Between the CambridgeSide mall and Kendall Square, Lily P’s is where you can lob cornhole beanbags, listen to bluegrass and nosh on buttermilk-battered fried chicken.

Little Crepe is back in business after a pandemic shutdown, and with an emphasis on service and community engagement – crepes, community and coffee, if you will.

It’s only been a few weeks since the nouvelle bistro Juliet and its funky, eclectic menu settled into its new, upscale digs on Washington Street in Union Square.

That Mu Lan survived a 2014 fire and the coronavirus pandemic is testimony to its quality, which draws a Kendall Square tech crowd, families from The Port and seekers of good, authentic Chinese cuisine with unique accents.

Vive la France. Batifol in Kendall Square has the classics, including coq au vin and steak frites, but it’s on small plates such as escargot that offers a true raison d’être.

Kelly’s Diner in Ball Square is in a 55-foot, 1953 Jerry O’Mahony rail-style diner, and the menu of eggs and omelets, deli sandwiches and burgers, and New England dinners such as meatloaf feels just as classic as its setting.

Bosso Ramen Tavern has found a way to stand out among its many competitors with simple and unique dishes served in a casually cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Hard to believe Atwood’s Tavern has been slinging burgers and hosting live music in Wellington-Harrington for 16 years, but we’re glad this gastropub has lasted.

At 20 seats, Mâe wants to feed as many people as it can in a night. But service is nothing but abundantly kind, and for some of the best Southeast Asian cuisine in town.

When Cambridge Common reopened mid-pandemic, it did so with a slimmed-down menu that added a few classics from the still-closed Christopher’s in Porter Square. But the thing that has me coming back is the simple elegance of its Southwestern quesadilla.