For decorating inspiration, head to Lekker Home for mid-20th- and 21st-century pieces by designers like David Adjaye, Frances Knoll, Paola Navone, and Hans Wegner, all set up in residential vignettes across a light-filled space. The petite Hudson is equally enticing, focusing on somewhat more traditional items and smaller scale accessories excellent for host and housewarming presents. Nearby More Than Words Bookstore is a local favorite for used books and records, plus gift items you can feel good about purchasing; the non-profit employs at-risk youth from the area and serves as a community space for the city. Fashion-wise, browse the workwear- and outdoor gear-inspired men’s duds and grooming items at Sault New England; the modern women’s wear from an array of boutique brands around the globe at Viola Lovely; and the contemporary handmade jewelry at Michele Mercaldo.
Many of the best galleries and artists’ studios occupy the brick-and-beam former warehouses and industrial buildings of SoWa (South of Washington) district, on the neighborhood’s southeastern edge. Be sure to hit the subterranean SoWa Vintage Market for thrifting finds, and on weekends from spring through fall the outdoor SoWa Open Market sets up shop with local vendors, artisans, food purveyors, farmers, and food and drink trucks selling their wares in a fun, alfresco setting. To soak in still more local art, the beloved nonprofit Boston Center for the Arts puts on colorful exhibitions and studio residences by the likes of Andrae Green and Georgina Lewis in a spacious rotunda. For an outdoor art venue, walk the stretch of Underground at Ink Block beneath I-93 for massive murals, occasional art or exercise pop-ups and pickleball games, plus a direct walking route to downtown’s Theater District.
Where to eat and drink in the South End
If you’re looking to eat well, you’ve come to the right place—the neighborhood is among the reasons Boston was named one of our Best Places to Eat in 2026. Many of the South End’s restaurants, and their chefs and owners, have earned acclaim well beyond Boston’s borders by the James Beard Foundation, and as well as many other short lists of America’s best food. Myers + Chang dishes Asia-inspired cuisine including creative takes on Taiwanese, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese comfort and street food. It has become a favorite for its weekend dim-sum brunch. Myers + Chang is co-owned by pastry chef Joanne Chang, whose chainlet of Flour Bakery + Cafes, one of which is in the South End, prove indispensable for lunch on the go or for picnic supplies to take to adjacent Blackstone Square or Franklin Square to enjoy by the fountains underneath string lights.
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Back to fine dining, there’s chef-restaurateur Ken Oringer’s Toro, where visitors from near and far wait for hours to enjoy the Barcelona-style tapas and pintxos, and Spanish wines and sherries. (Check out its recently opened back patio.) SRV’s Venetian-inspired small plates made their debut in 2016, and the young chefs have gone from strength to strength since. (SRV’s $48 multi-course Arsenale tasting menu may be the best gourmet dinner deal in town.) Chef Douglas Williams’s Mida serves seasonal Italian and Italian-inflected dishes in a Scandi-chic setting. Newer favorites include the coastal Greek cuisine of Kaia, which serves inventive mezze and large-format whole fish for a taste of the Cyclades in the center of Boston.
Perhaps because of its puritanical roots, any place that serves alcohol in Boston also has to have a full menu—so there aren’t straight-up bars here or anywhere else. But we’d recommend making a bee-line for the Beehive for cocktails, not just for the drinks but the live music and a large patio, too. Or the sports-bar-style Cathedral Station is one of the neighborhood’s prime LGBTQ+ hangouts, with pool tables and a terrace that’s especially hopping Sunday afternoons, after the city’s gay sports leagues finish their games—and this summer it’s the perfect spot to make new friends over a frenetic 2026 World Cup match.
