Editors’ Choice
Joy Nest
Newburyport
The whole effect at this Newburyport restaurant from Caroline Jolliffe, who also owns Brown Sugar by the Sea across the street, evokes a 1920s-era supper club—but with Thai-inspired street food and gin-forward cocktails, both as beautifully presented as they are delicious. The full menu downstairs includes ramen, but head to the lounge where there will often be live music, in addition to sharables like Sai Ua—a southern Thai herb sausage—and Moo Ping, a dish of thin-sliced pork, marinated in soy, oyster sauce, cilantro stems, and garlic, and then brushed with coconut cream as it’s being grilled.
50 Water St., Newburyport, 978-572-1615, thejoynestrestaurant.com
Readers’ Choice
Brown Sugar by the Sea
Newburyport
With a grand piano at its center, along with floor-to-ceiling windows and elegant décor, this spot pays just as much attention to the experience as to the delicious food, which follows the most important principle of Thai cooking—that each dish should balance sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors. But, believe us, when they say spicy, they mean spicy.
75 Water St., Newburyport, 978-499-8424, brownsugarbythesea.com