Boston Globe’s Best of the Best Dorchester Winners

BOSTON, MA, July 9, 2025 — The Boston Globe today released its Best of the Best 2025, its annual list of Boston’s best dining, shopping, and entertainment. This year’s list identifies the best Greater Boston has to offer across 28 categories, including sandwich shops, record stores, ice cream, seafood, nightlife, breweries, and more.  Here are the winners from Dorchester!

Best Sandwich – Ba Lẹ

Ask any bánh mì aficionado which place makes their favorite sandwich and you are likely to hear about this shop, which also sells Vietnamese prepared foods and smoothies. Ba Lẹ has been making stellar bánh mì in Dorchester for decades. The key is the bread: crusty, baguette-like rolls baked daily. The team behind the counter slathers them with house-made mayo and layers on grilled meats, pâté, and pickled vegetables at warp speed; the inevitable lunch line moves swiftly. Other locations in Malden and Quincy. balebanhmiboston.com

Best Neighborhood Restaurants

Comfort Kitchen 

In a former comfort station (a.k.a. public bathroom) in Dorchester, Comfort Kitchen explores and expands upon the African diaspora through dishes and drinks. Plates such as brown butter okra, jerk jackfruit sliders, and goat ragu with cassava gnudi trace maritime spice routes, bringing together cultural influences and the personal stories of its chefs and owners. They’re also just flat-out delicious.

Restaurante Cesaria

Given our server’s rapturous description of the stewed goat with yucca, we were sad it wasn’t available when we visited this Cape Verdean gem. But the katchupada, a creamy, comforting bowl of hominy, beans, collard greens, and pork, lifted our spirits, as did the grilled octopus in a tangy vinaigrette and a whole branzino with salty, crackling skin. Live music on the weekends, a fruit-forward cocktail list — and goat! — add to the many reasons we’ll be back.

Best Brewery – Dorchester Brewing

An indoor-outdoor greenhouse/roof deck with a view of the Boston skyline is the main attraction here, but don’t be fooled into thinking the Dorchester Brewing Co. doesn’t also make some seriously delicious beer. New Moon is the wheat beer you’ll want to drink under the sun, but the must-try brew here is Cobblestone, a Boston dry stout that’s relatively low in alcohol and meant for a relaxed afternoon of kicking back.

Best Things to Do – JFK Library and Museum

More than six decades have elapsed since Massachusetts sent one of its own to the White House, but those glory years of energy, hope, and limitless possibility still burn brightly at the Kennedy Library and Museum. Relive the launch of the Peace Corps and space program, chat about glamorous state events, see the stark challenges of Cold War diplomacy, and watch Kennedy’s mesmerizing command of the television medium.

Best Coffee Shop – Flat Black Coffee

Everything about this Dorchester gem screams “serious coffee”: the industrial-sized grinder near the counter, the giant tubs of beans stacked behind it, the sign noting that it “nano-roasts” everything onsite. In addition to beans from around the world, Flat Black sells gourmet spices and a variety of French presses and frothers. Oh, and lattes, flat whites, and other strong yet smooth – and life-affirming – espresso drinks.

Best Ice Cream – The Ice Creamsmith

Summer nights in Dorchester’s Lower Mills neighborhood wouldn’t be complete without the smell of The Ice Creamsmith’s sweet treats wafting in the air. Featuring store-baked cookies, ice cream cakes and pies, and of course delicious scoops and sundaes, it’s no wonder the lines can get long at this nearly 50-year-old neighborhood spot. Locals return for flavors such as banana, which includes banana chunks, and the classic maple walnut.

Best Burger – Bred

Don’t let the name fool you. The stars of the show at this gourmet burger shop are not the buns (though they are excellent) but the thick, juicy, smoked patties in the middle. And yes, they were brought up right: they’re prime, grass-fed beef. Consider the Maui, topped with pineapple, a fat slice of ham, fried onions, spicy pepper jack, plantains, and barbecue sauce. Or perhaps you prefer two patties and smoked pork belly, onion jam, cheddar and gouda and housemade aioli. Why wouldn’t you? There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing here.  Learn more about Bred here. 

Best cheap eats: 19 places to grab a bite for $20 or less

M+ M

Maurice and Marion Hill (they’re the M&Ms) started the family barbecue business in 1982, but their grandson Geo Lambert took over and took it to new heights with his food truck, catering business, and, since 2020, his restaurant inside Dorchester Brewing Co. The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork are justifiably famous – and make their way into towering sandwiches like the Geneva Ave (brisket, pickled onions, smoked cheese sauce) and Columbia Rd (pulled pork, crushed red peppers, pickled red cabbage). But don’t ignore the mac and cheese, barbecue baked beans, and other sides. Salads and a plant-based chicken sandwich are on the menu, too.

Shanti

Savin Hill boasts some great restaurants, and one of the oldest spots in this close-knit Dorchester neighborhood is this cozy and serene eatery that has been serving reasonably priced Indian and Bangladeshi fare for more than 25 years now. The space — much like its other location in Roslindale — has an intimate old-world feel, making for a great date-night experience where diners can choose from outstanding takes on aromatic biryani, red-hot vindaloo, and smoky tandoori chicken, in what could be one of the quietest restaurant spaces in all of Boston.  Learn

Best Things to Do with Kids

Chez Vous

While other rinks have closed their doors, Chez-Vous has remained a constant in Dorchester for roller skaters of all ages. Skate to music spun by DJs, take a lesson if you need it, and refuel with a casual menu that includes pizza, burgers, and wings. With a history going back to the 1930s, Chez-Vous is a beloved local institution that’s worth a visit.

Franklin Park Zoo

From the tranquil Butterfly Hollow to the popular Gorilla Grove, the Franklin Park Zoo’s 72 acres are filled with amazing animals — and memorable experiences. A playground, carousel, and other attractions keep the fun going. Feed the family at the Farmhouse Cafe, or better yet, feed a parakeet at the Aussie Aviary.

Best Seafood

The Pearl

The vibes and cocktails alone make The Pearl a fun evening out… but the oysters? Yes, they have the traditional briny darlings, but Malik’s Chargrilled Oysters are what keeps us coming back. NOLA does it best, but The Pearl’s grilled oysters blanketed in spinach, garlic butter, and Parmesan cheese make us sing. Another location is in Brighton.

Shaking Seafood

The great Louisiana crawfish boil is one of America’s best and most fun dining customs. But the tiny crustacean is a rare find up north. Shaking Seafood fills the void. For best results, invite some friends over. Set up a folding table. Cover it with newspapers. Order a spicy boil bag of your choice – any combination of crawfish, crab legs, lobster, mussels – with corn and other extras (always get the garlic noodles). Beeline it home. Dump the bag on the table. Descend on it like wolves. And revel in the communal dining experience. Don’t bother with a napkin. And whatever you do, don’t touch your eyes. (There are also Shaking Seafood restaurants in Dorchester and Newton.)

Best Breakfast – Milkweed

Milkweed is Mission Hill’s down home treasure, and now it’s in Dorchester too. This is the kind of food cooked by moms who store family recipes in their souls. A little boy loves Lucky Charms and wants them in his pancakes? Done. Elevated Hamburger Helper in the form of a sirloin mac and cheese? You got it. From breakfast to dinner, Milkweed keeps bellies full. Save a little room for Holly’s Love Muffins.  There’s also a new Milkweed in Dorchester! 

Best Bookstore – Just Book-ish

It’s easy to spend an afternoon in the cushioned window nooks at this Dorchester bookshop cafe, the brainchild of former Boston poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola. Its collection — a curated hodgepodge of fiction, philosophy, and children’s books — is a celebration of writers of color whose work “challenges political paradigms.” Not in the mood to read? Swing by for a poetry open mic that goes well into the evening.  You can learn more here. 

Games and More – Boston Bowl

There aren’t many places in Boston that stay open until 2 a.m. (Thursdays through Saturdays, anyway). And there are even fewer that do so while providing 14 candlepin bowling lanes and 30 for tenpin, 14 pool tables, a 46-game arcade, and two outdoor batting cages. Add in a private adults-only lounge with its own lanes, and a brewpub serving chicken and waffles and loaded tater tots and you have a truly one-of-a-kind spot in our city that usually sleeps.  Learn more here. 

Best Movie Theater – AMC South Bay

As close as you can get to the mall theater experience in Boston, as it’s smack dab in the middle of a busy shopping center in Dorchester. Easily accessible by bus, this theater seems especially favored by a younger, boisterous crowd — exactly what you’d expect from the multiplex experience, and perfect for a rollicking summer blockbuster. Do all your shopping and then reward yourself with an IMAX movie or a Dolby theater screening (complete with reclining chairs). amctheatres.com