21 Best Restaurants in Boston

What's the story behind this restaurant?
Chef Karen Akunowicz faced high stakes when she opened Fox & the Knife this year. Not only was she a popular "Top Chef" contestant in 2015, but she received a James Beard Foundation Award in 2018 for her work at Myers + Chang. Luckily, her cozy, refined Italian restaurant in South Boston is a smash hit. Inspired by her time spent in Modena, Italy, the menu offers subtle takes on classic Emilia Romagna cuisine.

What's the crowd like?
Boston restaurant-goers who call weeks in advance to book reservations: It's one of the toughest tables in town at the moment.

How are the drinks?
It's all about the aperitivo here; there's a great list of bitter Italian cocktails and a few irresistible twists on the classic spritz.

And the food? Take us through the menu highlights.
Handmade pastas. Oven-warm focaccia dripping with fragrant olive oil. Crusty bread served with luxurious globs of housemade ricotta. This is an expression of Italian cuisine as fine as you'll find anywhere in Boston, but with modern twists that emphasize freshness, bracing flavors and bright acidity. A bowl of house-made trofie pasta comes with a pistachio pesto, feta, and ribbons of shredded mint leaves—and you'll be reaching for more bread to mop up your bowl when you're done.

And how's the service?
It's not uncommon to see Akunowicz making the rounds during dinner service, perhaps even bussing a table or two. The level of humility and warmth here makes the restaurant feel like a fabulous dinner party—not a hotspot where you need to book weeks in advance.

So why would you recommend Fox & The Knife?
Come here to enjoy distinctly Northern Italian cuisine—and a distinctly Boston success story.