Dine Out Boston: What’s new, best deals, and best meals for summer 2025

Need some convincing to go out to eat these days? Let Dine Out’s summer programming persuade you once again that good meals and deals can still be found out there in Greater Boston.

Dine Out, formerly Boston Restaurant Week, is back from Aug. 3 to 16, bringing to diners a host of restaurants that offer special prix fixe menus at various price points. 

More than 175 restaurants are participating, according to Meet Boston, the city’s tourism bureau who holds the bi-annual event in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. 

It includes pizzerias, vegetarian eateries, sushi restaurants, and more that are located across Greater Boston, including Somerville, Quincy, and other Boston suburbs. 

How much will a prix fixe meal cost you? It depends when and where you go. 

Notably, Dine Out’s lowest price tier — $22 for lunch and $36 for dinner — is no longer an option this summer. But Dine Out prices are still lower than a typical prix fixe menu around Greater Boston. Restaurants serving lunch may charge $27, $32, or $36 typically for two courses, while dinner joints can cost $38, $46, or $55 typically for three courses. 

There are also at least a dozen new restaurants taking part in the summer edition of Dine Out this year. 

Whether you’re in search of a good deal or are just looking forward to trying that restaurant that’s been on your list, here are the restaurants you should consider.

What’s new

El Barco

The Martha’s Vineyard-based pop-up that took over Summer Shack in Back Bay is sticking around for the foreseeable future — and for Dine Out. A $27 lunch gets diners a choice between guacamole or queso with chips, two tacos (for example: carnitas, smash burger taco, and fish are just some of your options), a half order of churros, and an Agua Fresca.

$27 lunch available daily

50 Dalton St., Back Bay

Cafe Saint Germain

This newer Somerville cafe and bar feels like the perfect place for a more casual — but still charming — date night spot. At $46, start with bourguignon croquettes or a more cooling black bass ceviche, share bites of each other’s pork filet mignon or salmon with ratatouille, and cap the night with a selection of desserts. For an additional $25, pair each course with some wine. 

$46 dinner available daily

118 Beacon St., Somerville

Castle Island Brewery and Bardo’s Bar Pizza

Rarely is there a brewery featured on Dine Out, so it’s unique this summer to see Castle Island Brewery offering half pours. Pair it with a bar pizza (a South Shore specialty) and salad for a $27 lunch, or pizza, salad, and wings for a $38 dinner. 

$27 lunch and $38 dinner available Sunday-Friday

10 Old Colony Ave., South Boston

What’s a good deal

Boston Chops

Sure, this is one of the more expensive options at $55 a dinner, but hear me out: Eating at a steakhouse in Boston would typically run you double that price per person if you were to get an appetizer, a steak, and a dessert. You’d get the best bang for your buck choosing the filet mignon, but if you’re not in the mood for beef, their Dine Out menu includes salmon and chicken for an entree. 

$55 dinner available Sunday-Friday

52 Temple Place, Downtown Boston; 1375 Washington St., South End

Pig Beach BBQ at PKL

You’ll want to wear your sweatpants for this meal. A $27 lunch at this newer Southie spot — located inside of PKL Boston, the pickleball court — gets you a salad, sandwich, and dessert, while a $38 dinner is even bigger with a choice between salad or wings, a half-pound of meat, and dessert. If you’re not in a food coma, stick around for some pickleball or cornhole. 

$27 lunch and $38 dinner available daily

64 C St., South Boston

Estragon

One of the cheaper Dine Out dinners available, customers can enjoy four tapas each for the price of $38. Getting 22 tapas — like patatas bravas, croquettes, and chicken skewers — to choose from makes this an attractive option for those who go as a group to try as many tapas on the menu as possible. For $39, add a bottle of Spanish wine for the table. 

$38 dinner available Monday-Saturday

700 Harrison Ave., South End

What’s a good meal

Sumiao Hunan Kitchen

Restaurants that go beyond Chinese-American takeout are growing in Greater Boston, but it’s still hard to find food from China’s Hunan province, known for its chile-forward dishes. Whether it’s your first time trying the region’s cuisine or already a fan, Sumiao in Kendall Square is one of Boston’s best options for Hunan. Luckily with Dine Out, you can do a $32 lunch or a $46 dinner, both three courses that include a mix of dishes that might be more familiar staples and new things to try.

$32 lunch and $46 dinner available daily

270 Third St., Cambridge

Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern

Dine Out’s only sushi option has more than just sushi at this izakaya, a first U.S. outpost for Japanese firm Food & Life Companies. Feast on four courses for lunch, including seared monkfish liver, takoyaki, and nigiri, for $32. Dinner comes with five courses that also includes hand rolls and dessert options for $46. 

$32 lunch and $46 dinner available daily

665 Boylston St., Back Bay

Moon Bar

Mooncusser’s cocktail bar sibling is serving a selection of its equally flavorful food for Dine Out. Its $55 three-course dinner menu gives you dish options like bigeye tuna crudo, jerk hamachi collar, and coconut rice pudding, in addition to getting you a seat at one of the most fun-loving bars in town (the drinks are worthy of your attention, too).

$55 dinner available Tuesday-Friday

129 Columbus Ave., Back Bay