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Many Boston chefs flock to New Shanghai to taste chef C. K. Sau’s clever use of New England ingredients in Shanghai cuisine. Dim sum served on Sundays (but no cart service).

Hobnob with Beacon Hill high flyers in this bold bistro over-looking Boston Common, where Mediterranean flavors meet an imaginative wine list.

As Fish Pier’s only restaurant, No Name has an intimate relationship with the fishermen who both sell their catch to, and eat at, this bare-bones restaurant. The very basic menu consists mostly of fried fish. The outstanding chowder is what fishermen call “trim” chowder – full of hunks of whatever has been boned and trimmed that day.

The grand, lavishly appointed Oak Room is known for its unfalteringly tender steaks.

Chef Ana Sortun’s mastery of exotic spices is clearly evident in Oleana’s sumptuous Middle Eastern cuisine, served in a casually elegant dining room.

Olives is home base for the city’s most famous chef, Todd English, who piles plates high with delights such as roasted pork chop on garlic mashed potatoes topped with a caramelized mushroom sauce. Huge and loud, Olives is a temple to bravura cookery. Reserve far ahead or arrive early and expect to wait.

The Other Side enjoys a loyal following of health-conscious hipsters who melt at the sight of its brie, apple, and pear sandwich. Its intimate outdoor patio is highly coveted real estate.

Multiple-pierced and bodyart- beautiful Berklee music students and healthobsessive Boston University waifs hold down the stools and tables of this coffeehouse-cum-smoothie shack on the “wrong” side of Massachusetts Avenue. Edge without danger is part of the draw, and the espresso sports a perfect crema.

This split-level café with a patio has a lovely view onto the Public Garden (see Boston Common & Public Garden) and an inspired menu of delicious and wildly creative sandwiches (see Parish Café).

During warm weather, the tables outside Parish Café offer a terrific view of the lower Back Bay street scene. Parish has some of the most creative sandwiches in the city – designed by chefs of Boston’s top restaurants. Comfort food dishes (meatloaf with mashed potatoes, fishcakes with Pommery mustard) are also excellent.