These 5 New England restaurants make best 50 list from NYT

Boston and New England restaurants showed up and out on a list of the 50 best restaurants in the country, according to The New York Times.

A total of five restaurants across three New England states made the cut and showcased the region’s seafood, Italian, and Irish cuisine. 

Two restaurants from Boston were recognized, as well as two from Maine and one from Connecticut. Noticeably missing from this culinary list are restaurants from Rhode Island, which received a nod last year for Gift Horse in Providence, as well as Vermont and New Hampshire.

The New England restaurants named to NYT’s 50 best list this year include:

• Haring’s, a seafood shack in Noank, Connecticut
• La Padrona, Jody Adams’ Italian restaurant at 38 Trinity Place, Back Bay
• McGonagle’s, an Irish pub at 367 Neponset Ave., Dorchester
• Pilgrim’s Inn, serving modern, seasonal fare in Deer Isle, Maine
• Sammy’s Deluxe, showcasing seasonal Maine cuisine in Rockland, Maine

The Dorchester pub, owner Oran McGonagle, and chef Aidan McGee shared the news on Instagram and noted it was the first time an Irish pub made the list since the Times began publishing it in 2021. Julia Moskin, a food reporter for the Times, praised McGee for redefining “what Irish food is, and what it isn’t” to his Boston audience. 

La Padrona, which has received acclaim and a four-star review from The Boston Globe since it opened in 2024, also celebrated on social media. Moskin called Adams’ tagliatelle Emilia-Romagna a must-have.

Katelyn Umholtz

Food and Restaurant Reporter

Katelyn Umholtz covers food and restaurants for Boston.com. Katelyn is also the author of The Dish, a weekly food newsletter.