Restaurants in Watertown

The chefs at Bamboo Thai Restaurant developed a menu that gives diners complete control over their gustatory experience, from the level of spiciness to the type of noodles accompanying their dish. Five distinct curries—red, green, yellow, panang, and massaman—pair with the guest's selection of one of nine proteins and one of 10 rice or noodle options, including udon, buckwheat, and vermicelli, resulting in more dinner options than a socialite's rolodex. The noodle selection process crops up again when ordering one of the six meal-in-a-bowl soups, and five pad thai options dare taste buds to pick from vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or a combination of all three, with rice or crispy egg noodles. To complement spicy bites, a lengthy list of Thai, Japanese, and American beers stands next to warm and draft sakes.

A decade ago, Chuck Silverston was walking the streets of Paris when he happened upon a street vendor whipping up crepes. After tasting the quintessential Parisian treat, he returned to the states and promptly opened Paris Creperie. Inside the cozy café, the kitchen churns out crepes brimming with savory ingredients such as brie and apples or sweet fillings such as graham cracker and cinnamon, as well as smoothies and coffee. Nutella is a mainstay on the menu, making its way into dessert crepes as well as into drinks such as hot chocolate and lattes. In the spirit of Chuck’s original street-vendor encounter, Paris Creperie also unleashes its food truck—la Tour Eiffel—among the hungry denizens of Brookline, feeding passersby with breakfast and dinner crepes all day.

A common scene at The Wine Cellar: servers toting percolating pots of gruyere, emmental, or gorgonzola to diners, who in turn dip skewers of bread or potatoes into the steel cauldrons of melted cheese. This celebrated practice of submerging things into other, more scalding things isn't the only European tradition The Wine Cellar draws upon; its menu culls culinary influences from around the great continent, including France and Switzerland. In addition to sizzling up pots of oil or vegetable broth in which guests can cook their own beef, tiger shrimp, or rabbit, the chefs forge a spread of signature dishes, including tartifletes and roblochonnades, and pierrades made at the table in front of guests. They accompany this transatlantic fare with an international wine list, which sports hearty reds and delicate whites from vineyards and grocery-store aisles around the world.

Although the menu remains firmly rooted in the Old World, the dining room evokes classical American aesthetics. Exposed brickwork and wrought-iron lanterns surround the tables, and one wall sports a hand-painted mural of a Boston streetscape.

In spite of its serene-sounding name, the Sunset Cafe is all about vivacious cuisine that enlivens the palate. Flavorful Portuguese ingredients populate the menu, such as braised goat, Portuguese sausages served over flames, and shrimp simmered in spicy sauce. Chefs poach eggs in tomato-laced garlic broth and drape cantaloupe with sheets of prosciutto, creating flavor profiles even more harmonious than that of a soup made by boiling well-tuned guitars. Diners can subdue spice with sips of wine, beer, cocktails, or Sumol—a fruity Portuguese soda.

When walking down the stairs into the Channel Café, guests may not be clear as to whether they are entering an art gallery, restaurant, or a friend's swanky apartment. Paintings, sculptures, pictures of Angela Lansbury, and other perfect works of art fill the spacious dining room as natural light floods in through street-level windows beneath the high ceiling. The basement eatery owned by seasoned chef Tammie Watson and baker Joyce Parlapiano takes a simple, locally sourced approach to cooking while still creating eclectic dishes that fit in alongside artsy neighbors in the Fort Point Channel district. Espresso drinks and loose-leaf teas pair well with house-made granola or egg-and-potato-filled breakfast wraps, and a curated beer and wine selection livens up seasonal salads and burgers topped with a West African barbecue sauce.

Situated across from Nantasket Beach on Boston's south shore, Daddy's Beach Club opens its doors every day of the year to fuse fresh food with live entertainment. The staff prepares wings, burgers, or the restaurant's calling card: New Haven-style thin-crust pizza. They hand-toss each pie, and—with 20 toppings available for customization—no two are alike, much like a snowman's tears. On most nights, Daddy’s Beach Club combines its food and drink with festive events, such as pool tournaments, open-mic competitions, and live music.