Restaurants August is bringing a wave of delicious new openings, including Thai barbecue, Lebanese wraps, Tokyo-inspired desserts, chef-made ice cream, and eye-catching pastries. Tong Pen from Tom Yum Yang in Allston. Brian Samuels

It’s a sweet month ahead—not just because the dog days of summer are here, but because a bounty of new confectionery-centric eateries are moving into Boston. From Tokyo-inspired matcha parfaits and chef-driven ice cream, there’s plenty to satisfy a sweet tooth. And for those craving something savory, fiery flavors arrive with Thai barbecue and Lebanese kafta. Read on to see where you’ll find us eating this month.

About Thyme

This forthcoming Lebanese bakery to Harvard Square leans into savory and earthy Middle Eastern flavors like sumac chicken and all-spiced kafta filling its saj-baked wraps. In Lebanon, the saj is an ancient way of baking traditional flatbreads; at About Thyme they’ll also use the griddle for making wraps that are easy to eat in the intimate dining area, with just over a dozen seats, or on the go. These wraps comprise the majority of the opening menu along with labneh, a tangy-strained yogurt with various herbs, za’atar and pistachios, as well as lemonades and coffee drinks until the owner—raised between Lebanon in the UK with no hospitality background except working at a cafe during his undergraduate studies in NY—settles into his new role as restaurant proprietor. “Even if it’s small, we want our drinks to invite people in and to be a gateway into the cuisine that we’re serving,” Taha A. Mikati told The Harvard Crimson. He also said the “food and drinks would be equal partners” even as he grows.

1 Brattle Square, Cambridge

Opens: early August 

Nana’s Green Tea is now open.
– CourtesyNana’s Green Tea

In an effort to bring Japan’s ritualistic teahouse experience to the U.S., this Tokyo-founded matcha cafe is making a splash stateside and has just landed on Newbury Street. Specializing in matcha and hojicha, another type of Japanese green tea with less caffeine than the former, Nana’s offers them in the form of traditional whisked matcha, as lattes, soda floats, frappes and espresso shots—pretty much any way you can drink coffee, they replicate that with matcha (starting at $6). But it’s not just the tea drinks that are special here, as Nana’s serves up classic savory and sweet dishes. There’s salmon sashimi don, a sesame-tossed rice bowl with pickled ginger and wasabi, as well as chicken karaage salad with deep fried marinated chicken, greens and hardboiled egg. Their signature sweets include Japanese parfaits and layered desserts crafted from a base of matcha like the mochi parfaits, rolled sponge cakes and white chocolate cake (starting at $8.50).

175 Newbury St., Back Bay

Now Open

Ralph’s Coffee is now open in the Seaport. – CourtesyRalph’s Coffee Seaport

The Seaport has officially welcomed Ralph Lauren to the neighborhood with both a retail outpost and swanky, emerald-clad café. Inspired by the success of the Ralph’s Coffee truck pop-up throughout the spring, the café is the first permanent location in Boston as the brand continues a national and U.S. extension. Ralph’s first-ever coffee shop opened in 2014 in New York City on the corner of 55th Street, overlooking the iconic Fifth Avenue; following the international response to the brand’s crossover of couture and coffee, the cafés have become a signature in some of the world’s most fashionable destinations, from the Hamptons to Miami and, now, Boston. The café is an extension to the store’s immaculate decor, decked out in rich stained wood with handcrafted mosaic and brass accents to nod to the Seaport’s maritime and mercantile heritage. Aside from the signature beans used for the espresso and lattes (starting at $5.50), Ralph’s Coffee also serves up a variety of rotating sandwiches, breakfast treats like almond croissants ($7) and overnight oats ($3.50) as well as other sweets like chocolate chip cookies ($6.50) brownies ($7) and soft serve ice cream.

70 Pier 4 Blvd. Suite 300, Seaport

Now Open

Salt & Straw

Pacific northwest-native cousins Kim and Tyler Malek just debuted the New England flagship of their chef-driven ice cream concept, Salt & Straw. They’ve come a long way from starting with four used ice cream machines in 2011 to unveiling their new Boston location, complete with city-exclusive flavors. Their core ethos, though, remains the same: using ice cream as a blank slate for storytelling. In this case, they connect their story to the locale with destination-specific flavors of Boston Cream Pie—an homage to the city’s famed dessert—featuring vanilla chiffon cake ice cream with a dark chocolate fudge swirl and vanilla bean custard. There’s also the Pistachio & Ricotta Cannoli—a celebration of Boston’s Italian-American community—crafted with pistachio ice cream, ricotta ribbons, crisp cannoli shell pieces, and candied nuts. In August, their monthly rotating series begins with a summer pie theme as the Maleks turn iconic pies into ice cream flavors—and as they plant their roots deeper, expect bespoke collaborations with local businesses. “We love diving into a city’s culinary history while discovering the people who are shaping what’s next,” says Tyler Malek. “We can’t wait to create flavors and collaborations that celebrate everything that makes Boston so special.”

200 Seaport Blvd., Seaport

Now Open

Tom Yum Yang

The mother-daughter duo behind Sugar & Spice, touted as Boston’s best Thai restaurant by various local and national outlets, are gearing up to unveil their new Thai BBQ and street food concept across the river from its sibling restaurant. The forthcoming Allston eatery is rooted in the communal spirit of Thai cuisine and charcoal-fired cooking with a name that reflects its menu: Tom, meaning the foundation, Yum, the balance, and Yang, the fire. “Tom Yum Yang is about the food, energy, and feeling of gathering around a Thai grill,” says co-owner Amy Kridaratikorn. “We wanted to create a restaurant that feels lively, generous, and deeply rooted in Thai street food culture.” Expect a new Thai experience here, straying from the mainstream dishes that diners might be familiar with into aromatic curries and robust sauces that aren’t typically featured in western Thai cuisine. Like Tong Pen, a Thai style taco with coconut crisp, grilled shrimp and curry paste from the south of Thailand or Hor Mok Yang, a grilled curry souffle with coconut cream and Thai basil that can be served vegetarian or pescatarian, with the latter featuring monk fish and ground shrimp. Open for lunch and dinner, the 2,862-square-foot restaurant will seat 75 in the dining room and 12 at the counter that overlooks chef-owner Penjan Janburiwong cooking over live fire.” We are excited to show the flavors of Thai grilling, regional street food, and the way people eat together in Thailand,” she says. 

156 Harvard Ave, Allston 

Opens: mid- to late-August