Eat Pastrami on Rye, Pizza Bagels, and So Much Ice Cream This Weekend

There have been so many new restaurant openings in the past couple of weeks, so we’ll kick off this weekend’s recommendations with a round-up of all the newest spots to check out, listed alphabetically with their neighborhoods and a few sample menu items:

• Beard Papa’s (Allston): Green tea cream puff; fondant au chocolat; mango "shower."
• Clover (Financial District): Strawberry broccoli sandwich; chickpea fritter; rosemary fries.
• Forge Ice Cream Bar (Somerville, not far from Porter Square): Peanut butter ice cream; mint cookies and cream ice cream; lemon sorbet.
• Knight Moves Cafe (Teele Square): Snacks; coffee; board games (don’t try to eat those.)
• Levend Bagelry (Downtown Boston, inside the Boston Public Market): Bagels; bagel sandwiches; pizza bagels.
• Le’s Sushi Bar & Restaurant (East Cambridge): Sushi; pho; pad thai.
• Little Donkey (Central Square): Tuna poke; a dry-aged burger with Buffalo pickles, onion soup mayo, foie gras, and jalapeño chips; chocolate chip cookie dough with milk foam and cocoa nibs. (Softly open at 5 p.m., but the official opening is on Monday. Reservations available starting Monday as well.)
• Mamaleh’s Delicatessen (Kendall Square): Pastrami on rye; chocolate babka; boozy milkshakes. (Currently open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for breakfast and lunch, with dinner service probably launching next week.)
• Otto (Arlington): Blue cheese, roasted pear, and arugula pizza; pulled pork and mango pizza; butternut squash, ricotta, and cranberry pizza. (Only open for takeout and delivery this weekend; full service and delivery begins on Monday.)
• The Savage Wiener (Newton, inside Sandwich Works): Hot dogs; muffin tops.
• Tom’s BaoBao (Harvard Square): Curry beef bao; pork bao; sweet potato bao.

Plus, don’t forget about the newest spots to drink: Idle Hands’ new Malden brewery is now open, and GrandTen Distilling has opened a new cocktail bar within its Southie space.

In other news relevant to your weekend dining plans:

• Today (Friday, July 15) is the final day of service at Flora in Arlington. After it closes, a French restaurant called Financier will take over the space.
• Revolution Juice reopened yesterday in Back Bay after nearly a month of renovations.
• Closed since mid-2014, Bao Bao Bakery has completed its move across the street in Chinatown and celebrates its grand reopening tomorrow (Saturday, July 16).
• The Eater 38 has been updated for summer, jam-packed with 38 of the area’s most essential restaurants that you should check out. Why not start this weekend?
• Also updated: the boozy milkshakes map, now with 23 options in Boston and beyond.

Some events for the weekend:

• Head to Great Scott in Allston tonight for Taking Back Sundae, an ice cream night with an emo playlist, aka "an ice cream anti-social," from The Parlor Ice Cream Co. $5 gets you entry and a scoop of ice cream. 21+.
• Tonight at ONCE in Somerville, it’s luau time with a pig roast, tiki cocktails, and surf music. Food starts at 5 p.m.; music starts at 9 p.m.
• Atwood’s Tavern in East Cambridge is throwing a barbecue on its fantastic hidden patio, rain or shine, featuring Night Shift Brewing on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The $10 ticket includes your first beer and a Night Shift glass; food is available a la carte (cash only). The menu will include burgers (beef and veggie), brats, potato salad, slaw, and watermelon. All ages welcome for food; 21+ to drink. Tickets are available in advance, but walk-ins are welcome.
• Swing by the Taza factory store in Somerville between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday for samples of Honeycomb Creamery ice cream made with Taza.
• It’s time once again for WGBH’s Craft Beer Fest, taking place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday at WGBH Studios. There’ll be plenty of music, beer, and food trucks. Tickets are $40 or $50, depending on whether you’re a member. 21+.

And a few editor picks:

• Have you checked out Bar Mezzana in the South End yet? Get as much crudo as you can, definitely, but don’t skip the pasta. The paccheri (lobster, green onion, tomato) was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in recent memory.
• Cha Yen Thai Cookery continues to serve excellent Thai food in Watertown, whether you dine in the tiny restaurant or get takeout. The pla pad kun chai (spicy cod fillet with ginger, lemongrass, and Chinese celery) was a big hit at a recent takeout feast with friends, and the fried corn cakes always make for a good starter. Don’t miss the house-made ice cream, which comes in flavors like Thai iced tea and spicy chocolate.
• Southern Kin is off to a great start at Somerville’s Assembly Row, and the floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the sidewalk are perfect for days when you want to be outdoors but taking advantage of an air conditioner at the same time. Highly recommended: the frogmore stew and the chicken & waffles.
• And elsewhere in Somerville, have you been to Juliet in Union Square yet? Thanks to some great recent press, including a fantastic Boston Globe review, the secret’s out, and the lines are getting longer. Get in while you can. There are so many different ways to experience it, from a quick breakfast or lunch to a multi-course tasting extravaganza for dinner. Try it all. My personal favorite is the Japanese-inspired set breakfast on Mondays and Tuesday.

Happy weekend, everyone. Stay hydrated, stay cool, and show us what you’re eating by tagging your food photos #eaterboston on Instagram.

• Weekend Dining Recommendations [EBOS]