Hammersly's
553 tremont street. gordon hammersly is a boston legend, and so is his signature roast chicken. upscale, comfortable bar and restaurant serving honest food.
Circle
604 columbus ave, +1 617-247-2537. romantic lounge-aurant featuring contemporary french cuisine. chef malcom aalders had a former rialto chef consult with him to create the menu. a carefully selected beer list is available. they spin jazz music in the background and plan to bring live music, as had the establishment that previously occupied this space: bob's southern bistro.
Union Bar & Grille
Good food done great. Impeccable service and drinks all at a fair price. The bar and restaurant fill up fairly quickly with local residents as well as out-of-town visitors. Brunch is great and inexpensive with a $9.95 prix fixe menu all day Saturday and from 10AM until 11AM on Sunday.
Emilio's
536 tremont street. traditional italian deli, great place to grab a sandwich or a slice. cheap eats in the upper south end.
The Butcher Shop,
552 tremont street. this is a new wine bar/french and italian bistro, part of the no. 9 group of boston restaurants with no. 9 park and b&g oysters serving fresh cuts of premium meat, a healthy variety of cheese, a wide and well-stocked selection of wines, and several house specialties.
Addis Red Sea
544 tremont street. cheap and tasty ethiopian food.
Picco
pizza and ice cream company, 513 tremont street., 617-927-0066, (http://www.piccorestaurant.com). gourmet pizza, calzones and ice cream. great soup and sandwiches also on the menu.
Appleton Bakery Cafe
123 appleton street, (http://www.appletonbakery.com). a great place to have lunch. the menu has variety of imaginative and delicious sandwiches as well as several prepared dishes changing daily. appleton also brews very good coffee and caries an eclectic selection of chocolates and snack foods. there is a moderate amount of seating.
Sibling Rivalry
525 tremont street. brother-chefs david and robert kinkead duel with culinary weaponry, melding an "iron chef" concept with a beautiful interior, healthy portions, a lively bar and a knowledgeable, friendly staff.
Franklin Cafe
276 shawmut avenue. this place is very small and quickly gets crowded but it has great food and drinks. one of the only late-night serves food until 1:45am restaurants nearby.
Rachel's Kitchen
12 church street, bay village, (http://www.rachelskitchen...). rachel's is open m-sa for breakfast and lunch. everything is prepared to order with an emphasis on freshness and quality. the place is tiny, seating only about 12 people comfortably.
Estragon
Spanish tapas restaurant. Unlike other tapas places in the Boston area, which tend to do Spanish fusion cooking, the tapas on the menu here are exactly what you would expect from a taperia in Spain.
DeLux
100 chandler st. a cute south end hangout right off of clarendon st. the drinks are fairly cheap, the atmosphere is cozy and the food is delicious.
The last several years have seen a resurgence of new restaurants in the South End, particularly on Tremont and Washington streets. South End dining tends to be fairly expensive, especially towards the north side of it, near Union Park Street.
Thai Village
592 tremont st. this place is okay but there are definitely better thai restaurants around boston. try chili duck near the prudential center. the food here tends to be slightly overpriced, but it is a lot cheaper than some of the neighboring south end restaurants.
Stella
1525 washington street. stella is a modern, elegant italian restaurant, great bar, pricey but food is well-worth it. they have a late-night menu and several specialty cocktails.
Francesca's,
564 tremont street. francesca's is a great place to grab some coffee and a muffin or to sit down for a sandwich or breakfast. they have a limited but tasty and cheap menu. the best part is definitely friendly wait staff.
Aquitaine
569 tremont street, +1 617-424-8577, (http://www.aquitaineboston.com). a french bistro with great dinner and weekend brunch. dinner will run about $120 with tax and tip. brunch is a very affordable $15 a person. small and slightly cramped, they do take reservations for dinner and brunch. saturday brunch is prix fixe at $9.95.