responsible for revitalizing Harrison Avenue’s otherwise sleepy dining scene. The sexy new addition was dreamt up by Loic Le Garrec of Petit Robert Bistro and Batifol fame and aces the French seafood test via its namesake city’s most famous dish, bouillabaisse. Not to mention over-the-top pastis cocktails and luxe add-ons like caviar.

The third edition of one of Boston’s best seafood spots opened its Cambridge location in April, bringing pitch-perfect New England classics to a sprawling bi-level space in Kendall Square. Row 34 is led by renowned chef Jeremy Sewall, who is on a quest to serve regional delicacies that haven’t received much attention, like monkfish and jonah crab. The restaurant is one of the neighborhood’s most high-profile spots, turning heads for its roomy outdoor patio and gorgeous aquatic art installations by award-winning muralist Silvia Lopez Chavez.

Taking over one of Boston’s most storied restaurant spaces—one that belonged to chef Todd English’s Mediterranean icon, Olives—is no easy feat. But this glamorous Italian steakhouse stepped up to the challenge. Prima is a velvety, sceney celebration spot and has been perpetually packed since it opened in June. Though the group behind it is best known for neighborhood gems like Waverly Kitchen and Bar and Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant, it stepped away from its comfort zone for this see-and-be-seen restaurant where highlights include a mozzarella bar and parchment paper-wrapped hake with shrimps and clams.