Restaurants in Southbridge

Wreathed by an idyllic white picket fence, Sweet Pea’s pale yellow Victorian homestead belies the progressive cuisine simmering within its the kitchen. Chefs drizzle center-cut meats and grilled fish with exotic flourishes, such as ginger-soy vinaigrette and dill aioli. In keeping with the rustic exterior, the sunlit dining room serves as an antique gallery, letting eyes feast as patrons savor pan-seared salmon or taste the wood finish on the 19th-century pendulum clock to ensure its authenticity.

The old-fashioned photography lining the wood-paneled walls at The Tributary Restaurant sets the mood for modern camaraderie. Waiters emerge from the kitchen with arms laden with clams and mussels, bearing large portions of veal and filet mignon to tables. After spooling pasta layered with fresh seafood and leeks around forks, patrons can hug friends who let them finish their leftovers, or hug stuffed animals while drifting into contented postmeal slumber.