Best Dining in Massachusetts | 2016 Editors’ Choice Awards

Wondering where to eat in Massachusetts? The Bay State offers plenty of restaurant options for hungry residents and visitors alike. Here are our picks for the best dining in Massachusetts for 2016.

Best Taste of the Alps: Haflinger Haus, Adams The tavern, dining room, and outdoor beer garden at this Austrian inn feel like a taste of the Tyrolean Alps in the Berkshires. The schnitzels (pounded and breaded cutlets) are a treat, especially the jaeger (hunter) schnitzel with mushrooms, but don’t miss the goulash crêpe with paprika sauce, or the homey pot of goulash over handmade dumplings. Dining-room entrées: from $15.95. Tavern main dishes: from $10. 17 Commercial St. 413–743–2221; haflingerhaus.com Best Seasonal Menus: CAFé ADAM, Great Barrington Chef Adam Zieminski offers a sophisticated dining experience in a dressy room. The highly local menu changes daily, but a few popular dishes—such as sausage frites with homemade ketchup—never go on hiatus. Zieminski rarely repeats a daily special, so you could eat a new dish every night. Entrées: from $24. 420 Stockbridge Road. 413–528–7786; cafeadam.org Best Moroccan Food: Amanouz Café, Northampton Along with a few well-chosen French standards (lentil salad, tasty omelets), Amanouz rounds out Mediterranean cuisine with chicken, lamb, and beef meatball kebabs as well as multiple versions of couscous and spicy Moroccan tagines. Vegetarians also fare well with such classic eastern-Med dishes as veggie skewers, baba ghanoush, and falafel. Don’t miss the mint tea. Main dishes: from $4.95. 44 Main St. 413–585–9128 Best Pizza: Red Rose Pizzeria, Springfield Red Rose keeps the faith with true pizza as it’s made in Naples by mixing up fresh dough daily, hand-stretching it very, very thin, and cooking the pies in a ferociously hot oven. It’s all part of a proud Italian family tradition. Although some heavier Americanized toppings are available, do yourself a favor and keep it light to enjoy the amazing crust. Pizzas: from $11. 1060 Main St. 413-739–8510; redrosepizzeria.com Best Grilled-Cheese Sandwiches: Birchtree Bread Company, Worcester With yeasty loaves made from organic grains grown in the rich soil of Gill, a tiny farming town in western Massachusetts, this 50-seat bakery/café is well prepared with the foundations for great sandwiches. Two grilled options add more local flavors: Cabot cheddar with apple mostarda on coriander–raisin bread, and Vermont Shepherd sheep cheese with quince jam and almonds on country bread. Sandwiches: from $9. 138 Green St. 774–243–6944; birchtreebreadcompany.com Best Ice Cream: New City Microcreamery, Hudson Liquid nitrogen fumes rising from industrial mixers create a mad-scientist aura at New City—but flash-freezing creates super-creamy, super-smooth ice cream with no discernible ice crystals. The owners experiment with small batches of the flavors of their wildest dreams, such as cinnamon–nutmeg fudge and fennel–pistachio. Cones: from $2.50. 28 Main St. 978–333–7144; newcitymicrocreamery.com Best BBQ: B.T.’s Smokehouse, Sturbridge Hardcore fans of Brian Treitman’s barbecue joint remember when it was nothing more than an improvised smoker and a shack with an order counter. But the expanded restaurant digs haven’t affected the authenticity of the pork ribs and beef brisket, slow-cooked over hickory and local applewood. Sandwiches: from $4. Platters: from $10. 392 Main St. 508–347–3188; btsmokehouse.com Best Sweet Shop: Chococoa Café, Newburyport Inside the Tannery Marketplace is a kid-friendly café serving artisanal whoopie pies, plus excellent espresso and hot and cold coffee drinks. One section of the shop features a play area for the small fry, while the “Coffice Space” is designed for folks meeting up to do business. Whoopie pies: from $1.86. 50 Water St., Mill Building #1. 978–499–8889; chococoabaking.com Best Breakfast: Sugar Magnolia’s, Gloucester For people who truly believe that breakfast is the best meal of the day, this standout goes the extra mile: crab-cake Benedict; pineapple fritters with brown-sugar dipping sauce; fluffy carrot-cake pancakes; or the “Breakwater Omelet,” stuffed with lobster and herbed cream cheese. Breakfast plates: from $6. 112 Main St. 978–281–5310; sugarmags.com

Best Coffee Stop: Six Depot Roastery & Café, West Stockbridge The brainchild of husband-and-wife team Flavio Lichtenthal and Lisa Landry, this local favorite is where community and coffee come together. Housed in a retired station building, the shop is a little bit of everything: small-batch coffee roaster, café, art gallery, and event space. Come for a menu of sweet treats, sandwiches, and salads; stay for the local artwork and maybe a performance. 6 Depot St. 413-232-0205; sixdepot.com Best Farm-to-Table Dining: Wood’s Hill Table, Concord Food activist and chef Kristin Canty went all-out to support local growers by making a documentary about the plight of family farms (Farma­geddon) and opening this locavore restaurant, serving meat raised in New Hampshire, produce from New England farms, and fish from New England boats. It all tastes great. Entrées: from $18. 24 Commonwealth Ave. 978–369–6300; woodshilltable.com Best Diner-Inspired Food: Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, Somerville The classic Worcester car that fronts this restaurant is mostly window dressing, but the diner spirit prevails in dishes such as grilled pork chop, bacon-packed meatloaf, country-fried steak, and house-made pies. Entrées: from $18. 381 Summer St. 617–629–9500, rosebudkitchen.com Best Meat Lover’s Dining: The Backroom, Waltham When master of charcuterie Joshua Smith ex­panded his cutting-edge deli to include a dining room, he made meats the centerpiece of the menu—and of the décor, with sausages hanging from the ceiling. Bourbon-bathed pork belly and meatballs made from the trimmings of roasts and steaks are top among the small plates. Seasonal vegetables roast up golden-brown in his wood-fired oven. Entrées: from $15. 468 Moody St. 781–216–8732; moodyswaltham.com/the-backroom Best Shore-to-Table Dining: The Back Eddy, Westport On the Westport River near Horseneck Beach, this casual restaurant with tables on the back dock serves great local seafood, including bay scallops farmed in Buzzards Bay. The kitchen loves local producers, from delectable Hannabell cheese thimbles to herbs from Eva’s Garden. Cod and lobster come from nearby waters. Entrées: from $19.50. 1 Bridge Road. 508–636–6500; thebackeddy.com Best Island Seafood: State Road Restaurant, West Tisbury The extensive garden out back attests to West Tisbury’s deep roots as Martha’s Vineyard’s farm town, but Mary and Jackson Kenworth are just as proud of the catch they buy from local fishermen. Timing is everything, from fluke and black bass to midsummer bluefish to late-summer bonito and yellowfin tuna. Entrées: from $16. 688 State Road. 508–693–8582; stateroadrestaurant.com Best Fresh Fish: Pisces, Chatham One of the rare restaurants to work with local weir fishermen as well as day boats, Pisces offers an ever-changing menu that’s a cheat sheet for the fish currently swimming in Cape waters. Its “coastal cuisine” draws on world sources, but spicing is always secondary to the flavor of the fish itself. Entrées: from $26. 2653 Main St. 508–432–4600; piscesofchatham.com Best Wine Bar: Joon Bar, Provincetown The pared-down American bistro menu (seasonally changing selections, such as whole wood-grilled fish and sausage flatbread with grilled corn) makes a perfect dance partner for the well-chosen list of wines by the glass. Sit at the sleek bar and snack all night on shared plates of duck sliders on buttermilk biscuits or frites with smoked-tomato ketchup. Entrées: from $19. 133 Commercial St. 508–413–9336; joonbar.com Best Burger: Lola Burger, Nantucket An upscale burger joint with more than 30 craft beers makes so much sense on Nantucket that you might have to stand in line to get inside. The signature “Lola Burger” is a half-pound patty with cheddar cheese, red-onion compote, and foie-gras sauce. The “adult happy meal” includes the burger with fries and a quarter-bottle of California brut. Tuna, lamb, and falafel burgers are also available. Burgers: from $9.75. 1 Sparks Ave. 508–228–9491; lolaburger.com