Late-night dining in the suburbs

GO WITH THE FLOW

It’s 10:30 p.m. on a Friday, and 88 Wharf in Lower Mills in Milton is swinging. There’s a girls’-night-out party making noise, and the restaurant has run out of both bread and rose wine – oh, the hazards of eating late – but the mushroom soup arrives hot and creamy, and dishes like lobster risotto show that someone in the kitchen is having fun. His name is Robert Fecteau. In the few months since the chef (formerly of Aujourd’hui and Woodward at the Ames Hotel) has taken over, he’s given this spot a new sheen. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 the rest of the week > 88 Wharf 88 Wharf Street, Milton, 857-598-4826, 88wharf.com

CHINATOWN ANNEX

At All Seasons Table in Malden, you can sip scorpion bowls at the long bar and order pan-Asian food until just before last call. The endless menu includes surprises like thin-crust sushi pizza – tempura, seaweed, and rice topped with salmon, tuna, and crab meat, all doused in avocado sauce. A suburban Chinatown is what owner Douglas Tran envisioned when he opened a short walk from the commuter rail three years ago. “People work in Boston all day, they don’t want to go back,” he says. > Kitchen closes at 12:45 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, 11:30 p.m. the rest of the week > All Seasons Table 64 Pleasant Street, Malden, 781-397-8788, allseasons-tablerestaurant.com

FOOD FOR FANS

When Sox games run late, chicken Oscar and Kobe meat loaf are served until the last pitch as long as there are diners at Big Papi’s Grille in Framingham. David Ortiz’s foray into the restaurant game has a swingers-meets-sports bar aura. The ample bar area attracts a crowd that’s on the prowl. Tuna tartare with plantain chips is a Papi-approved late-night snack. > Kitchen closes between 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., depending on demand > Big Papi’s Grille 30 Worcester Road, Framingham, 508-620-9990, bigpapisgrille.com

SPEAK-EASY STREET

A Prohibition-era pub, The Biltmore Bar & Grille is now perfectly legal but still screams hush-hush late night. Jason Owens, chef and co-owner, has created the ultimate neighborhood hang for Newton. Tin ceilings, local microbrews, Stevie Wonder on the jukebox, and a platter of chicken and waffles served until last call is an insomniac’s dream. Owens, who wears a scally cap rather than a toque, is a Nashville transplant who puts a Southern spin on classics like flaky crab cakes, serving them on sweet baked beans. The fried chicken is perfect. > Kitchen closes at midnight > The Biltmore Bar & Grille 1205 Chestnut Street, Newton, 617-527-2550, thebiltmoregrille.com

hello, darkness

When Burtons Grill opened in North Andover five years ago, soccer moms started telling their baby sitters not to wait up. Center-cut filets and grilled stuffed zucchini fill the room with irresistible smells. It’s less rowdy than its Fenway Park outpost, but the steaks, salads, and desserts on the menu are just as impressive. Only drawback: The outdoor terrace overlooks a parking lot. “We get beautiful sunsets” to make up for it, says general manager Michael Tynan. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 Monday through Thursday, 9 on Sunday > Burtons Grill 145 Turnpike Street, North Andover, 978-688-5600, burtonsgrill.com

MARGARITAVILLE, MA Fun, festive food with a side of tequila – that’s the idea behind Casa Blanca, the Mexican cantina with locations in Andover and North Andover. Margaritas are made with fresh limes, guacamole is mashed to order, and the skirt-steak burrito requires a knife and fork. Co-owner Daniel Vargas is a native of Guadalajara, where tequila, mariachi bands, and Carlos Santana all come from. In these friendly spots, you’ll feel the influence of all three. > Kitchens close at 10:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and between 9 and 10 the rest of the week > Casa Blanca 10-12 Main Street, Andover, 978-289-4165, and 1070 Osgood Street, North Andover, 978-683-1177; casablancamexican.com

late late show

When waiters get off work, where do they go? Cafe Escadrille. Located in a former restaurant wasteland between Route 128 and the Burlington Mall, this elegant emporium used to be the only place a workaholic could get oysters Rockefeller, baked brie, or a corned beef sandwich after 10. Competitors have opened recently, but none can top the original. Try the lobster macaroni and cheese, made with four cheeses and drizzled with truffle oil. > Kitchen closes at midnight Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday > Cafe Escadrille 26 Cambridge Street, Burlington, 781-273-1916, cafeescadrille.com

the OASIS

It’s 10:45 on a Friday night in Westwood and you’re eating ricotta gnocchi with truffle oil-laced pea sauce? You must be at Chiara Bistro. Steve LaCount, longtime chef at The Country Club in Brookline, has created a stylish Mediterranean trattoria in an area where pizza and Chinese food were long the only options. Order a pomegranate and agave margarita and a lobster roll with napa cabbage and jicama slaw, or pop in for a slice of chevre cheesecake with gingersnap crust and red-wine-poached pears – what a nightcap. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 Tuesday through Thursday, 8:30 Sunday > Chiara Bistro 569 High Street, Westwood, 781-461-8118, chiarabistro.com

WHISTLE-STOP

Waiters at the Coach Grill wearing tan sport coats wheel choice sirloin out of the kitchen and into the clubby wood-paneled bar. The well-heeled clientele sips cosmos and talks. Welcome to Wayland, late night. Diners dress up for this steakhouse, whether they’re coming from the Vokes Theatre down the street or the school play, or just can’t bear the idea of trekking into Boston for garlic mashed potatoes.

> Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 the rest of the week > Coach Grill 55 Boston Post Road, Wayland, 508-358-5900, coachgrill.com

METROPOLITAN LIFE

If the suburbs had a Times Square it would be Legacy Place in Dedham. This glittering stop off Route 128 radiates commerce, and The Met Bar and Grill is the late-night diner. But because this is not the gritty city, the restaurant – with its sleek burger bar and plush seating – has the comfortable air of a neighborhood joint. “It doesn’t matter what the hours on the door are, if people are having a good time, we stay open,” says owner Kathy Sidell. > Kitchen closes at midnight Wednesday through Saturday, 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 Tuesday > The Met Bar and Grill Legacy Place, Dedham, 781-467-1234, metbarandgrill.com

NEWBURY KNOCKOFF

Sometimes a chain doesn’t feel like a chain. For college professors, students cramming for exams, and road warriors marooned in the hotels of Route 128, the Wellesley outpost of the popular Papa Razzi chain is a gustatory godsend. After other bistros in town have gone dark, spaghetti alla Bolognese is still being served. Dining hours were extended a year ago because “people were coming in at 10:30 and we didn’t want to make them feel rushed,” says Charles Sarkis Jr., a vice president of parent company Back Bay Restaurant Group. The swank granite bar with Peroni on draft is a slice of Newbury Street in suburbia. > Kitchen closes at midnight Friday and Saturday, 11:30 p.m. the rest of the week > Papa Razzi 16 Washington Street, Wellesley, 781-235-4747, paparazzitrattoria.com

PARIS WEST

A French bistro in the heart of Needham seems as out of place as the Eiffel Tower on the patio out front. But Jacky Robert and Loic LeGarrec, who own the two Petit Robert Bistro restaurants in Boston, wanted a presence west of town. Crunchy baguettes with garlic butter-soaked escargots are as decadent as late-night dining gets. To avoid crowds, savvy suburbanites wait until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for their pick of white-linen-covered tables in this romantic setting. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 the rest of the week > Petit Robert Bistro 45 Chapel Street, Needham, 781-559-0532, petitrobertbistro.com

SPLASH

You’re seated on the patio overlooking Nahant Bay when the perfect lobster roll arrives. Next comes a handsome plate of fried clams. It’s 11:45 p.m. on a Monday and the kitchen at Red Rock Bistro is as wide open as a clamshell. “I did this because you couldn’t do this around here,” says owner Paul Petersiel, who has served food until last call for 10 years in sleepy Swampscott. His delicious, eclectic eats include boar pizza, Cubano sandwiches, and other food with attitude. > Kitchen closes at midnight Monday through Saturday, 9 p.m. Sunday > Red Rock Bistro 141 Humphrey Street, Swampscott, 781-595-1414, redrockbistro.com

South Shore gourmet

In Hingham after 10 p.m., you don’t have to settle for franchise burgers along Route 3. Sliders made from smoked-then-braised brisket and lobster pizza await at the Scarlet Oak Tavern. Short-rib panini and gourmet pizzas are still coming out of the brick oven on weekends after most places on the South Shore are in a deep slumber. The clubby lounge in this rambling 250-year-old Colonial tavern attracts a polished crowd of twentysomethings. Votives in the fireplace and two bar areas, plus a patio garden in the summer, make eating late a very stylish choice. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, around 10 the rest of the week > Scarlet Oak Tavern 1217 Main Street, Hingham, 781-749-8200, scarletoaktavern.com

THAT’S DEEP When Greg Jacobs moved his popular Brookline Village seafood shack, The Village Fish, to Needham 2½ years ago, he took a city vibe with him. Washing up on the corner of Great Plain and Dedham avenues was serendipitous. “Turns out the people who had their first dates at the Village Fish in Brookline have moved out here to raise their children,” he says. Trout and swordfish, fresh from Fish Pier, sizzle till 11:30 p.m. on weekends. After a long day of hedge-clipping, make the pain go away with Sicilian littlenecks and a cold Anchor Steam at the raw bar. > Kitchen closes at 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9:30 the rest of the week > The Village Fish 970 Great Plain Avenue, Needham, 781-449-0544, thevillagefish.com

MIDNIGHT SNACK

Sky, a scratch kitchen on the southern end of the Auto Mile, is a beacon for hungry travelers and locals tired of the pub scene. In the dimly lit lounge, a fun crowd stays fortified with spicy Baja egg rolls, lobster sliders, and homemade ice cream sandwiches drizzled in warm chocolate ganache. Comfort food in a comfortable setting (turkey sandwich with all the fixings, anyone?) is offered until the clock strikes midnight. > Kitchen closes at midnight Thursday through Saturday, 10 Monday through Wednesday, 9 on Sunday > Sky 1369 Providence Turnpike Highway, Norwood, 781-255-8888, sky-restaurant.com

thinking big

There’s nothing skimpy about Stearns & Hill’s Bistro. Famished night owls can swoop into the steakhouse at 11 p.m. and order a bone-in prime rib that looks like it’s straight out of Bedrock. Specials include such dishes as lemony, cheesy scallop risotto, the wine list is nicely priced, and the pungent vinegar pepper pork chop turns heads when it sails through the room. Because Melrose is a dry town, restaurants must serve food with their spirits, making this vintage downtown a dining destination. Stearns & Hill’s is the best place there. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 10 Monday through Wednesday, 9 on Sunday > Stearns & Hill’s Bistro 505 Main Street, Melrose, 781-662-9111, stearnsandhillsbistro.com

last one standingWhen Moody Street, Waltham’s restaurant row, powers down, Tempo is still beating. The catchall bistro with endless blackboard specials feels like a North End transplant, except there’s room to move. Waltz in at 11:05 p.m. and get the best seat in the house at the open window, along with lightning-quick service. Fish is the star at Tempo. Ipswich fried clams and Asian-style tuna and salmon tartare are the perfect warm-up for the house signature, lobster paella. Manhattan chef Jon Wilson brings Big Apple bite to Watch City. > Kitchen closes at 11:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10:15 the rest of the week > Tempo 474 Moody Street, Waltham, 781-891-9000, tempobistro.com

The after-party

When the shows let out at Arlington’s Regent Theatre, dining options abound. But there’s only one place to rendezvous over deconstructed banana splits. Tryst’s pastry chef, Anne Moynihan, keeps the bistro bumping with homemade Nutella gelato, guava sorbet, and other creative indulgences. The candlelit bar is the perfect place for either a hot date or for catching up with old friends. You can linger over pork sirloin and pan-seared halibut. > Kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 Monday through Thursday, 9 Sunday > Tryst 689 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, 781-641-2227, trystrestaurant.com

Kathleen Pierce is an area freelance writer. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.