Cottonwood cafe & restaurant offers award winning margaritas, three-season patio, and a fresh approach to Southwest cuisine!

FiRE + iCE allows guests to personally select ingredients and sauces and create their own meal.
You can suggest your favorite selections to the chefs behind the grill and supervise as your food is prepared! If your children want chicken, and only chicken, they can have much as they want without breaking the bank. Children under two eat free; those ages two to seven are fed for $6.95 and ages eight to 12 are $9.95. Adult prices are reasonable, too: Mon-Fri lunch $7.95 one trip, $9.95 unlimited; Sat lunch $9.95 unlimited; Sun Brunch $13.95 unlimited; and every night dinner $16.95 unlimited. High chairs and booster seats are on hand, and a changing table is available in the restroom. The restaurant is vegetarian-friendly.

Rattlesnake is one of the only roof-top bars in Backbay. Serving up drinks and food on three different levels (including a second level pool area), Rattlesnake has a little bit of "scene" for everyone. The first level is crowded- with after-work drinkers. In the summer, the floodgates are open and people pile in to get a spot on the covetted spot on the deck. The menu features grilled pizzetas, burgers, and sandwiches (all of the south of the border influence. Link to the Dinner Menu

SkipJack's is the lastest addition to the "best seafood restaurant" race in Boston. Okay, so it's more that 16 years old (a "teenager"). It's named after a high-quality Pacific tuna that is rumored to be one strong fish. The atmosphere is a combination of wooden ship with traces of the sea by smooth metal lines and sea color tiles. Enough about the atmosphere, the seafood is f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s. They offer a wide variety of seafood, and some yummy sushi for the adventurous. If (when) you fall in love, ask about their customer loyalty and rewards program! Kid friendly / Kids menu. In a bit of an odd location, but away from the hoards of restaurants, wait periods are shorter or non-existent. They have other locations in the 'burbs, including Newton. SkipJack's is a go-to for seafood. Insider tip: 2 hour free parking with validation.

Visit their website for online reservations. This is a small restaurant on Newbury Street offering up cocktails and menu items that are contemporary American. Prices range from $6-$15 for appetizers and $15-$30 for entrees. In the summer, there is a patio that holds up to 30 people. For $29, there is a prix fixe menu (Sunday through Wednesday). The regular menu highlights include a prosciutto/fig/arugula pizza and porchini ravioli. There is a bar crowd that is mostly neighborhood regulars.

STANHOPE GRILL opened four years ago at the former site of the Boston Police Headquarters in Back Bay at the corner of Stuart and Berkeley Streets. Stephen Johnston is the General Manager and has done a wonderful job running 223 superior and deluxe guest rooms plus two executive suites and an elaborate Presidential Suite. Young Bostonians are drawn to the CUFFS bar on the lower level, before entering the main dining room, The Stanhope Grill. I1 BARISTA is a bar-lounge on the main floor.

This restaurant and bar is located inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Oak Room is a regal, comfortably elegant restaurant that offers a traditional steakhouse menu with a distinctive twist. The Oak Room is adorned with gold, maroon and green fabrics and draperies that complement the dark wood paneling and mirrored walls. Cameos and lacunaria accent the intricate white plasterwork that details the 30-foot-high ceiling and twin Waterford crystal chandeliers illuminate the room.

The Oak Bar has been recently restored and is reminiscent of a British Officer's Club in the Orient. The same dark wood paneling and mirrors that flank the Oak Room are offset in the Oak Bar by smooth marble. Heraldry symbols decorate the ornately gilded and painted coffered ceiling. The furniture and décor create an inviting atmosphere to enjoy a relaxing drink or close a business deal. The dress code is business casual, but after 6pm, no shorts, cut out or tank top T-shirts, hats and sport sandals.

Need to impress a client? Meeting the girlfriends parents for the first time? Just got a raise or want to pop the question? Head on over to Grill 23 and do not forget to bring the black card. Fantastic room and fun but not crazy atmosphere. Dark wood and gas lights. Marble bathrooms with 1000 thread count water basin napkins. Great bread basket and great service. Kind of neat to watch them reset tables - the person that does it is almost like a magician in his own way! Grab a few drinks at Cuffs across the street, then stroll in here for a fine steak. Seriously, just get the steak even if the menu offers seafood. It's the steak you want. Did I mention the steak? Grill23 & Bar offers a dynamic weekly menu. Visit the website to learn more about its history and the special events! From juicy porterhouses to lobster thermidor, there menu is inclusive and trustworthy. Try the truffle mac and cheese. In a town like Boston where the steakhouse market has become increasingly crowded with new additions like Boston Meat Market, K O Prime, and Mooo, Grill 23 stands the test of time by holding true to the traditions that were instilled when it opened almost 25 years ago. Grill 23 & Bar proudly offers a 900+ bottle wine list that encompasses wines from around the world and is the recipient Wine Spectator’s Best of-Award of Excellence since 2002.

At this Boston Mediterranean Restuarant, located in the heart of the Back Bay, lives the soul of authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Vlora, named after Chef/Owner Aldo Velaj’s hometown in Albania, opened to the public in Fall 2007. With a menu brimming with old family recipes and unique versions of traditional favorites, Vlora embraces the true Mediterranean lifestyle. The dishes reflect the age-old adage of “eat better and live better.” Believing that food should taste like food, the natural tastes and flavors of the freshest ingredients are enhanced primarily with olive oil and fresh herbs. With an emphasis on freshness and a minimalist cooking style, the naturally healthy menu covers tastes from the Northern Mediterranean region encompassing Southern Italy, Greece, and Albania. The menu and wine list are an extension of the flavors and dishes served in Aldo’s own home, including exclusive hand-picked wines and lovingly prepared signature dishes that are unmatched in the city. The entire restaurant was designed by Aldo to emulate the warm and inviting environment that one would feel in Vlora, Albania. Located below the bustling streets of Boylston, this subterranean space complete with private outdoor patio offers guests a unique atmosphere commonly found in parts of Europe. From the antique wooden door, to the custom-designed water wall that greets you upon entry, Vlora makes guests feel a welcoming sense of escape from the busy Back Bay. Fresh reviving colors and customized lighting set the tone while captivating artwork and sleek furniture evoke an atmosphere that is warm, inviting and hip. The menu features a diverse variety of options of both original and authentic mediterranean food, fitting for all palates and lifestyles including carnivorous, vegetarian and vegan options. The food is prepared using the freshest possible ingredients and authentic minimalist cooking techniques that primarily rely on olive oil, fresh herbs, and the natural tastes and flavors of the ingredient being prepared. Vlora’s signature dishes include watermelon-feta, lemon potatoes, arancini siciliani, barbounia and fork-tender grilled octopus. From authentic Albanian Tava and home-made potato gnocchi, to trio of phyllo pies and vegetarian Pasticcio, Vlora’s menu can satisfy a very diverse set of lifestyles. This family friendly Mediterranean dining restaurant offers a variety of “On the Side” items and smaller hot and cold dishes, all for diners to share. With plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, no diners will feel left out at Vlora. Thanksgiving Menu
Three Courses – Prix Fixe $28.95
(This offer cannot be combined with other promotional offers.) First Course
Apple Butternut Squash Soup or
Greek Peasant Salad
Second Course
Traditional Roast Turkey with Bacon and Sage Stuffing, Baked Sweet Potato topped with Mallow and Brown Sugar Crust, Sauteed Local Green Beans and Cranberry-Orange Relish or
North Atlantic Salmon with Lemon Potatoes, Green Beans and Lobster Reduction
*Vegetarian options available, upon request Third Course
Old Fashioned Homemade Pumpkin Pie with Freshly Whipped Cream or
Traditional Fresh Apple Crisp with Vanilla Crisp Night Cap
Hot Mulled Apple Cider
For Reservations, call 617.638.9699

The Parish Cafe is like the Norton Anthology of Boston's culinary cosmos. The list of culinary contributors reads like a Who's Who of Boston chefs: Todd English (Olives), Jody Adams (Rialto), Lydia Shire (Excelsior—formerly Biba) and other big stars descend from their constellations to endow the menu with incredible specialty sandwiches ($9-20) which do marvelous things with chicken, portabello, lobster, brioche, focaccia. The best bartenders in the scene also contribute towards a highly creative martini menu ($5.75-7.50). The Parish Cafe was voted the best purveyor of sandwiches 4 years in a row, and the Unofficial Guide heartily concurs. They also offer a beer card program in which you must taste all of their offered beers to earn a prized mug engraved with anything you like. This section contains information from Harvard Student Agencies' Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard.