Toro

The South End has been served by the Spanish tapas restaurant and bar Toro since 2005. The menu, which was developed by James Beard Award-winning Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, comprises hot and cold small plates with Barcelona-inspired flavors that are meant to be served and consumed tapas-style. The beverage menu includes varied, well-chosen wines and traditional cocktail-inspired beverages.

Despite its vibrancy, Toro hasn't altered all that much in the more than ten years since it first blew the roof off Boston's then-gentrifying South End when it first opened. Day-one favorites like grilled street corn and duck drumsticks with quince sauce are still breaking the hearts of every tapas virgin who stumbles in unprepared. The rustic cubbyhole of a storefront it inhabits is as crowded and convivial as ever, with revelers passing around porróns of Cava. Chef partners Jamie Bissonette and Ken Oringer, who later opened branches in New York, Bangkok, and Dubai, have undoubtedly undergone a number of changes as a result of the restaurant's success. But regulars know they can depend on the still-struggling flagship to provide the sexy night after night, even as they anticipate the unexpected from Toro's chalkboard specials (wild boar-stuffed squid, sweetbread pâté, sautéed cockscombs).

Google Rating: 4.5/5.0
Location: 1704 Washington St., Boston, 02118
Cross street: W Springfield St
Website: www.toro-restaurant.com
Phone: 617-536-4300
Transport: Orange line to Mass Ave
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 12pm-12am; Fri 12pm-1am; Sat 3:30pm-1am; Sun 10:30am-12am