The 10 best restaurants in Newton, MA
Newton is thirteen villages rather than one downtown, so dinner here usually starts with picking a village. This list covers ten restaurants inside the city limits of Newton, from Newton Centre and Newtonville to West Newton and Newton Highlands, and names the village for each. The list is for residents planning a night out and for visitors coming in from Boston or Route 128.
The picks lean toward independent, locally run places with a track record: a ramen counter, a barbecue joint, a 1969 ice cream parlor, a small-plates pub. Prices run from a $15.49 pulled pork sandwich with two sides to a $58 sirloin, and most meals land somewhere in between.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each restaurant had to be inside Newton and confirmed open in November 2026 through the restaurant’s own website. From there the choices rested on local reputation, coverage in established outlets, years in business and named, dated recognition, with a spread across villages, cuisines and price levels. Independent restaurants were favored over national chains, and no single review site’s star rating decided a spot.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Baramor
Baramor is a pub on Union Street in Newton Centre with a scratch kitchen and a long draft list. Owner-operator Arpit Patel left a desk job in asset management to open the bar, according to the restaurant’s website. The menu is comfort food: the MôR Burger, an 8-ounce blend of brisket, short rib and chuck with bacon and cheddar, is $22, and Nashville Hot Poutine is $18. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations go through Resy, and the kitchen closes an hour or more before the bar, so late arrivals should check the kitchen hours below.
Hours: Bar: Sunday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Kitchen: Sunday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Address: 45 Union Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Why they made the list
- Charities that book a fundraiser at the pub are not charged for private space, and the restaurant donates to the cause instead, according to the Baramor website.
- Teachers with a school ID get 25% off food on Fridays from 3 to 6:30 p.m., per the events page in November 2026.
- Time Out Boston profiled the pub on November 22, 2021, noting a program that gave $3 from each pint of a rotating Ipswich Ale beer to local charities.
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Blue Ribbon BBQ
Southern regional barbecue is the business of this West Newton storefront on Washington Street, where the menu reads like a tour of the South. Pork shoulder is smoked for 14 hours for the North Carolina pulled pork sandwich, which costs $15.49 and comes with two sides. Kansas City burnt ends, Texas hot links and beef brisket are sold by the sandwich or by the pint. Sides such as baked beans and black-eyed corn are $4 for a half pint. Group meals start at $55.99 for the Greensboro Brown Bag, which feeds four to six, and work well for takeout.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: 1375 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02465
Why they made the list
- Boston magazine named the West Newton shop the best barbecue restaurant west of the city in the Best of Boston awards for 2011.
- All of the meat is cooked at low temperatures over oak and hickory hardwoods, according to the company’s website.
- Pecan pie and key lime pie are $3.99 a slice or $16.99 for a whole pie that serves eight.
- The company also runs restaurants in Arlington and Boston, and the West Newton address is listed on the 2026 menu.
The Bluebird Bar & Wood-Fired Grill
The Bluebird Bar is a dimly lit neighborhood bar and restaurant in West Newton, a short way down Washington Street from Blue Ribbon. The owners describe the place as their take on a well-run local bar, with attention to spirits, wine and cocktails. Oysters are $1 each every day from 3 to 5 p.m., with a limit of a dozen per person and a $10 food and drink minimum on top. The lunch menu has a 6-ounce cheeseburger with onion-bacon jam for $16 and shish kababs at $12 a skewer. Monday nights bring live jazz from 7 to 9 p.m. Reservations are on OpenTable.
Hours: Monday 3 to 9 p.m., Tuesday 3 to 10 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 1293 Washington Street, West Newton, MA 02465
Why they made the list
- The kitchen is open seven days a week, with dinner starting at 3 p.m. every day.
- Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- A late-night menu and a second $1 oyster window run Friday and Saturday from 10 to 11 p.m.
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Buttonwood
Chef and owner Aaron DePaolo runs this dinner-only restaurant on Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands with co-owner John Driscoll. Buttonwood calls the cooking rustic American, and the October 2026 menu backs that up: chicken under a brick with squash puree and broccolini is $34, a heritage bone-in pork chop is $42, and the cheeseburger with Cabot cheddar, bacon and hand-cut fries is $26. Cast iron cornbread with honey tabasco butter, $11, is the side to add. The full dinner menu is served at the bar and counter seats, and the restaurant encourages walk-ins there. Tables can be booked on OpenTable.
Hours: Monday to Saturday 5 to 10:30 p.m. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Address: 51 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands, MA 02461
Why they made the list
- Squash, chard and hot peppers on the fall 2026 menu are credited to Allandale Farm.
- Sourdough bread and brioche buns come from A&J King Artisan Bakers in Salem, according to the menu.
- The bar concentrates on local craft beer, classic cocktails and small-production wines.
- Parties of eight or more pay an automatic 20% service charge, all of which goes to service staff, per the menu.
Cabot’s Ice Cream & Restaurant
Family owned and operated, Cabot’s has been on Washington Street in Newtonville since 1969, by the restaurant’s own account. The place is an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with a full diner menu attached: breakfast all day, deli sandwiches, flame-broiled burgers and home-style dinners. The ice cream side is the bigger draw. The parlor lists more than 70 flavors of ice cream and frozen yogurt and 35 toppings, and makes ice cream cakes to order. Cabot’s is closed on Mondays and takes several holiday breaks each year, so check the hours page before a holiday-week visit.
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday.
Address: 743 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02460
Why they made the list
- The restaurant marked a 50th anniversary in 2019, going by the 1969 founding date on the website.
- Weekend hours start at 9 a.m., two hours earlier than on weekdays.
- Party sundae packages can serve more than 200 people, according to the Cabot family.
- The parlor is closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, 2026, and reopens at 11 a.m. the next day.
Cafe St. Petersburg
Russian and Ukrainian cooking is the draw at this Newton Centre dining room on Union Street. The menu covers borscht with beef and sour cream, beef stroganoff over noodles and blini with red caviar, and pirozhki, the baked hand pies, are $7 each. A puff pastry pie filled with braised oxtail and potato is $9. The restaurant is open only Thursday through Sunday, with live music on Friday and Saturday nights that runs until 1 a.m. and a brunch on Sunday. Diners who want a quiet meal should book early in the evening or come on Thursday. Online ordering is available for takeout.
Hours: Thursday 5 to 11 p.m., Friday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Monday to Wednesday.
Address: 57-1 Union Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Why they made the list
- The menu has separate sections for caviar, cured fish appetizers, soups and main courses, plus rotating weekly specials.
- A ticketed jazz and swing night on November 19, 2026, costs $10 a person.
- The restaurant also handles banquets and catering, according to the website.
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Johnny’s Luncheonette
A retro diner on Langley Road in Newton Centre, Johnny’s Luncheonette cooks breakfast all day and stays open for dinner Thursday through Saturday. The Nutella and berries French toast is one of the dishes the diner promotes, and the drinks list runs from raspberry lime rickeys to local craft beer and weekend mimosas. Sourcing is more careful than the chrome-and-booth look suggests: burger beef from Pineland Farms in Maine, bread from Big Sky Bakery and maple syrup from Blue Heron Farm in Charlemont, according to the diner. Weekday doors open at 7 a.m., which makes this the early option on the list.
Hours: Monday to Wednesday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Address: 30 Langley Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Why they made the list
- Ice cream comes from Gifford’s, a family-owned creamery in Skowhegan, Maine.
- In season, produce comes from Tangerini’s Farm in Millis, per the diner’s website.
- Boston.com reported on April 13, 2020, that the diner was feeding vulnerable Newton residents during the pandemic.
- The menu marks vegetarian and gluten-free dishes.
Little Big Diner
Ramen and rice bowls are the whole menu at this small Centre Street spot in Newton Centre, and reservations are not taken. The Tokyo Basic ramen, with shoyu broth, chashu pork and a marinated egg, is $17, and the Chef’s Ultra, loaded with pork, shoyu chicken and chili ground pork, is $21. Rice bowls over brown rice cost $17 to $19, and a Hawaiian-style flat patty burger with pineapple sambal is $15. Flavors pull from Japan, Sichuan and Thailand. The dining room opens at 4:30 p.m. every day, and arriving at opening is the surest way to avoid a wait. Takeout and delivery are available.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 4:30 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Address: 1247 Centre Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Why they made the list
- Noodles come from Sun Noodle and tofu from Heiwa Tofu, and the kitchen uses all-natural meats and cage-free eggs, according to the restaurant.
- The miso and shoyu ramens can both be made vegetarian, and a vegetarian pumpkin ramen was on the fall 2026 menu at $16.
- Draft cocktails are $14 to $15, and sake is poured on draft.
Mida Newton
Douglass Williams, the chef and owner of Mida, opened his first restaurant in Boston’s South End and later added this Newtonville location on Walnut Street. Mida describes the restaurants as Italian neighborhood places, and the Newton one keeps the longest schedule on this list: lunch on weekdays, dinner every night and brunch on weekends. Reservations are taken through OpenTable or by phone, and groups larger than six need to call. Patio tables are same-day and first come, first served, so call the day of the reservation to ask for one. Free parking for guests is behind the building, and there are meters on Washington and Walnut streets.
Hours: Lunch Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner daily 4 to 10 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Takeout daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 261 Walnut Street, Newton, MA 02460
Why they made the list
- Food & Wine named Williams one of the Best New Chefs in America in 2020, according to the Mida website.
- The company runs four Mida restaurants, in Newton, the South End, East Boston and Fenway.
- Parties of eleven or more are handled as group events through an inquiry form.
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Thistle & Leek
Thistle & Leek is a small-plates restaurant in Newton Centre modeled on London’s modern gastropubs. Chefs Kate and Trevor Smith, who are married, opened the place in September 2020 in the former Comedor space on Union Street, according to a November 2021 Resy profile. Order the potato rosti with clam dip, $10, which is based on a recipe from Kate Smith’s grandmother. The fall 2026 dinner menu also has roasted young chicken with rye spaetzle for $23 and hanger steak for $24. Plates are meant for sharing, so plan on two or three per person. Reservations are on Resy, and lunch is served Tuesday to Friday.
Hours: Lunch Tuesday to Friday noon to 2 p.m. Dinner Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Address: 105 Union Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459
Why they made the list
- The Michelin Guide included the restaurant among 19 recommended Greater Boston restaurants in the first Boston selection, Boston.com reported on November 18, 2025.
- Kate Smith was chef de cuisine at Toro and Trevor Smith was executive chef at Coppa before the couple opened in Newton, according to Resy.
- No dish on the fall 2026 dinner menu costs more than $25.
- The wine list is Old World, and the cocktails are kept simple, by the restaurant’s description.
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