By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet –
Fall is in the air in San Francisco. You can still feel a touch of summer, but chilly nights have returned and Halloween is around the corner. Yet, for most of the Bay Area, we don’t get the vivid fall colors. To do that, you have to travel back East—and specifically to New England. This makes it a great time to visit Boston. These days, it’s not just for the autumn leaves, but also for the food. I was lucky enough to meet my pal Lila MacKinnon from Meet Boston, who clued me in that Michelin is on the horizon for Bean Town. That’s good news for foodies! Here are Lila’s suggestions for where to dine and drink in that lovely New England town—and where also to support our LGBTQ+ restaurateurs.
Lila MacKinnon: For years, Boston has been the culinary bridesmaid, but never the bride. While New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., flaunted their Michelin stars, Boston—poor thing—was left out of the red guide entirely. But all that’s changing. In April 2025, Michelin announced it would finally start reviewing Boston’s restaurants. For food lovers, it feels long overdue. And the countdown is officially on: Michelin will reveal its first-ever Boston stars, alongside other Northeast cities, at a ceremony in Philadelphia on November 18, 2025. Until then, the question on everyone’s mind is simple: Who’s going to shine?
The Michelin Moment
Boston’s dining scene has matured dramatically over the past decade. Today’s chefs are mixing New England ingredients with global inspiration, creating food that feels both ambitious and rooted.
Take Mooncusser, perched above the Boston Common. Chef Carl Dooley crafts an elegant seafood tasting menu—halibut with fermented ramps, scallops with smoked caviar—that strikes a balance between refinement and approachability. If any restaurant looks primed for a star, it’s this one.
Other perennial contenders include O Ya, Tim and Nancy Cushman’s intimate and ever-changing 20-course Omakase; Oleana, where Ana Sortun’s Eastern Mediterranean flavors remain as dazzling as ever; and the South End’s Mistral, which has long paired French technique with Boston sophistication.
Don’t be surprised if Michelin’s inspectors venture beyond the white tablecloths. The guide has increasingly recognized intimate, personality-driven concepts. That bodes well for Boston.
Neighborhood Gems
Cambridge’s Pammy’s calls itself a “neo-trattoria,” but that undersells it. Imagine a cozy dining room lined with bookshelves, serving pastas that flirt with the unexpected (like rigatoni Bolognese kissed with gochujang, and lumache in spicy tomato cream). It’s familiar, inventive, and fun: that’s a combo Michelin often rewards.
In the North End, Table by Jen Royle disrupts the red-sauce scene with boisterous communal feasts. Multi-course Italian spreads are served at long tables where conversation is as central as the food.
Meanwhile, in Somerville, Sarma channels the energy of a bustling meze bar. It is one of the most sought-after reservations in town, and Chef Cassie Piuma’s small plates are playful and vibrant (lamb sliders here, sesame falafel there), and the room always hums. If Michelin is looking for joy, they’ll find it here.
Wine Bars with Queer Spirit
Boston’s wine bar revolution deserves its own spotlight, thanks in no small part to Haley Fortier. Her haley.henry wine bar in Downtown Crossing and Nathálie in Fenway are quintessentially Boston: brainy but unpretentious, eclectic but polished. Both lean into natural wines, clever small plates, and, yes, tinned seafood (trust me, sardines can be sexy).
More importantly, Fortier has cultivated spaces that feel inclusive—places where the LGBTQ+ community can sip, snack, and celebrate. In the Michelin era, her voice matters: proof that Boston’s story isn’t just about fine dining, but also about identity and belonging.
The Queer Food Vanguard
Boston’s queer dining culture has always been vibrant, but it’s gaining new visibility.
In Back Bay, the newly opened Dani’s Queer Bar is making history as Boston’s first dedicated queer women’s bar in decades. More than cocktails and snacks, Dani’s is a statement: a joyful, affirming space where queer women and nonbinary folks finally have a home base.
In the South End, Club Café continues to blur the line between supper club and queer nightlife. It’s equal parts restaurant, cabaret, and family gathering. Over in Dorchester, Blend and dbar prove you don’t need to choose between a burger, a martini, and a night of dancing.
Queer chefs are also helping define the region’s culinary identity. Oakland’s Tanya Holland has collaborated here, spotlighting soul food and Black culinary traditions. In Lynn, just north of Boston, Rachel Miller’s Nightshade Noodle Bar has earned rave reviews for its bold, Vietnamese and French inspired tasting menus, gaining national accolades and putting Greater Boston on the fine-dining map. And pastry chef Kate Holowchik delights with imaginative desserts like foie gras macarons and cereal-milk panna cotta. These chefs embody Boston’s spirit of creativity and inclusion, which are qualities Michelin inspectors can’t ignore.
Beyond Fine Dining
Stars or no stars, Boston’s queer food culture reminds us that dining is about more than luxury. It’s about belonging. Michelin might spotlight the Mooncussers and Oy Ya, but the city’s flavor comes just as much from wine bars, neighborhood joints, and queer gathering places.
That’s why Dani’s, dbar, Club Café, Blend, and Haley Fortier’s bars matter in this moment. They tell the story of a city where excellence isn’t confined to tasting menus; instead, it’s also found in community, accessibility, and joy.
Looking Ahead
So, what happens if Boston scores its first stars? At a minimum, it will confirm what locals already know: this is a world-class food city. It could also boost tourism, putting Boston on the map for culinary pilgrims alongside San Francisco and Chicago.
The suspense won’t last forever. On November 18, 2025, Michelin will reveal its Northeast awards in Philadelphia. For Boston chefs, that night could be historic.
But, in a way, the city has already won. From Dooley’s refined seafood at Mooncusser to Fortier’s queer-friendly wine bars to Dani’s groundbreaking safe space in Back Bay, Boston is cooking with confidence, creativity, and conviction. Michelin stars may be the headline, but the real story is about a dining culture that’s inclusive, expressive, and unmistakably Boston.
Boston may be a latecomer to Michelin, but it arrives with a point of view: wicked good food, rooted in New England, open to the world, and proudly shaped by LGBTQ voices.
Meet Boston: https://www.meetboston.com/
Lila MacKinnon is Communications Coordinator for Meet Boston, a fashionista, and a foodie extraordinaire.
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
The Gay Gourmet
Published on October 23, 2025
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