Pagu is a Spanish and Japanese tapas restaurant in Central Square.

Saltie Girl is a small, excellent seafood restaurant in Back Bay with a fun bar.

Blue Dragon is a great Asian small plate place in Fort Point.

Nathalie is a relaxed wine bar in the Fenway with small bites and an interesting wine list.

Trillium is a brewery in the Seaport. The line out the door will be full of people coming for the beer, but the food is actually really good, too.

Tres Gatos is a restaurant and bar in Jamaica Plain that also sells books and records.

B&G Oysters is a great seafood restaurant in the South End with a nice patio.

Lone Star is a tiny bar in Allston that serves big tacos and other good Tex-Mex.

Bar Mercato is a Downtown restaurant with a menu that works for a lot of different situations.

Little Donkey is a small plates restaurant in Central Square that’s great for drinks and few bites.

The Glenville Stops is a small plates place in Allston with a great wine list.

Whaling In Oklahoma is a cool Japanese small plates place in the South End.

Fromage is a wine bar in Southie that kind of makes you feel like a fish.

Longfellow bar is a high-end cocktail bar in Harvard Square with excellent food that you eat with your hands.

The Map Room is a cocktail bar located inside the Copley Square library, and one that deserves to be patronized by people other than tourists.

Saloon is a speakeasy in Davis Square that’s so dark you might fall asleep in there (though probably not if it’s burlesque night).