Dining in Boston: The Restaurant Critics’ Choices

Choosing among Boston’s many fine restaurants can be a daunting task, so we asked for suggestions from the Boston Globe’s restaurant critics—Alison Arnett, Amy Graves and Sheryl Julian.

NORTH END

Sage • 69 Prince St. 617-248-8814. Anthony Susi’s delicately rich French and Italian cuisine is getting national attention. A congenial staff makes this small restaurant welcoming, but the room can be clamorous when full. $18-$28. Closed Sunday. Reservations.

Carmen • 33 North Square. 617-742-6421. With only thirty seats, this North End newcomer is cozy and inviting, but don’t hold your breath waiting for a table. Consulting chef Bill Bradley turns out crespelli in bolognese to die for. The menu varies with what’s at the market. $15-$21. Reservations recommended. Cash or American Express.

SOUTH END

Café Umbra • 1395 Washington St., 617-867-0707. Chef/owner Laura Brennan’s new place has dishes to savor and a friendly feel to it. It may be the most likable place in the newly chic Washington Street lineup. $18-$25. Reservations suggested. Sunday brunch. Valet parking Thursday-Saturday.

Franklin Café • 278 Shawmut Ave. 617-350-0010. It’s too loud and the wait is impossibly long. But once you get a table, the sophisticated, hearty American food will make you forget. Gets louder late. $11-$17. Food until 1:30 am. No reservations.

BACK BAY

Clio • Eliot Hotel, 370A Massachusetts. Ave. 617-536-7200. So his portions are petite. Still, Clio’s chef Kenneth Oringer is a true talent, creating fascinating food. A new sashimi bar offers raw delicacies one morsel at a time. Wait staff is purringly professional. $28-$36; sashimi bar $15-$27. Reservations. Valet parking.

Davio’s • 75 Arlington St. 617-357-4810; Also 5 Cambridge Pkwy., Cambridge. 617-661-4818. This longtime Northern Italian eatery has hearty dishes and, at new bigger digs in Park Square, wood-fire pizzas and a separate bar. $15-$29. Valet parking.

Jacob Wirth’s • 31-37 Stuart St., 617-338-8586. At this 137-year-old landmark, we were floored by a velvety carrot-ginger soup that even a vegan could love. Chef Phylis Phyllis Kaplowitz built a contemporary addition onto the blood-and-schnitzel menu that includes salmon, brie, sun-dried tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Beer and sausage are still mainstays at this friendly place. Popular oldies sing-along Friday nights. $12-$32. Reservations recommended.

Legal Sea Foods • 26 Park Square. 617-426-4444. Other locations in Boston, Cambridge, South Shore Plaza, North Shore Mall, Chestnut Hill, Natick, Burlington and other states. From a takeout fish store in Inman Square, Legal has multiplied and spread out of state, all the while stressing very fresh fish. These restaurants are great places for out-of-towners who seek oysters, lobster, and cod. There are a variety of seafood preparations, good wine lists, and non-seafood selections. No reservations. $15-$40. Validated parking after 5 p.m.

BEACON HILL

Beacon Hill Bistro • 25 Charles St. 617-723-1133. This restaurant has an understated elegance in both appearance and food. A French influence predominates, with clear flavors and simple presentation. And the prices are reasonable. $16.50-$22. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner served. Reservations preferred.

No. 9 Park • 9 Park St. 617-742-9991. Barbara Lynch’s homegrown talent continues to astonish. Her crispy duck, the silken pastas, and her way with breads and vegetables make all of us believers. No wonder the State House powerbrokers beat a path to her door. $27-$38. Reservations recommended. Closed Sunday Valet parking.

CHINATOWN

Chau Chow City • 83 Essex St. 617-338-8158. Three floors, noisy, crowded, and gaudy, this place has stolen the mantle from China Pearl as the dim sum palace. There’s a full menu from all over China but the crowds come to choose shrimp and pork dumplings, clams in garlic sauce, steamed buns with red beans, and other delicacies from the roving steam-table carts. $8-$16; dim sum, $2-$6. Reservations on weekends for big parties. Open 365 days a year.

East Ocean City • 27 Beach St., 617-542-2504. A top-notch destination for both Chinese and great seafood. Vast array of fish and shellfish can be chosen, still alive, from in-house tanks. Hard to go wrong with their specials or Peking duck. $9.50-$10.50. Reservations for six or more.

CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge, 1 • 27 Church St. 617-576-1111. You can opt for “pizza” or “not pizza” at this sociable Harvard Square pub where the vibe hovers between industrial and snug. The grilled pizzas have cracker-thin crusts and inventive toppings like a combo of portobellos, roasted onions, and asiago cheese, while the simpler “not pizzas” include bruschetta and several salads. Moderately noisy. $11-$14. Open nightly until 1 a.m.

Upstairs on the Square • 91 Winthrop St., Harvard Square. 617-864-1933. Two dramatic dining rooms, each with star chefs, Susan Regis and Amanda Lydon, make this redo of the beloved UpStairs at the Pudding an exciting place. There are fireplaces and a club atmosphere downstairs where Regis’s menu is served, and electric pink walls in the pricier dining room upstairs, where Lydon does the cooking. Reservations for lunch and dinner. $11-$39.