Best Dining Bars in Mass Ave

My wife and I took my mother-in-law to Bocca for her birthday last night. It’s one of our favorite places, conveniently close to home—particularly useful after a dinner that requires loosening one’s belt. We love the patio, but with that chapter closed until spring, we happily settled into the bar, which we enjoy just as much. David took excellent care of us, starting with excellent cocktails. From there, our modest dinner plans became a multicourse celebration. First came the Polpo—grilled octopus with Yukon Gold potatoes, capers, tomatoes and shishito peppers—and Truffle Arancini, golden risotto bites with Parmesan and truffle cream. Then Bocca Cesare salads, because apparently we felt some romaine would restore order. My wife and her mom chose the Tortellacci, with fonduta cheese, grilled chicken, tomatoes and basil in a lemon cream sauce. I had the Carbonara, spaghetti tangled with jowl bacon, egg, Pecorino Romano and black pepper. All amazing. Sharing was discussed in principle and largely ignored in practice. We finished with Bocca’s signature brown butter cake and a round of “Happy Birthday.” The cake was pitch-perfect. We were enthusiastic. Happy birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law, and thanks to David for making the evening feel like a celebration from the first cocktail to the last crumb.

Fantastic food. Great atmosphere. Excellent service and nice location.

Fresh Mexican cuisine in the heart of the city! Nice upscale dining area with excellent service and able to customize your dish. Food was better than most Mexican restaurants and so was the atmosphere. Would recommend!