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It’s been a really good year for dining in the Boston area. Here are our top picks among newcomers of the year. (Also 37 notable additions and reworks.)

Cooked Pork in Chili Oil by Yunnan Kitchen. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

As we prepare to ring in 2023, let’s look back at everything we ate and drank in 2022—from ceviche in Huron Village to Yemeni roast lamb in Kenmore, Nashville Hot Chicken in Inman Square, to Ji Cheung Fun in Quincy . We found joy in fancy and casual meals, we celebrated happy moments over interesting cocktails, we worked through tough deadlines while hunching over caffeinated mugs, we shared sweet treats and baked goods with friends and family. All in all: an incredible year for food and drink. And a lot of that was in brand new restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries — so many new places opening in 2022 that struggled with the usual challenges of opening restaurants, but also with many additional pandemic-related hurdles.

This guide highlights 50 of the newcomers to the Boston area in 2022 that have impressed us, as well as 37 expansions, reopenings, and remodels that are also worth checking out. Visit each section below to learn about the area’s best new restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries.

Is your new favorite place missing? Unfortunately, our tummies and wallets don’t last forever and we haven’t been able to visit every single venue that opened this year, but do drop us a line so we can be sure to have more great spots on our radar for next year.

Two tailed fish pieces are topped with crushed nuts and sit atop veggies in a red curry broth.

Batifol’s cashew-crusted red bass is topped with popped wild rice and served in a Thai-style red curry. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Yemeni cuisine in Kenmore Square, Yunnan delights from southwest China in the South End, French classics in Cambridge: check out these 15 restaurants and 17 notable expansions and transformations. >>

Two white bowls sit on a pale green tray, one with thick pasta rolls topped with fish balls and a drizzle of sriracha, the other with chopped cucumber.

Rubato’s Ji Cheung Fun (steamed rice rolls) with curried fish balls and a spicy cucumber salad. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Fijian seafood at Seaport, Indian build-a-bowl at Fenway, Cambodian sandwiches at the North End: Check out these 12 restaurants and eight notable expansions and transformations. >>

A frothy cream cocktail in a delicate glass is garnished with star anise and sits on a table with gold detailing.

The Alexander from the wig shop, the Grrr-Eat! Cocktail contains bourbon, white cocoa, frosted flakes almond milk and caramel. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

A multi-course cocktail experience in the North End, a dedicated sake bar in Brighton, a “speakeasy” with a hidden door in East Boston: discover these 13 new bars and eight notable expansions and transformations. >>

A latte in a paper cup is served on a table with an intricate built-in chessboard.

Sweet tahini latte at Madhouse Cafe. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

A Neapolitan coffee shop, a Haitian-American bakery, Lebanese goodies at a motorcycle shop: Check out these 10 new bakeries and coffee shops, plus four notable expansions and remodels. >>

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