Restaurants in Shrewsbury

Within Cafe Mangia’s deep orange walls, servers cart around steaming plates of hearty Italian food, piled high with fresh basil and traditional recipes. In the evenings, platefuls of fresh grilled salmon or new york strip steaks grace the granite tabletops inside the softly lit dining room, or out on the wraparound porch. Chefs top steaming pastas with traditional pink vodka and white wine butter sauces, and can swap out standard noodles for whole-wheat or gluten-free ones upon request. They also warm up griddles for crepes and pancakes at Sunday brunch, and stuff grinders and sandwiches for lunch.

On certain evenings, Cafe Mangia breaks out the grape-tasting bibs for wine dinners that pair a five-course meal with complementary libations, like most sommelier-run dating services.

Though he’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America whose resumé spans stints across the U.S., Brian Treitman has never lost his affinity for one food—roadside barbecue. At B.T.'s Smokehouse, Brian pays homage to multiple styles of Southern barbecue, starting with dry rubbing each cut of meat, from the pork shoulder and beef brisket to both types of ribs, in a blend of spices. He then places the slabs into a Southern Pride smoker, where the velvety plumes from local apple and hickory wood slowly cook the meat for up to 14 hours.

The cuts emerge with a crisp, blackened exterior surrounding a juicy, fall-apart-soft interior, and are plated with cornbread and sides such as collard greens and mac ’n’ cheese. Brian's approach has earned him a loyal following, a spot on Worcester'sBestChef.com's 2011 People's Choice Awards, and at least two awkwardly long hugs from diners.

Owner Howie Mallowes set up shop across from the Martha's Vineyard ferry terminal, where his restaurant specializes in infusing New York–style pies with gourmet ingredients such as shrimp, gorgonzola, and steak. Amongst the fresh harbor air, staffers shuttle whole pizzas and single slices to tables of visitors and regulars until the wee hours of 2 a.m. every night. The menu plays host to more than a dozen specialty pizzas such as the Pizans "Soon to be Famous" Clam Pizza, which just signed a three-picture deal with DreamWorks. Pizzas share stomach space with pastas, oven-baked grinders, footlong subs, beer, and wine.

A consistent eclectic theme pervades Alchemy Café & Bistro, from the spacious restaurant's mismatched fabrics and assorted furnishings to each of the menus’ diverse selection of contemporary American cuisine. That eclectic culinary motif has served the eatery so well that Northshore Magazine awarded Alchemy the distinction of best tapas in the area. In the kitchen, the chefs are selective about the ingredients they use in each brunch, lunch, and dinner dish. All seafood, including rock shrimp tacos and grilled salmon, is wild-caught and meats are only sourced from family farms. They then meld these hormone- and antibiotic-free meats—including duck, hen, and short ribs—with expertly handcrafted rémoulades, truffled crème fraîche, and confit garlic aioli. Designed for sharing amongst guests, the menu includes flavor-filled half-sized entrées and sharing platters, including one with steamed mussels fennel, white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, house cut frites, and tarragon aioli. Patrons can dine in one Alchemy's many themed rooms, such as "The Cave" and "The Mafia Table."

The upscale casual environment, with colorful painting on exposed brick walls and leather couches surrounding candlelit coffee tables, also sees guests enjoying organic salads and vegetarian flatbreads, which can be paired with a 2-4 cup pot of French-pressed coffee or one of several options from a locally-produced cocktail list. Alchemy also encourages guests to enjoy an after-dinner drink of bourbon, whiskey, or absinthe, or indulge with a dessert of maple bread pudding and flourless chocolate torte. Alchemy also contains several gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly options.

Owner Jacqui’s healthy take on homestyle cooking shines through in every entree at Serenity Cafe & Catering, whether she’s cracking eight eggs to make breakfast pizza in the morning or baking housemade dough for the oven-roasted turkey BLT. A bulk of the menu is dedicated to sating noontime appetites, with fruit smoothies, deli sandwiches, and a hummus wrap stuffed with roasted red-pepper hummus, sprouts, and avocado. Even the dessert menu, with the Wacqui Jacqui brand of gluten-free cookies, sticks to the healthy-living program

The culinary masterminds that brought Pinocchio’s Ristorante to Three Rivers have teamed up to bring another success, Gheppetto’s Grille, to Ware. Along with elegantly executed Italian fare, the restauranteurs wanted to add a touch of Americana to the menu, setting classics such as veal marsala next to wild-caught haddock wrapped in a crispy Ritz Cracker and panko breading. Fostering a festive environment ideal for an after-work cocktail or get-together with family and friends, the lounge entertains guests with a full bar lined with flat-screen TVs showing big, burly games. In the dining area, Gheppetto’s amicable staff seats guests at tables adorned with white tablecloths in a room of rustic browns and reds lit warmly under hanging lights. Supporting local artists, the eatery also enlivens its Thursday and Saturday evenings with live acoustic music.