Simple, spare Italian fare with tasteful and playful modern touches is the specialty at this inviting eatery in the Ink Blot development in the South End.

Website: barmezzana.com

Address: 360 Harrison Ave.

Phone number: 617-530-1770

Number of seats: 140, plus 30 on the patio

Entrée price range: $19-$34

Popular dishes: Yellowtail crudo with grapefruit oil and Fresno chile; chicken liver crostini with bacon and onion; paccheri pasta with lobster, green onion and tomato; scallops with butternut squash, pancetta and sage.

What others say: “Bar Mezzana is the restaurant every condo developer wants on the ground floor as a sales tool — a place that can actually boost property values, that will serve both the people who live nearby and the entire city.” — Corby Kummer, Boston magazine

Yellowtail crudo with grapefruit oil and Fresno chile

The tasteful, playful modern touches apply to Bar Mezzana's decor too.

Peruvian cuisine gets an injection of worldly influences by way of Japan and China at this elegant, refined destination in the boutique Godfrey Hotel in Downtown Crossing.

Website: rukarestobar.com

Address: 505 Washington St.

Phone number: 617-266-0102

Number of seats: 177

Entrée price range: $9-$32

Popular dishes: Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche with yogurt leche de tigre, pomegranate, candied bulgur and chile oil; eggplant motoyaki with grilled eggplant, miso mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce and sesame; green noodles with smoked cobia, curly udon, miso-dashi butter, basil and spinach; whole crispy Japanese butterfish with cabbage escabèche, avocado, and sweet chile panca sauce.

What others say: “Ruka is, for every woman, like the dream man who surprises you with flowers on a day that means nothing much at all, stalks your Pinterest boards to find that one artisan-made piece of jewelry you've been lusting [over], cooks you a mean meal after a bad day, and even vacuums.” — Yelp comment

Green noodles with smoked cobia, curly udon, miso-dashi butter, basil and spinach

Ruka Restobar's Peruvian canvas with influences from Japan and China.

Grown from roots in pop-ups under the name of Whisky, this full-scale restaurant in a refurbished cafe doles out unusual, unconventional cuisine with tendencies toward French and New-American fare.

Website: fazendaboston.com

Address: 3710 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Phone number: 617-477-4519

Number of seats: 44

Entrée price range: $12-$26

Popular dishes: Fried chicken with herb slaw, umeboshi and lime; yams with coconut rice and spicy milk jam; rabbit with brown bread, chile oil and sour cream; rainbow trout with green curry pesto, sunchoke and smoked yogurt.

What others say: “It could bring anything from beef tongue with beef marmalade, fennel, and molasses to a nasturtium omelet with wild mushrooms, caper sauce, and grilled cheddar; ‘street corn’ with ricotta salata aïoli; or country fried chicken with maple umeboshi and herb slaw.” — Devra First, Boston Globe

Fried chicken with herb slaw, umeboshi and lime

Foodies will find unusual fare at Brassica Kitchen + Cafe.

A lively bar scene and discerning seafood favorites of a distinctly New England variety reign at this ocean-praising spot in Harvard Square.

Website: thehourlycambridge.com

Address: 15 Dunster St., Cambridge, Mass.

Phone number: 617-765-2342

Number of seats: 94

Entrée price range: $18-$30

Popular dishes: Tuna poke with seaweed salad, ginger, sesame and crispy wontons; Hourly Seafood Tower with 12 oysters, six clams, six shrimp, six crab claws, three half lobster tails and marinated mussels; Lobster Spaghetti with native lobster, lobster sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

What others say: “It's very classic but something about it feels fresh.” — Yelp comment

Hourly Seafood Tower with 12 oysters, six clams, six shrimp, six crab claws, three half lobster tails and marinated mussels

The Hourly Oyster Bar is a classic yet fresh restaurant in Harvard Square.

Reopened by a new team after a 30-year run as a go-to destination in Cambridge’s Inman Square, this new incarnation of an old favorite hews to a familiar mix of seafood and barbecue served with a homespun spin, plus the promise of “Hell Night” events that focus on spicy foods.

Website: eastcoastgrill.net

Address: 1271 Cambridge St., Cambridge, Mass.

Phone number: 617-714-4662

Number of seats: 94 in the dining room and 19 at the bar

Entrée price range: $12-$26

Popular dishes: “Jerk Wings from Hell” with banana guava ketchup; grilled white pepper crusted tuna with house-pickled ginger, aged soy, wasabi, bok choy and crispy jasmine rice cakes; BBQ Trio with Eastern North Carolina pulled pork, brisket, Memphis dry rubbed pork spare ribs, Tidewater slaw, Grandma's baked beans and cornbread; spicy tuna poke with cucumber, seaweed, macadamia nuts and togarashi.

What others say: “Now that the space is fixed up, we can finally taste all of these spicy and boozy creations in action.” — Alex Wilking, Boston magazine

Buffalo Fried Gulf Shrimp with blue cheese dressing and celery

A new team is running the Inman Square institution.