In sleepy Boston, here are 140+ options for a late-night bite

Plus: Pumpkin spice season, Applefest, and five new restaurants we're excited to try.

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Hey Boston!

Welcome to the first-ever edition of The Dish, new and improved. I’m Katelyn, the Boston.com food reporter who will deliver you this newsletter each Thursday, full of news and thoughts about the Greater Boston restaurant scene.

A little bit about me: My love for food and restaurants started at an early age, growing up in family-owned restaurants and hanging out with front-of-house and back-of-house staff because my mom was a server. I remember vividly my dad scolding me for running in the slippery kitchen, or feeling instantly cool when I asked my mom’s bartender colleagues to make me a virgin Shirley Temple.

Another thing I’d like to mention up front is that I’m a Boston newbie, and I plan to use this newsletter as a way to share with you all the things I’m learning about my new home and its food.

Coming from New Orleans, one of the few 24-hour cities in the U.S., I was asked dozens of times, often sarcastically, about why I moved to Boston. “Well, Boston is a complete 180 from New Orleans.” “You know people here go home at 9 p.m., right?” “Have you heard how bad Boston’s nightlife is?”

After a year of living here, I can confirm that Boston and New Orleans are polar opposites when it comes to nighttime shenanigans. But that doesn’t tell the full story.

I lived in New Orleans pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, and one of the many things wounded by lockdown was nightlife. Bars that were once open 24/7 (yes, that’s a thing in New Orleans) now have closing hours. And the late-night food options dried up. It was hard to find staff willing to work late at night, so restaurant owners made the tough decision to limit their hours.

This isn’t just a New Orleans problem. New York City saw a drop in nightlife options (and customers). So did Chicago, San Francisco, D.C., and Boston.

“Even the last time I went to New York City, the city that never sleeps, there weren’t a lot of late-night options,” Charlie Redd, owner of Dragon Pizza, told me. He cut the Davis Square restaurant’s late-night hours during lockdown but recently returned to closing at midnight Thursday to Saturday. He thinks demand for late-night outings is coming back, but options remain limited.

It made me wonder just how difficult it is to find late-night food here. My consensus after spending weeks (and weeks) researching Greater Boston late-night food is that it really isn’t dissimilar to most U.S. cities — save for New York, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. Sure, late-night is defined a bit on the earlier side here, the options are clustered in certain neighborhoods, and the kinds of cuisines available are limited (hopefully you’re craving pizza).

But considering all the factors that have limited nightlife, I think Boston is doing OK. And here’s my proof: the ultimate guide to late-night food options in Boston, organized by neighborhood and in a searchable map. I included nearly every Boston neighborhood and surrounding towns like Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline. You can use our map to find one near you, or you can look through the chart that labels the type of food and the closing hours of each restaurant.

And here’s an insider’s tip: The restaurants I spoke to said they’d be more than willing to stay open even later if they see there’s demand. So now’s your time to show them you want a slice after the bars close (which is sadly 2 a.m., says the newbie from New Orleans).

My recommendations: Bova’s Bakery for a cannoli, the Abbey for a few small plates, and Turkish Lazuri Cafe for their pide (Turkish flatbread).

For your reading list

🗳️ Undecided about Question 5? Here’s my breakdown.

🍽️ With Barbara Lynch closures, the end of an era — but not in the way you might think (Boston Globe)

🍪 5 restaurants we can’t wait to try in October

🎃 It’s PSL season. Do Boston chefs feel pressured to use pumpkin every fall?

🍫 The Dubai chocolate bar took over the Internet. Then it took over Boston. (Boston Globe)

For your calendar

👩‍🍳 Make mochi with Pagu’s chef.

🥡 Acclaimed Nightshade Noodle Bar expands its takeout menu.

🍎 Wachusett Mountain’s Applefest celebrates 40 years.

🍂 Need something warm for that brisk fall air? Sofra’s hot cider is back.

What I’m eating this week: Bar Volpe’s Spaghetti al Limone ($29)

The pressure was high when I had four friends visit me recently in that I had to show off Boston’s food scene in just two full days. For pasta, I took them to Bar Volpe, and while everyone seemed to enjoy their respective dish, there was one standout: the Spaghetti al Limone. It reminded me of one of my favorite Molly Baz recipes to cook at home, with a creamy lemon and parmesan sauce, plus Jonah crab and a mountain of breadcrumbs on top.

Thanks for sticking around for my first edition of The Dish, and see you next week!

— Katelyn Umholtz

I’d like to know: What’s your favorite fall food activity? I’m obsessed lately with making a stop at Boston Public Market for some Red Apple Farm hot apple cider doughnuts before work, but you can let me know your recommendations at [email protected].

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Katelyn Umholtz covers food and restaurants for Boston.com. Katelyn is also the author of The Dish, a weekly food newsletter.