Best New Restaurant

GOLD WINNER

Dear Friend Bar
67 Portland Street
website

SILVER WINNER

Hermitage
1460 Lower Water Street
website

BRONZE WINNER

Easy Street Diner
3625 Dutch Village Road
website

Dear Friend opened its doors in July 2020 and has received well-deserved attention ever since. “We were overwhelmed with how much we were nominated for,” says co-owner Matt Boyle. He attributes it all to his staff. “They’re the ones that are greeting every guest, making the food and making the drinks and serving people,” Boyle says. Dear Friend mainly markets itself as a cocktail destination, but Boyle says head chef Bradley George has made magic in a small, non-traditional kitchen with limited equipment. “I think he’s really just at the tip of the iceberg,” Boyle says. “I think we’re going to see, for a long time, him being one of the best chefs around.”