Boston Area Best Restaurants 2010

Best Pub
MATT MURPHY’S, Brookline
A no-frills, friendly spot straight out of an urban Dublin neighborhood. The cheese platter with soda bread is a meal in itself; and the fish-and-chips comes with spicy ketchup and pickled onions–all of it wrapped in newspaper. 14 Harvard St. 617-232-0188; mattmurphyspub.com

Best Romantic Restaurant
L’ESPALIER, Boston
After years of enchanting couples in a snug Victorian townhouse, L’Espalier is now settled into its shiny new digs next to the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Adding sophistication hasn’t taken away the intimacy, however. The food (New England meets France) and service are just as classic and cosseting as ever. 774 Boylston St. 617-262-3023, lespalier.com

Best Seafood
B&G OYSTERS LTD., Boston
This sophisticated South End eatery, with its wonderful marble bar and high-top tables crowded with plates of Nantucket bay scallops crudo and moules frites, is a gleaming ode to traditional Boston seafood dishes, taken up a notch. 550 Tremont St., 617-423-0550; bandgoysters.com

Best Sushi
OISHII, Boston
The dining room is a beautiful palace of tranquility–as cleanly styled as the food is cleanly flavored. 1166 Washington St. 617-482-8868; oishiiboston.com

Best New Restaurant
IL CASALE, Belmont
With brothers Damian and Filippo and father Leon, chef Dante de Magistris has converted an old fire station into a high-ceilinged space that’s rustic but still refined. The food follows suit: intensely flavored mozzarella-stuffed pork meatballs and wallet-friendly tasting menus. 50 Leonard St. 617-209-4942; ilcasalebelmont.com