These Boston restaurants might fly under the radar, but they still deserve a nod from Michelin

But the guide’s inspectors can’t get to every restaurant in a region. I hope they look at less immediately obvious candidates: the excellent, to-the-beat-of-their-own-drums Asta and Brassica Kitchen + Cafe; the slightly out-of-the-way Chickadee; the fairly new high achiever Kaia; and some that fly under the radar altogether. Here are a few of the deserving restaurants that could get overlooked for Michelin recognition, be it a star or another nod.

Akame Nigiri and Sake

In recent years, a host of omakase restaurants have opened in the Boston area, from 311 to Wa Shin. Each has its own flavor but adheres more or less to tradition with its sushi-focused chef’s tasting menus. Akame Nigiri and Sake stands out for its distinctive point of view. The Lexington sushi bar has just six seats, serving tasting menus Thursday through Saturday. It is very much a one-man show. Chef-owner Michael Monaco does everything himself, from negotiating with vendors at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market to developing dishes to making the many components that go into them. The North Shore native learned to prepare fish at seafood distributor Wulf’s Fish, then went on to work at Uni, Ken Oringer’s Back Bay restaurant specializing in sushi and sashimi. He opened Akame in 2022. The fish here is pristine and perfectly cut, the rice just right. The flavors are dialed in and balanced. They are also freewheeling, unique, pulled as much from Revere’s convergence of cultural influences as Japan. Paired with your hiramasa, ishidai, and sakura masu, you will find ingredients such as soppressata, hummus, jackfruit, roasted broccolini, and Dorito powder. It’s not a gimmick. Each combination tastes excellent and original.

1707 Massachusetts Ave. #2, Lexington, 781-538-6581, www.akamenigiriandsake.com

Chef Patricia Estorino at Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar in Cambridge.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

Gustazo

With branches in Cambridge and Waltham, Gustazo is so convivial and delicious, everyone who visits is charmed. This is thanks to chef-owner Patricia Estorino and staff, serving lovely iterations of dishes from Estorino’s native Cuba. You’ll find modernized classics, from arroz con pollo to ropa vieja, as well as bright ceviches, flavor-packed small plates, plenty of vegetarian offerings, and an excellent rum list.

2067 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge; 240 Moody St., Waltham; 855-487-8296; www.gustazo-cubancafe.com

Gnocchi with lobster and stracciatella cheese at Little Sage.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Little Sage

How new is too new for Michelin consideration? Are previous lifetimes factored in for reincarnated restaurants? Little Sage opened in the North End in March, an homage to the original Sage, which debuted in 1994 around the corner. Chef Tony Susi ran it there and then in the South End until 2009. Now he is back, and Little Sage is just what one wants a North End restaurant to be in 2025. The food is so good, from simple, balanced salads to house-made pasta (don’t miss the pillowy ricotta gnocchi) to fish with seasonal vegetables to basil panna cotta. It is a pleasure to see Susi back in the neighborhood at this intimate restaurant, and at the top of his game.

352 Hanover St., North End, Boston, 617-742-9600, www.littlesageboston.com

Lune

Cape Cod doesn’t appear to be under Michelin consideration this year, but they should make an exception for the wonderful Lune. Started as a pop-up, the brick-and-mortar restaurant opened in 2024 in Dennis Port, in a former gas station with green walls and black-and-white tile floors. The best seats in the house are at the counter, where diners can watch chef Mick Formichella and crew prepare tasting menus of local, seasonal ingredients. (An a la carte menu is offered on Sundays.) A meal might take you from porcini and wild onion consommé to foie gras tarte topped with glowing green chartreuse gelee to confit halibut with fava bean ragout. The house-made sourdough bread with cultured butter is a worthy course in and of itself. Mick and wife Charlotte Formichella run Lune together; she is from Cape Cod, he grew up spending summers here. After a stint in Portland, Ore., they returned to open this labor of love that makes Cape diners feel like they’re in a neighborhood restaurant in Paris.

587 Main St., Dennis Port, 508-237-6597, www.lunecapecod.com

Rambutan salad at Mahaniyom in Brookline.Lane Turner/Globe Staff

Mahaniyom

I wouldn’t be surprised if this Thai restaurant in Brookline gets a little Michelin love, but just in case: Dang, Mahaniyom is good. Run by a team of expats (they’re also behind the excellent nearby bar Merai), it serves dishes that make the tastebuds sing — savory, sweet, salty, spicy, herbal, and lush. Don’t miss the rambutan salad, crab curry, beef massaman, or fried whole fish, along with excellent cocktails.

236 Washington St., Brookline, 617-487-5986, www.mahaniyomboston.com

Chef Sang Hyun Lee serves omakase at Sushi Sang Lee in Gloucester.Dex Litton

Sushi Sang Lee

Another omakase restaurant, this one in Gloucester. At a counter tucked away in the back of a wine shop, chef Sang Hyun Lee has created what he calls a “Gloucester/Edomae omakase sushi bar.” The sushi applies deep Japanese tradition to seafood pulled from the nearby waters. Old-school red vinegar is used in the rice, wasabi root grated on sharkskin. As they enjoy winter crab atop the savory custard chawan mushi, cubes of local monkfish liver with pickled squash, and nigiri of beautifully buttery tuna, diners get friendly with one another in a way that tends not to happen at city sushi bars. In addition to multicourse omakase dinners, Lee offers daytime bento boxes to go. What could taste better on the beach?

76 Prospect St., Rear Suite, Gloucester, 978-381-3818, www.sushisanglee.com

Hatchery-to-table dining at the Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm in Duxbury: Island Creek, Aunt Dotty, and Tumblecan oysters.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

The Winsor House at Island Creek Oyster Farm

I’m calling out this restaurant that realizes the ethos of Island Creek Oysters in one very stylish yet also very New England dining room, but really the entire Island Creek package deserves the nod. At the shellfish company’s Duxbury headquarters, guests can visit the hatchery, take boat tours to learn about the industry, slurp oysters and down caviar-topped hot dogs while frolicking at the raw bar by the water, or sit down here for a stellar meal. Many Boston-area restaurants serve local ingredients, but few give you the opportunity to journey with them from production to table. The oysters here are amazing, of course; everything else is good, too.

390 Washington St., Duxbury, 781-934-0991, www.winsorhouse.islandcreekoysters.com

Owner Abdulla Awad greets customers behind the pastry case at Yafa Bakery & Cafe in Somerville.Nathan Klima for The Boston Globe

Yafa Bakery & Cafe

This Palestinian bakery in Somerville is special, and it serves the most beautiful sweets. Most of the recipes are traditional and old, from Jerusalem, where owner Abdulla Awad’s family has lived for years. In the kitchen in back, staff make date-filled mamoul cookies and flaky, snail-shaped pastries stuffed with spinach or potato. The pastry case holds stuffed dates in a myriad of flavors. Pistachio and honey flavor everything. There’s also creamy hummus and labneh, warm Jerusalem bread and za’atar-topped manaqeesh, and a refreshing lemonada with ginger, mint, and orange blossom water. Michelin recognition for a bakery/cafe? Sure, why not?

594 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617-616-5310, www.yafabakerycafe.com

A bowl of cold udon is prepared at Yume Ga Arukara in Cambridge.Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

Yume Ga Arukara

Udon. Nothing but udon. But not just any udon. Yume Ga Arukara serves perfect, meaningful udon. The name means “Because I Have Dreams.” The Japanese noodles are made in-house. There are only a few ways to eat them, but no wrong way: hot or cold, regular or spicy. The noodles are wonderful, chewy and slippery. Japanese founder Tsuyoshi Nishioka opened this and sister ramen restaurant Yume Wo Katare (“Talk About Your Dreams”) to help young people after a friend died by suicide. “I will make young people have a dream,” he told the Globe in a 2018 interview. “I will give them a reason to live.” The dream is spreading: There is also a branch of the udon shop in the Seaport.

1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge; 70 Pier 4 Boulevard, Seaport, Boston; www.yumegaarukara.com

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Devra First can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @devrafirst.