Tiki time

If you want to send a signal to yourself that it’s time for a bit of carefree fun, order a drink in a kitschy mug shaped like a skull or a coconut, loaded with fruit juice and rum and orchids and paper umbrellas. That will do the trick. For a drink and some sushi (and a roster of Pride events this month), Shore Leave in the South End is your destination. Others to try: pupu platter palace Wusong Road in Harvard Square and, when you find yourself on the Cape, Aplaya Kitchen + Tiki Bar, serving Filipino food in a lush garden in Chatham.

Aplaya Kitchen + Tiki Bar, 483 Main St., Chatham, 508-348-5132, www.aplayacapecod.com. Shore Leave, 11 William E. Mullins Way, South End, Boston, 617-530-1775, www.shoreleaveboston.com. Wusong Road, 112 Mt. Auburn St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, 617-528-9125, www.wusongroad.com.

Continental mental vacation

A trip to Europe would be lovely, but if it’s not in the budget (or you’ve been posting things on social media that might make customs agents vewy vewy angwy), skip the jetlag and do dinner instead. Try Salem bistro Bernadette, for well-dressed salads, mussels, roast chicken, and Frenchy desserts like Paris-Brest and vacherin. For a bit of Barcelona, Beacon Hill’s Zurito specializes in Basque-style tapas: You can have all the jamon your heart desires. Or visit Italy at Osteria Vivo in Pembroke, where you can eat wagyu carpaccio, miso arancini, cacio e pepe, and lobster and oxtail bolognese. (It’s right near Poopsie’s, famous for its South Shore-style bar pizza, if you want to take some pies home for later.)

Bernadette, 65 Washington St., Salem, 978-224-2976, www.bernadettesalem.com. Osteria Vivo, 254 Church St., Pembroke, 781-924-1315, www.osteriavivo.com. Zurito, 26 Charles St., Beacon Hill, Boston, 857-305-3177, www.zuritoboston.com.

Lunch by the water

If you didn’t have a lobster roll, did you even summer? At Little Harbor Lobster Company, a waterfront seafood market in Marblehead, order up their excellent version (⅓ pound of meat, with mayo or drawn butter) and eat it overlooking the harbor. The tiny-and-mighty Mae’s Sandwich Shop serves up excellent baked goods and sandwiches to write home about, right across the street from the ocean. Try the Mae Day (roasted veggies, feta, and romesco) or the Uncle Stevie (roast beef with roasted shallots, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and black pepper mayo), both on fresh house-made focaccia. If you’re looking to sit down in style, the Nautilus is a little taste of Nantucket in the Seaport; lunch is served on Saturday and Sunday. A little midday poke and rosé? How civilized could you be?

Little Harbor Lobster Company, 3 Beacon St., Marblehead, 781-639-1961, www.littleharborlobster.com. Mae’s Sandwich Shop, 563 Ocean St., Marshfield, 781-319-2726, www.maesmarshfield.com. The Nautilus, 300 Pier 4 Boulevard, Seaport, Boston, 857-957-0998, www.thenautilus.com.

Advertisement

Date night

Bring your loved one to Comfort Kitchen for a tasting tour of the spice routes — via brown butter okra with masala-spiced yogurt, jerk roast duck, goat ragu and cassava gnudi, and excellent drinks to match. Field & Vine makes the most of New England ingredients in dishes such as tautog ceviche with smoked sweet potato, crispy potato cakes with melted leeks, and Wellfleet clams with green crab curry and house-made focaccia. The latest restaurant from Xenia Greek Hospitality, Kaia focuses on the Aegean coast: Try sea urchin terrine, tuna crudo, mushroom souvlaki, or grilled whole fish. Each spot has a great — and different — date-night vibe.

Comfort Kitchen, 611 Columbia Road, Dorchester, 617-329-6910, www.comfortkitchenbos.com. Field & Vine, 9 Sanborn Court, Somerville, 617-718-2333, www.fieldandvinesomerville.com. Kaia, 370 Harrison Ave., South End, Boston, 617-514-0700, www.kaiasouthend.com.

Out with friends

It’s roof deck season at Cunard Tavern by the East Boston waterfront, and James Beard award-winning chef Tony Messina is serving up scallion pancake pizza with spicy vodka sauce and burrata, lobster poutine, crispy chicken sandwiches with kimchi pimento cheese, and more. El Tacuba keeps you and your pals in margaritas and Mexican fare (queso fundido and guac, ceviche, all manner of tacos) all summer long. Lulu Green makes plant-based brunching an art (dinnering too): Come for huevos rojos and pancakes, seitan shawarma bowls and house burgers on pretzel buns, Korean-style lettuce wraps and mushroom “short ribs,” plus chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and all the fun drinks you want to drink. (In addition to the South Boston flagship, there’s now a branch at Time Out Market in the Fenway.)

Cunard Tavern, 24 Orleans St., East Boston, 617-567-7609, www.cunardtavern.com. El Tacuba, 35 Salem St., Medford, 617-390-0600, www.eltacuba.com. Lulu Green, 246 W. Broadway, South Boston, 617-420-4070, www.lulugreen.com.

Day trip, brought to you by dinner

Sometimes the whole day comes together around what you want to eat later. Take a Thursday off of work, book a tasting menu at Lune in Dennis Port, and head out early to enjoy the day on a gorgeous beach; after dinner, shoot back home to Boston. You visited the Cape during peak season and skipped the traffic. Nicely done. (Lune’s tasting menus are available Thursday-Saturday with 5:30 and 8 p.m. seatings; an a la carte menu is offered Wednesday and Sunday.) Or head to Duxbury and spend the afternoon at Island Creek’s delightful raw bar by the water. Play lawn games, enjoy the scene, and suck down fresh oysters, caviar, and more. You can also book a farm tour. For dinner, head to sister restaurant the Winsor House for stylish fare, and more oysters, of course. (If you want to skip the day trip, there’s now a temporary Island Creek Raw Bar in the Seaport.) Gloucester sushi chef Sang Hyun Lee recently became a champion on cooking show “Chopped.” Visit his Sushi Sang Lee for beautiful omakase menus created with seafood from nearby waters. Or, earlier in the day, get a bento box to go and eat on the beach.

Lune, 587 Main St., Dennis Port, 508-237-6597, www.lunecapecod.com. Island Creek Raw Bar, 403 Washington St., Duxbury, and 99 Autumn Lane, Seaport, Boston, 781-934-2028; the Winsor House, 390 Washington St., Duxbury, 781-934-0991; shop.islandcreekoysters.com. Sushi Sang Lee, 76 Prospect St., Rear Suite, Gloucester, 978-381-3818, www.sushisanglee.com.

Devra First can be reached at devra.first@globe.com. Follow her on Instagram @devrafirst.