New England’s busiest city has got more than clam chowder and Dunkin’ Donuts for fall visitors. Here are the eateries that have Sox fans chomping at the bit:
Bar Mezzana
Launched in June by alums of star chef Barbara Lynch’s Italian empire here, this South End spot focuses on coastal Italian food and drink — seafood crudo here, spritzes there — all served in a light-filled sapphire blue-tinged space whose aesthetic calls to mind nothing so much as Portofino and Positano (617-530-1770).
Juliet
A meaty sammy at Juliet.Brian Samuels PhotographyA six-month-old Somerville dining destination, just north of Cambridge, Juliet made Bon Appetit’s long list of 2016’s best new restaurants (617-718-0958). Lauded for the “energetic, personal cooking” of its ever-changing, three- or –five-course price-fixed dinners, they are served Thursday to Saturday (or get dishes a la carte at the open kitchen’s bar, or daily breakfast and lunch). The food is inspired by sources far and wide.
Little Donkey
Stick it to the ramen.Andrea MerrillGlobe-trotting tapas trot across the menu at this latest outing — opened since July in Cambridge — from chef and restaurateur Ken Oringer, best known for the strictly Spanish small plates of Toro and the pan-Asian, six-month-old Uni (617-945-1008). Come for lamb bacon lettuce wraps and matzo ball ramen, stay for the chocolate chip cookie dough, sweetly served on the end of an electric mixer’s beater.
Porto
A mixologist readies a cocktail.Ken RivardThose mourning the loss of James Beard Award-winning Boston chef Jody Adams’ just-closed Rialto will find her sailing through Southern European waters at this weeks-old downtown joint, turning out inventive Mediterranean-inspired recipes from seafood sourced around New England (617-536-1234). Be sure to start your meal with the monthly seasonal cocktail, prepared tableside.
Yvonne’s
A citrine boothing option at Yvonne’s. Eric LevinStill booked solid weeks in advance for weekend dinners a year after opening, this see-and-be-seen, speakeasy-style spot, hidden behind an ersatz beauty shop downtown, feels as much like a private gentleman’s club as a restaurant (617-267-0047). The flavor-packed international small plates are almost less the point than the scenery: cheeky mock-heroic portraits of Bill Murray and Christopher Walken, lovingly lit library shelves, crystal chandeliers, button-tufted round banquettes and beautiful people included.



