Where to eat near Fenway Park

Previously known as Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar, The Citizen still makes sense for a meal built around oysters and whiskey. Its current dinner menu includes oysters with cucumber mignonette, hanger steak frites, lamb shepherd’s pie, and a burger with cheddar, bacon jam, and truffle aioli.

For a larger gathering, the restaurant also takes bookings for a whole roasted pig dinner, served family-style with oysters, shrimp, and seasonal sides. There’s a minimum of 10 people, and the restaurant requests 48 hours’ notice. That makes it an option for a planned group dinner rather than something to order when two friends unexpectedly join you.

Bartaco’s small tacos let you order several fillings without committing the entire meal to one. The Fenway menu includes pork belly, chicken tinga, battered fish, and cauliflower, with rice bowls and sides for anyone who wants something more substantial.

The useful detail is where you sit. The restaurant lists High Tide Hour at the bar on weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m., plus the final 90 minutes before closing Monday through Thursday. Don’t assume those terms apply to a dining-room table. Its location page also has an online waitlist, worth checking before you walk over with a hungry group.

Basho gives you options beyond another burger without requiring everyone at the table to eat raw fish. Alongside sushi and sashimi, its ordering menu includes chicken chashu buns, agedashi tofu, and rice dishes. You can build a meal around rolls or choose something cooked.

There’s also a practical reason to keep it in mind if you’re driving: Basho advertises parking validation at the 1330 Boylston Street garage, including during Red Sox games, with the entrance off Jersey Street. Ask the restaurant about the current validation terms before parking; validation doesn’t automatically mean the whole stay is free.

Tasty Burger’s Fenway location is on Van Ness Street, so head there rather than its former Boylston Street address. The Fenway menu covers cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and veggie burgers, with fries, onion rings, and tots on the side.

For a group, the five-burger sacks are worth comparing with individual orders. For dessert, the shake lineup includes coffee, chocolate, cookies and cream, and the Green Monster, made with peppermint and mini chocolate chips. Online pickup is available if you’d rather place the order before arriving. The Fenway location stays open until 2 a.m. daily, making it an option after the game as well as before it.

A food hall is useful when one person wants barbecue, another wants tacos, and neither is prepared to negotiate. Time Out Market Boston lists counters including Blue Ribbon Barbecue, Taqueria El Barrio, Cusser’s Roast Beef & Seafood and Union Square Donuts. Shared seating lets everyone make their own choice without splitting up for the evening.

Check the individual kitchens before planning a late meal: the building’s closing time is not a promise that every counter will be serving until then. Agree on where to meet before everyone goes to order. If you are heading to the ballpark afterward, leave time to eat together rather than having the last person arrive with dinner as everyone else is ready to leave.