Lenox Sophia

Lenox Sophia is a small BYOB restaurant in South Boston serving a five-course prix-fixe menu of modern American food. Chef-owner Shi Mei builds the menu around the seasons, and the dishes are carefully plated, but the setting is intimate and relaxed, closer to dining in someone’s home than in a formal restaurant. The restaurant is listed as MICHELIN recommended, and seating is limited, so reservations are the norm.

Shi Mei came to cooking after six years in accounting, enrolling at Johnson & Wales University in 2008. He then worked at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry and Bouchon in Napa Valley before becoming chef de cuisine at Bin 555 in San Antonio and later director of operations for chef Jason Dady. He returned to Boston in 2016 and cooked at ASTA, Buttonwood, Mida and Cafe Du Pays before opening Lenox Sophia.

What to Know

• Reservations last 90 minutes, and partial parties are not seated.
• Reservations are made through Resy, and parties of seven or more should call.
• The kitchen cannot always accommodate vegans, strict vegetarians or shellfish allergies.
• There is no kids menu or high chairs, though a few booster seats are available.
• A portable ramp and ADA doorbell help guests enter, but the restroom is not fully accessible.