2018 Dining Awards

This year's picks from our dining critic Joseph Hayes and our readers' favorite restaurants in dozens of categories.

It’s been an interesting year for a food writer, as the public taste continues to shift from high-end sit-down establishments to smaller, more eclectic, reasonably priced restaurants. We’ve seen a growth in world cuisine (new Indian and Pakistani, Asian street food, and the continuing explosion of ramen and authentic Mexican), the renewed flocking of celebrity chefs to Disney, and new players in the multi-location business (we hate the word “chain”).

The difficult (but fun) challenge this year was not to pick the best of our local treasures, but to narrow down all the amazing chefs and restaurants to where a choice was possible. And so, with a fevered brow and satisfied palate, here are my choices for 2018. Plus check out readers' picks in dozens of categories, and four new inductees into the Dining Hall of Fame.

Bon appétit!