A giant gold dragon (we’d say life-size, but who knows what size dragons are) presides over Mr. H like the ballerina looking over your grandmother’s diamond brooch. Come here with your friends who appreciate the type of bonding that only happens over a rum-heavy Golden Panda Bowl for four. The long bar that slinks through the space is the best seat in the house, for one specific reason: it eventually morphs into a dumpling bar where you can watch dim sum come together with surgical precision.

We can’t believe we’re saying this about a restaurant in the North End, but The Red Fox is kind of sexy. The underground space (look for the handwritten “restaurant” sign and head down the stairs) hidden beneath a financial services office doesn’t feel like any other in the neighborhood. The dark, wood-paneled room is as sultry and louche as a Nick Cave song, so go with a date. The dinner menu is a murderer’s row of Italian classics with a few unexpected twists thrown in.

Amba is a downright dreamy all-day cafe from the people behind Puritan and Co., with tufted pink booths and a string of bar seats along the street-level windows. The Mediterranean-ish menu is extremely shareable, so bring a friend or two to cover the most ground. Start with the silken, garlicky hummus topped with a hearty amount of savory lamb and served with warm housemade pita.

Taking over the whole fifth floor of a building on Lafayette Square, Saigon Babylon has a huge roof deck and a vibey dining room with enormous windows, tons of plants, and chandeliers dangling over mismatched furniture. Beyond the atmosphere, we’re here for dishes like the tender lemongrass beef—rich, barely seared wagyu kissed with a passion fruit sauce and topped with a rice cracker.

How many times have you gone to a casino specifically for the shrimp tempura? We’re guessing zero, unless you’ve checked out Seamark in the big and shiny Encore Boston Harbor in Everett. The restaurant is just to the left of the giant floral Ferris wheel in the lobby, and there’s so much good seafood on the menu—including that super crispy tempura and a spicy shellfish stew that’s a close cousin of cioppino (get some fries to dip in the tomatoey broth).

What do Somaek and the Beetlejuice sequel have in common? We’ve been highly anticipating both for months, and thankfully, Somaek is finally open downtown on Temple Place. The space is spare and serene, with only the woven-looking lamps over the bar to briefly distract you from the excellent Korean food. Bring at least one other person with you and load up on the small plates—special shout-outs to the soothing cold noodles with boiled egg and gochujang and hot steamy mandu filled with pork.

This Portuguese restaurant is in a big space that used to be Area 4 in the South End, filled with comfy yellow booths, netting hanging from the ceiling, and a bar spanning the back wall. It’ll probably be packed when you’re there, but there’s usually a bar seat available, and it’s an excellent place to get down with some incredible seafood dishes.

If you’ve been to this noodle shop’s Cambridge location, you know the drill: long line, short menu, quick service, and deeply delicious bowls of udon served to just 16 diners at a time. It’s mostly the same at their new Seaport spot, but the experience feels a little less rushed, more efficient, and extremely friendly, with all the same delicious noodles. Lunch at the bar is the move here—they’ll take your order when you’re in line if it’s busy.

Somenya is one of the more exciting openings in Chinatown this year—sorry to all the boba spots with more franchises than George Lucas. The noodles on the menu feel like what would happen if there was an official buckwheat chapter of The Avengers: brothy roast duck udon with big hunks of breast and sweetness from yuzu and cold truffle snow crab soba with generous helpings of salmon caviar, just to name a few.

Sure, you could settle for Legal if you’re in the Seaport, but Hook + Line is a step above that and all the overpriced chains that look like glassy boxes in the neighborhood. Don’t get us wrong, the seafood here isn’t cheap, but they really nail the details. The wood-fired grill gives the lobster feast a smoky char, and flaky branzino comes split and covered with crunchy hazelnuts.

Long Bar on the 17th floor of the Raffles in Back Bay has set a new standard for the hotel bar, with great food and ample people-watching. Folks come here dressed up, fresh off seeing The Cher Show at the nearby Wang Theatre, and keep the night going until suddenly it’s last call and they’re singing “If I Could Turn Back Time” with whoever they met at the bar. For us, it’s a bougie guilty pleasure where we can eat razor clams conservas, sip a potent Boston sling, and devour a burger.

On the scale of Applebee's to Super Serious Restaurant With Persimmons On The Menu, Sloane’s falls somewhere comfortably in the middle. If we lived in Allston, we’d be here all the time, having a spicy margarita at the bar next to people we want to be friends with, while working our way through every comforting corner of the menu. Most entrees are around $20, so we appreciate this newer, lower-stakes dinner spot where you can eat fries fancied up with taleggio and garlic butter.

Union Square is where you’ll find some of the city’s best restaurants and quirky cocktail spots (you can catch us at Backbar at least once a week). But the neighborhood’s been missing a place like June Bug that’s a step up from a slice shop, where you can drink a glass of skin contact wine and have a fluffy, expertly charred Neapolitan pizza. The oval bar is where you want to be, rubbing elbows with regulars who live a block away, and finding common ground over spreadable sausage.

The New York City location of this Allston Szechuan spot is an institution, and it’s one of the few transplant restaurants in Boston we’re actually excited about. Their swinging pork belly dish has mandolined strips of meat and cucumber draped over a wooden stand, with the whole thing dangling above a bowl of garlic and chili oil. Once it arrives at your table, it’ll first get your attention for presentation, and then for being your new favorite way to eat pork belly.