Boston Restaurant and Bar Openings to Know, May 2024

This periodic column highlights notable restaurant openings in and around Boston. Catch up on more news about Boston restaurant openings right here.

Know of a new or soon-to-open restaurant that should be on Eater Boston’s radar? Get in touch here.

BACK BAY — Italian restaurant La Padrona, from the team behind Trade, Porto, and the fast-casual Saloniki shops, made a glittering debut at luxury hotel Raffles this month.

BRIGHTON — Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs — the gang’s all here at Day & Night, a very fun, nostalgia-inducing cereal dessert bar with bowls and cereal shakes that just landed in Boston.

BROOKLINE — Japanese ramen chain Kyuramen has opened its first Boston-area location right on Beacon Street in Brookline.

CENTRAL SQUARE — Award-winning chefs Monica Glass and Ken Oringer teamed up to open Verveine Cafe, a gluten-free bakery with a gotta-try-’em-all menu of breads, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and more.

CENTRAL SQUARE — While you’re in the neighborhood, head to boutique hotel Sonder 907 Main to check out the buzzy new spots that took over after the Dial and the Blue Owl closed down this past winter. On the ground floor, the team behind Central Square Italian restaurant Viale has opened a summer-ready neighborhood hangout called Althea that makes excellent use of a smoker and a sunny backyard patio. On the fifth floor, the team behind sought-after Vietnamese spots Cicada Coffee Bar and the Eaves has opened Saigon Babylon, a breezy rooftop bar and restaurant that is already booking up fast.

DEDHAM — Fans of Forage in Cambridge will be excited to know that the team is expanding on their talents with the launch of Few & Far, a new spot in Dedham Square with a similar farm-to-table, seasonal New England ethos.

DOWNTOWN BOSTON — Noble Castella, a new Japanese bakery featuring its namesake sponge cakes, cupcakes, tarts, and more, is now open inside downtown Boston food hall High Street Place.

EAST BOSTON — The rooftop at Cunard Tavern has been transformed into the Layover, a vacation-ready tropical bar with rum-soaked cocktails, snacks like crab rangoons and duck spring rolls, and beautiful views.

FENWAY — Spring Shanghai Pan-Fried Buns, a new spot selling delicious, crispy-bottomed sheng jian bao, has joined the mini restaurant row on Peterborough Street in Fenway.

FORT POINT — Crowd-favorite Boston brewery Trillium has added a swanky new listening bar, Headroom Hi-Fi Lounge, to its Fort Point outpost. There’s a range of cocktails featuring spirits from Trillium’s own distillery, plus latkes, tinned fish from Island Creek Oysters, and more to munch on.

FORT POINT — Chef Jason Santos’ Citrus & Salt got a glow-up when it moved from Back Bay to its current, larger location in Fort Point. The new and improved version includes a big outdoor patio, a private Patron room decorated with jewel-studded tequila bottles, and gorgeous floral arrangements bursting from just about every corner of the dining room.

KENDALL SQUARE — Mestizo, a new Mexican restaurant focused on Oaxacan food, has opened its doors in Cambridge. There’s aguachile, ceviche, chorizo-stuffed tetelas, roasted chicken blanketed in an excellent Oaxacan mole negro, and an extensive margarita and mezcal cocktail list.

PORTER SQUARE — The Boston-area bakery scene just keeps getting better: Mahalab, a Mediterranean bakery that was a regular sight at local farmer’s markets for years, just opened a permanent location in Cambridge’s Porter Square.

SOUTH BOSTON — Grab a group and go hang out at Small Victories, the new, not-so-small whiskey bar and restaurant from the beloved team behind the Quiet Few in East Boston.

UNION SQUARE — Somerville’s Bow Market has completed work on the Bow Market Extension, which means that Venezuelan favorite Carolicious Gourmet, run by Carolína Salinas and Carolina García, as well as a larger location of Mike & Patty’s and Hot Box, are now open inside the brand-new extension area.